Future site of Preserve At Woodridge. Looking W toward St. Martha Church across a drainage ditch that empties into Bens Branch.
Nine Homes Per Acre with 65% Impervious Cover
Guefen will build 131 units on 14.65 acres. The rest of the 17 acres will contain a detention pond. That works out to nine homes per acre. RG Miller, the firm that engineered the “Preserve at Woodridge” estimates the development will have 65% impervious cover. See the Plans here. (Caution: large file, 21 mb download.)
Grass will definitely be in the minority. I’m not sure what the Preserve is preserving. The site certainly preserves no trees.
Pictures Taken This Week
Here’s what Guefen’s land looks like as of this week.
Looking E. Cleared area between St. Martha and Kingwood Park High School baseball fields will hold 131 homes and a detention pond.Guefen’s detention pond will border the drainage ditch that empties into Bens Branch about a block south.
With other high-density developments going in upstream along Bens Branch, I hope Guefen’s detention pond capacity will suffice. Brooklyn Trails, several blocks upstream on another tributary of Bens Branch, lacks about 30% of the capacity needed to meet Atlas-14 requirements according to my calculations.
Montgomery County’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations specify that outfall ditches, such as the one in the first photo above only need to carry a 25 year rain. (See page 9.) With that in mind, it seems like Guefen’s detention pond so near a ditch would fill up quickly from ditch overflow in a 25-year rain and provide little detention benefit for anything heavier, for instance, 50-100 year rains.
If that ditch ever needs to be widened, like Hall’s Bayou, the fact that so many homes are built so close to it will severely limit mitigation options.
You can’t build mitigation projects if you don’t have the land.
668 SF Homes with “Interior Garages” and “Luxury Vinyl” Flooring
The 131 single-family detached homes will range in size from 668 square feet to 1,255 square feet and feature “luxury vinyl” flooring. The press release boasts of an “amenity suite” including interior garages. It’s hard to imagine how much living space would be left in 668-SF homes with “interior garages.”
So I checked the plans. I found 29 parking spots labeled “garage spcs.” Many more exterior parking spaces exist. But no one, it appears, will be unloading groceries from his/her car directly into a kitchen. Your “interior garage” could be several homes away.
Nor do all the homes front on a street. That’s going to make moving day hard for your college buddies. You know who your real friends are when they’ll go the distance for you.
Speaking of going the distance, in case of an emergency, that firetruck may be parking 250 feet away from some homes. That’s almost the length of a football field.
Build-to-Rent
According to Guefen’s website and press release, the company sees a niche market for this type of housing in the Kingwood area. They are building these homes to rent them, not sell them. The company normally specializes in multifamily and student housing.
While plans show detached homes, they also show five to six feet of separation. That should be enough to dampen most stereos. So party on, Wayne!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/10/2021
1534 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211105-DJI_0700.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-09 17:24:492021-11-09 17:33:57Guefen Clears 17 Acres Between KPHS, St. Martha for 131 High-Density Homes. Will Detention Pond Be Enough?
Valley Ranch, the new downtown of East Montgomery County, seems to be exploding with growth. The northwest quadrant of I-69 and the Grand Parkway developed first. Now the focus is shifting to the southwest quadrant where more than 500 acres are being cleared near the banks of White Oak Creek. People downstream from I-69 to Caney Creek have experienced flooding recently. This raises the questions, “Will the flood mitigation measures being put in place at Valley Ranch be enough?” and “In general, are we winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding?”
The Relentless Forces of Development vs. Battle to Reduce Flooding
Last week, I posted about the new Amazon distribution center, shown above at A. Today, I’d like to focus on four areas west of Amazon, shown as 1-4. All sizes below are approximate. I used the measuring tool in Google Earth.
Most of Area 1 just south of the Grand Parkway will be future retail space dubbed “Marketplace.”
Area 1 looking SW from over the Grand Parkway will contain retail. However, apartments are now going up in the far top left corner.What’s that soupy area in the middle? See below.US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Wetlands Mapper shows a wetland area that corresponds to the soupy area in photo above this one.Here it is again. Looking north toward the future Marketplace and the Grand Parkway. Closer shot of apartmentconstruction.
Area 2: Commercial District
Looking East from over Grand Parkway toward I-69. Commercial area is the clearing in the distance. White Oak Creek is the wooded area that runs diagonally through the frame.Closer shot of commercial area.From over White Oak Creek looking N toward Grand Parkway. I-69 on right.
Areas 3 and 4: Medical District
Medical District looking SW from over I-69.
You can tell by the amount of standing water on this property that drainage could be an issue. Note below how the standing water coincides with the former wetlands mapped by USFWS below.
