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| President's Message |
| Auggie Campbell, President, West Houston Association |
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 The West Houston Association is supporting projects that will help keep Greater West Houston growing the right way. This week, WHA’s board passed two resolutions, one supporting Highway 36A and another on new flood control guidelines. They also authorized a letter in support of Class-A affordable housing. These three projects will contribute to quality development in Greater West Houston in significant (and significantly different) ways.
The WHA Board voted to support efforts by H-GAC and TxDOT to develop Highway 36A from Freeport to a point on 290. Highway 36A must be developed responsibly, with attention to property rights and environmental concerns. Responsible development of Highway 36A will improve freight movement and hurricane evacuations routes, decrease congestion through Greater Houston’s urban core, and improve the economies of Fort Bend and Waller Counties.
The WHA Board also voted to conditionally support Supplemental Flood Control Guidelines and Criteria for the Barker and Addicks Watersheds and Cypress Watershed above U.S. 290. The Harris County Flood Control District worked closely with stakeholders, including the West Houston Association. Thanks to efforts from members like Lee Lennard and Alan Bauer, the Flood Control District responded favorably to the West Houston Associations comments.
WHA Board Member Brad Freels brought to the Board’s attention West Oaks Crossing, a Class-A affordable multifamily housing development that will include 119 units on Highway 6 near Briar Forest. The developer, Mark-Dana Corporation, has constructed and operates over 20 similar, quality projects in the Greater Houston area and Virginia. Projects like West Oak Crossing meet Greater West Houston’s need for quality, affordable housing to serve working, middle income families while adhering to high building and community standards.
Speaking of quality high developments, Lindsey Woodard delivered her twin girls, Hayden and Hunter, on Tuesday, February 16th. Both girls arrived very healthy, over six pounds, and over 18 inches long. The Woodards are home and getting a little quality rest. Best wishes to them! And thanks to all of you for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers.
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| WHA’s 2016 Committee Chairs |
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The West Houston Association congratulates and thanks all of its 2015 committee chairs who, conveniently, will continue to serve as WHA’s 2016 committee chairs. WHA’s committee chairs lead and represent many of the firms most responsible for planning, developing, and building Greater West Houston.
Flood Control, Drainage & Wetlands. Lee Lennard, President of Brown & Gay, will continue leading the Flood Control, Drainage & Wetlands Committee’s efforts. The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will soon present to the Commissioners’ Court Supplemental Guidelines and Criteria for Developing in the Addicks/Barker Watersheds and the Upper Cypress Creek Watershed Upstream of U.S. 290. This committee is developing a recommended list of areas and projects for advancement by HCFCD and working on a technical forum to explain the new Waters of the United States Rule and related legal challenges.
Parks, Recreation, & Open Space. Chris Patterson, Vice President of RVI, will work to expand efforts by the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Committee to create a shared vision for open space and trails throughout Greater West Houston.
Quality Planned Development. Peter Houghton, Executive Vice President of Howard Hughes—Bridgeland, will keep leading efforts to expand the recognition and value of the Quality Planned Development designation. WHA has shared the Quality Planned Development designation with the North Houston Association and will strengthen its marketing efforts and broader planning efforts in 2016.
Regional Mobility. Mark Kilkenny, Vice President of Mischer Investments, will continue serving as chair of the 2016 Regional Mobility Committee. Along with the committee’s new vice-chair, Marlene Gafrick of MetroNational, and other committee members, Mark will develop and recommend a list and description of WHA’s top transportation projects in 2016.
Sustainable Infrastructure. Jim Russ, Principal of EHRA, will continue his commitment to the Sustainable Infrastructure Committee with assistance from Travis Sellers, Vice President of IDS, as his new vice-chair. The Sustainable Infrastructure Committee will host the first technical forum of 2016 and will seek new ways to encourage sustainable practices in Greater West Houston.
Water Infrastructure. Jack Miller, President of R.G. Miller, returns as chair of the Water Infrastructure Committee. The committee will educate members on regional efforts to provide water and avoid subsidence through most of Greater West Houston and potential problems and opportunities associated with this process. Alia Vinson, a partner at Allen Boone Humphries & Robinson, will serve as vice-chair. |
| City Issues Forum on March 29th: West Houston Association Welcomes Mayor Turner |
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 WHA is very pleased to announce that City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be the key note speaker at this year’s first WHA forum. The event will be held at the Westin—Memorial City on March 29th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. We look forward to hearing Mayor Turner’s vision for Houston on topics such as transportation, infrastructure, and public finance. Read More
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| Event Review: The Center for Opportunity Urbanism’s “America’s Housing Crisis” |
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On February 19, Walt Mischer and Joel Kotkin welcomed a crowd of over 200 business executives and community leaders to the Center for Opportunity Urbanism’s Second Annual Luncheon.
 Alan M. Berger, Director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Advanced Urbanism (CAU) delivered a presentation on the “Future of Suburbia.” He argued that, despite recent news, suburbia is needed more now than ever to meet the housing needs of people living and working in Houston and throughout the world. Dr. Berger showed that suburban development is a global phenomenon and that proper urban and suburban planning can balance the natural and human environment. CAU will bring a museum exhibit with the same title to Houston and other U.S. cities in 2017 and will publish a comprehensive book on suburbs called Infinite Suburbia. Read More
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| Houston’s Mayor Turns up at District A CIP Meeting |
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 A large contingent of City of Houston Officials, including Mayor Sylvester Turner, addressed a crowd of approximately 200 hundred citizens and advocates at Spring Woods High School the night of February 22nd. Rebuild Houston and the City’s new Master Bike Plan figured prominently in the presentation, which received applause from the audience. Read More
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| Committee Updates & Related News |
Quality Planned Development:
Website & Features |
| Chairman Peter Houghton, Howard Hughes Corp. - Bridgeland |
Next meeting: April 21st, 2 pm at one of WHA’s QPD Developments.
