Residents of the Woodlands are saying that their interests have no bearing on the future of development in the community.
“We wanted a grocery store and revitalized shopping. We’re getting a library and an old folks center.” said one resident, who asked to remain anonymous.
“The Grogan’s Mill Village Center in The Woodlands will be turned into a new library and community center under a deal reached by the Howard Hughes Corp. and Montgomery County.” reports the Houston Chronicle Chronicle.
The owner of one of the businesses in the Grogan’s Mill Village Center sums it up:
“We’re cooked.” says Wes Cordova, owner of the Blue Lion Pub, a popular gathering place in the center.
Howard Hughes Corp. and County Commissioner James Noack have been called “The Two Kings of the Woodlands” by the Texas Patriots PAC, a conservative political action committee, because of their tremendous power and lack of accountability to the residents of the Woodlands.
When we last reported on this situation five days ago, community input was supposedly being taken. We solicited community feedback, and the poll that we ran was loud and clear. The Noack/Hughes proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the Woodlands residents who read TWTX.co and voted in our poll. Fewer than 300 respondees supported the Noack/Hughes proposal; over 1300 opposed it. Here are the results, from our prior story.
The fate of the village center is the direct result of the residents of the Woodlands opposition to incorporation. Instead of an elected local government that responds to the interests of the residents, the Woodlands is run by a real estate company with no accountability to the residents, and a county commissioner whose loyalties lie elsewhere. Woodlands residents had the choice to be citizens or serfs; unfortunately, after being swayed by a huge marketing campaign, they chose the latter.
Howard Huges Corporation was the primary funder of the campaign to stop the Woodlands from incorporating as a city, via the Preserve The Woodlands PAC. Public records show that Hughes donated over $450,000.00 to the effort to make sure that local residents had no oversight of their activities. James Noack was also a supporter of this effort; he stood to lose tremendous influence had the Woodlands incorporated.
Previously, County Commissioner James Noack removed the traffic light at the main entrance to the Grogan’s Mill Center, making it more difficult for residents to enter and leave the center. The move perplexed local residents, but now some people are saying that it was part of a carefully orchestrated plan to drive businesses out of the center, thus reducing its value and making it available for purchase at a bargain price.
