By: Sharon Aron Baron
It seems like years since the proposed buffer wall was slated to be installed in front of the Woodlands Country Club along Commercial Boulevard. As with any public project, there have been delays along the way.
Initially proposed to be completed in September 2016, you can pretty much see, nothing has been done. I contacted Maxine Calloway Director of the Community Development Department to find out what the status was. Calloway said that first homeowners whose homes would be affected by the buffer wall had to give the city permission to build on their easement.
This, of course, makes sense. Back in 2011, there were broken, unsightly fences across the street from the Woodlands main entrance east to Rock Island. I brought this to the city’s attention and they voted to obscure the mess by planting Podocarpus shrubs. However, first, they had to run an irrigation line, and before they could even do that, they had to gain the permission to build on the homeowner’s easements. Now this was a win-win for the residents of that community, who do not have an HOA. Prior to the shrubs being planted, they were required to mow and maintain grass and bushes in back of their fences which was probably difficult without taking a lawn mower around their property to the sidewalk along Commercial Boulevard.
Calloway said that the city hosted a meeting in December, inviting the property owners that would be affected by having a new buffer wall near their homes.
“While we didn’t receive a full turn out, we did get consensus for the wall from those owners present,” she said.
Residents agreed to assist the city by sharing the message to their neighbors. In particular, Section 2 resident Lenny Hixon agreed to help them to the south which according the city, he said is ready to go.
“We are in the process of obtaining the actual surveys for each property that will be attached to the specific easement agreement for each property. Once I have all the surveys and agreements ready to go, I can consider an appropriate timeline,” said Calloway.
So far only nine out of the 35 easements have been completed. The new anticipated completion date is Spring, 2018.
Will keep you posted.