Guest editorial request
Last week, Voltmann consultant, Joe Barlow, met with the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative and Public Affairs Division to present their plan to sell the Clear Lake Golf Club for development. The committee voted to endorse Voltmann’s plan for the property for mixed-use development in our community. After a lengthy letter and supporting documents from the Green Space Preservation Committee (GSPC) were hand-delivered to the Chairman of the Board of the Chamber, Mark Humphrey, the Chamber Executive Board decided to take NO ACTION on the committee recommendation and requested a meeting with the GSPC to hear our side of the issue. The decision by the Chamber Executive Committee to hear and understand all sides of this issue is commendable.
That the Chamber Legislative and Public Affairs Committee would meet with Voltmann’s representative makes complete sense. It is the responsibility of the chamber to look at all possible new ventures that will affect our community. It is the absolute lack of balance in the representation of a most important community issue, and an endorsement based on entirely one-sided information, that raises our concern.
We believe that the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce would not want any action of theirs to be used as a sign of community support in a lawsuit by Mr. Voltmann and RGG in an attempt to break the deed restrictions currently held by Exxon Mobil. Mr. Voltmann has been told at every turn, by Exxon and by our elected officials, that in order to succeed with his plan, he needs community support. He has been very direct in meetings and in statements from his representative that he intends to try to have the deed restrictions on his property lifted.
Why would the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, or any of the rest of us really care about enforcement of deed restrictions? Since there is no zoning in the City of Houston, deed restrictions are the only means to protect a community from land use that could be a detriment to the surrounding properties. Deed restrictions are a term of sale agreed to by the buyer and preservation of deed restrictions is of vital importance for current residents and businesses alike, in Clear Lake and across Texas. Chamber members have a vital interest in upholding deed restriction enforcement, as the opposite would mean, essentially, chaos.
Unfortunately, Mr. Voltmann and his representative continually make misstatements regarding their plans and the potential impacts on our community in the press and in meetings, to residents and businesses alike, hoping to gain community support for the deal. The Green Space Preservation Committee continues to clarify the actual facts.
First, the insinuation that a large church and the CCISD have expressed interest in this property is misleading. Ms. Karen Permetti, Director of Public Information with the CCISD, confirmed that at no time did the district discuss in any way the purchase of land from Voltmann for a school site. And the church in question, briefly and months ago, expressed interest regarding property for expansion purposes, but immediately dropped the idea after learning of the deed restrictions and the concern over flooding in the area.
Second, Mr. Voltmann’s representative is quoted using some pretty impressive dollar amounts that he claims will raise the economic value of our community. But development of any kind, and especially the level of projected development being discussed by Voltmann, results in COSTS to current residents. The infrastructure impacts of the proposed development on the Clear Lake City community are only just coming to light through the research by our various committees. Until the research and studies are completed, the true facts will not be known, and evaluation of this project without a hard look at the COSTS to be incurred is unbalanced and unwise.
Third, Mr. Voltmann, through his consultant Mr. Barlow, would have us believe that this development would solve the current flooding issues we experience, as well as manage the flooding issues that will be added with the additional building his development would require. Additional sheet flow runoff from developing the 178-acre golf course would impact the drainage ditches that are already over-taxed, Horsepen Bayou, Mud Lake and it’s surrounding communities, and finally Clear Lake and those surrounding communities. This issue impacts the entire Clear lake area, not just the Oakbrook and Oakbrook West subdivisions. Source after source in the environmental industry proves Mr. Voltmann’s assertion difficult and expensive. We have enough anecdotal data to suggest that this golf course property serves as a floodplain and detention area for storm runoff, and we are in the process of confirming that theory with scientific data. Bottom line is that the only way to get control on future flooding is to contain and retain rainwater run-off and that will not be possible if the golf course is developed.
Our community’s rejection of Mr. Voltmann’s plans are based on solid and sound reasons, regarding the impact such a development will have on our quality of life in Clear Lake City. The depth of the affected community’s opposition to this proposed development deserves review. Respecting the space in the guest editorial column, we would respectfully request that you go to our website to review the community support documents: www.clccl.org. We have collected letters from many elected officials, resolutions from major community organizations and over 3,300 signatures on a petition signed in March by concerned residents.
At this critical juncture, our community will be best served by cool heads, intelligent minds and a balanced view of the entire effects such a development project will have on our neighborhoods. It is the responsibility of the elected officials, the business community and area residents alike to recognize the issues that face our neighborhoods and engage in substantive discussions aimed at preserving the quality of life that makes this area so desirable. Our area will grow and that is a natural evolution, however it is critical that growth be responsible and not have a serious negative impact on the existing residents or businesses. The Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Area Economic Development Council will promote our area and that is fine. Let’s just make sure that we do not destroy what makes Clear Lake such a great place to live and work in the process.
John Branch , Bob Savely and Katie Chimenti
Co-chairs of the Green Space Preservation Committee of the Clear Lake City Civic League