ANNUAL
COMPILED BY WENDY CAWTHON, VANESSA HOLT, KELLY SCHAFLER AND HANNAH ZEDAKER
8 County to study road alternative to underpass WHAT WE REPORTED Following mixed feedback from residents and local officials on a proposedResearch Forest Drive underpass at Grogans Mill Road, Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack announced Nov. 1 local officials had agreed to an independent study to further analayze the intersection. THE LATEST Precinct 3 officials said the entities were still negotiating details of the study as of late December. Montgomery County precincts 2 and 3 will fund the study, which will be conducted by Strand Associates Inc. A cost estimate and timeline have yet to be determined.
GOSLING ROAD
GROGANS MILL ROAD AT RESEARCH FOREST DRIVE
GATEWOOD RESERVE LN.
EXISITING ROAD EXPANSION
21 accidents occurred between Sept. 1, 2017 -Aug. 30, 2018
N
Projected daily traffic increase by 2045: + 57%
SOURCES:BROWN&GAY ENGINEERS INC.,MONTGOMERY COUNTYSHERIFF’SOFFICE/ COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER N
6 No relief for Gosling Road commuters in 2019 WHAT WE REPORTED Harris County Precinct 4 and Montgomery County Precinct 3 will expand Gosling Road from two to four lanes by adding two southbound lanes from just south of Gate- wood Reserve Lane to just north of Creekside Forest Drive, creating a second bridge over Spring Creek and converting the existing bridge to a one- way northbound road. According to Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack’s office, the two entities are working together on the engineering, design and construc- tion of the project, while Harris County will over- see construction. THE LATEST The entities are working to finalize the agreement for all aspects of the project, includ- ing a cost. However, commuters will not see traffic relief in 2019 as the final design is scheduled for February 2020, when the project will likely go out for bid, according to Precinct 3 officials. WHAT WE REPORTED In August 2015 the city of Conroe and several utility providers filed a lawsuit against the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District opposing a rate increase and its groundwater regulations for large-vol- ume users, which includes The Woodlands. On Sept. 18, 2018, Judge Lamar McCorkle ruled the LSGCD did not have legal authority to force large-volume groundwater users to reduce how much groundwater they use annually. The LSGCD filed an appeal to the ruling Nov. 7. THE LATEST For the first time, residents voted for the LSGCD board of directors in the Nov. 6 elec- tion. In mid-December the LSGCD’s newly elected board voted to dismiss the district’s legal counsel following completion of the lawsuit and to hire Stacey Reese Law PLLC. The board voted to file an extension in the appeal and negotiate litigation settlements with stakeholders. 7 Lawsuits continue between utility providers, conservation district
The percentage of Conroe ISD’s funding from the state has decreased over the past 10 years. SPENDING School
9 School finance to be a top legislative issue in Texas as CISD funding slows WHATWEREPORTED A commission on school finance reformwas cre- ated by House Bill 21 in the 85th Texas Legislature after lawmakers set out to fix the school finance system but could not agree on a solution. After a series of meetings throughout the year, the commission deliv- ered a report to the Legislature at the end of 2018 with recommenda- tions for how the school finance system could be improved. In past budget cycles, Conroe ISD has attributed losses in state funding to the “Robin Hood” plan, which uses recaptured revenue from wealthy districts to fund less-wealthy districts. State funding accounted for 40 percent of CISD’s budget in 2009, while funding dropped to 26 percent in 2018. THE LATEST If no change to the funding system is made, state funds will account for less than a third of school revenue by 2023, according to the commission’s final report approved Dec. 19. The report’s recom- mendations to address public school finance include three options for the Legislature to consider to slow property tax growth in 2019, including a 2.5 percent cap on annual property tax revenue growth originally suggested by Gov. Greg Abbott. The commission’s two other recommendations deal specifically with using money from pro- jected recapture growth to reduce tax rates. The Legislature convened Jan. 8, and lawmakers are expected to discuss the item again before the regular session ends May 27.
40%
2009-10
60%
26%
2018-19
74%
SOURCE:CONROE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
10 Retail, residential build-out of TheWoodlands to continue in Creekside Park Village, Hughes Landing areas
December, with a slated completion of winter 2019. It will also feature new retailers, restaurants with outdoor patios and a gathering courtyard with out- door seating. Just south of Creekside Park West, Venetia Grove—a new single-family community—is also slated to begin construction this year. Homebuilder Toll Brothers plans to offer new one- and two-story single-family homes with prices starting from mid- $400,000s. A Toll Brothers model home is expected to open in early 2019, according to The Howard Hughes Corporation. In Hughes Landing, a new multifamily commu- nity, Two Lakes Edge, is also under construction. The 386-unit complex will be complete in spring 2020, according to The Howard Hughes Corporation.
WHAT WE REPORTED According to recent projec- tions from The Howard Hughes Corporation and The Woodlands Development Company, residential build-out is expected by 2022, and only a handful of commercial spaces remain. Robert Heineman, vice president of planning for The Woodlands Development Company, said while development of homes is winding down, there is still developable land around Hughes Landing, Sterling Ridge and Creekside Park Village. THE LATEST The Howard Hughes Corporation announced Dec. 13 a Moviehouse & Eatery loca- tion will open in The Woodlands—anchoring a new 12-acre retail center, Creekside Park West. Construction at Creekside Park West began in
47
The Woodlands edition • January 2019
Powered by FlippingBook