Enclave Archives - Reduce Flooding

6/14/25 – In the NorthPark Drive expansion project last week, the traffic switch originally scheduled for 6/6 finally happened on 6/10. Since then, demolition of the old westbound lanes on Northpark between Loop 494 and US59 has begun.

In other Northpark news, contractors are laying rebar in preparation for a concrete pour between Public Storage and Quick Quack Car Wash.

And after an engineering review, Ralph De Leon, the Northpark project manager, says 100% of the water in the Enclave Detention Basin will go south toward the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and that it will not overflow into Northpark.

Finally, CenterPoint has removed an electrical pole that was in the way of boring underneath the UnionPacific Railroad tracks. Contractors have finished the receiving pit west of the tracks and have started boring for the second pipe that will go under the tracks. However, it appears there may be some utility conflicts in the receiving pit west of the tracks.

I took all the pictures below on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Traffic Switch and Old Lane Demolition

The shot below shows how traffic was diverted from the old westbound lanes in the middle of the frame.

*Looking E from in front of Exxon Station near US59. Note traffic swerving to left of the area where heavy equipment is perforating the old westbound lanes in preparation for their removal.*

This close shot shows the actual perforations made by what looks like a hydraulic hammer (or giant punch) on the arm of an excavator.

*Perforation of old concrete in preparation for removal.*

After the old concrete is removed, new culverts will be placed underneath where it was. Then contractors will pour new concrete.

As you can see below, it looks like the perforation stretches halfway from Loop 494 to US59 as of Saturday 6/14/25. LHRA hopes to finish that work this coming week.

Getting Ready for Next Concrete Pour

Contractors have also finished placing rebar in new westbound lanes between the Quick Quack Car Wash and Public Storage.

*Looking E toward Quick Quack from the Dunkin’ parking lot.*

*Looking W from Dunkin’ driveway toward Public Storage.*

*Wider shot looking W shows location of rebar in upper center (to left of traffic).* *New Enclave Subdivision within Kings Mill on right.*

Enclave Detention Basin Controversy

In a previous post, I noted how construction plans for the Enclave showed its detention basin overflowing into Northpark during extreme rainfall events. That became a concern because one of the main goals for Northpark is to create an all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people during high-water events.

Northpark Enclave construction plan detail — *Detail from Enclave construction plans obtained via FOIA request from Montgomery County Engineer’s Office.* *Highlight added.*

Montgomery County Precinct 4’s Victoria Bryant said that she was convening a review of the plans by the two engineering companies involved (for Northpark Expansion and the Enclave), the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office and Houston Public Works. She has not yet communicated the outcome of that review.

Separately, the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 conducted its own internal engineering review.

At the LHRA/TIRZ 10 board meeting on 6/12/25, Ralph De Leon, project manager for Northpark expansion stated that “It’s not going to overflow. 100% of the water goes south, ties into Kings Mill, and will go out (to) the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.”

Council Member Fred Flickinger added, “Now, obviously, all of it going into the Diversion Ditch creates another set of issues.”

It’s not clear yet whether the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office reached the same conclusion. No one has explained the reason for the notation on the plans yet.

Meanwhile, Enclave contractors have finished connecting storm sewer pipes to their detention basin.

*Storm sewer pipe from Kings Mill now reaches the Enclave Detention Basin.*

Bore Under Railroad Tracks

Side-by-side 5-foot steel pipes will carry stormwater under the UnionPacific Railroad tracks from the area west of Loop 494 to the east toward the Diversion Ditch by Flowers of Kingwood.

However, for years, a CenterPoint electricity pole blocked the path. CenterPoint finally removed it last week. That’s good news.

*Looking west at start of twin 5-foot pipes that will carry stormwater under tracks.* *“Receiving pit” on far side of tracks.*

Contractors have also apparently finished the receiving pit west of the tracks where the pipes will tie into a junction box under Loop 494 northbound lanes.

However, the “receiving pit” west of the tracks appears to have some utility conflicts of its own. See below.

*Note one pipe under ladder and another cutting diagonally across receiving pit.* *LHRA notes indicate one is an abandoned water line.*

Once UnionPacific approves a workaround, LHRA says crews will work 24 hours to finish the bores within two weeks.

As they say in construction, “it’s always something.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/14/25

2846 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.

We like to think of change as being steady and continuous. For instance, we get a little bit older each year, and depending on our age, we get a little bit stronger or weaker.

A “State Change” in Peoples’ Lives

But in nature, the major changes are not steady and not continuous. They are sudden, jarring and dramatic. They involve toggling from one “state” to another. For instance, water is a liquid until the temperature drops to 32ºF; then it becomes a solid. A tenacious leaf hangs on the tree through spring, summer and fall, until a winter storm finally blows it to the ground. Snow piles high on the mountain until weight and temperature … create an avalanche.

