Each month leading up to The Woodlands 50th Anniversary celebration, content is created to honor the past, present and future of our community. For the month of September, this is the first installment in a four-part series on governance.
The Woodlands, renowned as one of the most acclaimed master planned communities in the country, is a self-sustaining community founded by George Mitchell where residents can live, work, learn, play and pray. In this four-part series, we will trace the historical evolution of the government structure in The Woodlands, from early development and Community Associations through the formation of The Woodlands Township, the only special-purpose district in Texas.
The Woodlands Corporation
From the very beginning, Mitchell established The Woodlands Corporation—now Howard Hughes—with a vision and innovative approach to masterful design, which has developed The Woodlands into what it is today.
Construction began in The Woodlands in 1972, located in an unincorporated area of Montgomery County with a future portion in Harris County. Mitchell secured approval from the City of Houston to include most of The Woodlands in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Houston to facilitate consistent and meticulous development standards for our infrastructure.
“The foresight demonstrated by Mr. Mitchell ensured that The Woodlands presents a unified and harmonious space utilizing similar specifications for the infrastructure that serves the community,“ said Dan Kolkhorst, Vice President, Land Development for Howard Hughes.
MUDs
In the early 70’s, Mitchell established the first Montgomery County Municipal Utility District (MUD) for The Woodlands. MUDs are special purpose districts and subdivisions of the state, that provide essential water and sewage treatment services and drainage. Governed by locally elected boards, MUDs help keep land prices more affordable by allowing homeowners and businesses to pay for infrastructure via long-term tax-exempt bonds issued by the MUDs for infrastructure development, Kolkhorst noted.
Currently, Woodlands Water is the central management agency that operates the water, sewer and drainage infrastructure in most of The Woodlands. It is governed by a board of trustees with one appointee from each of the ten MUDS in service area.
San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) also plays a major role in our community. The Woodlands MUDs purchase wholesale water and sewer capacity from SJRA, who owns and operates the sewer treatment plants, sewer lift stations, water plants and all large diameter water and sewer lines. Mitchell’s foresight to involve SJRA as the major provider of utilities allowed The Woodlands to have regional water and sewer plants in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
Visionary Planning
The Woodlands’ journey from its Grand Opening on October 19, 1974, to its status as a thriving community is a testament to George Mitchell’s visionary planning and strategic governance, which has become a model for master planned communities nationwide. This foundation of thoughtful development has set the stage for The Woodlands’ unique approach to community governance.
In the next installment of this series, we will delve deeper into the “A-B-C” structure of The Woodlands’ governance, exploring how Community Associations and the Town Center Improvement District evolved into The Woodlands Township, to meet the changing needs of residents and businesses alike, upholding the original vision of a sustainable, self-governing community.
———
Many thanks to The Woodlands 50th Anniversary Sponsors:
FOUNDING – Howard Hughes
PRODUCER – The Woodlands Township
LEGACY – Woodforest National Bank
HERITAGE – Waste Connections Inc.
GOLD – Entergy Texas, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
SILVER – Ovintiv, SVN/JBeard Real Estate, The John Cooper School