Development
BY JESSICA SHORTEN & LIZZY SPANGLER
Willis breaks ground on new city building The city of Willis held a groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 10 for its new building that will house its public works department and animal control. The gist City Manager Sheyi Ipaye said construction on the 6-acre property is anticipated to be completed in seven months. The total cost of the project is around $1.2 million-$1.3 million . Ipaye said the city currently works with Conroe to house animals at its shelter, and the new animal control facility will be able to house around four dozen animals. “It’s OK to have interlocal agreements with other cities, but if you can have your own, it’s better. The citizens would like that better,” Ipaye said. “And that is what this [is].”
Montgomery County OKs new development regulations for roads Montgomery County commissioners approved a new set of development regulations March 4 after some changes were made regarding minimum street widths, following concerns presented by the Montgomery County Fire Chiefs Association. What you need to know Under the new regulations, the county is man- dating a minimum road width within new residen- tial developments to improve the overall quality of developments. However, Jason Oliphant, fire chief with Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 1, said during the Feb. 11 meeting that the previously proposed 22-26-foot minimum would create a “significant risk for delayed emer- gency response times.”
According to the new regulations, the minimum road widths in subdivisions will be:
Local road widths (open ditch roadways) • 22 feet for roads with less than 1,500 vehicles average daily traffic • 24 feet for roads with less than 3,000 vehicles average daily traffic
Suburban and urban road widths
(curbed roadways) • 25 feet for subdivisions with less than 32 home sites • 27 feet for subdivisions with more than 32 home sites
Why it matters County Judge Mark Keough said he wanted to have the minimum road width increased to 28 feet across developments to fully address concerns from the Montgomery County Fire Chief’s Association. The changes were ultimately approved 3-2 with Keough and Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker dissenting because they wanted the minimum road width to be 28 feet.
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CONROE - MONTGOMERY EDITION
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