Sediment control during clearing becomes a real issue for sites like this. Note the series of trenches channeling standing water toward the storm drain on the I-69 feeder road below.
Looking W from over I-69 across southern portion of Medical District. Note attempts to drain the site through the storm sewer in the foreground.
That basket of rocks is supposed to filter out sediment before it reaches the drain. But when I enlarged the image, look what I found.
Someone trenched around it! Reverse angle of same arealooking E toward I-69 shows two large detention ponds under construction on left.
We Need Regional Flood-Mitigation Scorecard
The pace of development seems to be faster than the pace of flood mitigation.
Certainly, responsible developers exist who retain their rain. This may be one. That remains yet to be seen. But other developers exist who do not retain their rain. The question is, “Are there more irresponsible developers than the responsible kind?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2021
1533 days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0785.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-08 16:16:532021-11-08 16:27:27Are We Winning or Losing the Battle to Reduce Flooding?
Although much finish work remains, contractors have finished blocking out New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School. Walls, structural steel and roofs are up. Some windows are in. Now they are widening Sorters-McClellan Road. They are also building another access route through woods that will connect to Kingwood Place Drive, the street immediately west of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center.
Photos Taken 11/6/2021
I took all of the shots below on November 6, 2021, with the exception of the last one from November a year ago.
New Caney ISD West Fork High School Construction as of 11/6/2021. Looking NE from over Sorters-McClellan Road toward HCA Kingwood Medical Center and Insperity in top center.Looking south from over Sorters-McClellan Road, which is apparently being widened in front of the high school and then some.Note the wetlands and cypress trees in the upper right.Looking north from over detention pond at south end of campus. I-69 in upper right.Fieldhouse, track and football field.New access road through woods will connect with Kingwood Place DriveLooking south. Note windows being installed in center.Looking SE. Much sitework remains.From a higher altitude, you can see the proximity to the San Jacinto West Fork. From the upper left, it curves around the large pond then becomes visible again to the left of the sand mine in the upper right.
Wetlands Gone Forever
From US Fish and Wildlife Service Wetlands Mapper. Green areas are/were freshwater forested/shrub wetlands. Blue/gray areas are freshwater ponds. High school site is in center of frame. Image taken shortly after clearing.Note large area of former wetlands where athletic fields will be.
I’m sorry to see the wetlands go, but now that they’re gone, I want to see them complete the drainage for this campus ASAP to make sure everything gets channeled into the detention pond. That will minimize the chance of flooding neighbors.
New Caney ISD expects to finish construction by the summer of 2022.
General plan for New Caney High School #3
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 8, 2021
1532 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0723.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-07 17:24:212021-11-07 21:25:37New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School Blocked Out; Access Being Enhanced
Guefen Clears 17 Acres Between KPHS, St. Martha for 131 High-Density Homes. Will Detention Pond Be Enough?
Guefen Development Partners has announced that it will build a “luxury single family build to rent multifamily community” [sic] on 17 acres between Kingwood Park High School and the St. Martha Church on Woodridge Parkway.
Nine Homes Per Acre with 65% Impervious Cover
Guefen will build 131 units on 14.65 acres. The rest of the 17 acres will contain a detention pond. That works out to nine homes per acre. RG Miller, the firm that engineered the “Preserve at Woodridge” estimates the development will have 65% impervious cover. See the Plans here. (Caution: large file, 21 mb download.)
Grass will definitely be in the minority. I’m not sure what the Preserve is preserving. The site certainly preserves no trees.
Pictures Taken This Week
Here’s what Guefen’s land looks like as of this week.
Basis of Detention-Basin Calculations
The technically inclined reader may appreciate the detention calculations below. The basis for the calculations is a 16.1 inch rain in 24-hours which is the Atlas-14 amount used throughout Montgomery County. MoCo specifies an average to keep things simple for developers. Their average is slightly less than the 17.3 inches specified by NOAA for the Kingwood area.
Will the Detention Pond Be Enough?
With other high-density developments going in upstream along Bens Branch, I hope Guefen’s detention pond capacity will suffice. Brooklyn Trails, several blocks upstream on another tributary of Bens Branch, lacks about 30% of the capacity needed to meet Atlas-14 requirements according to my calculations.
Montgomery County’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations specify that outfall ditches, such as the one in the first photo above only need to carry a 25 year rain. (See page 9.) With that in mind, it seems like Guefen’s detention pond so near a ditch would fill up quickly from ditch overflow in a 25-year rain and provide little detention benefit for anything heavier, for instance, 50-100 year rains.
If that ditch ever needs to be widened, like Hall’s Bayou, the fact that so many homes are built so close to it will severely limit mitigation options.
