From Lush Forest to Pine Barrens in 7 Months
Today, Royal Pines looks vastly different from the way it did last April. If such a thing as “truth in development naming” existed, they would have to call it “The Barrens of Kingwood.”
I first reported on the clearing of 200+ acres for this new development back in April 2022.
Now see the four photos below taken from different angles on 10.31.22.
Royal Pines bought the land from the 1992 Guniganti Credit Shelter Trusts on 12/9/21. The Guniganti family owns the Triple PG sand mine east of the area being cleared. You can see it in the background of the first two photos above.
The development company is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona according to the Montgomery County Appraisal District website.
Clearing started before TCEQ issued a Stormwater Pollution Prevention permit.
They Call This Progress
Compare what the development looked like:
The plan above shows that 80+ homes are in the pre-Atlas-14, 100-year floodplain. Six are in areas LOWER than the 100-year flood plain.
Use of old flood-plain maps could put unsuspecting buyers at risk. The flood plain maps for this area were last updated in 2014. New Atlas 14 maps may not become official for several more years…potentially after this developer starts selling homes.
The subdivision at buildout will comprise at least three sections. Houston Business Journal said Royal Pines will ultimately feature between 350 and 450 homes targeted at first-time home buyers.
Other developers are in the process of clearing hundreds of additional acres farther up White Oak Creek.
Plans for the Barrens
The following links will show you the general plan and layouts for the first three sections of Royal Pines:
- General Plan (202 acres)
- Section 1 Plan (100 lots on 17.1 acres)
- Section 2 Plan (56 lots on 13.2 acres)
- Section 3 Plan (105 lots on 18 acres)
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/2/22
1891 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.