|
By H.T. Cannon (Published 5/04)
There are a few places yet, along the south banks of Clear Creek, where the early morning coo of doves and the splash of perch catching breakfast are not drowned out by the noise of commuters. The trees arch over the salt grasses and hug the water close as if to say, "for now, you're still mine."
It is the destiny, and sometimes misfortune, of man, that we take this kind of natural beauty and must claim it – leave a signature on it so future generations won't mistake natural wonders for divine creation, but inventions of our own. Combine that universal desire to leave a lasting mark on our place called home, with a continued projected population growth of six percent a year in the League City area, and soon there is no more room for chirping birds and popping fish.
The Clear Creek corridor that stretches from I-45 to FM 270 is already privately owned, mostly by developers, with a small stretch on the east end purchased by the city. There are plans for apartments, condos, townhomes, neighborhoods, and strip shopping centers. Hotels and restaurants naturally follow. The growth is coming – it can't be stopped. People are moving here by the droves because of comparatively low housing costs, school district quality, feasible commute times and the leisurely, waterfront locale. It is estimated that the current population of 55,000 will grow by 100,000 in 20 years. More people mean more jobs to support the city's growth, and tax dollars and money being spent on local businesses. More people also require increased residential space and supporting commercial real estate. Can this inevitable growth be managed in order to preserve the natural and small-town qualities that are attracting these newcomers in the first place?
League City thinks it can regulate an orderly growth. Four years ago, the city was approached by professional architects and land planners, David Hoffman and Ric Pearson of RBA Richard P. Browne Associates, with an idea that has taken successful root in the suburbs of many major cities – The Woodlands on I-45 north of Houston, is an example. Instead of short-sited, haphazard development destroying both environmental attractions and rural charm, they proposed a long-term plan to incorporate both the need for growth and the desire for maintaining aesthetic integrity. After a year of feasibility studies where the measured population growth, geography, economic development, current zoning, etc., were put to the numbers test, the city has reviewed Browne's proposal and is preparing for implementing what has been termed, "The League City River Market."
The River Market Master Plan, currently being reviewed by the Planning and Zoning committee, takes into consideration current apartment developments, waterfront townhome sites and neighborhoods, and adds to it 1,100 additional "urban dwelling units." Some of these units are designed as multi-use dwellings, a popular trend in urban planning where small businesses exist on a ground level while residents occupy upper two or three levels. As Dee Scott, 2003 president of the League City Chamber of Commerce said, "it would give the area a sense of old-world charm," while maximizing available space. It also wouldn't hurt the city's economic development that the increase in current property value within the planned area would skyrocket from a current value of $22 million to an estimated $420 million.
Between the residential and multi-use dwellings, the plan incorporates three main commercial centers, each with unique characteristics. The first, located nearest to I-45, has areas mapped for regional enjoyment of the existing landscape: restaurants and hotels on the water, multi-level office spaces, and limited multi-use dwellings. Ms. Scott, a strong advocate of the plan, sees it as an opportunity to enhance League City's goal of becoming a true destination place – a city in which people want to spend tourist money on leisurely or sporting activities. Doug Frazior, League City's Economic Development Coordinator, prefers to think of the area's plan as more for the benefit of the community, as opposed to a tourist attraction, such as the Kemah Boardwalk. "It's designed to be private, a re-investment in our city," he states.
The second commercial center takes on more of this "town center" approach than the first. It incorporates the existing pavilion at Walter Hall park, on the west side of Highway 3 and connects to the east side across the highway via a proposed parkway. On the opposing side of Highway 3, this more culturally focused center stretches between the League City Historic district and the banks of the waterway. It includes an additional performance amphitheater, an arboretum and botanical gardens, a festival marketplace, parks, a planned arts community, as well as additional retail and office space, townhome sites and single-family dwellings.
The third commercial center would be located east of FM 270, and north of the FM 2094 origination and would be accessible by a proposed by-pass along the banks of the creek, as well as the proposed parkway dead-ending into an eco park along the creek borders. This would create a triangle of development opportunities slated for retail, office and residential space. The eco-park would be an area designed to create natural habitats for indigenous flora and fauna not currently protected in the area.
City Planner Mary Chambers says the League City River Market is "a binding project, which connects the city, where people can live, work and play within the same radius." Because of recent national focus on support of alternate urban transportation options, the plan is receiving the attention of federal funding organizations due to the design of its intermodal transport system. With assistance and review by the Texas Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, plans for the parkway lined with hike-and-bike trails would run the entire length of the three-mile area under scrutiny, as well provide for a trolley system and waterway accessibility.
The Master Plan was first reviewed in public meetings by citizens, City Council members, and a variety of developers, prior to being accepted and passed on for review to the Planning and Zoning Committee. This committee is creating what is termed as a "zoning overlay," a governing tool regulating how developers within the boundaries of the plan may construct and layout the property structures. Members of the original planning committee, as well as representatives from existing neighborhoods adjacent to the mapped area are coming together to propose such restrictions as building heights, signage limitations and the shared responsibility of aesthetic maintenance within the proposed greenbelt and park areas.
So what does this mean for the current residents of League City? It means controlled and carefully planned development in an area already purchased for that purpose. Some current owners of the properties are supportive – others are vehemently opposed to being managed by the city, retroactively to the purchase of the land.
It means a long, hard road to seeing the plan come to its fruition – The Woodlands took 20 years to reach its projected potential. The Master Plan map is a beautiful sketch of blue waterways and green trees, but the reality is a lot of dirt, equipment and cement in the meantime to realize that ideal.
Theoretically, it shouldn't cost citizens a dime because it is all private development. Realistically, there's no free lunch in a well-maintained park, next to beautiful new homes with a view across the water of new hotels.
It means an estimated increase in annual sales tax revenue, according to Mr. Frazior, of $8 million and a boost of an estimated 22,000 local jobs. This is good for the city's economy, but it also means more people, more traffic and if all goes as indicated by hotel sites, tourists.
It means destruction of the current natural state of Clear Creek, but protection of the waterway that has never existed before, as well as over 400 acres of designated park areas and created habitats.
Take a drive up Highway 3, cross the bridge over Clear Creek, and look both ways. The trees are still waving as the creek rolls slowly toward bigger waters. The sun still sets on unspoiled terrain. How long will it last? Definitely not forever. The question is, can the damage be done and undone by the plans of city leaders and private professionals within the boundaries of fairness, reason and good taste? Hope, springing eternal, will either flood the city with support of this new River Market plan, or flush the idea of a planned waterfront community right back out to the bay.
|
