4/17/24 – While addressing Houston City Council this morning, Texas General Land Office (GLO) Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has given the City and Harris County a two-year extension on the use of Harvey Disaster Relief funds.
Without this extension, the City of Houston and Harris County would have had until February 2025 to spend these funds. This extension means Harris County communities and communities in another 48 Harvey impacted counties will have an opportunity for more time to finish projects.
GLO Commissioner Dawn Buckingham (purple dress) surrounded by Houston City Council and Mayor John Whitmire.
The GLO administers all HUD funds within the State of Texas.
Extension Needed to Complete Projects
The extension became necessary because time is running out to use the funds allocated by HUD several years ago. The delays were caused in part by distrust.
Under a previous mayor, Houston repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for the expenditure of funds. Eventually, GLO had to take over administration of several City programs. And a HUD investigation found irregularities in City programs.
The City and Harris County were also late in submitting project lists to the GLO. Twenty-two months after learning they would receive hundreds of millions of dollars, the two entities still hadn’t submitted project lists to use the money.
Today’s announcement means that $322 million worth of projects can move forward with a high degree of confidence that they will be successfully completed and reimbursed.
The announcement affects HUD Disaster Relief funds, which had the tightest deadlines. HUD Mitigation funds have more time.
The Mayor and several City Council Members including Twila Carter (an at-large member who lives in Kingwood) talked about “hitting the relationship reset button” in a positive way. The smiles and positive comments lasted 45 minutes. The sense of relief was palpable.
Mayor John Whitmire, who previously worked with Commissioner Buckingham in the Texas Senate, emphasized the importance of trust. He said that people were “hungry to see government working again.”
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, helped stabilize strained Harris County relations with the GLO and attended the meeting.
Need to Find Displaced Families
The Council discussion also included several other topics including the high cost of insurance and affordable housing. Commissioner Buckingham emphasized that she herself lived below the poverty line while growing up “until the age of 35.”
Buckingham also announced the launch of a collaborative outreach effort to seek out Houstonians who were displaced under former Mayor Turner’s tenure and not offered relocation assistance.
Approximately 900 families at four apartment complexes that received HUD disaster relief funding should have been offered money to move. But they were not.
Now, it’s hard to find those displaced families. Buckingham and Whitmire announced a collaborative effort with community groups to help find those people. Once found, they can apply for the assistance they deserved, but didn’t get.
“We will use many resources to find these Houstonians, including outreach through schools, churches, and faith organizations, Houston Public Works, food banks, and community organizations,” said Commissioner Buckingham.
Spring Village Apartments 11810 Chimney Rock Road, Houston 77035 Buyout date: June 2, 2021
Biscayne at City View 17030 & 17050 Imperial Valley Drive, Houston 77060 Buyout date: Nov. 17, 2021
Appian Way Apartments 3200 N. MacGregor Way, Houston 77004 Buyout date: May 5, 2021
Affected residents of these apartment complexes should visit recovery.texas.gov/URAHouston for information on eligibility for assistance. Or they can contact the URA Assistance Program at:
19219 Katy Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77094 Telephone: 281-925-7155 or 1-844-893-8937 (toll free) Fax: 832-582-2580 Email: cdr@recovery.texas.gov
Royal Pines, a new, 150-acre development in Porter at the north end of West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) is mobilizing for construction. The developer began clearing and grading the site in April 2022. By September 2022, they finished. And by October 2022, they were flooding neighbors.
For the past 18 months, they’ve been working on building two detention basins to help solve the flooding problems as they finalized their drainage and construction plans. They recently received Montgomery County permits and are now mobilizing for construction.
In response to a FOIA Request, Montgomery County supplied the drainage impact analysis and construction plans today. But they are far too large to post here. They include 314 pages of technical drawings. And they total almost 400 megabytes. So I will provide a brief summary now and provide more detail after I dig deeper.
Two Phases, Three Sections in First
According to the drainage impact analysis, construction will take place in two phases.
