This petition is drafted on behalf of homeowners in the Woodland Trails neighborhood and surrounding communities, presented by members of the HOA, and signed by many of those concerned with the state of the detention basin and park area immediately to the west of the Woodland Trails neighborhood (“the basin”). The basin sits between Hollister St., W Little York Rd., White Oak Bayou, and the Woodland Trails neighborhood, and is supposed to be maintained by the Harris County Flood Control District.

The basin is an outdoor area that provides natural beauty and a recreation area for activities such as walking, jogging, and cycling to members of the surrounding community. It has nicely paved trails, many trees, amenity detention ponds, and connection to the entire White Oak Bayou bike trail system. But instead of being purely a benefit, the basin has become a hazard and nuisance to members of the community. Violent crime, illegal dumping, unauthorized vehicle access, and ongoing construction projects have created unsafe and undesirable conditions around the basin.

On the morning of July 28th, around 6:00 a.m., a body was found in the parking lot off Hollister Street on the west side of the basin that connects to the trail system. The body had stab and gunshot wounds. Seargent Sidney Miller of the Harris County Shariff’s Department stated that the department had “a lot of legwork to do” to get to the bottom of this case.[1] Additionally, RVs have been seen camping overnight in this parking lot. The community hopes that those responsible for the maintenance of this green space do what is necessary to properly surveille, deter, reduce, and prevent such criminal activity around the basin.

In addition to crime, illegal dumping around the basin has created a dangerous and undesirable condition on the trails and surrounding basin area. The parking lot off Hollister St., where the body was found, is also regularly filled with trash and debris. But other areas of the basin regularly see trash, including near the dead-end street where the basin meets Shady Grove Ln., and throughout the basin in general. Litter includes tires, shopping carts, furniture, and general household trash.

Further, there are many cases of people driving cars, trucks, four wheelers, dirt bikes, and other unauthorized vehicles on the bike trails and into the lower basin areas. These people sometimes park on the spillways, impeding normal recreational activities and endangering the public by driving motor vehicles on the bicycle path. Further, the paved bike trails are not rated for motor vehicle traffic and will degrade much faster with sustained unauthorized use. Those who drive off the path to the surrounding 

basin areas and down to the water’s edge also create ruts and mud that dirty the trails, destroy vegetation, and harm the natural beauty of the basin. To deter such unlawful activities, we have proposed placing more bollards at strategic locations around the basin trails to keep larger vehicles out. In March of 2024 Oscar Facundo, Property Manager with Harris County Flood Control District, stated he would arrange a meeting with the project manager to explore options for limiting access, but in the interim would rely on support of local law enforcement to manage the situation with unauthorized vehicles within the basin. Law enforcement is not successfully limiting access and until permanent solutions are employed to limit access the problem remains. Additional scheduled surveillance and citations issued to offenders could also help alleviate this unsafe condition.

Finally, two ongoing construction projects have created an unsafe condition around the basin. The first project is the Surface Water Supply project conducted by West Harris County Regional Water Authority, who partnered with North Fort Bend Water Authority and who commissioned Harper Brothers Construction to complete. The second is the White Oak Bayou Federal Flood Damage Reduction Project (Sections E100-00-00-E005 from FM1960 to Hollister, and E100-00-00-E007 from Hollister to Cole Creek) who commissioned Allgood Construction, Inc. to finish the project. While these projects are ongoing, they create dangerous conditions for the basin with the presence of construction debris and equipment, and the disruption to the normal flow of the trail. Homeless have been seen using the concrete pipes as shelter, and the construction areas create a dangerous condition for children and pets and others who play in and around the area. Further, while the construction is in progress, residents do not get the full benefit of the trail system, as some of it is blocked off. While we understand the construction is necessary, we would ask that it be completed in a timely manner so that the dangerous and undesirable conditions are removed. In the interim, properly securing construction equipment and materials could help alleviate these concerns.

For these reasons, we would ask that those who are charged with the maintenance and care of this area renew their efforts to provide proper surveillance, maintenance, cleanup, and other common-sense approaches to the benefit of those who live in Woodland Trails and the surrounding communities. A shared public resource such as the basin has much to offer the community when well maintained and cared for. It should not be left to go to waste. We thank you for your time and consideration.

[1] https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/man-stabbed-shot-retention-pond-houston/285-e1ffb862-21b9-4b30-972e-1e6c0c8a2e33