So it was with many Kingwood seniors – safe and comfortable, living a somewhat privileged existence in the center of Kingwood…right up until the moment a monster named Harvey crept under their front doors.

Bill Fowler, a real estate expert, worked for ExxonMobil until he retired. He is now co-chair of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative. Fowler has been analyzing the impact of Harvey on local real-state. Recently, he concluded an analysis of home values in The Enclave. This post is based on his hard work.

About The Enclave

For those of you not familiar with the Enclave, it is an upscale subdivision in the heart of Kingwood, south of Randall’s in Town Center. Homes average 2369 square feet. All but one or two are single story. Most of the homes are zero-lot-line or have postage-stamp yards, perfect for empty nesters who hate mowing lawns.

Enclave residents can walk to shopping, restaurants, banks, drug stores, public transportation, the library, parks, trails and more. Virtually all are on a series of short cul-de-sacs where people get to know their neighbors for an exceptional sense of safety and security.

In the Heart of the Heart of One of Houston’s Most Prestigious Communities

For all the reasons above, the Enclave has always been popular with older people approaching or reaching retirement. People didn’t just move there, they put down roots there. A home in the Enclave put you in the heart of the heart of one of Houston’s most prestigious communities.

Of 165 homes in the Enclave, 74% had over-65 exemptions on their real-estate taxes in 2017.
According to the National Association of Homebuilders, 12% of Americans have lived in their homes for 20-29 years; but 35% of Enclave residents have lived there that long, virtually triple the national average.
Half of the residents have owned their homes for at least 13 years.
Despite the age of the residents, many years have gone by with less than five homes changing hands.
While 11.2% of Americans moved in 2016 (a historical low), only 3.2% of Enclave residents moved that year, about one fourth of the national average.

Then Came Harvey

Things changed suddenly. All 165 homes in The Enclave flooded. Harvey uprooted all residents – at least temporarily.

Forty-four owners sold damaged homes “as-is” that were their primary residences. We know they were primary residences because they received Homestead Exemptions from the Harris County Appraisal District [HCAD]. Thirty percent of all owners decided to bail (pardon the pun) rather than go through the challenge of restoration: ten times the percentage that moved the prior year!

Sixteen additional homes in the Enclave did NOT have homestead exemptions, according to HCAD. This indicates they were being rented or leased. It is highly unlikely that renters would return to damaged homes; they had no equity, only risk.

So if we add those sixteen to the other 44 homes, we have 60 homes where residents likely chose not to return after Harvey. That takes the percentage of those not returning up to 36% of the community. Twelve times the prior year’s rate!

Due to limitations of the available online HCAD data, it is not possible to further delineate the demographic makeup of the non-owner occupied homes.

However, it is interesting to note the following about those over 65:

74% of all owners had an Over-65 exemption before Harvey.
89% of owner/residents choosing to sell were over 65. This indicates the flood was disproportionately harder for older people to deal with.
36% of all primary-residence homes owned by those over 65 were actually sold.
Of those over-65 electing to sell their homes, on average, the owners had lived in their homes 15 years—some as many as 25 years.
49% of primary-residence homes sold by those over 65 were owned by a single owner (divorced, widowed or never married), rather than jointly owned.
Eighteen homes remain for sale or rent, many by owners rather than through agents.
The total HCAD value for all 165 homes in the subdivision dropped from $40.7 million before Harvey to $30.4 million after. Owners lost more than 25% in market value due to Harvey.
The City, County and School District lost more than $10 million in assessed value from this one subdivision.
The average home went from $247,000 in value to $184,000, a loss of $63,000 overnight.
Those who chose to stay and repair their homes, but who didn’t have flood insurance, lost even more.

Fourteen months later, construction trucks still line the otherwise quiet streets and driveways. The shrill whine of circle saws still pierces the afternoon calm. Construction permits still dot the windows of empty homes. Eighteen homes remain for sale.

Waiting for Mitigation

Retirees who lost their largest investment pray the politicians aren’t playing games with flood mitigation. Dredging has started, but is leaving the largest blockage in the river where it will do the most damage in another flood. More flood gates for the Lake Houston Dam are still two or three mayors away. Most residents won’t live long enough to see the benefit of additional upstream detention. And the grant application for a watershed study that’s a pre-requisite for all of those mitigation projects? Well, that has been sitting on someone’s desk at FEMA for seven months.

The residents I have talked to say they will rebuild this one time, but never again. More on that later this week in another Impact interview.

Statistical Analysis by Bill Fowler, Co-Chair, Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative

Posted by Bob Rehak on November 2, 2018

430 days since Hurricane Harvey

Tag Archive for: Enclave

Demolition of Old Westbound Lanes Begins on Northpark