Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who owns the Clear Lake Golf Club?
2. What's with all the "Keep Green Space Green" signs throughout the Clear Lake City core neighborhoods? How do I get one?
3. What is the history of the Clear Lake Golf Club? What is its status today?
4. What do the Clear Lake Golf Club deed restrictions actually say?
5. What does Exxon Mobil Corp. have to do with this situation?
6. Why do neighborhood residents have anything to worry about today if the property is deed-restricted to remain a golf course until at least 2021?
7. How is the Clear Lake City Civic League (CLCCL) involved in this situation?
8. How is the Clear Lake City Green Space Preservation Committee involved in this situation?
9. How does the golf course situation compare to the situation regarding the two former drill sites in Bay Forest and Bay Oaks?
10. What statements has Renaissance Golf Group (RGG), the current majority owner of the Clear Lake Golf Club, made regarding the future of the golf course?
11. How does the June, 2005 Supreme Court decision regarding eminent domain (Kelo v. New London) affect the situation with the Clear Lake Golf Club?
12. What action has the Clear Lake City Water Authority taken with respect to the Clear Lake Golf Club?
1. What is the CLCWA property acquisition process?
2. How will the CLCWA pay for such a major land purchase?
3. Who will pay for development of the water detention facilities?
4. What will these water detention facilities be like? Are they going to have standing water in them?
5. What avenues are available for community input into the detention facility design? What guarantees are there to ensure that community input is used?
6. What guarantees are there that the property will remain undeveloped into the future?
7. What timetable are we talking about for the processes of property acquisition and development?
8. What threats are there to the CLCWA's plans?
9. What are RGG's obligations regarding the property while the CLCWA is trying to acquire it?
13. So, everything’s all taken care of, then, right? Homeowners have no reason to worry anymore?

As to Tract "J" of Parcel 1: CLEAR LAKE GOLF CLUB, INC., a Texas corporation (Owned by CLUBCORP, INC., a Delaware Corporation who purchased the golf course in 1991)

As to Tracts "A" through "I" of Parcel 1, and Parcel 2: CLEAR LAKE COUNTRY CLUB, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (CLEAR LAKE COUNTRY CLUB is owned by Renaissance Golf Group (or "RGG"), who purchased 9 of the 10 tracts of the golf course in January 2002)

The Property shall be maintained, improved, used, enjoyed and conveyed in accordance with, and subject to the following covenants, conditions, and restrictions hereinafter set forth (the "Protective Covenants"), all of which are hereby adopted for, and placed upon all parties, now and in any time hereafter, having or claiming any right, title or interest in the Property or any part thereof, their heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, regardless of the source of, or the manner in which such right, title or interest is or may be acquired; provided, however, that Grantor acknowledges that all existing improvements on and uses of the Property as of the effective date of the Deed to which these Protective Covenants are attached and made a part conform hereto and provided further, however, that these Protective Covenants shall cease to exist and be of no further force or effect any time that title to the Property is revested in Grantor, its successors or assigns:

1. Use. The Property shall be restricted for use only as a golf, tennis, athletic, swimming, racquetball, or other recreational activity facility ("Recreational Facility"), with facilities including but not limited to a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool, racquetball courts, athletic facilities, clubhouse, restaurant and other related and maintenance facilities for a period of thirty (30) years. Thereafter, such use restrictions shall be automatically renewed for consecutive periods of ten (10) years each so long as the permitted use shall be economically viable. Should Grantee in its reasonable discretion determine at the end of any such period that use of the Property as a golf club as herein contemplated is no longer economically viable, such use restrictions may be changed to include the construction, sale and habitation of single family residential units.

Q12a: What is the CLCWA property acquisition process?

A12a: In general, the process starts with the CLCWA hiring a property appraiser to determine a fair market value for the property. The CLCWA will then make an offer to purchase the property from the owner at the appraised price. If the owner accepts, then the CLCWA will proceed with the purchase. If the owner rejects the offer, then the CLCWA can invoke their right of eminent domain, which compels the owner to accept the offered price. If the owner still refuses to sell, then the matter goes to court. The court will then make its own determination of a fair price, and then compel the current owner to sell the property at the court's price whether the current owner agrees with the price or not. This can become a very lengthy process if the matter goes to court.


