To Annex Or Not To Annex The Woodlands

[bruce_oneal]

is there any truth to what i heard in that the woodlands (inc.?) paid the city some large sum of money (i heard $300M+) to resist being a part of the city for x years? i never could find any information on this.

i work in the woodlands with people that live there and they REALLY do not like the living conditions in the city. i cannot imagine them being happy about the prospect of becomming HOUSTONIANS.

[jpcampbell]

is there any truth to what i heard in that the woodlands (inc.?) paid the city some large sum of money (i heard $300M+) to resist being a part of the city for x years?  i never could find any information on this.

i work in the woodlands with people that live there and they REALLY do not like the city.  i cannot imagine them being happy about the prospect of becomming HOUSTONIANS.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I live in The Woodlands and consider myself a Houstonian. For me, it's all the same. I was born in Houston, lived all over the city and just ended up in The Woodlands due to my work situation. Most people I know that have moved directly to The Woodlands from other areas don't really spend enough time in "the city" to get a real feel for it.

I haven't really studied up on how annexation will affect my daily life, but I certainly have no animosity towards the city. I think it will happen for sure though.

[bruce_oneal]

I live in The Woodlands and consider myself a Houstonian.  For me, it's all the same.  I was born in Houston, lived all over the city and just ended up in The Woodlands due to my work situation.  Most people I know that have moved directly to The Woodlands from other areas don't really spend enough time in "the city" to get a real feel for it.

I haven't really studied up on how annexation will affect my daily life, but I certainly have no animosity towards the city.  I think it will happen for sure though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

point well taken.

[kjb434]

The majority of the Woodlands falls within the COH ETJ. this portions cannot be annexed by Conroe. Also, when 2011 comes along, Houston can begin annexation procedures. This takes three years and if the community opposes it, then it will not happen. The people being annexed will have to vote yes or know. Theoretically it can happen, but I doubt it. The most that will happen is that the town center and commercial areas will obtain a special limited purpose annexation so that the MUD's that make up the Woodlands and have commercial areas can make some money off of sales taxes. MUDs can't get sales taxes unless they share it with a municipality. Houston has done this for most of the unicorporated commercial development north of the Belway on I-45. They also did this on the Katy Freeway from the Grand Parkway to Barker-Cypress. These commercial areas are within MUD's that are primarily commerical development and not residential.

[yall_are_nutty]

Houston doesn't want to annex the Woodlands. The Woodlands doesn't want to be annexed. Why do people still think this will happen?

[kjb434]

Houston would like to annex the Woodlands. It would be a really good tax base. Houston would like to annex many areas, but the process takes three years and general the opposition to annexation has the time to muster the support to stop it. This is why Houston has backed off the annexation for the past several years.

The only go after areas that want to be annexed. Before the state laws changed, Houston would annex areas of the county every year. The eventually start strip annexation of major roads to ensure that well over 90% of the County and some of other counties would theirs. All the annexation stopped the process to annex changed.

Houston's boundaries would also grow if the MUD concept wasn't used today, but before the state law changs MUDs were the best way to develop land and prepare it for annexation. Now MUDs are left alone and the County has to take up maintance on the roads, other infrastructure is the MUD's responsibility. In areas such as the Metroplex and Austin, development is not performed through MUDs and the municipalities get involved from the beginning. The developer has to pay for all the infrastructure for the devlepment and incorporated the price into the houses. In Houston, the developer will pay for it all, but they'll get payment through bonds and the MUD will payoff the bonds through MUD taxes on the residents. This gives them a lower home prices with the tax that will evetually disappear. When the tax dissappears, the property taxes go back the rate based on the municipalities or countyies and shool district that the home owner resides.

[Max Briese]

I was born in a Hospital near the Woodlands, and have spent my whole life here. Despite us recently becoming a bit more city-like, I still think we have a nice family atmosphere. If we were annexed by Houston, I'm worried that we'll eventually become more like them; and I'm not trying to put Houston down or anything, but I think The Woodlands is a much better family environment.

[bachanon]

well said fellow woodlands' resident.

welcome to the forum max.

[pineda]

So, Max, are you going to be allowed to graduate 8th grade this year?

[KatieDidIt]

Ok, I moved to the Woodlands a few months ago from the Galleria area, and the Tanglewood subdivision. We had trash pickup TWICE a week and Patrol cars constantly cruising the neighborhood, the streets were clean and the builders had ordinances to follow. I have yet to see ONE patrol back here in the back of Sterling Ridge and the builders act like its the wild west and there is trash everywhere.