668 SF Homes with “Interior Garages” and “Luxury Vinyl” Flooring
The 131 single-family detached homes will range in size from 668 square feet to 1,255 square feet and feature “luxury vinyl” flooring. The press release boasts of an “amenity suite” including interior garages. It’s hard to imagine how much living space would be left in 668-SF homes with “interior garages.”
So I checked the plans. I found 29 parking spots labeled “garage spcs.” Many more exterior parking spaces exist. But no one, it appears, will be unloading groceries from his/her car directly into a kitchen. Your “interior garage” could be several homes away.
Nor do all the homes front on a street. That’s going to make moving day hard for your college buddies. You know who your real friends are when they’ll go the distance for you.
Speaking of going the distance, in case of an emergency, that firetruck may be parking 250 feet away from some homes. That’s almost the length of a football field.
Build-to-Rent
According to Guefen’s website and press release, the company sees a niche market for this type of housing in the Kingwood area. They are building these homes to rent them, not sell them. The company normally specializes in multifamily and student housing.
While plans show detached homes, they also show five to six feet of separation. That should be enough to dampen most stereos. So party on, Wayne!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/10/2021
1534 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Are We Winning or Losing the Battle to Reduce Flooding?
Valley Ranch, the new downtown of East Montgomery County, seems to be exploding with growth. The northwest quadrant of I-69 and the Grand Parkway developed first. Now the focus is shifting to the southwest quadrant where more than 500 acres are being cleared near the banks of White Oak Creek. People downstream from I-69 to Caney Creek have experienced flooding recently. This raises the questions, “Will the flood mitigation measures being put in place at Valley Ranch be enough?” and “In general, are we winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding?”
The Relentless Forces of Development vs. Battle to Reduce Flooding
Last week, I posted about the new Amazon distribution center, shown above at A. Today, I’d like to focus on four areas west of Amazon, shown as 1-4. All sizes below are approximate. I used the measuring tool in Google Earth.
I took all the aerial photos below on 11/6/21.
This interactive map of Valley Ranch shows what’s planned where.
Area 1: Marketplace
Most of Area 1 just south of the Grand Parkway will be future retail space dubbed “Marketplace.”
Area 2: Commercial District
Areas 3 and 4: Medical District
You can tell by the amount of standing water on this property that drainage could be an issue. Note below how the standing water coincides with the former wetlands mapped by USFWS below.
Sediment control during clearing becomes a real issue for sites like this. Note the series of trenches channeling standing water toward the storm drain on the I-69 feeder road below.
That basket of rocks is supposed to filter out sediment before it reaches the drain. But when I enlarged the image, look what I found.
Reverse angle of same area looking E toward I-69 shows two large detention ponds under construction on left.
We Need Regional Flood-Mitigation Scorecard
The pace of development seems to be faster than the pace of flood mitigation.
Four and a quarter years after Harvey, we’re halfway done with dredging the sediment flushed downstream to the headwaters of Lake Houston. We have yet to build one regional detention basin upstream. And according to the Houston Chronicle, the proposed new gates for Lake Houston’s dam are being scaled back to fit the available budget.
And all of that is on the asset side of the ledger.
On the debit side, thousands of acres are being cleared with little to no detention capacity, faster than I can photograph and catalog them.
Somebody smarter than I needs to develop a formula that shows whether society is winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding. Are new developments springing up faster than we can mitigate the runoff from them?
Certainly, responsible developers exist who retain their rain. This may be one. That remains yet to be seen. But other developers exist who do not retain their rain. The question is, “Are there more irresponsible developers than the responsible kind?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2021
1533 days since Hurricane Harvey
New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School Blocked Out; Access Being Enhanced
Although much finish work remains, contractors have finished blocking out New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School. Walls, structural steel and roofs are up. Some windows are in. Now they are widening Sorters-McClellan Road. They are also building another access route through woods that will connect to Kingwood Place Drive, the street immediately west of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center.
Photos Taken 11/6/2021
I took all of the shots below on November 6, 2021, with the exception of the last one from November a year ago.
Wetlands Gone Forever
I’m sorry to see the wetlands go, but now that they’re gone, I want to see them complete the drainage for this campus ASAP to make sure everything gets channeled into the detention pond. That will minimize the chance of flooding neighbors.
Progress in One Year
New Caney ISD has posted an update on construction that indicates the percentage of completion for each of the project components as of October 29.
It was just a year ago, that this site was virtually nothing but dirt. Contractors had just started pouring concrete for the first parking pad.
New Caney ISD expects to finish construction by the summer of 2022.
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 8, 2021
1532 Days since Hurricane Harvey