The Woodlands Edition - November 2019

Oak Ridge North is made up of several residential and commercial zones across less than 2 square miles. The city has worked to further develop its business base in recent years, with some economic plans tied to the future of Robinson Road. CENTRAL THOROUGHFARE

CITY ZONING CATEGORIES:

Business/commercial Parks/public spaces Residential

Manufacturing Mixed residential and commercial

Wood Ridge Plaza

Robinson Road improvements

Oak Ridge North Commerce Park

The expansion of Robinson Road at Westwood Drive could be followed by an intersection realignment at Hanna Road.

Woodlands Parkway signalization and Robinson Road widening at Westwood Drive

Robinson Road widening from Westwood Drive to Hanna Road

Plaza District

Shoppes at Oak Ridge North

Robinson Road realignment and signalization at Hanna Road

Cost and timeline information for Robinson Road projects and proposed projects was not available as of press time.

SOURCE:CITYOFOAKRIDGENORTH/ COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

Hanna Business Park

also provide an upgrade for Oak Ridge North’s business opportunities and sales tax growth. “Robinson Road, the future of that, is critical to the success of Oak Ridge North’s commercial development,” said Gil Staley, chief executive o- cer of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership. “Mobility is going to play a key role in their future, and it looks good. It looks really bright for them.” Sales tax revenue, the city’s largest source of income, has been budgeted at around million annually since . Neeley said a sales tax upswing is expected with the arrivals of several new businesses in and , but adding signicant development in the long term is still tied to improvements along Robinson. “At the end of the day, in order to help our current tax base, we have to bring those people in,” she said. “And in order to bring in new businesses, we have to have the right infrastructure.” Throughout the s, the city established new zoning districts along Robinson to provide opportunities for future economic growth in its mainly residential center. The RC- zone, or Robinson Commercial District, cov- ers an area where more than a dozen homes are situated between Westwood and Maplewood drives on Robinson. The district was established in , and the rst business there will open later this year when Strickland Dental relocates from its current home on the city’s I- frontage road. Founder Royce Strickland said he has

overpass and Westwood Drive intersec- tion, is expected to improve trac ow around the city’s west side, ocials said. Montgomery County Precinct will oversee construction, which is moving forward aer Oak Ridge North nalized several right of way purchases in that area this spring andMontgomery County commissioners approved a proj- ect award Oct. . Montgomery County did not respond to an information request regarding the estimated timeline and cost of the overpass and intersection projects as of press time. Additional Robinson Road projects have yet to be nalized, but city ocials have said the next phases could join Robinson’s disconnected intersection at Hanna Road—a problem spot creating frequent congestion throughout the city. “Robinson Road contributes to large volumes of vehicles trying to avoid the slow down at the intersection,” Mayor Paul Bond said in an email. “Drivers look to use alternate routes, north or south, creating higher volumes of traf- c splintering o on residential streets never designed to accommodate the additional trac ow.” A potential third construction phase could widen Robinson from two to four lanes between Westwood and Hanna if deemed necessary following the Hanna intersection redesign. ROBINSON ROAD BUSINESSES City ocials have said Robinson Road improvements are expected to ease driv- ing times for residents and area com- muters, but changes to the road could

City commercial areas

Spaces available

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going through. So even if we wanted to build something great right next door, it’s hard to get people in and out.” ROAD IMPROVEMENTS Residents, city ocials and regional transportation planners have identi- ed heavy congestion along Robinson Road as a major community concern over the past decade. Oak Ridge North’s Comprehensive Plan, subsequent city trac planning documents and the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s county mobility and thoroughfare plans each highlighted the road’s importance to the community and south Montgom- ery County region. “You’ve got Rayford [Road] south of there that goes across the railroad, but there’s not really any other roads that cross it,” H-GAC Senior Transportation Planner Carlene Mullins said. “All of the development that’s going over on the east side, they have to use either Rayford or Robinson ... because there’s no other way to get where they need to go.” More than , vehicles traveled the two-lane road daily in -, accord- ing to a trac study by H-GAC. A BGE Inc. study projected daily trac on Robinson will reach more than , vehicles by . The rst phase of work on Robinson, based around the Woodlands Parkway

The Plaza District currently in- cludes several businesses, City Hall and the Robinson Road Commu- nity Center. The city identified the area as a possible future downtown. 5

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