December 8th, 2006:

So the Woodlands may not become part of Houston after all.

Voters in The Woodlands could decide as early as next year whether to take the first steps toward self-government under a deal that also would remove the possibility of annexation by Houston, local officials announced Thursday.

The agreement marks a dramatic shift in how potential boundary takeovers have been handled. Mindful of acrimonious debates that erupted when Houston annexed Clear Lake and Kingwood, local officials said they worked hard to avoid a similar situation with The Woodlands.

What it means for people in The Woodlands is a chance to make decisions about their community without the threat of becoming a part of Houston.

It also provides the master-planned community of about 84,000 a chance to be a regional player for the first time. Under the agreement, The Woodlands would enter into an economic partnership with the city to fund mutually beneficial regional projects totaling $45 million over time.

[…]

Thursday’s proposal would require legislation, which [State Sen. Tommy] Williams and state Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, pledged to get passed in the upcoming session.

Lawmakers need to pass at least two bills – one to expand an existing improvement district to collect sales taxes in all of The Woodlands and one to make it possible for Houston and The Woodlands – and other cities and communities in the future – to enter into a regional agreement.

With the new laws in place, The Woodlands residents then could vote in November on whether to expand the existing improvement district – which already collects a sales tax in the retail district of The Woodlands – as a first step toward possible incorporation.

I’m guessing that a part of the negotiation process here was to sound out various other legislators, especially those from Houston, to make sure those two bills can be passed. I presume therefore that there’s no strong objections to it among the Houston delegation. Anything is possible, of course, but that would be my guess.

The agreement, which also would need approval from the Houston City Council and the various governing boards in The Woodlands, would not affect Conroe’s plans to annex Harper’s Landing, the only Woodlands neighborhood east of Interstate 45 and not within Houston’s expansion boundaries.

Something for everyone in this deal!

Under the terms of the proposed deal, Houston would agree to release The Woodlands from its extraterritorial jurisdiction – a distinction in state law that would allow annexation. That would allow residents to decide after 2014 whether to incorporate or choose another form of local self-governance.

In return, The Woodlands would give up an initial $16 million to pay for certain regional projects. The money would come from existing local funding sources to be determined. It would not come from increases in municipal utility district fees or property tax increases.

The projects would include $3 million for improvements to Lake Houston Park, much of which is in Montgomery County; $3 million for other major parks, including Memorial and Hermann; $5 million for road improvements at the Texas Medical Center, and a $5 million contribution to a planned project that would extend the Hardy Toll Road closer to downtown.

The Woodlands also would make another $29 million in payments from sales taxes during the next 30 years.

I presume that the money for these projects, some of which have no clear connection to the Woodlands, is to make up for the property and sales tax revenue that Houston would have received post-annexation. One wonders what “existing local funding sources” they have in mind here. Sixteen million bucks is a lot of money for a burg the size of the Woodlands. If they’re not creating a new revenue stream to cover it, they either have it lying around already (must be nice), they expect to divert it from other projects, or they might come up with a way to borrow it. We’ll see.

Jeff Long, president of The Woodlands Community Association board of directors, also was surprised by the announcement.

”The beneficial portion so far is being out from under the threat of annexation. That was paramount,” Long said. “But the devil is in the details. We knew all along that there would be a price, so whether I can live with it or not, I have to study it first.”

Indeed. Stace thinks Houston should have pursued annexation anyway, while this KHOU story suggests taxes will indeed rise for Woodlanders. I wish Tom had blogged about this, I’d love to know what his take is.

Once again Lights in the Heights is upon us. Houstonist has a summary, while the Chron has all you need to know.

“This year we are doing it a little differently, running from 6-10 p.m.,” said Sharon Greiff, who co-chairs the event with Woodland Heights Civic Association president Terri Guerra.

“It normally ran from 6-9 p.m., but the problem was that since we added the parade a few years ago, people were doing that and then walking and just revving up by 9, so we decided to do it this way and see how it goes,” she added.

The association faces a big job each year, putting together the massive holiday street party that draws in excess of 10,000 people to the neighborhood just east of the Houston Heights.

The event, as always, is free, and this year runs from the 400 block of Euclid and Byrne streets all the way to the Norhill esplanade seven blocks to the west.

[…]

The event will start from the intersection of Florence Street along the route with a parade, which Greiff said is a little more “robust” this year.

It will feature at least six art cars, a fire truck, marching bands and mounted police.

“The last is great because everyone loves horses,” she said.

In addition to the longer hours, another small change is that lights will be strung along the Norhill esplanade, which was wired for electricity just over a month ago.

“We always got by on generators before, but between Lights in the Heights and the Home Tour folks, this is going to be a lot easier,” Greiff said.

The esplanade will be home to Santa Claus, who, after the parade, will be available for photos.

Also, the WHCA will be selling T-shirts and other novelties to support the costs of this year’s event as well as in 2007.

T-shirts are also on sale before the event at Buchanan’s Native Plants, 611 E 11th St., C&D Hardware, 314 E 11th St. and Oo La La, 833 Studewood.

“We figured why should all of those street corner vendors have all the fun and get the proceeds,” Greiff said. “So we’re going to try that this year to raise money for the event.

“We’ve got some Santa hats that glow and blink and reindeer antlers that glow in the dark, lighted necklaces and that’s it. We didn’t want to go too far.”

[…]

Greiff turned a bit serious when she talked about the parking situation.
“We do tell everyone that the route is closed, and it starts getting closed around 5:30 p.m.,” she said. “So if you want to get parking even remotely close, come much earlier. Parking is always going to be tough because we keep this free. That’s just how it is.”

Some local businesses welcome the extra traffic, but others are not so excited about people parking in their lots and have said they will tow. So Greiff said to exercise some common sense.

“There’s street parking all around, and getting there early helps, but once you get around 6:30-7 p.m., don’t even think about getting near the route,” she said. “The only people allowed in or out in cars are the homeowners, not their guests.

“You’ll need proof of residency like an ID or driver’s license to get in. So if you get there late, you’re going to walk, which isn’t so bad because you’ll be walking all over the route anyway.

“Carpooling helps because the more people you can pile into your car, the better off you’ll be.”

My advice has always been to park west of Studewood and walk from there. Arriving early is also smart.

Anyway, Marty Hajovsky brings the memories of Lights past. Here’s what I wrote about it last year – thankfully, Studewood is no longer under construction, so you needn’t worry about that.

If you’ve never been, Lights is one of the best and most fun things you can do for free in Houston. It’s very kid friendly, too – I think Olivia will really love it this year. Come on over to the Woodland Heights this Saturday and see for yourself what Lights in the Heights is all about.