The Quality Planned Development Committee met on February 18th and reviewed the new QPD website, qualityplanneddevelopments.com. Cheryl Perry of Boe Creative has started a new QPD marketing program, and the QPD designation is now available to developments in the North Houston Association’s area. Throughout 2016, the QPD Committee and the West Houston Association will create features about QDP developments.
The aim of the QPD features will be to show not only what makes these communities and commercial centers worthy of the QPD designation but what sets them apart. The QPD features will run in WHA’s newsletter and potentially other publications. The QPD committee will also start developing a framework for various parts of the 2050 plan. The QPD Committee will meet again on April 21st in one of WHA’s QPD developments.
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Flood Control, Drainage & Wetlands:
Guidelines Completion |
| Chairman Lee Lennard, Brown & Gay Engineers, Inc. |
Next meeting: April 11th, 2 pm at one of WHA’s Office (Guests: HCFCD Officials)
The Flood Control, Drainage & Wetlands Committee met on February 8th with Harris County Flood Control District (“HCFCD”) officials to review the latest Supplemental Guidelines and Criteria for Developing in the Addicks/Barker Watersheds and the Upper Cypress Creek Watershed Upstream of U.S. 290 (the “Supplemental Guidelines”). The HCFCD officials agreed in principle to add variance language to address the “minimum” easement width of 500 feet.
The committee recommended that the WHA Board support the Supplemental Guidelines contingent upon the addition of suitable variance language. The committee and HCFCD officials also agreed to meet again to discuss other major drainage policy issues
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Parks, Recreation, & Open Space:
West Houston Master Trail Plan |
| Chairman Chris Patterson, RVI, Inc. |
Next Meeting: April 20th, 2pm at Rick Rice Park (Guests: Rick Rice Park Design Team)
Robert Rayburn addressed a meeting of the Parks, Recreation, & Open Space Committee on February 24th to provide a summary of and update on the West Houston Trails Master Plan.
Robert is the Development & Natural Resource Director for the Energy Corridor Management District. He recently managed the partnership with the National Park Service developing the West Houston Trails Master Plan that would provide alternative transportation connectivity and outdoor recreation opportunities. Robert is also the President of the Bayou Preservation Association and Vice President of the Texas Trails Network.
The Committee discussed the steps necessary to develop a WHA list of recommended of park project priorities and also discussed at parties and means necessary to implement these projects.
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Regional Mobility:
Developing Project Priorities |
| Chairman Mark Kilkenny, Mischer Investments, L.P. |
Next Meeting: March 7th at noon in WHA’s office. The meeting will focus on WHA’s project priorities for 2017.
The West Houston Association has requested project priorities from the City of Houston and Energy Corridor, Westchase, Memorial, Spring Branch, and Near Northwest Management Districts. WHA will also request project priorities from Harris County and consider (for reference and guidance) those project priorities and projects provided in the Greater West Houston Mobility Plan and the Houston Master Bike Plan.
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Sustainable Infrastructure:
Technical Forum Proposed |
| Chairman Jim Russ, EHRA |
Next meeting: March 8th, 7:30 am at EHRA’s Office
The Sustainable Infrastructure committee met on Feb. 9th and agreed on speakers and format for its technical forum, which will be in late April. More information will be forthcoming soon. The committee also discussed recognition for development teams that use tools from a sustainability “toolbox” to be developed by the committee.
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Water Resources:
Reviewing Regional Projects |
| Chairman Jack Miller, R.G. Miller Engineers, Inc. |
Next meeting: March 24th, 2 pm at WHA’s Office (Guests: Jeff Benjamin, NEWPP Project Director, PWE, City of Houston)
The Water Resources Committee met on January 28, 2016 from 2pm-4pm. Wayne Ahrens, Dannenbaum and Senior Engineer for the West Harris County Regional Water Authority, provided an update on various projects that will take water from the Trinity River to Greater West Houston. The Committee discussed ideas for a technical forum this summer. The proposed forum will focus on the groundwater conversion process in Greater West Houston and related challenges and opportunities.
The Water Resource Committee meeting on March 24th will include a presentation on the City of Houston’s $1.3B design-build project to expand its Northeast Water Purification Plant. The committee will also discuss water policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session and finalize planning for its technical forum this summer
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| WHA on Social Media |
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| The West Houston Association is working to increase our presence on social media via Facebook and Twitter. Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with the endeavors, events, committees and current issues of the West Houston Association. |
2016 Planned WHA Events
Look for more details in 2016 as these event dates and times are confirmed. |
Tuesday
March 29
12-2 pm |
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City Issues Forum
Marriot, Memorial City |
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Monday
April 18
1-6 pm |
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WHA Sporting Clays Tournament
American Shooting Centers |
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Tuesday
May 24
12-2 pm |
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County Issues Forum
Westin, City Centre |
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Thursday
August 11
6-9 pm |
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WHA Bowling Tournament
Bowl & Barrel, City Centre |
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August 30
5-8 pm |
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West Houston Delegation Reception
Westin, Memorial City |
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Mid-Sept.
12-2 pm |
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State Issues Forum
Westin, Memorial City |
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Monday
October 3
12-6 pm |
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WHA Golf Tournament
Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club |
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Thursday
November 17
12-2 pm |
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Tri-County Forum
Marriot, Westchase |
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Thursday
December 15
6-9 am |
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Holiday Reception
Westin, Memorial City |
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| *Dates and venues are subject to revision based on scheduling and contract considerations. |
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