Doesn’t it seem like the Spring/Klein community is always fighting something. I haven’t been here long, but since I’ve been here there have been a couple of biggies that could affect the quality of this great community.
The latest is the low income housing project near Windrose, called Gosling Oaks. It has been stopped in the short term, but what about the long? To find out more visit Stop Gosling Oaks.
The first thing I remember was the Grand Parkway. This proposed highway, still on the books has been stalled but not stopped. It has already affected one neighborhood Lakes of Avalon Village. Here are a couple of links pertaining to this story. http://swamplot.com/tag/spring/, http://blogs.chron.com/springklein/2008/11/neighborhood_divide.html.
The problem with the Grand Parkway from what I can tell is that the zoning committee, who was aware of the plans to build the parkway years ago, did not reserve the land and prevent builders from building in the areas of the highway. Thereby creating problems for people who have now made there homes in its path unknowingly. There was a big movement here are some links http://mypeoplepc.com/members/chrisodonnell/stopthegrandparkway/, http://mypeoplepc.com/members/chrisodonnell/unitedtosaveourspring/id89.html, and http://corridornews.blogspot.com/2007/10/you-all-that-proposed-this-plan-you.html.
In 2004, a tar factory tried to co-locate its facilities with the cement plant next to the Villages of Northgate Crossing and behind Old Town Spring. I couldn’t find any links about it but I was at the town hall meeting where Representative Debbie Riddle brought in the county, and the builder. It appeared to the community that they used deceptive practices to post notices that were still within the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law.
Last year, residents of Dove Meadows and Normandy Forest were not thrilled with the prospect of a bar being outside of their neighborhood, crime being the biggest concern. The bar did open and to my knowledge there haven’t been any problems, however, the community did not want it.
This is only what I know, but I have only been in Spring a few years. But rest assured that as the community continues to thrive, there will be more projects that the community may or may not agree with. There was a petition last year to get a line item on the ballot to incorporate Spring/Klein as it’s own city. This would provide for its own city government and as one item control its zoning.
Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston, not its own city (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring,_Texas). It seems to me that we should form as a Township, City, town, or something that gives us the ability to control our fate.
Please read Why Sign the Spring-Klein Cityhood Petition?, New Petition to Incorporate Spring-Klein as a City.
To sign the petition visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/spring-klein-petition.
