Conroe holds public hearing on citywide development moratorium; approves emergency repair to Well 21

The Conroe City Council on May 22 held a public hearing on a proposed temporary moratorium that would pause acceptance and approval of subdivision, site‑planning and construction permits for property served by city water plants, and separately approved an emergency expenditure of up to $600,000 to repair water well No. 21.

City public works staff told the council the moratorium is a time‑limited measure intended to protect current customers while the city evaluates infrastructure and funding needs. City staff member Michael McGuire (public works/engineering staff) said the packet includes a stamped report from a third‑party registered professional engineering firm and supporting exhibits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) that, in staff’s view, justify invoking the city’s police power. McGuire described a 0.6 gallons‑per‑minute requirement per connection and said the packet includes multiple water models and connection counts from the city’s utility billing and GIS records.

"All the information is indeed included and laced up," McGuire said while summarizing the exhibits and the technical memorandum addressed to council.

Why it matters: the ordinance the city read into the record would, if enacted, impose an initial 120‑day moratorium on new development permits for areas served by city water plants, with limited exceptions and a waiver process adopted verbatim from Texas Local Government Code (chapter 212, subchapter E). The proposed ordinance lists public health and safety, conservation of water (Article 16, Section 59 of the Texas Constitution), and preventing a public nuisance as the city’s stated reasons. The ordinance as drafted makes exceptions for projects that are "no impact," projects with valid permits filed prior to 05/23/2025, and development agreements or grandfathered projects under state law. The ordinance text included an explicit adoption of waiver procedures in Local Government Code section 212.137 and referenced 212.139 for limits on moratoriums.

Public comments at the hearing were extensive and sharply divided. Dozens of builders, developers, business representatives and residents addressed the council. Several speakers urged caution or alternatives to a citywide halt: Mike Stecker (resident/home‑builder) urged the council "Don't rush this" and recommended bringing in a neutral outside engineering firm and pursuing an Alternative Capacity Requirement (ACR) process with TCEQ. Daniel Gillum (Traphome Homes) and other developers presented site‑specific pressure and fire‑flow numbers and argued the system should be evaluated by pressure plane rather than treated as a single, citywide system.

Industry groups and builders, including Lauren Fuller (Greater Houston Builders Association), Cody Miller (Greater Houston Builders Association) and Zach Wickens (Kendall Homes/Forest Creek Ventures LLC), warned of economic and legal consequences. Wickens said his project of roughly 85…