10/14/25 – Signorelli Company has filed another general plan with the Houston Planning Commission for expansion of the Commons of Lake Houston. The new area for proposed development will be called The Crossing at the Commons of Lake Houston.
The new plan dated 9/23/25 shows roughly 450 new homesites on approximately 105 acres. About half the homes will be wholly or partially in the current 100- or 500-year floodplains.
Looking S toward Lake Houston. Crossing at the Commons of Lake Houston in foreground. East Fork San Jacinto on R. Kings Point water tower in upper right.
How Big Are Those Floodplains?
The expansion area is carved out of a larger 284-acre area, mostly in the floodplains of the San Jacinto East Fork, across the river from Kingwood’s East End Park. See above and below.
In the map above, the dotted lines snaking through and around the homes represent the 100- and 500-year floodplains.
Screen capture as of 10/14/25. Crosshatch = floodway. Aqua = 100-year or 1% annual chance floodplain. Tan = 500-year or .2% annual chance floodplain.
The current flood maps released in 2007 are based on data acquired after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. But, Harris County Flood Control has said that FEMA will release new flood maps before the end of this year based on data acquired after Hurricane Harvey.
From MaapNext.org. Screen capture on 10/14/25.
And those new flood maps will reportedly show floodplains expanding 50% to 100%. However, even under the current, outdated flood maps, half the planned homes are in floodplains.
Could the imminent release of new flood maps explain the motive behind Signorelli’s submission of a new general plan at this time?
Previous Attempts at Development Met Stiff Resistance
This is apparently the third time, Signorelli has tried to get plans for The Crossing approved. The previous attempts met with stiff resistance. Reportedly, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia personally testified at the Houston Planning Commission against Signorelli’s plans when he was Precinct 2 commissioner (before redistricting).
Later, Signorelli fought the City of Houston all the way to the Texas Supreme Court for the right to develop the floodplain land. Signorelli claimed Houston regulations adopted after Hurricane Harvey made the land virtually un-developable. The developer argued that they violated property rights and amounted to inverse condemnation.
The Supremes did not rule outright for Signorelli in March 2025. They remanded the case back to the trial court when they found procedural errors in the trial court’s original decision. As of this writing, I can find no public records indicating a subsequent trial court ruling.
However, the previous iteration of the general plan for the Commons showed no stormwater detention basins. This iteration shows the addition of a 31-acre basin that could might provide fill to elevate some or all of the homes out of the floodplain.
That’s an improvement. But Harris County Flood Control District regulations call for a mandatory minimum of .55 acres of detention per acre. So, Signorelli’s plan seems to fall short of that requirement.
Lot Size and Shape Typically Exacerbate Flooding
Moreover, the small, narrow lots shown in the general plan typically increase impervious cover which can lead to faster runoff and higher flood peaks.
Narrow-lot developments often have less room for detention or swales on-site, forcing greater reliance on underground detention vaults or regional drainage systems.
Neighborhood-wide, narrow-lot development can raise local drainage loads significantly. For example, a Houston Public Works study of a pilot area in Near Northside reportedly found:
Converting a block of 24 large lots (total 3.5 acres) into 72 narrow-lot homes raised impervious area from 42 % to 82 %, doubling the 2-year storm runoff volume and increasing peak flow rate by ~65 %. (Source: City of Houston Infill Redevelopment Drainage Assessment, 2019.*)
This area has flooded three times in recent years. During Harvey, Imelda, and the May 2024 flood. The new development could put people in harms way. However, the developer hasn’t yet filed a full drainage study or flood-mitigation plan. So we don’t yet know the flood danger.
Concerns of Residents
At this point, residents’ I talked to had three primary concerns about the new development.
Consistency with the surrounding area
Traffic congestion/wear and tear on roads
Loss of recreational area.
One resident told me, Signorelli promised the community that the land now proposed for development would be turned into soccer fields. It wasn’t. But at least it people could hike on it.
If a bright spot exists, approximately 180 acres will remain along the river if Signorelli builds these homes. That’s slightly larger than Kingwood’s East End Park on the opposite side of the river. But there’s no guarantee Signorelli won’t try to develop the remaining 180 acres, too, in the future.
On 10/16/25 Planning Commission Agenda, Then…?
