$16.5M county library, community center planned From the cover
What else?
The big picture
The new community center and library is set to be 48,000 square feet with a number of rentable rooms ranging from ballroom size to study rooms. It will include: • A 5,000-square-foot ballroom • 11 rentable study rooms • A full-service conference room • 100-person capacity theater-style classroom
Grogan’s Mill residents have expressed concern over the loss of an anchor store at the Grogan’s Mill Village Center to The Woodlands Township board and at other public meetings since 2020. Since then, vacancies at the center have proven dicult to ll. “We knew that an anchor needed to be at Grogan’s Mill, and the viability of a large- scale grocer does not exist,” said Jim Carman, president of Howard Hughes Houston region, during the Sept. 26 Montgomery County Commissioners Court meeting. “So in order to revitalize the whole village center and the retail components, an anchor has to be there, and we thought that it was a tremendous idea to have a library [and] community center.” The new facilities will be situated in a shared space formerly held by Randalls. While a majority of the current building will be demolished, Carman said parts of the existing building will be used in the new structure.
• A rentable podcast room • A ilm-producing room
“This is going to be a true game changer for South Montgomery County and Montgomery County. This is going to be the agship library in our system as well as the nest community center,” Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said. While Howard Hughes is funding $16.5 million of the project, the county will be responsible for any additional costs over the budgeted amount, according to the approved contract.
The retail portion of the village center will be renovated by Howard Hughes.
The new library and community center will be surrounded by revitalized retail centers, which will stay under the ownership of Howard Hughes, Carman said. The centers will be built concurrently with the new library and community center, but completion may vary depending on extraneous factors. “We put a million additional dollars into the retail adjacent to bring it up to a great Class A center,” Carman said. Carman said the existing retail stores within the shopping center will stay active. New retail will likely ll current vacancies in the shopping center once construction is complete, but Howard Hughes will manage the leasing for those areas, Carman said. The retail space will also keep components of the existing center such as the clock tower. Carman said the goal is to keep as much of the traditional feel of the centers while also upgrading existing infrastructure and making room for new retail. The Woodlands Farmer’s Market, which is held weekly on Saturdays, will also receive a covered area within the center to allow for a more permanent setup. The new space for the farmers market will be part of the 7.8 acres of the village center which will be transferred to the county. The farmers market will continue to host weekly events at the Grogan’s Mill center until construction begins and is completed, said Bruce Cunningham, president of Grogan’s Mill Village Association, a board that acts as a liaison between residents and the township.
The South County Library and Community Center will move to Grogan’s Mill Village Center in the land swap.
RENDERINGS COURTESY HOWARD HUGHES
Current locations Future location
Grogan's Mill Village Center
Community center
Farmers market Library Retail
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South County Community Center
South Regional Library
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SOURCES: HOWARD HUGHES, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 3 COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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