The developer, Starlight Homes Texas, LLC, owns land in the floodplain and floodway of White Oak Creek. Approximately 40 acres – almost a third of the site – will be used for recreation and green space, but not homes.
The first phase of construction will have three sections clustered near the current northern terminus of WLHP. WHLP will later be extended farther north. Plans for Phase II have not yet been completed or approved.
Purple Area will be developed in Phase I and have three sections. Red area will be Phase II.
Altogether, the development will have 448 homes. About two thirds will be on 40′ wide x 125′ long, 1/8th acre lots. The rest will be 10 feet longer.
Drainage Impact Analysis Claims No Adverse Impacts
The drainage impact analysis was based on 2018 Lidar data and NOAA’s Atlas-14 rainfall probability statistics. Both are current.
Part of the site used to drain toward WLHP. But the drainage was altered during grading. Now, all but 2.5 acres flows to the two detention basins and White Oak Creek.
Western stormwater detention basin. Property in background flooded several times before basin was built.Eastern stormwater detention basin does not quite follow schematic layout. It sits where White Oak Creek cut across property during a 5-year rain.
The drainage impact analysis provides a summary for how the detention basins will perform in 25- and 100-year storms. In either event and in either direction (White Oak or WLHP), the claimed post-development runoff is less than the pre-development. See table below.
From Page 15 of Drainage Impact Study by DE Corp., 10/9/23.
The drainage impact analysis makes a great deal about how the total discharge beats requirements by such a large margin. However, keep in mind that the analysis does not yet include runoff from Phase II.
The engineer, Amy Dziuk, makes a point that the surplus capacity will be used later for Phase II. She claims that Phase I will “not cause adverse impacts to the receiving waterways or surrounding areas.”
Photos of Equipment and Materials Being Staged
I took these photos on 4/15/24. Concrete and HDPE pipe as well as heavy equipment are scattered throughout Phase I of the site. See below.
I also saw men cleaning the entrance to the site and repairing silt fence.
Looking S at north end of WLHP from entrance to Royal Pines
Perhaps the attention to housekeeping in the photo above will be a good omen. Let’s hope they keep it up.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/16/2024
2422 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240415-DJI_20240415143731_0306_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-04-16 19:31:442024-04-16 19:45:43Royal Pines Construction Begins
Northpark culvert installation resumed in a major way last week.
For several months, utility conflicts stalled installation of the 6’x8′ box culverts down the center of Northpark Drive. During preparation of the center ditch, contractors found gas lines buried at insufficient depth.
With those conflicts now resolved, according to Project Manager Ralph De Leon, installation of the box culverts can now resume. When contractors complete the culverts, dirt will be placed on top of them, and then two lanes of pavement on top of the dirt. The result will be a Northpark Drive that expands inward instead of outward. It will create three lanes in each direction…that should not flood like the thoroughfare currently does.
The expansion project has two primary goals:
Get more people in and out of Kingwood faster…
…in all weather conditions, even when other thoroughfares are cut off by flooding.
During Hurricane Harvey, West Lake Houston Parkway, Hamblen, Kingwood Drive, and parts of Mills Branch Road were all blocked by rising floodwaters.
Pictures of Installation Progress as of 4/15/24
Since my last post on 4/8/24, contractors completed installation of the culvert at Parkwood Baptist Church and are working their way west past Russell Palmer Road. Today, they were working in front of Shipley’s Donuts.
Looking E.Northpark culvert installation west of Russell Palmer Roadnear top of frame.Looking E atNorthpark culvert installation. Heavy equipment lifting massive section of culvert to place in hole.Once men finish prepping the hole in the background……step and repeat for almost another mile to 494.
In Other Northpark News
Entergy managed to install five more power poles in the last week. That brings their total to nine in four years.
The new power poles sit back farther from the street. That will create room for four more lanes of traffic adjacent to the bridge that will go over the railroad tracks at 494. The four include two inbound turn lanes and two outbound turn lanes to/from 494.
Project managers first notified Entergy of the need to move the poles in 2020. Construction experts tell me the project could have easily been completed by now.