Q12b: How will the CLCWA pay for such a major land purchase?

A12b: The money would most likely come from a bond sale. Historically, the CLCWA issues tax revenue bonds which require approval from the residents. The CLCWA will investigate sources of funds from other governmental bodies.


Q12c: Who will pay for development of the water detention facilities?

A12c: It's too early to answer this with certainty, but this is normal "open work" for this sort of process. The CLCWA will discuss the plans with other governmental bodies (primarily the City of Houston and Harris County), and formal agreements will eventually be established documenting who will pay how much for what. For similar projects in the past, the CLCWA has paid for initial development of flood control facilities, then transitioned ownership of the facilities to Harris County (via the Harris County Flood Control District) for operation/maintenance thereafter.


Q12d: What will these water detention facilities be like? Are they going to have standing water in them?

A12d: These facilities are intended to be water detention facilities, not water retention facilities. That means they'll hold water temporarily, not permanently, so normally the "ponds" will actually be dry. However, when there is a severe rainstorm that creates runoff that would overwhelm the drainage system, these ponds will accept a portion of the runoff and "detain" it, so all the water is not trying to find its way through the drainage system at the same time.

Think of it this way. The ditches and waterways that drain the Clear Lake Area can only handle so much water before they overflow their banks. In the past, when they have been overloaded, the excess water has backed up into streets and houses in the lowest parts of the Clear Lake City neighborhoods.

The new detention ponds will provide a benign place for that excess water to collect instead, allowing the ditches and other waterways to deal only with the amount of water they can effectively carry away. The outlet from the ponds will be sized such that it will take a long time for the ponds to empty into the drainage system. As the rainfall (and water runoff) abates, the detention ponds will discharge their contents into the drainage ditches and empty out over many hours (it may take days for them to drain if they are very full). Eventually, the water will drain from the ponds completely, and they will return to their normally dry state.


Q12e: What avenues are available for community input into the detention facility design? What guarantees are there to ensure that community input is used?

A12e: First, please keep in mind that the CLCWA has not yet even completed the property acquisition, so we are very early in the process. However, the CLCWA intends the detention ponds to be multi-use facilities, meaning that when they are not retaining stormwater, they can be used for recreation. Since the intent is for community residents to enjoy the property when it is not performing its flood abatement function, the CLCWA is interested in working with residents to ensure these facilities are considered community amenities. Harris County officials have also repeatedly indicated a strong desire to increase the amount of parks and recreational space available in the Clear Lake area, so it is anticipated that they will also work with the CLCWA and community residents when the time comes to do so.


Q12f: What guarantees are there that the property will remain undeveloped into the future?

A12f: There are few ways to absolutely ensure that a parcel of land will never be developed. However, once the detention ponds are in place, it is hard to envision how such a flood control facility would be removed in order to replace it with a development that would contribute additional runoff. Of the many potential usage ideas suggested for the golf course over the last several months, this seems like one of the most likely to remain in place for the indefinite future.


Q12g: What timetable are we talking about for the processes of property acquisition and development?

A12g: This is a very difficult question to answer. If the current owners accept the CLCWA's purchase offer, the acquisition process could go fairly quickly (perhaps on the order of a year or so). If the courts get involved in an eminent domain action, the process could drag on for several years. Once the CLCWA acquires the property, then discussions will have to take place with other governmental entities to establish how each will contribute to the project, and then the water detention facilities themselves will need to be designed and built. Clearly, the development phase will take years to complete. Even in the best-case scenario, this is a long-term project.


Q12h: What threats are there to the CLCWA's plan to acquire the golf course property?

A12h: There are many things that could impede the property acquisition process. The current owners could refuse the CLCWA's first offer and cause the decision on price to go to the courts via the eminent domain process; the current owners could challenge the right of eminent domain by the CLCWA; the current owners could file suit against Exxon to break the deed restrictions in order to make the property more valuable for appraisal purposes; or the current owners could file for bankruptcy.