The Woodlands Township board of directors on Feb. 19 approved a charter for an ad hoc committee that will focus on topics such as monitoring concerns in the village shopping centers.
The backstory
The township’s Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee had previously monitored developments relating to the village centers, according to meeting materials.
Concerns arose when two Randalls grocery stores closed in the Grogan’s Mill and Panther Creek village shopping centers in 2020, Community Impact previously reported. Subsequent closures included a Kroger in Sterling Ridge in 2025, as well as other stores in several of the village shopping centers.
What it means
Township Chair Brad Bailey recommended that the committee include three board members and three members of the public. According to information from the township, although it does not have control or influence over the village centers, the committee would help facilitate communication among property owners, merchant associations and residents.
Bailey nominated board members Cindy Heiser, Adam Lamb and himself. He also nominated residents Haley Garcia, Chris Reyes and Whitney Lehmann to the committee. According to the meeting agenda, committee members will not be able to:
- Make agreements or negotiations on behalf of the township
- Create policies
- Create committees, subcommittees or task forces
- Alter the committee’s charter without approval of The Woodlands board of directors
- Direct township staff in operations
- Spend funds without board approval
What they’re saying
Bailey explained that there’s been significant growth in the village centers, including attractions such as the new robotics and podcast center that opened Feb. 19 in the Grogan’s Mill Village Center’s Kevin Brady Library.
The library and community center opened in September and is named after former U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, who represented Texas’ 8th Congressional District from 1997-2023. The center was built in place of the Randalls grocery store that closed in 2020 as part of a partnership between Montgomery County Precinct 3 and Howard Hughes Corp. to redevelop the center. Work on the $16.5 million project started in 2024.
“To hear what happened in that center since they opened up ... Now it’s the No. 1 visited library in Montgomery County,” Bailey said. “As we look at the other seven village centers, we have to think big, and we have to start looking and working with our local development committee. We have to go educate, inform and get the buy-in for the owners of these properties.”
What’s next
According to the agenda, the committee will remain in effect until the end of the year or until evaluations and discussions on the improvement of village centers are complete. The board will determine if the committee should be extended.
