From Green to Gone in Three Weeks
I took the first picture below two years ago before the clearing of Northpark South started. All the rest were taken during the three weeks between November 9 and December 1, 2023.
Looking west toward the San Jacinto West Fork from the west end of Northpark Drive at Sorters-McClellan Road, this is what you saw before clearing started.





In the pictures above, note a sister development in the upper right corner called Northpark Woods by the same developer, Century Land Holdings of Texas, LLC. The developer totally cleared it, too.
Of course, it’s easier to grade the land, fill in wetlands, and put in streets that way. But it doesn’t slow floodwaters down or soak them up. That will soon be the job of homes and carpets. Lots of them.
The developer asked the Houston Planning Commission for a variance to build 235 homes on lots as small as 5000 square feet here.
Getting Rid of Green
What do you do with all that timber? Turn it into 2x4s? Mulch? Paper? Pencils? Something socially useful?

You can save the hauling costs.

Let people breathe it. Not a problem if you’re a developer with headquarters in Colorado!

This is how you go from green to gone in three weeks. If it were the only such story, it might not be worthy of mentioning. But you can see this same story being played out relentlessly across the watershed.
For More Information
To learn more about the flood risks in this area, see these posts:
- 11/11/23 – Clearing Wetlands, Floodplains
- 11/28/23 – Draining through Sand Mines
- 11/25/23 – 40 Acres of Timber Turned into Toothpicks
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/2/23
2286 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.