Not much new has happened at the entry ponds at 59. Heavy rains a week ago have the bottoms covered with water.
Looking west at area that will become the North Pond. Parts of new turn lanes are already being used, reducing traffic congestion somewhat.Looking SW at South PondMore culvert awaiting installation which will carry excess stormwaterbetween ponds and Ditch One.
See the route below. It will go behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark until reaching the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch.
That pretty much does it for visible progress during the last week.
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.
GLO Announces HUD Disaster Relief Deadline Extension
4/17/24 – While addressing Houston City Council this morning, Texas General Land Office (GLO) Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has given the City and Harris County a two-year extension on the use of Harvey Disaster Relief funds.
Without this extension, the City of Houston and Harris County would have had until February 2025 to spend these funds. This extension means Harris County communities and communities in another 48 Harvey impacted counties will have an opportunity for more time to finish projects.
The GLO administers all HUD funds within the State of Texas.
Extension Needed to Complete Projects
The extension became necessary because time is running out to use the funds allocated by HUD several years ago. The delays were caused in part by distrust.
Under a previous mayor, Houston repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for the expenditure of funds. Eventually, GLO had to take over administration of several City programs. And a HUD investigation found irregularities in City programs.
The City and Harris County were also late in submitting project lists to the GLO. Twenty-two months after learning they would receive hundreds of millions of dollars, the two entities still hadn’t submitted project lists to use the money.
By the time Houston and Harris County submitted project lists, time was running short and fear of HUD clawbacks set in.
Today’s announcement means that $322 million worth of projects can move forward with a high degree of confidence that they will be successfully completed and reimbursed.
The announcement affects HUD Disaster Relief funds, which had the tightest deadlines. HUD Mitigation funds have more time.
The Mayor and several City Council Members including Twila Carter (an at-large member who lives in Kingwood) talked about “hitting the relationship reset button” in a positive way. The smiles and positive comments lasted 45 minutes. The sense of relief was palpable.
Mayor John Whitmire, who previously worked with Commissioner Buckingham in the Texas Senate, emphasized the importance of trust. He said that people were “hungry to see government working again.”
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, helped stabilize strained Harris County relations with the GLO and attended the meeting.
Need to Find Displaced Families
The Council discussion also included several other topics including the high cost of insurance and affordable housing. Commissioner Buckingham emphasized that she herself lived below the poverty line while growing up “until the age of 35.”
Buckingham also announced the launch of a collaborative outreach effort to seek out Houstonians who were displaced under former Mayor Turner’s tenure and not offered relocation assistance.
Approximately 900 families at four apartment complexes that received HUD disaster relief funding should have been offered money to move. But they were not.
Now, it’s hard to find those displaced families. Buckingham and Whitmire announced a collaborative effort with community groups to help find those people. Once found, they can apply for the assistance they deserved, but didn’t get.
“We will use many resources to find these Houstonians, including outreach through schools, churches, and faith organizations, Houston Public Works, food banks, and community organizations,” said Commissioner Buckingham.
The four apartment complexes include:
Monticello Square Apartments
5312 Clarewood Drive, Houston 77081
Buyout date: August 24, 2021
Spring Village Apartments
11810 Chimney Rock Road, Houston 77035
Buyout date: June 2, 2021
Biscayne at City View
17030 & 17050 Imperial Valley Drive, Houston 77060
Buyout date: Nov. 17, 2021
Appian Way Apartments
3200 N. MacGregor Way, Houston 77004
Buyout date: May 5, 2021
Affected residents of these apartment complexes should visit recovery.texas.gov/URAHouston for information on eligibility for assistance. Or they can contact the URA Assistance Program at:
19219 Katy Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77094
Telephone: 281-925-7155 or 1-844-893-8937 (toll free)
Fax: 832-582-2580
Email: cdr@recovery.texas.gov
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2024
2423 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Royal Pines Construction Begins
Royal Pines, a new, 150-acre development in Porter at the north end of West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) is mobilizing for construction. The developer began clearing and grading the site in April 2022. By September 2022, they finished. And by October 2022, they were flooding neighbors.
