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mrfootball

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Posts posted by mrfootball

    Emmett: NW Harris Needs to Think About Incorporation

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    Getting ahead of the game here, but....you gotta have a "flag" to rally around. My growing list of names for these budding towns/villages/cities

    "City of Cypress"

    "Village of Cypress"

    "Cypress Township"

    "The Cyp"

    "City of Klein"

    "Village of Klein"

    "Klein Township"

    "K-town"

    "City of Champions" (sounds pretty damn cool)

    "Champions Village"

    "City of Spring"

    "Town of Spring"

    "Village of Spring"

    "Northwest Villages"

    "The Great Northwest Villages"

    or....

    "CyKleChampS" :P

    Emmett: NW Harris Needs to Think About Incorporation

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    Not sure where you get those rather lofty population numbers from. The 2009 population estimates for the zip codes outside of FM 1960 and stretching from FM 529 to I-45 show a population of about 450,000. It is unreasonable to think that anyone east of I-45 would want to be part of a city that stretched all the way to Hockley. Additionally, even if Houston gave up its ETJ, Katy and Tomball certainly will not without a fight.

    Certainly, Ed Emmett gave good advice. The residents of this area will have serious infrastructure needs in the coming years, and it is not realistic to expect county taxes to pay for it. Whether they look to incorporate or join the City of Houston, they'll need to do something. But, creating a city that stretches from I-10 to Intercontinental Airport ain't gonna happen.

    EDIT: I should probably point out that the Houston City Limits run up I-45 nearly to the county line, so an incorporated city could not cross the freeway at all. Likewise, much of FM 1960 is within a narrow strip of the City of Houston. Same with Highway 6. So, any discussion of incorporation separate from the Cities of Houston, Katy or Tomball must only include those areas that are not currently a part of those cities, and does not cross the incorporated boundaries of those cities.

    Again, Emmett suggested the area pursue similar agreements to The Woodlands deal. He suggested that Houston's annexation plans have slowed. Nobody put words into his mouth and he's a lot closer to the levers of power than anyone on this board. Perhaps Houston would rather have a deal like this than wait 30-40 years for another go at annexation (most of the MUDs have signed long-term agreements to stave off annexation in exchange for Limited purpose annexations) and the costs of having to absorb the various MUD's, street projects (30-40 years) etc.

    Today there are over a million people in unincorporated NW Harris County (over 750K in CFISD alone).

    Whether we'd want to incorporate all of that, I doubt it.

    Personally, I'd like to see the areas of Cypress, Klein, Champions and Spring incorporated (together or individually).

    Emmett: NW Harris Needs to Think About Incorporation

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    I agree with Ed. This area has grown so much, it's time to incorporate. Time to get organized, so that we can develop a plan to keep our communities vibrant and strong. The question is, do we incorporate the entire unincorporated NW Community? Part of it? Or just individual parts like Cypress, Klein, Champions, Spring, into their own towns?

    If we incorporated all of it, we'd instantly become a fairly large city with a population of over 1 million residents and would command a much larger voice and presence in State and Local politics. As it stands now, we've suffered with regards to getting transportation money (i.e. freeways/roads) returned to our area because the County authority is limited and we don't have a voice. Our only "voices" are gerrymandered and their focus isn't always on the needs of our growing area.

    If we incorporated portions of the NW, then we'd have good-size smaller governments, each about the size of Sugar Land. We'd have more access/representation from our elected officials who will come from our own neighborhoods and communities. We wouldn't command as much legislative muscle as we would together, but we'd have more than we have today and still have a larger, more coordinated voice.

    Emmett: NW Harris Needs to Think About Incorporation

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted

    http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2009/05/...usiness_cyp.txt

    Emmett: time for northwest Harris County to think about incorporation, annexation, future

    Harris County Judge Ed Emmett addresses the crowd at the National Small Business Week luncheon hosted by the Northwest Houston Chamber of Commerce and The Sun newspapers.

    By AUDREY M. MARKS

    Updated: 05.20.09

    In order to attract new businesses and retain existing firms, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said residents and businesses in northwest Harris County need to make a decision about this area

    State Highway 290 Expansion

    in Traffic and Transportation

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    Culberson asks fed to pay for U.S. 290 expansion, commuter rail

    By AUDREY M. MARKS

    Updated: 05.17.09

    Citing the exploding growth rate in the greater Houston area and an increase in the number of motorists, U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, requested $267 million for two local projects from the federal government Thursday to improve mobility in the region.

    Highway 290-NW Toll Build-Out

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted

    I think the effects of the tollway on Blackhorse and CC Ranch are limited as it's just one street that will sit roughly 1,000 feet away from the road. The bulk of those developments continue on for quite away on Fry Rd.

    You may want to check out Lakes of Rosehill. It has large lots and is wooded.

    There's also a new development going in near Longwood called Kluge Lakes. Custom homes, similar to the new Hidden Falls community developed off Malcolmson, but a larger overall development. It's gated and they're about to begin construction. The lots seem to be pretty good size. It's heavily wooded as well.

    Highway 290-NW Toll Build-Out

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    By the looks of it, it appears it'll be running along Hempstead Hwy. So, it shouldn't run through any of those communities.