This issue will be on Thursday’s Planning Commission agenda. General-plan approval is only a first step in developing a neighborhood or tract of land. If the General Plan is approved the developer then submits the plat application(s). If that is approved, the developer moves on to submitting the plans to the Office of City Engineer for approval of permits.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/14/25
2968 Days after 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.
*While I have found references to the study, I have not yet found the study itself.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250430-DJI_20250430110754_0406_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-10-14 18:25:432025-10-14 18:28:07Signorelli Tries Again to Expand Commons of Lake Houston into Floodplains
10/11/25 – On 2/28/25, Friendswood Development/Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction, Ltd. sold 231 acres to Royal Shores Estates, LLC, a company managed by Ron Holley, a Kingwood developer. The transaction includes two parcels that bracket the existing Royal Shores Courts development.
Maps of Acquired Parcels
The first parcel to the north includes 164.39 acres and the second to the south includes 66.62 acres. They total 231.01 acres, an area approximately 50% larger than Kingwood’s 158-acre East End Park to the north.
Here is the Special Warranty Deed, which includes the maps shown below plus deed restrictions.
In addition to the wetlands, virtually all of the property lies within the floodplains or floodway of the San Jacinto River East Fork. See the screen capture below from the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer.
Aqua color = 100-year floodplain. Tan color = 500-year floodplain. Crosshatch = Floodway.
Note that FEMA based the 2007 map above on data acquired after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. FEMA has not yet released new maps based on Atlas 14 data acquired after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
However, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) believes that FEMA should release new maps before the end of this year and that when they do, the floodplains and floodways will expand significantly.
Floodplain Building Restrictions
All of Holley’s Royal Shores Estates land lies in the City of Houston and Harris County. The following regulations apply.
Houston allows no development in floodplains unless it complies with Chapter 19 – Floodplain of the City Code. Significant restrictions include:
New construction must have the lowest habitable floor elevated at least 2 feet above the 500-year flood elevation.
No placement of fill in the 100-year floodplain to elevate structures. Instead, structures must use open foundations (e.g. piers, columns) or continuous foundation walls with proper openings.
Developers must demonstrate that structures will not restrict storage volume or conveyance capacity of floodplains.
Developers may be required to submit a flood study (hydrologic/hydraulic model).
To enforce these restrictions, Houston requires:
Submission of detailed plans with elevations, cross-sections, floodplain mapping, location of proposed structures, and floodproofing certificates (where applicable) for a floodplain development permit.
Certifications and engineering analyses from licensed professional engineers for impacts on conveyance or storage.
Inspections during construction and before certificate of occupancy to ensure compliance.
How High is Up?
Homebuilders who buy lots from Holley will have to elevate homes significantly. How much?
That depends on the location of individual lots within Holley’s property.
Random sampling of locations using the elevation profile tool within the USGS National Map shows the northern section varies from 41 to 59 feet with an average of 45 feet.
Sampled points in USGS National Map within northern section of Holley Property
Sampled elevations in the southern section also vary from 41 to 59 feet, but have an average of 48 feet.
Sampled points in USGS National Map within southern section of Holley Property
So, how high would a builder have to elevate a home?
The height of a 500-year flood is currently 54 feet on the East Fork at Holley’s property. See graph below.
Two feet higher would put the minimum height of the “lowest habitable floor” at 56 feet.
So homes would have to be built up 8 to 11 feet on average.
The highest locations would require no additional elevation, but the lowest could require up to 15 feet! And deed restrictions appear to limit the height of homes to two stories. Interesting!
Based on the graph above, the average ground level in the northern area would have a 10% chance of flooding every year.
Perhaps that explains why Friendswood opted to sell.
Friendswood Started Expansion, Stopped, then Sold
Historical satellite images in Google Earth show that a giant pond on the northern parcel was likely used to provide fill for the original homes in Royal Shores. Shortly after clearing started for Royal Shores in 2005, clearing started for the pond. Excavation matched the pace of homebuilding for several years and later stopped.
Then, between 2013 and 2015, both clearing and excavation began again farther north. Friendswood significantly built up the cleared area until…
Expansion abruptly stopped around 2017. Satellite images show heavy erosion around the edges of the raised area. Shortly thereafter, trees started regrowing in the cleared area. No new roads or homes were built north of the pond.
There is little in the public record to explain why Friendswood suddenly stopped Royal Shores expansion after all that work. One theory: they were focusing on Royal Brook about that time. Another theory: flooding concerns caused them to rethink their plans.
Less than a year after the May 2024 flood, Friendswood sold the Royal Shores property to Holley.
What Holley Property Looks Like Today
I took the photos below on 10/11/25.
