Despite some city residents’ desires that City of Tomball planners focus on redevelopment east of the downtown area, it appears as though the city will focus its efforts on the current plan before expanding its scope.

Focus group meetings held by the City of Tomball in recent years led to the development of the city’s acclaimed Downtown Specific Plan (DSP), which serves as a guideline for planning and development in the historic Tomball corridor.

According to Mayor Gretchen Fagan, during those meetings discussions arose about plans for the potential re-development east of the railroad tracks that intersect Main Street in Tomball.

“The people in the meeting were pretty adamant that they wanted the east side of the tracks looked at,” Fagan said. “Our original thinking was to take whatever we have gotten for downtown (DSP) and apply that to the east side also.”

However, Fagan said that after speaking with representatives from Partners for Strategic Action (PSA), the urban planning company that developed the original DSP, that concept is not a “viable option.”

A proposal submitted to the city by PSA outlining a new study, as well as a cost estimate for the study, was presented to the Tomball City Council for discussion June 6. 

PSA’s proposal letter, written by Peggy Fiandaca who headed up the Downtown Specific Plan, called the east side “a tremendous opportunity for Tomball.”

“We feel this area offers so much potential for economic development that the city should consider a project greater than just extending the DSP boundaries to the east,” Fiandaca wrote.

Fiandaca suggested that an east side re-development process be “a bit different than the DSP process,” with “less general public engagement and design emphasis and more stakeholder coordination and technical analysis.”

The focus area proposed by Fiandaca and PSA extends about an eighth of a mile north, an eighth of a mile east and about a quarter mile south of Main Street. The estimated fee for an eastside development plan, PSA stated, is $142,000, which includes a $20,000 economic analysis.

Some council members hedged at the idea, saying the city should maintain its focus on the current DSP before moving its attention east.

“Until we get one thing completed and built then we shouldn’t be building another thing,” Council member Derek Townsend said. “Once we get this one finished and you want to start something else, that’s a different subject.”

Both Fagan and council member Mark Stoll agreed with waiting on an eastside development plan.

Fagan said she wanted to provide some direction to city residents who attend future focus group meetings on the city’s plan for the east side.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed