dfinke
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Posts posted by dfinke
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This article talks about a park-and-ride bus route to Huntsville from The Woodlands. I didn't know that many people commuted in that direction.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/woo...ws/5358492.html
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I'm not sure public transportation is really doable in The Woodlands. I mean, are buses gonna go pick people up at the front of their house or neigborhood?
I'll admit that public transportation wouldn't work very well in The Woodlands, other than the park-and-rides already in use, but other places in Montgomery County, like Conroe, could implement a transit system. Does anyone know if there is any work or research being done for such a system? The Woodlands isn't the only source of traffic in Montgomery County.
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''I was driving around the county this weekend and the traffic is horrible," Sadler said. "We need more roads in this county now."
I like how Sadler thinks that more new roads are the only solution for aleviating traffic. God forbid we should provide transit alternatives to commuting by car, or worse still, encourage people to live near to where they work!
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I suppose that The Woodlands Development Company won't be content until they've destroyed every last iteration of Mitchell's original plan. Granted, the resort needs work, but I'm suspicious of the "high-density residential" and doubtful about the "attractive landscape barriers."I hope that they
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I was returning home from school in Austin over Thanksgiving by way of 2978 and Woodlands Parkway and I was appalled at everything that had been built there since I left. Perhaps it's just that I've been gone from The Woods long enough to lose my rose-colored glasses and in reality it was always bad and I just never noticed, but the retail development at that intersection is terrible! I know that it isn't the first time that freestanding retail has been built in The Woods - 242, or should I say 1960-With-Trees, is terrible too - but at least 242 isn't as residential as Terramont. What happened to "Village Centers" like Panther Creek or Cochran's Crossing where the shopping is consolidated and actually hidden behind trees? I remember when the Wal-Mart was being built and the Development Company told us that it was "specially designed for The Woodlands." Turns out the only thing special about is is perhaps the colors. Every Wal-Mart I've driven by in Austin either already looks like that one or is being renovated to look like it. The worst offender in Terramont, though, has got to be that public storage bulding. Ugliest building in all of The Woodlands, anyone?
In my architecture class our professor used The Woodlands as an example of designing with nature and topography, etc. but I thought that it was funny that he was careful to stipulate that he meant The Woodlands circa the 1970's. He didn't include "all the trash they're building now." It really made me sad returning home, though, because what had started out as such a novel plan has turned into someplace that's hardly any better than every other master planned development in Houston. A brilliant idea sacrificed to TWDC's profits.
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This may be off topic but...does anyone know what happened to Life Forms? It seems like they just disappeared. I can't find their website, and according to a random PDF I found while searching for them, the last neighborhoods they built in were Summerlyn Waye/Summerlyn Layne (Alden Bridge), Beckonvale, Sterling Pointe and Ashbury Square (Sterling Ridge) which closed out a couple of years ago. Since they played such a large role in building in the earlier villages, I find it odd that there aren't any more Life Forms neighborhoods (they did, after all, call themselves the "Neighborhood Builder") in some newer parts of The Woodlands. Another nice thing about them...it seems like all of their neighborhoods have small parks or tot-lots in them.
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I don't have the data right in front of me, but I recall that there were several "subdivisions" with fewer than 10 homes. My source usually tracks by "subdivision", but perhaps they had difficulty categorizing it this time.
The few times that I've been in Carlton Woods I've noticed that the individually named neighborhoods frequently consist of only one or two streets. As of right now there are 14 individual neighborhoods within the original Carlton Woods in Sterling Ridge. So if your source counts each neighborhood as a subdivision, that might explain the high number of "subdivisions" versus low population.
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My favorite example of Woodlands neighborliness is the various communitywide festivals held throughout the year like the Waterway Arts Festival, Fourth of July parade or even Arbor Day. They're free so they're accessible to the whole community and you can't help but see dozens of your friends and neighbors while you're at them.
As for the whole Carlton Woods gated community deal...while I personally don't understand the need of a gated community deep in the interior of The Woodlands, I do have some friends who live there who are more down to Earth and level headed than other non-gated residents of The Woodlands. (For what it's worth.)
As of late I have noticed that, compared to the neighborhood sizes where I live in Cochran's Crossing, new neighborhoods in Sterling Ridge, especially in Terramont, seem to be rather small. I don't know if it's just that the Development Company is running out of land or if people are looking for a more intimate, close knit neighborhood experience. Has any one else noticed this or is it just me?
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The trolleys were finally up and running this weekend for the Waterway Art festival, but does anyone know if they are going to stick around? I rode one and there were all these signs and stuff talking about Bryan, Texas. I guess that since they're operated by Brazos Transit Authority they must have been using them there all these months? It'd be nice if they would be put into full time use in the Town Center with a designated route. The one that I was in was rather nice on the inside, and very well air conditioned.
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I read in the Woodlands Villager today that Wal-Mart has purchased the Spring-Woodlands Church of Christ and the adjoining vacant property next door to it, on Sawdust Road (the part where Sawdust and Grogan's Mill Drive split apart-the intersection with a Starbucks and a Chevron at it.). I would have to assume that this means that Wal-Mart is going to vacate its current location just across the street?
I find it very hard to beleive that The Woodlands area really needs three WalMart Supercenters. I've already e-mailed both Super Target and Costco asking them to provide our area with some alternative to WalMart but both responed (surprisingly) saying that they had "no plans to expand into your area but would forward your request to our Real Estate Development department." Maybe if more people sent them a request it would speed up some development in our area? Certainly I can't be the only person who's tired of Walmart holding a big-box-grocery-super store "monopoly" in our area can I?
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Mark my words, Mr. Dull's asinine "policy" will come back to bite him on the arse! Those rowdies he wanted kicked out after 7 p.m. were customers of those shops & restaurants. It's very insulting to have your kids painted with the same brush and punished unfairly, and I bet a fair number of "grown-ups" won't be patronizing those merchants either because of this. I'm just waiting for the Press Release announcing the departure of Mr. Dull (what a perfect name for him!)
Last weekend my family was at Market Street and we received an information card outlining this policy. In the first paragaph, in italics, the policy clearly states that "This policy does not apply to those who may be working, dining, or shopping at Market Street." People keep talking about how this is going to adversely affect Market Street tenants but that is just not true. The policy doesn't target kids who are shopping at the stores. It targets all of the teens who stand around in the middle of the green, not spending money. Market Street, regardless of what it may look or feel like, is a shopping center. As such it has every right to control who has access to what is legally private property.
On top of that, I think that this is an excellent policy. Market Street is not a giant day care center. I look forward to going there without having to walk by gangs of kids screaming obsenities and yelling at one another. This is not mere socializing. That's what kids can do at school, or at home, or, if they insist on doing it at Market Street, they can socialize in a restaurant! These kids are not the victims that everyone seems to be making them out to be. They live in The Woodlands, for crying out loud. I don't think that banning them from an upscale shopping center, where they do no shopping themselves, for a small portion of the day will at all adversely affect their quality of life or their long term personal development!
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As if there weren't enough strip centers along Interstate 45 already, I noticed that another will be built alongside the old Mustang Athletic Center. According to the developer's website the existing golf course will be redeveloped as well. I for one am glad that all of those trees were planted alongside the freeway. Hopefully they'll survive long enough to grow up and hide some of the concrete jungle that seems to be springing up alongside the feeder.
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So much for "Rolling" blackouts. Our power had been off for about two and a half days. It just came back on this morning. Has anyone else experienced this problem in The Woodlands?
