Keep Kingwood “The Livable Forest”

Shortcuts

• Address
• Alerts
• Contact The Organization
• Claim ownership or report listing

• 

  Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Kingwood?

Defending the Livable Forest

Kingwood, Texas is a unique wetland of the greater Houston-area located in North East Houston, and directly to the north west of Lake Houston. This heavily forested, secluded, and quiet suburban piece of heaven was created in 1971 by the Friendswood Development company. Though annexed into the City of Houston in 1996, Kingwood largely was able to maintain a large part of its identity throughout the years. In 2017, Kingwood was totally encircled by the flood waters spurred by Hurricane Harvey, one of the most detrimental storms to ever hit the Texas Coastal Region. The Mayor of the City of Houston, Sylvester Turner, declared Kingwood “our number one priority”, as the sun dawned on the flood waters that had engulfed our town. Helicopters, the national guard, police, and neighbors rushed up and down the streets trying to rescue as many neighbors as they could from their homes. The flood waters had reached to the second floor in many houses, and had placed whole families on the roof of their houses. During the previous night, many boats were unable to rescue trapped individuals because the flood currents were too strong, and many of the personal watercraft were not equipped to navigate in the dark. August 26, 2017, and the surrounding days were, and possibly will be the most terrifying, and most hectic days of many of Kingwood resident’s lives. Weeks, months, and years - all the way up until and through the present - are what is took and is taken for many to have their houses repaired and settle back into their lives. This shook us, but it did not break us.

Now, in 2019, news of a new threat to the identity, safety, and livelihood of the Livable Forest, and all residents here, arises. Romerica Investments, LLC has drawn up plans, to construct a massive high rise and marina complex right in the heart of Kingwood...not directly on the Lake, not directly on the highway, not on the coast...in the MIDDLE of Kingwood. Kingwood - the wetland that was one of the number one war zones during Hurricane Harvey just a few years earlier, and still experiences flooding, sink holes, and oversaturated grounds during the lightest and shortest of rains. Kingwood - the wetland that is home to pelicans, deer, alligators, spoonbills, pigs, bald eagles, and even the occasional bobcat. Kingwood - which was specifically designed as a planned community by Friendswood Develop Company to NOT be the city. Kingwood - the place where people have moved to and want to raise their kids in BECAUSE it is secluded, quiet, and not the city. The massive 300-acre development is proposed to be built not only on a wetland, but the exact location will sit directly on a flood plain. The developments would be encircling (like a giant ‘C’ ) the Kingwood neighborhood called ‘The Barrington’ to the west, north, and south. Romerica Investments, LLC says that the entire development which would include floating shops, residential areas, 25-50 story high-rises to live and do commerce in, a small mall, and a marina with man-made lakes, would be raised 12-feet, which means it would force floodwaters into the lower, residential areas when it does flood. The Barrington would essentially be made into a ‘fish bowl’. Residents in the next door kingwood village, that would also be bordering this development -Kings Lakes - have already been noticing sinkholes developing, as the ground has been eroded by flood waters and saturated with rain multiple times even in the past 7 months. Neighbors who are just now settling back into their houses and livelihoods, two years after the flood of Harvey, are having to worry about another threat to their livehoods. Neighbors who invested large amounts of money to live where they do and raise families where they do because of the quietness of the location, will now have to worry about the noises of a miniature city directly looking into their backyards as they lay their kids to rest before school the next morning. If annexation, the raging floodwaters of Harvey, and the decades where Kingwood has been an attractive place to raise your family, has taught us, its that Kingwood is resilient, her people are strong, we care about each other, and look after our own. We cannot and will not let a complex like this rip into everything we know, and love about Kingwood, and certainly will not allow ourselves anything that would make us more prone to flooding. We are Kingwood Strong, and refuse to be Kingwood Gone. #SayNoToHeronsKingwoodMarina