I for one would love to see this place taken over by Houston. I never had a problem with The City of Houston Water Supply, and frankly see no point paying 3,000 a year to the MUD district for water. Your police situation wouldn't change but the fire may become non-volunteer...........and that's not a bad thing.

Hedwig, Bunker Hill and Piney Point Villages were all taken over by Houston decades ago. They have retained their building codes, police and associations. And association fees are a flat fee and not treated like a tax on the wealthy.

What may actually happen here, if annexation occurs, is that the operating company would no long be allowed to act like the mafia, and that may be a good thing. Placing a Walmart next to multi-million dollar homes was a BRILLIANT idea. Not to mention the multitude of apartments they have decided to start building. As a resident, I would be more concerned about the Operating Company changing this place into urban trash, rather than the city of Houston. Seems they are failing to follow their own building codes.

Don't get me wrong, I love the schools out here and the amount of house you get for your money. But I haven't had to work so hard to live somewhere in my life. The minute we are done with the "child period" of our lives, we are moving back.

[kzseattle]

Ok, I moved to the Woodlands a few months ago from the Galleria area, and the Tanglewood subdivision. We had trash pickup TWICE a week and Patrol cars constantly cruising the neighborhood, the streets were clean and the builders had ordinances to follow. I have yet to see ONE patrol back here in the back of Sterling Ridge and the builders act like its the wild west and there is trash everywhere.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Trash in Woodlands? I have been to Woodlands many times and it is by far one of the cleanest regions around Houston. Do you really trust COH to take care of trash? Have you been to trashy areas in Houston? If COH were so good in keeping the city clean, every neighborhood would be like Tanglewood. And perhaps Woodlands doesnt have patrolling because it doesnt need it!

From what I know, the standard of public services actually went down in Kingwood after it was taken over by Houston.

I am also puzzled at your suggestion that COH would have never allowed construction of apartment complexes or a Walmart close to million-dollar homes. Are you aware that Houston doesnt have zoning laws to begin with? Have you seen the glut of trashy apartment complexes in Sharpstown and Gulfton? If COH took over Woodlands and voided deed restictions and zoning laws enforced in there, I am sure you would soon be seeing muffler shops and Zones D' Erotica right behind your own backyard!

I am sorry if I came off harsh but it is my opinion that COH has been doing a pretty poor job of providing quality public services in this town.

[KatieDidIt]

I am also puzzled at your suggestion that COH would have never allowed construction of apartment complexes or a Walmart close to million-dollar homes. Are you aware that Houston doesnt have zoning laws to begin with? Have you seen the glut of trashy apartment complexes in Sharpstown and Gulfton? If COH took over Woodlands and voided deed restictions and zoning laws enforced in there, I am sure you would soon be seeing muffler shops and Zones D' Erotica right behind your own backyard!

COH would allow it, but so is the The Woodlands. The difference is that COH has ordinances that control construction. Pouring house slabs and constructiong pools at 4am would have brought about hefty fines in town. A little slap on the wrist to the builder and an apology from the WOC, doesn't cut it. As to trash,Houston was pretty clean except for the poor areas of town. And the Woodlands doesn't really have that...........yet.

BUT I think you missed my main point. Your Woodlands Operating Company is starting to do the SAME THING as the COH. Walmarts, massive apartment construction and who knows how they intend to fill all that commercial property on 2978. As for trash here.....you need to drive through the neighborhoods off Player Woods. The construction workers leave fast food containers and building trash everywhere, which is never picked up until a complaint is issued to the WOC. Not need police? We have been having car break-ins left and right around here. A call I made on a solicitor at 10pm took 25 minutes to respond to. A little police presence would be nice. The "eight association paid for" patrol men never seem to make it back here. And now that the Woodlands Parkway has gone through to the "boonies," they need to be here.

Maybe you live towards the front, but if you were back here in Sterling Ridge, you would understand that things in the Woodlands are changing. Your little unincorporated place is very nice, but I think you need to aware of what is going on with the current management and not so concerned with the city.

[kzseattle]

I am also puzzled at your suggestion that COH would have never allowed construction of apartment complexes or a Walmart close to million-dollar homes. Are you aware that Houston doesnt have zoning laws to begin with? Have you seen the glut of trashy apartment complexes in Sharpstown and Gulfton? If COH took over Woodlands and voided deed restictions and zoning laws enforced in there, I am sure you would soon be seeing muffler shops and Zones D' Erotica right behind your own backyard!

COH would allow it, but so is the The Woodlands. The difference is that COH has ordinances that control construction. Pouring house slabs and constructiong pools at 4am would have brought about hefty fines in town. A little slap on the wrist  to the builder and an apology from the WOC, doesn't cut it. As to trash,Houston was pretty clean except for the poor areas of town. And the Woodlands doesn't really have that...........yet.