From north end of property looking south toward Lake Houston. East Fork on left.Both pond and area in foreground were expanded through early 2016. Then expansion abruptly stopped.Area on south side of pond was also cleared at same time. Southern parcel of Royal Shores Estates was originally called “The Eagle Tract” because of bald eagles that nested there.
Friendswood originally had plans to build 53 homes in the Southern/Eagle Tract.
I have not yet obtained copies of Mr. Holley’s plans.
New Flood Maps Could Change Holley’s Assumptions
HCFCD says FEMA will release updated flood maps before the end of 2025. Those could be a game changer if flood heights increase significantly. Check back often as this story develops.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/11/25
2965 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/2025/10/20251011-DJI_20251011133232_0236_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-10-11 20:44:042025-10-12 11:23:54East Fork Wetlands in Floodplain Sold to Developer Ron Holley
10/10/25 – Barring weather delays, more unforeseen utility conflicts, and UnionPacific delays, work on the Northpark bridge over UP’s road tracks and Loop 494 could begin as early as December 2025.
Side Walls for Abutments Already Fabricated
According to Ralph De Leon, the project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10, all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. Speaking to the Kingwood Executive Group on Wednesday 10/8/2025, De Leon mapped out the next steps.
Fabrication of the cement side walls for the bridge ramps has finished. The cement panels are in a storage yard waiting for transport to the site.
They look much like the side panels for the ramps that lead up to the US59 bridges over Kingwood and Northpark Drives. They contain raised details of pine trees to fit with the Livable Forest motif.
Detail of side wall surface.Stacked panels in storage yard
But several things need to happen before the walls for the abutments go up. Abutments support the lateral pressure of an arch or span at the ends of a bridge.
Additional Preparatory Steps
First, contractors must finish the surface roads that will run beside the bridge (two lanes each side). And before they can do that, they must finish the drainage under those surface roads.
That in turn will require:
Finishing the bore operation under the railroad tracks to connect the drainage on both sides of the tracks.
Relocating some UP signaling equipment and power
Bringing fill dirt back from a sand mine on Sorters where it was stored after excavating the ponds at the entries.
Demolishing and removing the old lanes in the middle where the bridge will go up.
Building a foundation for the walls.
Drilling piers for the open span portion of the bridge which will go down 100 feet.
Pictures Taken 10/10/25
The pictures below taken today illustrate some of those steps.
Looking E from Dairy Queen toward Kings Mill entrance at additional drainage and bed prep for new lanes beside bridge.Looking W toward Loop 494, you can already see partial construction of surface lanes on left and right. Bridge will go in center where traffic and dirt are now.Bores under tracks are still holding up construction of surface lanes on right. In the meantime, traffic detours around the work area.Looking E from over entry ponds at US59. Demo of old lanes continues to make room for bridge and new surface lanes.Dirt apparently being moved back from storage at sand mine is being stockpiled near south entry pond.
Status of Bores under Tracks
The boring operation under the railroad tracks has been held up for several months by unexpected utility conflicts. The south bore is now complete.
But the north bore encountered two problems. A utility line broke off and had to be removed by hand. Next they encountered rocks, wood, and concrete debris that broke an augur. Still, De Leon’s project timetable shows that operation being completed by 10/18/25. They plan to hand-dig the remaining 11 feet.
South bore (r) has already reached the receiving pit west of tracks.Opposite direction (completed bore on left). Problem bore on right.Examples of debris encountered while boring under tracks.Looking S along 494 across Northpark. When the bores under the tracks are complete, contractors will place junction boxes in the pits, eliminating a blockage to the completion of Loop 494 expansion.
There are a lot of moving pieces to this puzzle. But it’s slowly and surely coming together. And when it does, Kingwood will have its first all-weather evacuation route. And commuters will shorten their drive times.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/10/25
2964 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/10_Bridge-Abutment-Wall-Stacked-Panels-Inventory-1-.png?fit=1500%2C1122&ssl=111221500adminadmin2025-10-10 22:03:402025-10-12 16:53:56Work on Northpark Bridge Could Start as Early as December
Signorelli Tries Again to Expand Commons of Lake Houston into Floodplains
10/14/25 – Signorelli Company has filed another general plan with the Houston Planning Commission for expansion of the Commons of Lake Houston. The new area for proposed development will be called The Crossing at the Commons of Lake Houston.
The new plan dated 9/23/25 shows roughly 450 new homesites on approximately 105 acres. About half the homes will be wholly or partially in the current 100- or 500-year floodplains.
How Big Are Those Floodplains?
