Throughout The Woodlands, older homes are being upgraded in villages such as Grogan’s Mill.  Since new single-family residential areas are not being as commonly built, Realtors and developers are better off building new homes in the place of older ones.  This isn’t easy to do in The Woodlands, however.  The Woodlands Township and The Woodlands Development Company have restrictions in place that make it difficult for builders to tear down older homes and replace them with newer, bigger ones. 

Despite this, clients are calling for newer options. 

“In Grogan’s Mill the lots are a little bit bigger than the lots that current builders are building on [in other areas],” said Amy Smythe Harris, broker and owner of Urban Provision Realtors. “Grogan’s Mill looks more established and developed. I have buyers who love the feel and look of the more mature neighborhoods, but they want a new house.”

Redevelopment, within given standards, is starting to occur in Grogan’s Mill.  Tim Welbes, co-president of The Woodlands Development Company, said that the typical lifespan of a home or neighborhood follows several steps from the newly constructed to being remodeled as the house ages and finishing at  demolishment when the house has lost its value (in regards to the home losing the value of the home to the value of the lot). 

“In the case of Grogan’s Mill, it’s in the early stages of leaving the era of remodeling and entering the era of tear down and build new,” he said. “Pretty much it’s beginning to happen.”

There have been about a dozen homes constructed on older homes over the past three years as documented by the Development Standards Committee.  The most difficult roadblock to building new homes in older neighborhoods are development restrictions determined by The Woodlands Township and The Woodlands Development Company, realtors agree. 

Hennie Van Rensburg, director of covenant administration for the township, said “Potential buyers could be looking at lot values and wondering ‘Can I tear it down and rebuild it? Can I get it past The Woodlands?’  I don’t think The Woodlands is advocating redevelopment.”

Van Rensburg also states that there are no such restrictions to developing in older neighborhoods.

“It’s important to know there are no separate rules regarding redevelopment versus current development,” he said. “If you have an existing home and you want to tear it down, there is nothing that prohibits you from tearing it down and building another house.”

No Restrictions?

The Woodlands Development Company, at the beginning of development planning, places an Initial Land Use Designation on the parcel of land in question.  This designation dictates what the land can be used for and how much of the square footage can be utilized.  The Woodlands Township also places restrictions, referred to as covenants, on the land which typically outlines what criteria the land and home must follow.

“If you wanted to do [a tear down and rebuild], you would want to go to the township and get the redevelopment standards, find out square foot limitations and the development criteria applicable to homes in that neighborhood, and that’s the template with which you get to play,” Welbes said. “Each neighborhood has a specific set of criteria unto itself.”

Current Redevelopment

The High Oaks neighborhood off Sawmill Road, the area of Red Cedar Circle off of North Millbend Drive, and the homes around the Tournament Players Course are the three ideal places for new development, as stated by Harris.  Grogan’s Mill also holds potential due to its nearness to Town Center and I-45. 

“The problem is there are no homes that are decent under $175,000 in those areas,” she said. “I think there is still a market for that potential.”

Attractive qualities include lot sizes and maturity of the older Woodlands neighborhoods, enticing realtors and builders to reconstruct in those areas.

“Most consumers still want a mature neighborhood that looks nice,” Harris said. “They want a big lot, they want a 4,000-square-foot house, but they want it to be new, and that is the average consumer right now. People don’t want to buy old homes and fix them up. They don’t have the time.”

But homeowners with less expensive homes in older neighborhoods are protected by the ILUC’s and covenants put in place by building restrictions.

Van Rensburg stated “Every section, block and lot has covenants on them, and every neighborhood has an Initial Land Use Designation,” he said. “They are there to protect the people who have lived there for a long time and who live in the smaller homes and maintain the uniqueness of certain areas.”

George Van Horn, president of the Grogan’s Mill Village Association, said that he would rather see maintenance of existing home rather than redevelopment.

“In some situations [a rebuild] could be beneficial and in others, it would be better to see the houses just maintained properly,” he said. “But if somebody builds a property within the covenants, they have a right to redevelop or redo the property without changing the covenants.”

Article Citation:  Walzel, Brian.  (October 10, 2013).  Older villages targeted for redevelopment.  Community Impact Newspaper.  Retrieved October 15, 2013 from: http://impactnews.com/houston-metro/the-woodlands/older-villages-targeted-for-redevelopment/.
Picture Citation:  http://www.woodlandsvillagesite.com/