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Neighbors object as MUD seeks to convert Blue Creek parkland into water-plant reserve; commission defers
Summary
The Houston Planning Commission continued a public hearing after residents objected to a proposal by the Blue Creek Municipal Utility District to convert a neighborhood compensated open-space reserve into a water-plant reserve intended to improve fire-suppression pressure.
The Houston Planning Commission continued public hearings on a proposal by the Blue Creek Municipal Utility District to replat a compensated open-space (COS) reserve as a water-plant reserve, a change the district says is needed to fix fire-suppression pressure problems.
The request drew several residents who said the COS parcel is the only green space in the subdivision and that converting it to a water facility would remove playgrounds and open space used by families. “This is gonna be in our neighborhood park,” said Lorena Romero, who said she lives directly behind the site and that neighbors had gathered “40 signatures” opposing the change.
Christopher Brown of EHRA, speaking as the MUD engineer for the district, told the commission the district’s current facilities “are not providing enough pressure for fire suppression.” Brown said the MUD has held public meetings, that the district has pledged to provide funds to the homeowners association to rebuild the remaining park acreage, and that the parcel identified for the plant was the only tract inside the district boundaries suitable for a water facility. He also said an interconnect with an adjacent MUD presented operational problems, including incompatible water-utility chemicals.
Neighbors asked for details about what the rebuilt park would include, how tall above-ground tanks might be, whether fencing and landscaping would buffer adjacent yards, and how lighting would be shielded. Commissioner questions focused on whether the MUD had met the neighborhood and whether pledged replacement amenities and buffers would be detailed before any final approval.
Planning staff recommended deferral to allow legal and design issues to be worked out; commissioners voted to defer the item. The record shows commissioners asked the MUD to provide more specific plans — including renderings, landscaping and lighting specs, and written outreach to the HOA in both English and Spanish — before the commission considers the plat again.
The commission did not take final action on the replat; the public hearing was continued and the item was deferred for further coordination.