    The only place where there may be an issue is the homes backing up to Mound Rd, but there are a dozen nice neighborhoods along I-10 that sit closer to the freeway than this. Are there anymore detailed maps available?

    us290maplarge.png

    Aerial view of Fry Rd @ 290 (Google Maps)

    Here's a detailed schematic map of the Toll Rd at the Fry Rd. @ 290 Intersection. Looks like the nearest home would be one of the ones that back up to Mound Rd. Those would sit about 1,000 feet away from the tollway:

    http://www.my290.com/NR/rdonlyres/9AA46C64...0mlpp01DEIS.pdf

    Vintage Park Shopping Village Developments

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted

    I can't quite tell how elaborate it will be (full detail or self-service). The slab/parking area looks fairly large, but it may just be a cheapo, get-out-and-spray-it-off kind of place.

    By the looks of the foundation, it looks like a full-service wash/detail.

    There's a Bubble's further up Louetta a few miles away near Klein HS.

    Longwood Flood Maps Under Review?

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    I appreciate all the info everyne here has provided!

    How did the area fare during today's onslaught of torrential rains?

    We got a heck of a lot of rain yesterday. My pool overflowed twice. Probably as much as I've ever seen living here 5 years. The creek is very high and golf course looks like a lake in places. No flooding that I'm aware of, though.

    Longwood Flood Maps Under Review?

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    We've been looking at a home in Longwood and when we went to check the FIRM maps on the TSARP site, just about any address you put in from that community comes up with a big orange warning notice, stating that map changes for the area are under review by FEMA.

    Does anyone have any knowledge of the issues? HERE and HERE are the detail maps they direct you to for more info, but without context and much experience, I can't make heads or tails of it.

    Any help that can be offered ASAP will be very much appreciated.

    I'm a Longwood resident and appreciate the thoughtful design that went into the neighborhood. One of my friends from my UT days is a civil engineer who recently moved to Longwood. He said it was one of the best designed neighborhoods in the Greater Houston area. He works with one of the engineers who originally laid it out and knows the nuances of the neighborhood. Says that's one of the reasons he moved here. The neighborhood was developed by Cypress Real Estate Advisors. The founding partner, Stephen Clark, managed Harvard University's Real Estate endowment. A first class outfit, they did a great job developing this community, aesthetically and structurally.

    The golf course serves as a retention area along Cypress Creek that buffers homes from any potential flooding. There's also two large retention ponds just outside the neighborhood. One of them could be a decent sized lake, but it never fills up. Wish it would, it would make a nice park. BTW, the creek and subsequent areas that lie in the 100 year flood plain also limit development in the area, which is a beautifully wooded section of town. Anyhow, we don't have any flooding problems and I've never heard of any flood issues anywhere at all in Longwood. Here's the interactive Flood Map for you to reference.

    Other nice features....Beautiful 27-hole golf course. We have one of the best school feeder patterns in the Houston area (Hamilton El (Ex), Hamilton MS (Ex), and Cy-Fair HS (Rec'd). This area is surrounded for miles and miles and miles by other nice neighborhoods. Great demographics, beautiful community, solid buy.

    Vintage Park Shopping Village Developments

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted

    New rumored tenant is Wacky Mongolian Grill. Interesting.

    Maybe we can just fill the whole place with restaurants. :D

    Saw that yesterday when I was picking up an organic tri-pepper pizza at Pizza Fusion (very good btw).

    I like most of the new restaurants in the Vintage. They're all a bit 'out of the ordinary' so I'm cool with it.

    Vintage Park Shopping Village Developments

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    I usually avoid new restaurants for a month or two until they get their kinks out, but I went to Peli-Peli the first Friday they were open. You could tell the waiter was new - he didn't know the menu at all, but that is not surprising. We really liked the food, it was really tasty, and Peli-Peli had a number of unusual items that you can't find just anywhere. Wife and kid loved the Carrot-Ginger soup, the Peli-Peli Chicken and Beef Sosaties will be ordered again, and the Drakensberg Ribs are quite a twist on your usual BBQ. Sides of sweet potato fries and CousCous were fine. The Grilled Fruit Passion Dessert was overpriced, and I had a terrible Russian beer, but other than that, we were very pleased with the place. We will be back - it's a great addition to the area dining scene.

    Ate there tonight as well. Food was good. Different and interesting. The kids liked the big 'acacia' tree changing colors. All in all, good. We had a variety of chicken dishes. Only gripe, the Beer selection was lacking. Can't believe they serve Baltika. Suggest they ditch that for some good German (Paulaner) or Czech (Pilsener Urquell)...they should also add a kid's menu.

    Champions Forest Expansion In Gleannloch Farms

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted · Edited by mrfootball

    How do you know it's an LDS church going in? I live nearby and haven't seen a sign or anything. I guess I'll have to put up with a bunch of people wearing a white shirt and tie riding their bike past my house everyday.

    Luckily they only do the creepy Masonic inspired rituals with the blood oaths, baptizing the dead and the magic underwear at the LDS Temple located in front of Champion Forest. (thanks to Don Hand).

    Its a pretty building though.

    HP Campus Changes

    in The Great Northwest

    Posted

    I wish the powers that be had allowed the UH system to set up shop at the HP campus instead of having Lone Star college set up yet another location in NW Houston. That area would have been better served by a location at which to finish a degree, rather than another place, in addition to Fairbanks and Barker Cypress, to get your first 2 years of schooling.

    Agree. The Community college systems seemingly have more stable access to funding (via property taxes). I think most would rather have a University presence. With that said, I'm not sure how UH is going to successfully argue that it should be a Tier 1 University when it can't even get a campus built in a booming, under served part of the Houston area that has the demographics to support it and wants it.

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