Oak Ridge North City marks 40 years on the map as municipality HISTORY
Oak Ridge North
BY BEN THOMPSON
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Utility District, creating its own police department, adoption of a city admin- istrator—and later, city manager—form of government, setting the city sales tax and the adoption of a long-term comprehensive plan, Planchard said. The city’s population has grown slightly since its founding, but the most notable changes have come from booming development in the area and across I-45. Oak Ridge North’s population grew from less than 2,500 residents in 1980 to more than 3,000 by 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Kuykendall said the arrival of new businesses has helped the city, while at the same time, growth has created new planning challenges, such as the ongoing effort to realign Robinson Road as well as challenges in main- taining the city’s culture. “We’ve become more serious about our zoning to protect our small-town image,” Kuykendall said. “Unfortu- nately and fortunately, everything has grown up around us. … So we’re all-in right now.” Kuykendall said the city’s appeal has remained in its welcoming atmo- sphere, security and ability to plan ahead. “One of the main reasons our city was created was to have a safe envi- ronment to raise families, and that’s who we still continue to be,” he said. “We’re not just governing for today; we’re doing just like our founding fathers did. We are governing for today, but we’re planning for tomor- row. I’m very hopeful for the future of Oak Ridge North.”
O ak Ridge North has faced its share of change and develop- ment over the years, but its leaders, including Mayor Jim Kuykendall, believe the roughly 900-acre munici- pality still holds true to its small-town ideals while planning ahead for growth. The city was incorporated Jan. 20, 1979, around five years after neigh- boring Shenandoah did the same. The borders of Houston were also expanding north at the time, said John Planchard, a founding alderman and Oak Ridge North’s third mayor. “Houston was creeping up this way, and the people were afraid that they would be annexed,” Planchard said. “We were incorporated basically to avoid being incorporated by Houston and to provide police protection and city ordinances, some kind of local control.” Planchard said he recalled a feeling of excitement in the city after its establishment. Six people ran for mayor, and many more ran for one of five alderman spots. A town marshal was also elected, and a secretary was hired, filling out the first administra- tion. “We were just civic-minded peo- ple that wanted to get involved,” Planchard said. “Rather than sit around and complain about how things are, we rolled up our sleeves and tried to jump in and see what we could do to make this community a better place.” Highlights over the years included the city taking over public works services from the Oak Ridge Municipal
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1. From left, municipal Judge Marilyn Rodgers, Oak Ridge North council members Bill Neill and John Planchard, Secretary Sandy Coleman, Mayor Fred Wagner and Council Member Tom Coale celebrate an earlier city anniver- sary. 2. Former Mayor Fred Wagner (right) accepts a city seal carved from wood from a tree within the city by resident Tom Bingham (left).
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FUTURE PLANS The city developed a long-term comprehensive plan in 2013. The proposal included goals for the next 10 to 20 years, with plans to review and update objectives along the way. Here are the eight overall goals Oak Ridge North set in 2013: 1. Maintain small-town character and sense of friendliness as the city grows and changes. 2. Respond to area traffic needs in ways that do not negatively impact the character of the city. 3. Preserve and enhance the attractiveness and value of the neighborhoods. 4. Proactively promote, attract and support businesses—both those already in the city and new ones—to increase the city’s property and sales tax base. 5. Actively seek to create a central “heart” of Oak Ridge North that mix- es retail, living, and civic activities. 6. Maintain and update the city’s infra- structure as an integral component of the future economic success of the city. 7. Create first-class quality of life amenities that strengthen the per- ception of the city as a great place to live. 8. Through careful and thoughtful planning, achieve home-rule status within the next five to 10 years to accommodate population increase from 3,200 to more than 5,000.
DEMOGRAPHICS POPULATION GROWTH
2017: 3,109
2010: 3,049
2000: 2,991
1990: 2,454
1980: 2,445
SOURCES:USCENSUSBUREAU,CITYOFOAKRIDGENORTH/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
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The Woodlands edition • March 2019
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