Harris County Flood Resilience Task Force Opposes Scarborough Development

9/11/2026 – The Harris County Community Resilience Flood Task Force (CFRTF) has passed a resolution opposing the 5300+ acre proposed Scarborough/San Jacinto Preserve development near the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring, Cypress and Turkey Creeks.

In doing so, it joins Harris County Commissioners Court and the Houston City Council which passed unanimous resolutions opposing the development. More than 9,300 residents of Harris and Montgomery Counties have also signed a Change.org petition opposing it.

Below is the text of the resolution. I have redacted the officers’ signatures to protect their privacy.

Text of Resolution

RESOLUTION BY THE COMMUNITY FLOOD RESILIENCE TASK FORCE OPPOSING PROPOSED SCARBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT (“SAN JACINTO PRESERVE”)

The Community Flood Resilience Task Force (CFRTF) was established by Harris County Commissioners Court to serve in an advisory capacity on flood resilience planning that accounts for community needs and priorities, including flood risk that originates upstream of the county line. Consistent with that mission, the CFRTF adopts the following position regarding the proposed Scarborough development, known as the ‘San Jacinto Preserve.’

The CFRTF shares the conclusion Houston City Council reached in its December 17, 2025 resolution: that catastrophic flooding renders this property unfit for residential development, and its highest and best use would instead be for flood mtigation and as a public park. The CFRTF opposes residential development of this property and supports its preservation as open space.

The proposed development would place approximately 5,300 acres, at the confluence of Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, Turkey Creek, and the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, west of Kingwood, into residential use. This property consists predominantly of active floodways, floodplains, and wetlands that currently function as a natural sponge, slowing and absorbing stormwater while filtering the water that ultimately flows into Lake Houston. Clearing and filling these wetlands to elevate the property for development would increase the speed and volume of stormwater runoff, placing downstream communities at greater risk of flooding, while undermining regional flood mitigation efforts already underway.

Beyond flood risk, this property sits within one of the most environmentally sensitive parts of the Lake Houston watershed, which serves as the primary drinking water source for approximately 2.4 million people across the Greater Houston area. Development of this tract therefore raises concerns not only for downstream flooding, but also for the water quality relied upon by a substantial share of the region’s population.

The CFRTF believes this property is better preserved as natural floodplain and green space than developed for residential use, given the severity of flood risk in this watershed and the role this land plays in protecting downstream communities and drinking water quality.

ADOPTED on August 28, 2026, by the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force.

(Signed) Dr. Pamela Hernandez, Chair

Mary Anne Piacentini, Vice Chair

Chris Valdez, Secretary

For a PDF of the full document on letterhead, but with signatures redacted for privacy reasons, click here.

About the CFRTF

The Harris County Community Resilience Flood Task Force consists of ordinary citizens who represent communities and watersheds across Harris County. The 17 volunteer members are flood survivors, community organizers, engineers, advocates, and technical experts, working together to reduce flood risk for all Harris County communities.

Add Your Name to the Change.Org Petition

Please add your name to the Change.org petition and help protect your community by clicking here.

Location of proposed development outlined in screen capture from FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Cross-hatch = floodway. Aqua = 100 year floodplain. Brown = 500 year floodplain. Note: this is a pre-Atlas 14 flood map. Montgomery County has not yet updated its flood maps.

To learn more, go to the search bar of ReduceFlooding.com and search on Scarborough or Ryko (the previous owner of this land).

And I highly recommend this post that contains an original song, Scarborough Bottom.

Please sign the petition today and forward this post to all your friends and family. Help put the petition over 10,000 signatures.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/11/2026

3300 Days since Hurricane Harvey