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| Feb 1st, 2014 |
Environmental Heritage
For Immediate Release:
We are judged by what we leave behind. In a forest that once yielded timber, and the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Company once flourished, The Woodlands now provides a place where people live in harmony with nature. As the wildflowers grow in the spring, and the many trees distributed over the years on Arbor Day thrive, now as many as four generations of the same family call The Woodlands home.
Although the land use plan for The Woodlands was created in the late 1960s and early 1970's, it continues to guide development, thanks to its fundamental correctness and flexibility to accommodate market trends. The original plan utilized the expertise of notables like Ian McHarg, author of “Design with Nature,” William Pereira, Richard P. Browne, Robert Hartsfield, Gladstone Associates and others. This is the team that The Woodlands’ late founder, George Mitchell, assembled to piece together the thousands of acres of land that became The Woodlands. They laid the groundwork for a master plan that provided a notable alternative to the urban sprawl that was rampant at the time, and created one of only two HUD Title VII communities to survive and become successful.
Among the many accolades The Woodlands has garnered for environmental preservation and master planning are the Award of Excellence from the Urban Land Institute, the international Nations in Bloom Gold Award, and the Visian Award for Expemplary Leadership from the Urban Land Institue.
When The Woodlands' ninth village, Creekside Park, opened in 2007, a 1,700-acre preserve was dedicated and named in honor of George Mitchell. The George Mitchell Nature Preserve is part of the Spring Creek Greenway Project, an initiative by Harris and Montgomery Counties to connect and protect 12,000 acres or forest along Spring Creek for a regional nature trail. The Woodlands Development Company has been given the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award by the Nature Conservancy of Texas for development of the George Mitchell Nature Preserve.
Although the land use plan for The Woodlands was created in the late 1960s and early 1970's, it continues to guide development, thanks to its fundamental correctness and flexibility to accommodate market trends. The original plan utilized the expertise of notables like Ian McHarg, author of “Design with Nature,” William Pereira, Richard P. Browne, Robert Hartsfield, Gladstone Associates and others. This is the team that The Woodlands’ late founder, George Mitchell, assembled to piece together the thousands of acres of land that became The Woodlands. They laid the groundwork for a master plan that provided a notable alternative to the urban sprawl that was rampant at the time, and created one of only two HUD Title VII communities to survive and become successful.
Among the many accolades The Woodlands has garnered for environmental preservation and master planning are the Award of Excellence from the Urban Land Institute, the international Nations in Bloom Gold Award, and the Visian Award for Expemplary Leadership from the Urban Land Institue.
When The Woodlands' ninth village, Creekside Park, opened in 2007, a 1,700-acre preserve was dedicated and named in honor of George Mitchell. The George Mitchell Nature Preserve is part of the Spring Creek Greenway Project, an initiative by Harris and Montgomery Counties to connect and protect 12,000 acres or forest along Spring Creek for a regional nature trail. The Woodlands Development Company has been given the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award by the Nature Conservancy of Texas for development of the George Mitchell Nature Preserve.
About the Company:
Founded in 1974, The Woodlands was one of the first master-planned communities in the country, and is now one of the most successful. The Woodlands is known for its towering trees, winding nature trails, abundant outdoor recreation and excellent educational opportunities. Over the last three decades, this 28,000-acre community has also become a thriving center for business, commerce and tourism.
The Woodlands was one of the nation’s first sustainable communities, with a current total of over 6,000 acres of green space protected in 121 parks, seven golf courses, and plentiful greenbelts and forest preserves. Plans call for over 8,000 acres of greenspace when The Woodlands’ master plan is complete. Trolleys and Waterway Cruisers are alternative modes of transportation within The Woodlands Town Center, the “downtown of The Woodlands.” Many other green initiatives have continued throughout the community’s history, making The Woodlands a model for sustainable development.
The Woodlands was one of the nation’s first sustainable communities, with a current total of over 6,000 acres of green space protected in 121 parks, seven golf courses, and plentiful greenbelts and forest preserves. Plans call for over 8,000 acres of greenspace when The Woodlands’ master plan is complete. Trolleys and Waterway Cruisers are alternative modes of transportation within The Woodlands Town Center, the “downtown of The Woodlands.” Many other green initiatives have continued throughout the community’s history, making The Woodlands a model for sustainable development.