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Residents raise covenant, habitat and flooding concerns during public comment
Summary
At the Feb. 19 board meeting, residents urged the board to adopt a covenant to restrict oversized campers from driveways and warned that the proposed Gosling Park would destroy critical forest habitat and increase runoff; the board said it would follow up and discuss the matters at future meetings.
Several residents addressed the Woodlands Township board during the public-comment period on Feb. 19, asking the board to follow up on neighborhood and environmental concerns.
A resident who identified herself as a long-time Woodlands homeowner said a neighbor recently parked an oversized camper in a driveway and that township staff told her there is currently no covenant preventing such parking. She asked the board to "adopt a covenant to restrict any vehicles at a homeowner's residence that cannot be stored or parked in the homeowner's garage," saying the vehicle is "a total eyesore." Chair Sharon Bailey and other directors advised the resident that the board could not take formal action on an item not posted on the agenda but pledged to follow up after the meeting and suggested the resident start with the DSC (design standards committee) and staff for next steps.
Stu Hirsch, a Creekside Park resident and retired geologist, urged the board to reconsider the plan for Gosling Park as presented in a recent RFP. Hirsch said the parcel is among the last undeveloped tracts in the area and argued that clearing roughly 200 acres would destroy critical forest habitat, displace deer and other small animals, increase runoff into Spring Creek and raise flood risk for downstream neighborhoods. He also expressed concern about the park’s proximity to a large sewage treatment plant and a lift station, saying odor might limit park use.
"If you put this park in, you're gonna destroy 200 acres of critical forest habitat," Hirsch said, and warned that removing the forest canopy would push more water into Spring Creek and increase flooding downstream.
Board members thanked speakers for the input, noted the comments will be read and considered and said the topics would be discussed in future board meetings; no board action was taken during public comment. Simon Bodysin, another public commenter and youth-soccer operations director, used the public-comment period to highlight three upcoming soccer events in the township and asked the community to attend.
Because state law prevents the board from taking formal action on items not on the posted agenda, directors and staff said they would follow up with the speakers after the meeting and consider placing items on a future agenda as appropriate.
