Designing development From the cover
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Bredehoft said new rules are being used as of June to help speed up the variance process, such as ensuring township design standards supersede neighborhood-specic design criteria. This comes as township residential design committees have already seen over 4,000 variance requests for 2025, while previous years only saw over 6,000 variance requests in total. According to data from the Residential Design Review Committees, the villages of Alden Bridge, Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge have had the most requests for home improvements. However, Bredehoft said some village standards are more strict than overarching design standards from the DSC. “Sometimes neighborhood criteria can have a rule about a type of roof or a color of a roof, and the overall standards for The Woodlands can per- mit that color,” Bredehoft said. “The second part of that process would be to update the neighborhood criteria, so the neighborhood criteria matches the overall standards [of The Woodlands].” Some variances are approved by township covenant sta before being brought to the DSC, but the DSC still sees over 900 additional variances a year requiring further consideration regarding full rebuilds, which are primarily concentrated in the villages of Grogan’s Mill and Panther Creek.
Residential design variance requests Across the eight villages in The Woodlands, residential variance requests have been particularly high in Alden Bridge, Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge.
Many new homeowners are looking to redesign their homes, but Bredehoft said he believes they face challenges to adhere to design standards in The Woodlands. “New homeowners in The Woodlands are typically eager to personalize and adapt their property to reect their individual style and preferences,” Bredehoft said. “This enthusiasm for customization is often reected in a high volume of applications for property modications within the rst year of residency.” According to data from the Residential Design Review Committees–subcommittees of the DSC–over the last three years the villages of Alden Bridge, Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge have seen the greatest number of variance requests for home renovations. Among the requests, residents are most interested in: • Exterior paint and facade changes • Addition of pools and spas
8,000
6,867
6,833
6,000
4,014
4,000
2,000
0
2023
2024
2025
NOTE: 2025 DATA AS OF JUNE 21. SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIPCOMMUNITY IMPACT
• Expanded patios • Summer kitchens
“I know the [Grogan’s Mill] RDRC members understand some of these shifts within the community, and are very open to modernization as long as plans still meet other [design] criteria,” Aaron Hostadter, president of the Grogan’s Mill Village Association, said.
Bredehoft said renovating or rebuilding a home can be a lengthy and complicated process, but he said he believes it’s necessary to maintain elements such as house size. Committee structures Development Standards Committee (6 members total) • Reviews all property use and maintenance variance requests • 3 township appointees • 3 The Woodlands Development Company appointees Residential Development Standards Committee (1 per village, 3 members each) • Subcommittee of DSC • Reviews home design and renovation requests by village • 3 elected property owners in each of the 9 villages For a full home rebuild, the process can take several months: Submit an application for destruction of current structure. Submit application and plans for future structure. The Woodlands Township Covenant Administration sta reviews applications.
Put in perspective
According to the data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the majority of homes within The Wood- lands were built prior to 2009, with 19,350 out of 42,657 homes in The Woodlands now over 25 years old. According to the National Association of Realtors, homes begin requiring a higher level of maintenance after 15 years. While new homeowners seek to update their homes, existing homeowners tend to favor main- taining existing standards, Bredehoft said. “Long-term and existing homeowners are more focused on preserving their homes, maintaining their property values, and want priority toward the enforcement of the deed restrictions,” Bredehoft said. “However, they are also looking to expand and accommodate growing needs [like] an addition needed to care for a family member. We’ve also seen a growing interest in home oce spaces and home additions that accommodate oce space.”
New home builds in The Woodlands
Built 1980 to 1989 7,922 Built 1990 to 1999 11,428 Built 2000 to 2009 12,377 Built 2010 to 2019 9,625 Built 1960 to 1979 3,060 Built 2020 or later 718
Requests presented to DSC board. Variance approved or denied; or alterations are required.
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 5YEAR AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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