The expansion area is carved out of a larger 284-acre area, mostly in the floodplains of the San Jacinto East Fork, across the river from Kingwood’s East End Park. See above and below.
In the map above, the dotted lines snaking through and around the homes represent the 100- and 500-year floodplains.
The current flood maps released in 2007 are based on data acquired after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. But, Harris County Flood Control has said that FEMA will release new flood maps before the end of this year based on data acquired after Hurricane Harvey.
And those new flood maps will reportedly show floodplains expanding 50% to 100%. However, even under the current, outdated flood maps, half the planned homes are in floodplains.
Could the imminent release of new flood maps explain the motive behind Signorelli’s submission of a new general plan at this time?
Previous Attempts at Development Met Stiff Resistance
This is apparently the third time, Signorelli has tried to get plans for The Crossing approved. The previous attempts met with stiff resistance. Reportedly, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia personally testified at the Houston Planning Commission against Signorelli’s plans when he was Precinct 2 commissioner (before redistricting).
Later, Signorelli fought the City of Houston all the way to the Texas Supreme Court for the right to develop the floodplain land. Signorelli claimed Houston regulations adopted after Hurricane Harvey made the land virtually un-developable. The developer argued that they violated property rights and amounted to inverse condemnation.
The Supremes did not rule outright for Signorelli in March 2025. They remanded the case back to the trial court when they found procedural errors in the trial court’s original decision. As of this writing, I can find no public records indicating a subsequent trial court ruling.
However, the previous iteration of the general plan for the Commons showed no stormwater detention basins. This iteration shows the addition of a 31-acre basin that could might provide fill to elevate some or all of the homes out of the floodplain.
That’s an improvement. But Harris County Flood Control District regulations call for a mandatory minimum of .55 acres of detention per acre. So, Signorelli’s plan seems to fall short of that requirement.
Lot Size and Shape Typically Exacerbate Flooding
Moreover, the small, narrow lots shown in the general plan typically increase impervious cover which can lead to faster runoff and higher flood peaks.
Narrow-lot developments often have less room for detention or swales on-site, forcing greater reliance on underground detention vaults or regional drainage systems.
Neighborhood-wide, narrow-lot development can raise local drainage loads significantly. For example, a Houston Public Works study of a pilot area in Near Northside reportedly found:
This area has flooded three times in recent years. During Harvey, Imelda, and the May 2024 flood. The new development could put people in harms way. However, the developer hasn’t yet filed a full drainage study or flood-mitigation plan. So we don’t yet know the flood danger.
Concerns of Residents
At this point, residents’ I talked to had three primary concerns about the new development.
One resident told me, Signorelli promised the community that the land now proposed for development would be turned into soccer fields. It wasn’t. But at least it people could hike on it.
If a bright spot exists, approximately 180 acres will remain along the river if Signorelli builds these homes. That’s slightly larger than Kingwood’s East End Park on the opposite side of the river. But there’s no guarantee Signorelli won’t try to develop the remaining 180 acres, too, in the future.
On 10/16/25 Planning Commission Agenda, Then…?
This issue will be on Thursday’s Planning Commission agenda. General-plan approval is only a first step in developing a neighborhood or tract of land. If the General Plan is approved the developer then submits the plat application(s). If that is approved, the developer moves on to submitting the plans to the Office of City Engineer for approval of permits.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/14/25
2968 Days after 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.
*While I have found references to the study, I have not yet found the study itself.
East Fork Wetlands in Floodplain Sold to Developer Ron Holley
10/11/25 – On 2/28/25, Friendswood Development/Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction, Ltd. sold 231 acres to Royal Shores Estates, LLC, a company managed by Ron Holley, a Kingwood developer. The transaction includes two parcels that bracket the existing Royal Shores Courts development.
Maps of Acquired Parcels
The first parcel to the north includes 164.39 acres and the second to the south includes 66.62 acres. They total 231.01 acres, an area approximately 50% larger than Kingwood’s 158-acre East End Park to the north.
Here is the Special Warranty Deed, which includes the maps shown below plus deed restrictions.
Wetland and Floodplain Status
Both areas include wetlands, as shown on this screen capture from the National Wetlands Inventory.
In addition to the wetlands, virtually all of the property lies within the floodplains or floodway of the San Jacinto River East Fork. See the screen capture below from the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer.
Note that FEMA based the 2007 map above on data acquired after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. FEMA has not yet released new maps based on Atlas 14 data acquired after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
However, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) believes that FEMA should release new maps before the end of this year and that when they do, the floodplains and floodways will expand significantly.
