More growth forecast for The Woodlands

Annual conference updates residents on economic pulse for community

By BETH KUHLES
Chronicle Correspondent

The Woodlands is continuing to expand and grow in Town Center, Creekside Park, the East Shore neighborhood on Lake Woodlands and westward in Sterling Ridge.

The Woodlands Development Co. co-presidents Alex Sutton and Tim Welbes outlined new projects on the drawing boards or under construction throughout the community at the South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference, held Friday at The Woodlands Waterway Convention Center.

The projects continue the vision of The Woodlands founder George Mitchell, and include new residential offerings, urban and suburban parks, restaurants, office buildings and a new school. The presentation is part of the annual state-of-The Woodlands report at the event.

"When Mr. Mitchell was talking to us, he said 'you know you dream about something and get people to make it their own, and great things and monumental things happen,' " said Sutton, referring to a recent speech by Mitchell at the unveiling of his statue on The Woodlands Waterway.

Sutton said The Woodlands continues to follow Mitchell's plan in housing, pedestrian access, commerce, transportation, open space, health services, cultural arts, education and governmental entities.

"I think we nailed that one," Sutton said, referring to The Woodlands Township, a special district to govern the community.

Town Center growth

In Town Center, The Woodlands will debut a major new urban park April 12 called Waterway Square. The open-air facility will include a 120-foot wall of water, a fountain that can shoot 90 feet in the air with choreographed music and lights, an interactive fountain for children and seating areas.

Next to Waterway Square at 20 Waterway Avenue, a new 30,000 square foot building is under construction that will house four new restaurants. Deals are nearing completion for three of the four venues, but Sutton declined to name the prospective tenants.

Also on the waterway across from the South Branch Library, The Boardwalk apartments is finalizing 340 units and plans to build another 105, Sutton said. Adjacent to the apartments, work has begun on Riva Road Park, which will include a boathouse to rent canoes along the lower waterway leading to Lake Woodlands.

A new Japanese garden is also under construction in front of the Waterway Loft II, which will include koi ponds and foliage features. That project should be complete in about 60 days.

A new parking garage and office building are also under way near Woodloch Forest Drive. A nine-story office building, with 100,000 square feet of space, will be breaking ground at Woodloch Forest and the waterway in the near future. It will sit in front of a new nine story parking garage with 1,900 spaces that front Lake Robbins Drive, Sutton said.

US Oncology is building an eight-story building and seven story parking garage at Woodloch Forest and Woodlands Parkway, the first of four buildings planned for the block that is bordered by those two streets as well as Timberloch and Waterway Avenue.

Also in the works is a $50 million renovation at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, which will add new rooms and centers to the facility near Fairway Pines.

New villages

On the residential front, the biggest development is under way in Creekside Park, the first village in neighboring Harris County. There are 200 homes sold there already, with an ultimate goal of 5,500 housing units and 7,000 families in about 10 years.

The first of three schools operated by the Tomball Independent School District is slated to open by the fall of 2009 near Rob Fleming Park. The kindergarten through sixth-grade campus will follow the craftsman architectural style that dominates the village.

In nearby Sterling Ridge, an added area to that village near Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978 is expected to sell about 300 to 400 new homes in 2008. That area expanded The Woodlands by 1,000 new lots.

In East Shore, new townhomes will be constructed near Woodlands Parkway and Grogan's Mill Road and new development lots are beginning to be sold in the area.

"It is well on its way to being a spectacular collection of architectural styles, but it also rewards pedestrians," Welbes said.

As part of the pedestrian experience, the development company said it plans to install a new animated art feature in the pond in East Shore.

Housing sales

While much of the country is suffering the fallout from the mortgage crisis, The Woodlands and Texas are holding their own. In fact, Houston will be one of the top growth areas for the country, Welbes said. A report on projected growth by Texas A&M University said the population is expected to increase by 14 million by 2030 in a triangular corridor that includes San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Corpus Christi.

"We are right in the middle of that," Welbes said. "It's a looming boom ahead of us."

Governance update

In addition to the development growth, the conference also addressed the new governance for The Woodlands. In November, residents overwhelming approved expanding the former Town Center Improvement District community-wide, transitioning it to a seven member elected body by 2010 and giving it the authority to collect property taxes.

Nelda Luce Blair, chairwoman of the new special district called The Woodlands Township, said residents should see no difference in services, whether it is parks, police or parades, with the new government.

"At the end, The Woodlands will look better and better," Blair said.

The Woodlands Township will begin collecting a two-cent sales tax community-wide in April, which is already imposed in Town Center, Texas 242 and parts of Research Forest Drive. Property taxes will begin in 2010 and will replace assessment fees now collected by the homeowner and business associations.

In 2014, residents can decide if they want to seek another form of governance, such as incorporations as a city, Blair said. Under the current legislation, that decision is up to the township board.

State Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who authored the legislation that allowed for the new community-wide district, said the 2014 date was chosen to allow a transition period to coincide with the expiration of a moratorium agreement that temporarily halted the possible annexation by Houston and because that is the date Houston officials and local leaders requested.