Missouri City residents urge preservation of wooded wetlands near Knight Road and Watts Plantation

Missouri City Planning and Zoning Commissioners heard four residents on April 2 urging protection of a wooded area off Knight Road and Watts Plantation and asking staff to make meeting materials easier to access online.

Rosalyn Harold, who gave her address as 4511 Pine Landing Drive, told the commission the wooded area “serves as a buffer zone. We do not want to see the loss of wetlands, which will bring flooding to our community as well as increase the traffic in the area.” Harold said the city’s agenda did not include hyperlinks to the staff findings and recommendations that would be discussed later in the meeting, which made it “impossible for me to know if the city heard our concerns or incorporated any of our feedback.” She asked that future agendas link any handouts, reports, findings or recommendations so the public can prepare comments.

Denishie Abe Ratna (listed on the record as living at 4427 Pine Landing Drive), speaking as president of the Estates of Silver Ridge homeowners association and as a board director of the Texas Heritage and Nature Foundation, urged commissioners to use the comprehensive plan update as a chance to preserve the site as urban natural parkland. “We have a really unique opportunity here in Missouri City,” Abe Ratna said, adding that the area could provide recreation and educational opportunities and preserve the city’s “country feel.”

Dharma Abadarathna, also at 4427 Pine Landing Drive, asked the commission explicitly “please do not allow commercial development in the area between Mott’s Plantation and Road,” and said keeping trees would provide natural flood mitigation.

Saman Navarathna, another Estates of Silver Ridge resident, described the area as wetlands and warned that continued commercial development in residential corridors would worsen air and water quality and increase flooding risk; he cited a local pollution index he read as “around 55” and said the figure was higher than about ten years ago.

The four speakers asked the commission and staff to incorporate residents’ vision of green space into the comprehensive plan and to make supporting materials available in future online agendas so the public can confirm whether its comments were reflected in staff recommendations. Commissioners and staff discussed the comprehensive plan findings and recommendations later in the meeting.