News
BY JESSICA SHORTEN
Gil Staley announces Feb. 1 retirement
Gil Staley, CEO of The Woodlands Area
Economic Development Partnership, announced his retirement eective Feb. 1 following 19 years with the EDP in an Aug. 1
The library will include a children’s area fully separated from the rest of the library.
Gil Staley
news release. Looking back Staley rst joined The Woodlands Area EDP as chief operating ocer in 2005 before taking over as CEO in 2009. Staley focused on bringing corporations to The Woodlands, and volunteered for a number of local boards and coalitions, including: • The Woodlands Area Chamber of Com- merce board • Gulf Coast Workforce Board • Conroe North Houston Regional Airport Advisory Board • United Way of Greater Houston Regional Council • Montgomery County Community Founda- tion board In their own words “It has been a privilege to serve our community alongside a dedicated team at the EDP and our community partners. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and am condent in the EDP’s continued success in the future,” Staley said in a statement. Caregivers, advocates and other individuals who wish to give feedback will be able to provide input for the study through Sept. 6. Why it matters In a 1,068-page report drafted by the Montgom- ery County Oce of Community Development in August 2023, several concerns were identied for vulnerable populations receiving aordable housing including insucient fair housing edu- cation and outreach eorts; a lack of aordable housing accessible to people with disabilities; and higher unemployment rates among persons of color causing disproportionate cost burdens.
RENDERING COURTESY HOWARD HUGHES HOLDINGS INC.
Work begins on Grogan’s Mill library, community center
SWITCHBUD PL.
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the design for the center and library have been developed between Howard Hughes and the county. The library will include features such as a special children’s area, an enclosed young adult room, a podcast room and a 100-person, theater-style classroom in the library. The community center will have amenities such as a conference room, board- room, a multifunctional meeting hall/boardroom and several meeting rooms. What’s next According to the release, long-term leases or extensions have been signed with current busi- nesses at the center, and other businesses will continue to operate under their current leases. Additional tenants will be announced soon, according to Howard Hughes. and adults with neurodiversities such as autism, according to a news release. What you need to know The study will be conducted by Arizona-based nonprot agency First Place Global Leadership Institute, according to a July 15 news release from Project Beacon. The study will look at factors preventing neurodivergent and disabled persons from obtaining housing, including: • Income • Accessibility • Job availability
Construction kicked o for the $16.5 million library and community center planned at the Grogan’s Mill Village Center on July 15, according to a news release from Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. and Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack. The village center saw the loss of a Randall’s store anchor in 2020, leading to discussions of various redevelopment possibilities until Howard Hughes— which acquired the center in 2023—proposed a land swap with Montgomery County that would allow a new library to be built at the center along with a community center and retail space. The background The center at 7 Switchbud Place, The Woodlands was the rst of The Woodlands’ village centers to be developed in 1974. According to the news release, Adult autism housing study launched Project Beacon announced a new partnership on July 15 with Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare to perform a housing market analysis aimed at addressing housing needs for adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Project Beacon is a nonprot organization aimed at improving the quality of life for children
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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