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Refugee/Relocation Links
This suburb north of Houston is almost a city unto itself and as such offers many services and programs for refugees and those relocating to the area. The following services and programs are based out of the greater Woodlands area:
Montgomery County United Way
http://www.mcuw.org/files/Katrina-090105-1617.pdf
Conroe Independent School District-School district serving South Montgomery County
The Woodlands Resident's Website-Official Woodlands Links and Information
The Woodlands Developer Website-Home and Apartment Finder
Interfaith of The Woodlands-Social Services
http://www.woodlandsinterfaith.org/
The Woodlands Town Center-Lodging, Dining and Entertainment
If anyone can think of more links please post them.
Also, anyone relocting to the area or even considering it please post any questions you have here. I live in the area and would be happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability.
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Conroe Independent School District, serving areas north of Houston in Montgomery County, inlcuding Conroe and The Woodlands, is also accepting Katrina Evacuees:
"The Conroe Independent School District welcomes with open arms and open doors those students from the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Children whose families have temporarily relocated within the Conroe Independent School District because of the hurricane may be enrolled in the school zone of their temporary residence."
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Ever since I heard that The Woodlands was getting another Wal-Mart I expected clear cutting and overall ugliness. The Wal-Mart in College Park has got to be the worst mistake The Woodlands has ever made. NO trees, NO maintaince. I especially enjoy the poeple setting up tents and selling dogs in the parking lot..NOT! Very un-Woodlandslike. Atleast that one is not near residential ares though, like the new one. What do we need another Wal-Mart for? I would have been much happier with a Super Target instead. It's been my experience that they atleast bother to maintain their locations. Nicer store and products too.
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Originally Market Street had been trying to woo NitNoi Thai into going in there, but I guess that it didn't work out. Any one know anything about the new Woodlands Crossing Shopping Center across the street? Tenants?
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houstonsemipro,
Where did you find those pics? Whenever I tried to go to www.cambridge.com it never let me in.
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If developers were willing to put water towers instead of booster stations, you wouldn't have this problem.
Actually I can think of about five water towers in The Woodlands proper right off the top of my head, so I don't think that is it.
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Disney's Boardwalk and Yacht Club Resorts
Construction to Begin on The Boardwalk at Town Center
by The Woodlands Operating Company
Cambridge Development Group has purchased a 9.2-acre site in The Woodlands Town Center for construction of a 450-unit luxury apartment community called The Boardwalk at Town Center, according to Thomas J. D
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Is the woodlands development the new marketplace?
If so, it either already completed or nearing completion. It is mostly an attempt at build pedestrian friendly suburban retail. you park in the parking lot and your can walk into the main promenade area where all the shops are. Just like an open air mall.
You're probably thinking of Market Street. ( http://www.marketstreet-thewoodlands.com/ ) Market Street is actually within The Woodlands proper and is a lot bigger (and nicer, in my opinion) than the Sam's Boat center.
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I'd just like to thank Parkside Homes for building alley-way homes in Conroe (Foster Glen : http://www.khov.com/Home/TX/FG001/_Propert...73%7D&State=TX) The Woodlands is great, but sometimes I long for the grids and alleyways of a city. I'm so glad that these new houses wont simply be regular suburban style, attached garage homes, but rather homes with alleyway acesses garages taht will fit well into the more urban setting of Conroe's street gird. I also think that new development of this kind will help to stimulate renewal in the area near Runyan Elementary School. I would hate to see Conroe's small towniness destroyed by suburban sprawl and for now I won't have to.
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I would have rather seen One Riva Row built than the copy of Waterway Lofts that that respective company is building right now.
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New maps of The Woodlands (obtainable for free from the Homefinder center) show that the roads are planned to be extended to those points some day. I thought that this would maybe happen after they start in earnest on the Terramont area. It sure would be convenient to have Research extended to there! I'd also like to know when they will get around to both dualizing Kuykendahl and extending it to FM 1488.
Downtown Greenwater Redevelopment
in Austin
Posted
The City of Austin is taking proposals for the redevelopment of its downtown wastewater treatment plant site. The presentations and accompanying videos are posted on the city's website:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/seaholm/green.htm
Now all we need is for the real estate market to heat up again and make some of these proposals viable!