BUT I think you missed my main  point. Your Woodlands Operating Company is starting to do the SAME THING as the COH. Walmarts, massive apartment construction and who knows how they intend to fill all that commercial property on 2978. As for trash here.....you need to drive through the neighborhoods off Player Woods. The construction workers leave fast food containers and building trash everywhere, which is never picked up until a complaint is issued to the WOC. Not need police? We have been having car break-ins left and right around here. A call I made on a solicitor at 10pm took 25 minutes to respond to. A little police presence would be nice.  The "eight association paid for" patrol men never seem to make it back here. And now that the Woodlands Parkway has gone through to the "boonies," they need to be here.

Maybe you live towards the front, but if you were back here in Sterling Ridge, you would understand that things in the Woodlands are changing. Your little unincorporated place is very nice, but I think you need to aware of what is going on with the current management and not so concerned with the city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am sure Woodlands isnt perfect and has flaws of it own. However, my primary objection was to the idea that those flaws would be fixed if Woodlands were annexed. And thats clearly because COH record is far from impeccable. The trash left by construction workers, while unfortunate, can be found almost anywhere so it would be unfair to mark it as specific to Woodlands. About security, yes indeed, it would always be nice if we had a little extra security. However, it is still my opinion that Woodlands is much safer than Houston at least at this time.

In summary, Woodlands' management should be addressing the common complaints in the area such as timing of the construction etc. However, I am just not sure if annexation of Woodlands is a solution for those complaints. On the contrary, that could make things worst.

[LTAWACS]

Who is this Anna Mowry and what business is it of hers in the first place?! Oh wait... she's a Republican. Figures.

[kjb434]

By the way, the memorial Villages are not part of the Houston. They may have aggreements with the city, but they are not part of it. Even the city admits this on their planning maps as late as 2003. Unless they just changed it, they are still their own municipal areas.

As for quality services and governing for the Woodlands whether its COH or Woodlands Operating Company, It will be up to the residents of the Woodlands to decide. As long as a majority of the residents don't want to be a part of Houston, they won't.

[westguy]

The Woodlands won't ever incorporate. Therefore it isn't like the COH is annexing a tiny city like the those in the Memorial Villages. The residents of the Woodlands can't (and shouldn't) have a voice equivalent to those municipalities.

[LTAWACS]

The Woodlands won't ever incorporate. Therefore it isn't like the COH is annexing a tiny city like the those in the Memorial Villages. The residents of the Woodlands can't (and shouldn't) have a voice equivalent to those municipalities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Heck! We should annex all of them the minute we can! yay!!

[Parrothead]

^ agree with kjb and kzseattle on this one. Comparing Tanglewood to the rest of Houston is like apples and oranges.

As for whether this is a party issue, I feel you are really jumping the gun, LTWACS. *sigh* You sure like to point fingers at Republicans though, don't you?

Unfortunately, the majority of Kingwood residents did not want to be a part of Houston, but it happened anyway. I just read an article in the Chronicle about the recent complaints and requests for more police and emergency crews. I doubt The Woodlands would want to take the same path.

As in any new subdivision, there are going to be trash issues with construction crews. It will stop, the construction crews will go away, and everything will be as it should. Sterling Ridge is a relatively new part of The Woodlands. There's not much to be done about it except to wait a bit.

[kjb434]

Remember, an organized objection can stop any annexation. The Kingwood residents didn't mobilize and reject the annexation. They could have if they wanted too.

State law makes the annexation process last three years. Plenty of time for objections to be made. The process used to be much shorter and quicker, but vocal residents in the Houston area changed the process years back making it much harder for the city annex.

I think if any annexation would occur, it would special limited purpose annexation. Essentially only the commercial areas would be annexed and the sales tax split between the city and MUD. This is beneficial to both parties involved. The utilities, police, and fire protection would stay the same. Houston developed this concept as a win-win situation. MUDs can't earn revenue from sales taxes. The city can. The city created a special annexation process approved by the state to annexate the commercial areas within MUDs as a limited annexation. The MUD recieves revenue it could never have recieved before. The city recieves revenue and doesn't have to provide services.

[Max Briese]

So, Max, are you going to be allowed to graduate 8th grade this year?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll be graduating 9th grade this year, hopefully.

[pineda]

Prank could earn student hefty fine, community service

By: AARON SHOCK , Villager staff 09/09/2004

Max Briese, an eighth grader at Branch Crossing Junior High School, is facing criminal charges for a classroom prank, a punishment his father feels is too extreme.