For the past 18 months, they’ve been working on building two detention basins to help solve the flooding problems as they finalized their drainage and construction plans. They recently received Montgomery County permits and are now mobilizing for construction.
In response to a FOIA Request, Montgomery County supplied the drainage impact analysis and construction plans today. But they are far too large to post here. They include 314 pages of technical drawings. And they total almost 400 megabytes. So I will provide a brief summary now and provide more detail after I dig deeper.
Two Phases, Three Sections in First
According to the drainage impact analysis, construction will take place in two phases.
The developer, Starlight Homes Texas, LLC, owns land in the floodplain and floodway of White Oak Creek. Approximately 40 acres – almost a third of the site – will be used for recreation and green space, but not homes.
The first phase of construction will have three sections clustered near the current northern terminus of WLHP. WHLP will later be extended farther north. Plans for Phase II have not yet been completed or approved.
Altogether, the development will have 448 homes. About two thirds will be on 40′ wide x 125′ long, 1/8th acre lots. The rest will be 10 feet longer.
Drainage Impact Analysis Claims No Adverse Impacts
The drainage impact analysis was based on 2018 Lidar data and NOAA’s Atlas-14 rainfall probability statistics. Both are current.
Part of the site used to drain toward WLHP. But the drainage was altered during grading. Now, all but 2.5 acres flows to the two detention basins and White Oak Creek.
The drainage impact analysis provides a summary for how the detention basins will perform in 25- and 100-year storms. In either event and in either direction (White Oak or WLHP), the claimed post-development runoff is less than the pre-development. See table below.
The drainage impact analysis makes a great deal about how the total discharge beats requirements by such a large margin. However, keep in mind that the analysis does not yet include runoff from Phase II.
The engineer, Amy Dziuk, makes a point that the surplus capacity will be used later for Phase II. She claims that Phase I will “not cause adverse impacts to the receiving waterways or surrounding areas.”
Photos of Equipment and Materials Being Staged
I took these photos on 4/15/24. Concrete and HDPE pipe as well as heavy equipment are scattered throughout Phase I of the site. See below.
I also saw men cleaning the entrance to the site and repairing silt fence.
Perhaps the attention to housekeeping in the photo above will be a good omen. Let’s hope they keep it up.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/16/2024
2422 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.
Northpark Culvert Installation Resumes
Northpark culvert installation resumed in a major way last week.
For several months, utility conflicts stalled installation of the 6’x8′ box culverts down the center of Northpark Drive. During preparation of the center ditch, contractors found gas lines buried at insufficient depth.
With those conflicts now resolved, according to Project Manager Ralph De Leon, installation of the box culverts can now resume. When contractors complete the culverts, dirt will be placed on top of them, and then two lanes of pavement on top of the dirt. The result will be a Northpark Drive that expands inward instead of outward. It will create three lanes in each direction…that should not flood like the thoroughfare currently does.
The expansion project has two primary goals:
During Hurricane Harvey, West Lake Houston Parkway, Hamblen, Kingwood Drive, and parts of Mills Branch Road were all blocked by rising floodwaters.
Pictures of Installation Progress as of 4/15/24
Since my last post on 4/8/24, contractors completed installation of the culvert at Parkwood Baptist Church and are working their way west past Russell Palmer Road. Today, they were working in front of Shipley’s Donuts.
In Other Northpark News
Entergy managed to install five more power poles in the last week. That brings their total to nine in four years.
The new power poles sit back farther from the street. That will create room for four more lanes of traffic adjacent to the bridge that will go over the railroad tracks at 494. The four include two inbound turn lanes and two outbound turn lanes to/from 494.
Project managers first notified Entergy of the need to move the poles in 2020. Construction experts tell me the project could have easily been completed by now.
Not much new has happened at the entry ponds at 59. Heavy rains a week ago have the bottoms covered with water.
See the route below. It will go behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark until reaching the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch.
That pretty much does it for visible progress during the last week.
For More Information
For more information about Northpark expansion, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/15/24
2421 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.