Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott extended the disaster declaration for the 60 counties affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The extension enables government agencies to work together under special rules designed to enable mitigation efforts and speed them up. See the wording in the third paragraph from the bottom. Below is the exact text […]
High-rise development in the floodplain has pushed Lake Houston Area flood mitigation projects out of the headlines lately. So here’s an update on where things stand from Stephen Costello, the City of Houston’s chief resiliency officer and Mayor Turner’s flood czar. Extending Dredging to Include Mouth Bar It’s becoming increasing unlikely that we’ll be able […]
Letters to the Army Corps and TCEQ keep pouring in. Without exception, they protest the permitting of the proposed high-rise development near River Grove in the flood plain and floodway of the West Fork. If researching ideas for your own letters, consult the high-rises page of this web site, specifically the right hand column. It […]
The State of Texas has received multiple appropriations from Congress and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for long-term disaster recovery from Hurricane Harvey. But figuring out where and how to apply for help can be tricky. It depends on where you live. The General Land Office (GLO) runs the Homeowner Assistance […]
Thursday night, the Kingwood Service Association (KSA) added its voice to the growing chorus concerned about a proposed high-rise development in the floodplain near River Grove Park. KSA is the largest private group in the Kingwood area. It represents more than 30 community associations, which comprise more than 70,000 residents. It also manages the five […]
After Harvey, it became clear that the simplest and most effective way to avoid sedimentation due to sand mining, was to prevent any new sand mining in the floodway. State Representative Dan Huberty introduced three new bills to toughen legislation on sand mines yesterday. But these bills never mention words like river, setback, buffer zone, […]
A highly talented Kingwood photographer named Emily Murphy contacted me this week. The proposal to build high-rises near the river alarmed her. The impact on wildlife terrified her. The Seldom-Seen World In Your Backyard Emily often kayaks on the river with her camera. She has documented a world that few of us will ever see […]
Someone must have forgotten to tell the developers of the proposed high-rise development. Friendswood Development Company’s Commercial Development Guidelines prohibit buildings taller than 60 feet in Kingwood. Romerica Investments, LLC hopes to build multiple 250 to 500 foot buildings. They would exceed the maximum building-height requirements by 4X to 8X. Section 2-13: Building Height Section […]
A resident of The Commons on Lake Houston contacted me about some severe erosion in her community. I can only describe it as stunning. It destroyed trails owned by the Property Owners Association that people used for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The loss of these trails limits recreational opportunities and has physically divided large […]