Picture The Woodlands After Nov 2
Though the sun will come up on November 3rd as usual, implications of the incorporation vote will quickly become evident.
On November 2, 2021, residents will decide whether The Woodlands should incorporate now. Should they choose not to incorporate at this time, plans currently in place that will alter The Woodlands will move forward.
Commissioner James Noack announced on 9/28/2021 that “traffic is coming” from Woodtrace Boulevard on the west and “we’re gonna end up having to widen Woodlands Parkway” by removing the trees and replacing them with center medians. Woodtrace Boulevard is the renamed Woodlands Parkway Extension that 80% of The Woodlands voters rejected in the 2015 Montgomery County road bond election. (See map below) In the Village of Sterling Ridge, 93% voted against the road bond. The Woodlands Parkway will become an 8-10 lane commuter thoroughfare, much like FM1960 or FM1488, dividing The Woodlands in half.
The Howard Hughes Corporation has announced their intention to build out remaining commercial land under their control with significant additional multifamily units as well as commercial and retail space. Traffic will worsen near these high-density developments. Roads recently removed from the Montgomery County Thoroughfare plan will return – Gosling, Kuykendahl, and Branch Crossing would connect outside of The Woodlands, crisscrossing our residential community with high speed, high density thoroughfares.
Flooding and subsidence intensifies. Surrounding cities would surpass The Woodlands, with new development using financing tools available only to municipalities. Conroe, for example, is using the state’s portion of sales and hotel tax collected in that city to build a new convention center.
Annexation by Houston is not an immediate threat to quality of life in The Woodlands. The reason to incorporate comes from publicly stated plans emanating from Montgomery County officials and from the Howard Hughes Corporation, and to give The Woodlands the authority to meaningfully address flooding and drainage.
Should The Woodlands residents choose to incorporate on November 2, what does the City of the Woodlands look like?
The City of The Woodlands can ensure that development projects continue but with the consent of residents. Traffic remains at acceptable levels, with no heavy truck or commuter traffic passing through from outside areas. Village shopping centers remain intact and are refurbished as needed, walking paths and parks are maintained, and the City of The Woodlands would have standing to participate in regional authorities that meaningfully address flooding. Property tax increases are limited by state statute and residents who are over 65 or disabled can exercise a tax freeze on their city property taxes. Residents of the City of The Woodlands write a Home Rule Charter that will require voter approval and is the most local control form of government. Nothing changes with Conroe ISD. The Woodlands can remain a beautiful hometown where residents can live, work, and play.