So, Max, the newspaper had you as an eighth-grader, but you're really in 9th grade this year? What kind of punishment did you have to suffer?

[Parrothead]

There was a HUGE group of Kingwood Citizens that tried to stop the annexation. It was called the Kingwood Annex Strategy Committee. Below is an article that talks about "stealth" annexation and has some interesting viewpoints mid-article regarding Kingwood's (and others') annexation:

CSE-FreedomWorks

[LTAWACS]

I could be wrong, but I think LTAWACS is saying something along the lines of, "They chose The Woodlands over the city, to avoid the city, and now they face being in the city anyway. Next time, choose the city first."

I could be wrong, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In a sense, yes.

[jpcampbell]

I could be wrong, but I think LTAWACS is saying something along the lines of, "They chose The Woodlands over the city, to avoid the city, and now they face being in the city anyway. Next time, choose the city first."

I could be wrong, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would agree that for some, moving to The Woodlands while working in the city is kind of silly. But in my case, my family consists of 4 individuals (5 if you count my dog). So, the fact that I now "face being in the city" is a small part of a much bigger picture.

I am content with the fact that my wife and kids are happy out there and that I love working down in the city. However, if I were single or even married without kids, I'd live in the city most likely.

[bruce_oneal]

I would agree that for some, moving to The Woodlands while working in the city is kind of silly.  But in my case, my family consists of 4 individuals (5 if you count my dog).  So, the fact that I now "face being in the city" is a small part of a much bigger picture.

I am content with the fact that my wife and kids are happy out there and that I love working down in the city.  However, if I were single or even married without kids, I'd live in the city most likely.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

don't get me wrong, i love the woodlands. i like the peace and serenity and the layout of the neighborhoods and the homes. but maybe it is just a bit too suburban for me. i much prefer city dwelling.

more of a lifestyle issue than a neighborhood one. i think there are arguments --pro and con-- for living anywhere.

best bet is to find where you like, move there and screw anyone that doesn't like it. afterall, you are the one paying the rent (or mortgage) so what difference does it make if folks don't like where you live?

[jpcampbell]

don't get me wrong, i love the woodlands.  i like the peace and serenity and the layout of the neighborhoods and the homes.  but maybe it is just a bit too suburban for me.  i much prefer city dwelling.

more of a lifestyle issue than a neighborhood one.  i think there are arguments --pro and con-- for living anywhere.

best bet is to find where you like, move there and screw anyone that doesn't like it.  afterall, you are the one paying the rent (or mortgage) so what difference does it make if folks don't like where you live?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can honestly say, that I've liked every single neighborhood I've lived in here. And there have been many (7 or 8). I really just love this town.

[KatieDidIt]

don't get me wrong, i love the woodlands.  i like the peace and serenity and the layout of the neighborhoods and the homes.  but maybe it is just a bit too suburban for me.  i much prefer city dwelling.

more of a lifestyle issue than a neighborhood one.  i think there are arguments --pro and con-- for living anywhere.

best bet is to find where you like, move there and screw anyone that doesn't like it.  afterall, you are the one paying the rent (or mortgage) so what difference does it make if folks don't like where you live?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh I much perfer my old neighborhood in the Galleria area. The area can't be beat. But you MUSt got to private school if you live there and you have to live in older homes that require constant up keep. We chose for our family not to pay the outrageous tuition to The Kinkaid School and instead live in a new home and attend CISD. Also, private school sports are not at the same speed as our kids. So we have moved out here for the next ten years and then will go back....although sometimes we toy with the idea of going back sooner. My husband works at 1-10 and Kirkwood so he drives 50 minutes each way. But he loves the club out here and will still go into town as a family once a week.

I am a city girl and there is nothing like living in the burbs to make you miss the Houston traffic!

[Parrothead]

I guess the moral of the story is that every residential area in Houston and the surrounding area comes with a price/sacrifice of some sort. I do love the Tanglewood/Galleria area but I too would totally balk at sending my kids anywhere but a private school.

[VicMan]

1. Yes, Houston can annex the Woodlands as county lines don't matter; there are already parts of Houston in Fort Bend and in Montgomery..

2. "Oh I much perfer my old neighborhood in the Galleria area. The area can't be beat. But you MUSt got to private school if you live there and you have to live in older homes that require constant up keep. We chose for our family not to pay the outrageous tuition to The Kinkaid School and instead live in a new home and attend CISD."

There are some good public schools in HISD, but I don't know if any of the Galleria area schools (other than T.H. Rogers, which is good but hard to get into) stack up..

[pineda]

I know there's talk of Houston annexing the woodlands, but can Conroe do it, too?