The Woodlands | March 2023

dling your home and car insurance is super easy with could you save money with a special discount, but yo time by having all your coverages in the same p Bundling your home and car insurance is super easy with could you save money with a special discount, but you’ll time by having all your coverages in the same place. our local geico agent makes bundling Home + Auto = easy your local geico agent makes bundling local geico agent makes bundling s Home + Auto = easy local geico agent makes bundling simple. Bundling your home and car insurance is super easily with GEICO. Not only could you save money with a special discount, but you’ll also save time by having all your coverages in the same place. home+auto=easy Bundling your home and car insurance is super easy with GEICO. No only could you save money with a special discount, but you’ll also sav time by having all your coverages in the same place. Bundling your home and car insurance is super easy with GEICO. Not only could you save money with a special discount, but you’ll also save your local geico agent makes bundling simple. Home + Auto = easy your home and car insurance is super easy with G you save money with a special discount, but you’ me by having all your coverages in the same place your home and car insurance is super easy with GEICO. you save money with a special discount, but you’ll time by having all your coverages in the same place. y g y g by having your coverages urance is super easy with GEICO. Not a special discount, but you’ll also save overages in the same place. insurance is super easy with GEICO. Not coverages in the same place. Auto easy YOUR LOCAL GEICO AGENT MAKES BUNDLING SIMPLE. our home and car insurance is super ea you save money with a special discount me by having all your coverages in the s your home and car insurance is super easy you save money with a special discount, time by having all your coverages in the same

FIELDS FOR ALL SEASONS Sports elds in The Woodlands host adult and youth sports programming and tournaments throughout the year.

ALDEN BRIDGE SPORTS PARK 44.6 acres

BEAR BRANCH SPORTS FIELDS 35.3 acres

GOSLING SPORTS FIELDS 26.32 acres 3 turf elds, 2 grass elds

2 turf elds, 3 grass elds

4 turf elds, 2 grass elds

GOSLING SPORTS FIELDS

ALDEN BRIDGE SPORTS PARK

BEAR BRANCH SPORTSFIELDS

TECHNOLOGY FOREST PL.

for the residents,” Bailey said. Major events which attract attend- ees from across the country are only one part of the sports tourism mix, however. Three sports complexes in the township—Alden Bridge, Bear Branch and Gosling—provide both turf and natural elds popular for use among regional sports teams and events, Nunes said. Each park will see improvements begin in 2023, includ- ing additional restrooms and lighting improvements, as part of $8.2 million in parks and recreation investments in the township’s 2023 budget. Those elds generally host events with 500-1,000 players and attendees, although some are larger with over 10,000 players and attendees over the course of the weekend, Nunes said. For example, the Copa Rayados tour- nament happens during Thanksgiving break, when the community teams are not using the elds. “That’s one of the best tourna- ments for us because all of the elds are vacated by all of the community teams, and sure enough we come in now with 200-300 teams from around the country and even internationally,” he said. “It’s also a good weekend for the hotels because … it’s a slow busi- ness travel week.” Future recreation needs Players and organizers said the demand for sports facilities in The Woodlands at all levels of use is expected to increase. A parks and needs assessment prepared by the township in 2022 identied a potential $100 million in projects that could be planned in the next 15-20 years. For the immediate future, several parks and recreation projects are planned in 2023, with a total of $23.44 million through 2024. Upcoming plans in the 2023 budget

include pickleball courts in several village parks as well as LED lighting and restrooms at many facilities. Lon- ger-range projects include building another townshipwide park on South Gosling Road, according to township information. Simon Boddison, director of soc- cer operations for the Dynamo Dash Youth soccer club, said the organiza- tion has 9,000 participants through- out the Houston region, including 3,000 in The Woodlands area. It is rebranding as HTX Soccer this year starting June 1. The organization uses all three sports complexes in The Woodlands, with events throughout the year. “We are growing, and the com- munity is growing,” Boddison said. “There is some discussion behind the scenes of potentially adding more sports facilities in The Woodlands, and we would relish that opportunity because we’re continually growing, and we’d look forward to using any extra facilities.” Other potential areas for growth include developing facilities for sports such as pickleball. Improvements at Falconwing Park totaling $4.2 million include new pickleball courts in this year’s budget. The sport draws users from throughout the region, said Adda Cuthbert, founder of The Wood- lands Pickleball Association. “We have added a few new pro- grams to accommodate the growing interest in pickleball,” Cuthbert said. “However, sharing courts with the tennis programs makes it dicult to grow the sport. The new pickleball court at Falconwing cannot open soon enough.”

INVESTMENTS UNDERWAY A parks and recreation assessment conducted in 2022 identied eld improvements and additional amenities as feeding into tourism appeal in The Woodlands. TOWNSHIP PARKS AND RECREATION IMPROVEMENTS: Turf eld, LED lights Gosling Sports Fields Restroom, LED lights Bear Branch Sports Fields Parking lot, restrooms, turf, lights Alden Bridge Sports Park 202425: $12.36M budgeted Long-term planning: (15-20 years) Up to $100M in identied potential projects 2023: $8.2M budgeted $2.9M for townshipwide facilities

Phase I (2023-25): $23.44M Phase II (2026-28): $17.28M

THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIPCOMMUNITY IMPACT

DRIVING REVENUE After sales and hotel tax revenue dropped during the pandemic, it saw recovery above expectations in 2022. Sporting events help to drive hotel occupancy and local retail sales during major events.

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español!

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Españo

Sales tax Hotel occupancy tax

$80M

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_63331212 Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129 Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image 1999- 2022. 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129 more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129 more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129

$60M

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español!

$40M

$20M

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIPCOMMUNITY IMPACT

THE WOODLANDS EDITION • MARCH 2023