Lake Houston - Humble - Kingwood Edition | May 2023

PARKS & RECREATION

San Jacinto Bayou Greenway segment opens to Kingwood hikers, bikers

BY HANNAH BROL

County residents to safety from ood-prone areas and reduce the impacts of ooding,” HCFCD Execu- tive Director Tina Petersen said in the news release. “The impact of buyouts is greater when land is transformed to provide recreational spaces for surrounding communities.” The new segment gives Kingwood residents a trail connection at Woodland Hills Drive to access the bayou greenway as well as new o-street trails and the use of existing residential streets for the trail system. The segment also features the planting of native trees, meadows and wildowers; 14.5 acres of newly acquired land to be preserved as permanent parkland; benches, seating areas and overlooks; interpretive and directional signage; and trash cans and recycling containers. “Houston Parks Board always seeks opportunities where the organization can complement Harris

Kingwood residents can now traverse 2.5 miles of hike and bike trails following the opening of a new segment of the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway on April 15. According to an April 17 news release, the project is a joint eort among the Houston Parks Board, the city of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and the Harris County Flood Control District. The segment— which spans 2.5 miles from Woodland Hills Drive to Hamblen Road—goes through a former townhome com- munity, The Riverview Townhomes at Forest Cove. HCFCD previously acquired and demolished the ood- prone property using its own funds as well as a Hazard Mitigation grant from the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency. “The buyout program is one of the most eective ood mitigation tools used to move endangered Harris

The new hike and bike trails opened to the public April 15. (Courtesy Houston Parks Board)

GAINING GREEN SPACE A new 2.5-mile segment of the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway spans from Woodland Hills Drive to Hamblen Road in Kingwood. SOURCE: HOUSTON PARKS BOARD COMMUNITY IMPACT County Flood Control District’s eorts along the bayou greenways,” HPB President and CEO Beth White said in the news release. Construction on the project took more than two years beginning in January 2021 and wrapping up in March. The project cost, including design, land acquisition and con- struction, was just over $3.5 million. “This project is a testament of what

WOODLAND HILLS DR.

H A M B L E N D R .

W. FORK OF THE SAN JACINTO RIVER

is possible for our green spaces across every Houston community,” said Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin—who represents the city of Houston’s District E, which includes Kingwood, in the news release. “With this new 2.5-mile segment, nearby residents can enjoy new o-street paths that improve connections across Hous- ton’s vast trail system and further adds to its ‘Livable Forest.’”

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