Last summer, the Granger Pines Facebook group exploded with excitement. The park playground was filled with enthusiastic chatter. The big news? A Domino’s Pizza was opening in front of the neighborhood.
The celebration wasn’t about pizza or the mediocre wings. It was about getting something new. The arrival of businesses and other developments signals a long-awaited shift: expansion beyond the old rural forestry and gas stations.
Over the past decade, Conroe’s population has nearly doubled, and the city is trying to keep pace. Plans are underway to annex five tracts of land to build two new schools, and a 385-acre residential community west of Lake Conroe will add nearly 700 homes.
While urbanization is in town, there’s one problem that rains on the parade – water. Conroe’s water infrastructure hasn’t been able to keep up with the population boom. City officials are scrambling for solutions to the aging system and growing crowd.
“I have some very serious concerns about our water quantity,” City Engineer Chris Bogert said. “We have already done the easy things like adjusting valves and shifting water where we can. We need some more serious solutions.”
In August, the city council approved a temporary halt on all housing developments in the northside of town; in December, it was extended another 120 days.
“Overdevelopment and previous decision-making has put Conroe in a tough situation,” City Councilman Howard Wood said. “Our infrastructure requires immediate attention. Discussions with developers and builders have been well received. We’ll work appropriately with them while we move to correct this challenge.”
To fight the water crisis, the city plans to construct four new water wells over the next two years. Conroe is balancing ambitious population growth and improving its infrastructure.
Here? The story’s different.
New neighborhoods like Granger Pines and Artavia are being built quickly. Plots of land are being cleared to build about 4,000 more homes. But there’s still no grocery stores. No new shopping centers, movie theaters, cafes.
The road network is especially horrendous. Despite the school’s quickly growing student population – one that even warrants a separate freshman campus – there’s only one way for cars to get in and out, leading to major congestion before and after school.
Not only is it inconvenient and can even make car-riders late to first period, but it’s also dangerous for walking students. The roads leading into the schools don’t have sidewalks, meaning kids have to walk alongside ongoing traffic.
According to Montgomery County Precinct 2 Mobility Study (2022), the lack of road connectivity, limited sidewalks, bike trails and limited public transportation are all “major mobility issues”.
“A major challenge is enhancing connectivity around existing developments, such as neighborhoods and commercial centers,” the report said. “Other challenges include explosive regional growth that will test the existing regional infrastructure, identifying timely funding opportunities to meet regional needs, and garnering public and governmental support for unconventional and innovative solutions.”
Montgomery County is in dire need of a makeover. Building more houses and pizza places isn’t and shouldn’t be the main priority of developers nor the overall community. We need infrastructure, not just more people to suffer alongside us.