Floodplain Building Restrictions
All of Holley’s Royal Shores Estates land lies in the City of Houston and Harris County. The following regulations apply.
Houston allows no development in floodplains unless it complies with Chapter 19 – Floodplain of the City Code. Significant restrictions include:
To enforce these restrictions, Houston requires:
How High is Up?
Homebuilders who buy lots from Holley will have to elevate homes significantly. How much?
That depends on the location of individual lots within Holley’s property.
Random sampling of locations using the elevation profile tool within the USGS National Map shows the northern section varies from 41 to 59 feet with an average of 45 feet.
Sampled elevations in the southern section also vary from 41 to 59 feet, but have an average of 48 feet.
So, how high would a builder have to elevate a home?
The height of a 500-year flood is currently 54 feet on the East Fork at Holley’s property. See graph below.
Two feet higher would put the minimum height of the “lowest habitable floor” at 56 feet.
The highest locations would require no additional elevation, but the lowest could require up to 15 feet! And deed restrictions appear to limit the height of homes to two stories. Interesting!
Based on the graph above, the average ground level in the northern area would have a 10% chance of flooding every year.
Perhaps that explains why Friendswood opted to sell.
Friendswood Started Expansion, Stopped, then Sold
Historical satellite images in Google Earth show that a giant pond on the northern parcel was likely used to provide fill for the original homes in Royal Shores. Shortly after clearing started for Royal Shores in 2005, clearing started for the pond. Excavation matched the pace of homebuilding for several years and later stopped.
Then, between 2013 and 2015, both clearing and excavation began again farther north. Friendswood significantly built up the cleared area until…
Expansion abruptly stopped around 2017. Satellite images show heavy erosion around the edges of the raised area. Shortly thereafter, trees started regrowing in the cleared area. No new roads or homes were built north of the pond.
There is little in the public record to explain why Friendswood suddenly stopped Royal Shores expansion after all that work. One theory: they were focusing on Royal Brook about that time. Another theory: flooding concerns caused them to rethink their plans.
The 2016 Tax Day Flood, Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda, and the May 2024 flood inundated all or parts of the property in rapid succession.
Less than a year after the May 2024 flood, Friendswood sold the Royal Shores property to Holley.
What Holley Property Looks Like Today
I took the photos below on 10/11/25.
Friendswood originally had plans to build 53 homes in the Southern/Eagle Tract.
I have not yet obtained copies of Mr. Holley’s plans.
New Flood Maps Could Change Holley’s Assumptions
HCFCD says FEMA will release updated flood maps before the end of 2025. Those could be a game changer if flood heights increase significantly. Check back often as this story develops.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/11/25
2965 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.
Work on Northpark Bridge Could Start as Early as December
10/10/25 – Barring weather delays, more unforeseen utility conflicts, and UnionPacific delays, work on the Northpark bridge over UP’s road tracks and Loop 494 could begin as early as December 2025.
Side Walls for Abutments Already Fabricated
According to Ralph De Leon, the project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10, all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. Speaking to the Kingwood Executive Group on Wednesday 10/8/2025, De Leon mapped out the next steps.
Fabrication of the cement side walls for the bridge ramps has finished. The cement panels are in a storage yard waiting for transport to the site.
They look much like the side panels for the ramps that lead up to the US59 bridges over Kingwood and Northpark Drives. They contain raised details of pine trees to fit with the Livable Forest motif.
But several things need to happen before the walls for the abutments go up. Abutments support the lateral pressure of an arch or span at the ends of a bridge.
Additional Preparatory Steps
First, contractors must finish the surface roads that will run beside the bridge (two lanes each side). And before they can do that, they must finish the drainage under those surface roads.
That in turn will require:
Pictures Taken 10/10/25
The pictures below taken today illustrate some of those steps.
Status of Bores under Tracks
The boring operation under the railroad tracks has been held up for several months by unexpected utility conflicts. The south bore is now complete.
But the north bore encountered two problems. A utility line broke off and had to be removed by hand. Next they encountered rocks, wood, and concrete debris that broke an augur. Still, De Leon’s project timetable shows that operation being completed by 10/18/25. They plan to hand-dig the remaining 11 feet.
There are a lot of moving pieces to this puzzle. But it’s slowly and surely coming together. And when it does, Kingwood will have its first all-weather evacuation route. And commuters will shorten their drive times.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/10/25
2964 Days since Harvey