Death
of a neighborhood
Arbor Oaks residents say flood control help came too
late
When Joan and Bob Connor bought a new home in the
Arbor Oaks subdivision thirty years ago, they thought they had found one
of the more pleasant and peaceful neighborhoods in Houston. The homes in
this northwest subdivision were mostly situated on cul d'sac streets
surrounded by oak trees on spacious lots. Located on West Little York
Rd. near Antoine, this small neighborhood was nestled on the edge of the
larger Inwood Forest to its north and west. Vogel Creek ran alongside
Arbor Oaks, merging with White Oak Bayou further downstream. What they
liked about the area was that acres of wooded land backed up to the
subdivision, creating a nature preserve for the neighborhood. From their
backyards, residents could observe various species of
birds and animals in the woods.
Then the neighborhood began to experience a series of flooding
problems in heavy rains due to the overflow of Vogel Creek. Some homes,
including Joan and Bob's, flooded during some rain events caused by
tropical storms and other very heavy rains. Residents realized that
Vogel Creek needed to be upgraded to handle the flow of water from
upstream and prevent the overflow in the neighborhood. For years the
residents along with their civic club implored the county to
plus 117 in Inwood Forest. Some residents who chose not to take the
buyout were not willing to accept the price offered. The Connors felt
the price offered was not sufficient to purchase a comparable home. They
also feel it was not necessary for the Flood Control District to take so
many homes and destroy the neighborhood. "Homes were bought and
torn down blocks away from the creek," says Bob, "homes that
never, I repeat, never flooded and were not even near the creek. These
were bought with taxpayer money and just torn down." He feels that
only about 35 homes along the creek needed to be bought out, which would
have left 202 homes, enough to sustain a viable community. Instead the
neighborhood has been left with a 'checkerboard" of homes and
mostly vacant lots.
THE HIGH PRICE OF FLOOD CONTROL
Finally, after years of delay, the remaining residents of Arbor Oaks
were given the news in 2005 that the Harris County Flood Control was
going to undertake a $27 million flood control project to widen Vogel
Creek. "This would have been wonderful news," says Bob,
"except that it simply was not necessary to destroy the Arbor Oaks
community to accomplish this. This project was undertaken after spending
about $30 million to tear down homes and displace the families. It had
an impact on the tax rolls of the county, the city, the school district,
and the Flood Control District itself. I would roughly estimate that the
loss of tax revenue to all authorities is about one million per year.
The Vogel Creek project should solve the flooding problem in Inwood
Forest, Inwood Pines, and what's left of Arbor Oaks. It will be
transformed into a beautiful, grassy, tree-lined conveyor of water. Too
bad there will be so few homeowners left to enjoy it." Too late
also, the remaining residents learned Harris County had drawn up plans
for the creek widening years earlier but never communicated the plans to
the neighborhood or ask for input. According to the Connors, the county
claimed that the Corp of Engineers did not agree with the plans so the
plans were scrapped.
DESTRUCTION OF THE FOREST
The remaining residents in Arbor Oaks were jolted recently by the
sounds of chain saws and bulldozers coming from the 17 acres of heavily
wooded land adjacent to the subdivision. It quickly became apparent to
the Connors that the nature preserve behind their home was being
destroyed by the cutting of trees by the landowner. The destruction of
the woods was difficult to watch for Joan as she saw raccoons, foxes and
other small animals coming into her yard for refuge and food. Large
turtles crawled toward her home looking for water. "No telling how
many have been crushed by the bulldozers," she said. She no longer
hears the owls hooting at night, and adds that "the habitat of much
wildlife is being destroyed by the destruction of this wooded area which
has existed here for years."
Residents were puzzled as to the purpose of cutting the trees, since
the land was partially in a floodway and could not be developed. The
Connors said they observed the landowner was conducting a logging
operation, so they contacted the city to report the activity and were
told that the cutting of trees was not a form of development, and that
the landowner had a logging permit. A Texas Parks and Wildlife urban
biologist contacted about the situation expressed concern for the
wildlife and environment but could offer no solution since the land was
private property. The Flood Control office agreed that the loss of trees
would affect the flood plain, but say they have no authority to restrict
the tree cutting. The Connors say they communicated their environmental
and flood concerns to the landowner, but to no avail.
According to the Connors, the cutting of approximately 100 large pine
trees on the property will increase water runoff, as the root systems of
these trees will no longer be there to absorb rainwater. The flood
waters which "sheet" across the property will flow more
rapidly, placing a heavier burden on Vogel Creek and White Oak Bayou.
Ironically, the effectiveness of the Vogel Creek improvements to prevent
flooding may be compromised to some extent by the loss of so many trees.
FUTURE GAINS AND LOSSES
So as the few residents of Arbor Oaks watch, more of their
neighborhood disappears. Lots acquired in a buyout cannot be built on
again according to FEMA regulations, so what will happen to all this
subdivision land owned by the Flood Control District? The Connors are
frustrated by the lack of planning and policy-making by government
officials, and by what they feel is a lack of concern by the landowner
to protect the delicate balance on the flood plain. "If my house
floods again because all those trees were cut, I'm going to sue all the
parties concerned," says Joan,"There was no reason for all
those trees to be cut down and put our home at risk." To the
Connors, the demise of Arbor Oaks is symbolic of the government's lack
of response to neighborhood concerns.
