Government
BY JESSICA SHORTEN
Montgomery County overhauls development regulations
What else?
Another new development regulation will require all subdivisions or commercial properties within unincorporated areas which disturb more than 15,000 square feet to have a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. The plan will require developers to have measures in place to prevent silt and sediment from running o into local drainage systems. “Now we will have quality roads, quality devel- opments, and roads and drainage that will last 30 years now instead of lasting 10 or 12 [years]; and that’s a must,” Riley said. The regulations are applicable to all new devel- opments outside of existing municipalities such as Conroe, Shenandoah and Oak Ridge North as well as The Woodlands Township. The new regulations will also be retroactive for one year prior to the adoption date, meaning any new developments registered with the county since March 4, 2024 will also need to come into compliance. A number of new developments are already underway such as the Colton and Kresston master-planned communities in Precinct 2, while existing developments in South Montgomery County are working on expansion in areas like Woodson’s Reserve.
Montgomery County commissioners adopted the county’s rst overhaul of its development regulations in March, setting standards and requirements for new developments in unincorporated areas of the county for the rst time in over 40 years. Work on the new regulations began in 2023 under former County Engineer Dan Wilds, who died in May 2024. According to county documents, the last time the county updated development regulation standards was 1984. A committee was formed in July 2024 consisting of Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray and Director of Engineering Services Thomas Woolley to work on creating the new regulations alongside representatives from several engineering rms, including: • Sam Yager, Inc. • Stoecker Corporation
Directing development
Under the new regulations, a trac impact analysis is required for the following developments:
Single-family residential 100+ lots Multifamily residential 200+ units
Commercial developments 100+ acres or 1,000+ average daily tra c
The size of home lots is also being regulated:
• The Signorelli Company • Pape-Dawson Engineers • Quiddity Engineering • Elevation Land Solutions
Minimum residential lot width 40 feet
Maximum residential driveway width 25 feet
“As a group, we decided that we had to get together, and we wanted top notch development,” Riley said. “We’re not trying to keep anybody out of Montgomery County; we just want top notch developers working for us.” Among the new regulations, developers will now be required to submit a trac impact analysis with most new residential and commercial developments. A trac impact analysis is a study which examines if existing road infrastructure will be able to support new trac or if improvements to a roadway are required. All developments will also now be required to have a minimum of a 6-foot privacy fence if the development backs up to an existing residential area.
The new regulations apply only to unincorporated areas, and not to cities or The Woodlands.
Maximum commercial driveway 45 feet
Unincorporated Montgomery County
The Woodlands Township
Cities
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY ENGINEERING OFFICECOMMUNITY IMPACT
Conroe
1488
“We pored over these regulations for 18 months until we nally settled on what I would call balanced development regulations,” Gray said. “If you overregulate, it gets so dicult to get the type of development that you want in the area and the type of businesses, because it’s too expensive and it’s too stringent. So you’ve got to have a balance.”
242
WOODLANDS PKWY.
Shenandoah Oak Ridge North
GROGANS MILL RD.
45
2978
99 TOLL
KUYKENDAHL RD.
N
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAUCOMMUNITY IMPACT
“We’re going to make sure everybody’s following the law,” Gray said. “We’re going to make sure residents in those areas, those subdivisions, they have a peaceful day. ... We’re going to help protect those property owners.”
re-evaluated in the near future. The regulations will also be retroactively eective for any new developments registered within one year prior to the ocial eective date of March 17, meaning some developments may need to submit additional information and receive additional permits.
Next steps
While Montgomery County does have a drainage criteria manual, Gray said during a State of the Precinct address on March 12 those regulations are also set to be
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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