Meetings

WHCA July Members Meeting by Woodland Heights Civic Association

The July WHCA Members Meeting will take place on July 8th at Zion Lutheran Church. Many thanks to Zion for allowing us to use their meeting room; it is greatly appreciated. This is the first members meeting of the WHCA's fiscal year, which began in June.

We have a few items to give you updates on, including:

  • LITH Bash Updates and 2025 Route

  • Stude Park Improvements with TIRZ 5 and SWA

  • New Partnership Program with Boy Scouts

We hope you will take some time to meet with your neighbors and help us all make Woodland Heights a great place to live!

WHCA Board Elections on May 13, 2025: Meet the Candidates by Michael Graves

WHCA Board Member Elections will take place this next week. We hope to see you all there casting your vote for the open positions. Per the WHCA bylaws only registered members are eligible to vote and only one vote perhousehold is allowed.

Tuesday, May 13th at 7:00 p.m.
Zion Lutheran Church
3606 Beauchamp St.
Houston, TX 77009

If you are unable to attend the meeting you can designate an individual to cast your proxy vote. To cast a proxy vote please download a Proxy Form from the WHCA website. Complete and sign the form and email it to the WHCA Secretary at secretary@woodland-heights.org by Monday, May 12. You can also have your Proxy Designee bring your completed form with them when they come to the Members Meeting.


Meet the Candidates

The following neighbors have stepped up to run for a position on the WHCA board. They will be at the meeting on Tuesday. This is a brief synopsis of who they are and why they would like to serve on the board.

Nominees for Secretary

Sara Smithey

I live in Woodland Heights with my family. I have two young boys who attend the local elementary school, and through my involvement with the PTA, I’ve come to truly appreciate the value of investing in our community.

The more engaged I’ve become, the more I’ve seen how a strong, connected neighborhood contributes to the overall safety and happiness of living in this area. I am interested in the secretary position, due to my strengths in organization and streamlining communication.

I would love the opportunity to build upon the current processes where needed. I have much respect for those who’ve contributed to making Woodland Heights such a special place, and I’d love to have a more active role in supporting and strengthening our community.


Angela Sanz

Woodland Heights is more than a neighborhood, it is incredible community in the heart of Houston.

Over the past 5 years as a Woodland Heights homeowner, I have followed everything the WHCA does to keep our neighborhood safe and organized and have admired the flawless execution of events like Lights in the Heights and the Tour of Homes.

I am at a point in my life where I have the bandwidth to get involved and give back to our community and I believe I can make an impactful contribution to the WHCA board.

As a Secretary my primary goals would be to drive and facilitate the achievement of the WHCA's strategic objectives, provide tools to boost board effectiveness, and foster relationships with members by upholding transparency in reporting and communication


Director of Deed Restrictions

Danielle Garcia

I am running for a position on the WHCA Board because I believe that you should be an active member of your community. I have served and continue to serve on the board of various organizations that care for first responder families, the Hispanic Community, my church and so on.

My family recently moved into the neighborhood and instantly fell in love with its old charm and small-town feel. Woodland Heights is such a special community, and I want to be sure I do my part to keep it that way.

My hope is that you will provide me with the opportunity to use my time and abilities in a meaningful way as the Deed Restrictions Board Member for 2025-2026.


Julie Moore

I have loved this neighborhood for over 10 years and have lived her now for 1 year. Now that I live here, I would love the opportunity to help keep it beautiful and charming.

I have years of experience dealing with contractors and permitting. An interest in keeping the neighborhood charming, beautiful and sought after.

I am interested in furthering the WHCA position and direction for the betterment of our community and would love the chance to be directly involved in our neighborhood.

We are in our forever home and have 3 young children who we hope to keep this neighborhood wonderful for! We are also at Travis Elementary where I am in the PTA for neighborhood and family involvement.


Director of Membership

Karen Stowers

Having lived in the Woodland Heights since 2007 on Highland Street I have loved being a part of the neighborhood.

With so many new residents moving to our neighborhood, I would like to be a part of welcoming them and be a point person for membership for our Civic Association.


Dallas
Jagneaux Boyle 

I fell in love with Woodland Heights when I was a kid and my dad bought and restored a historic home on Bayland. We participated in Lights in the Heights and I knew I wanted to return to the neighborhood as an adult, own my own home here, and get involved in the events.

As a younger homeowner and new parent, I think that I can help to reach the younger demographic in the neighborhood and get them involved sooner. I’m a naturally social person and have held several leadership positions in college and in law school that are centered around membership and bringing folks together to participate.

Finally, as a lawyer, written communication and organization of complex to-do’s are a strength of mine.


Director of Infrastructure

Brian Edmondson

(Incumbent Returning)

Brian brings experience as a professional civil engineer working with and for those governmental entities that serve the Woodland Heights community.

He has been a member of the Woodland Heights community for 10 years and has served as the Director of Infrastructure since 2023. He looks forward to fostering continued investment in our community with appropriate regard to community values.


Treasurer

Doug Carroll

(Incumbent Returning)

Doug moved to the Woodland Heights in 2018 and has been the treasurer since 2019.

He is a wealth advisor with Mariner Wealth Advisors in Houston and works with local families on investment management, retirement planning, and tax planning.

As the WHCA treasurer, he manages annual IRS reporting, insurance policies, collection of revenue, andpayments for all the organization's expenses.


Following the meeting we will have some time to meet the new board members, thank all the outgoing board members for their service, and socialize. We'll bring some snacks and beverages for everyone to enjoy.

We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday and thank you in advance for participating and voting for the new board members!

Update on Short Term Rental Regulations - Committee Meeting Monday, April 7th by Michael Graves

The following message was received from the office of CM Castillo via SN15. It pertains to new regulations that may impact short term rental, such as Air B&B, in the City of Houston. If you have concerns about such potential rules, here’s your chance to get informed about what’s coming.

I know parts of your Super Neighborhood are disproportionately impacted by Short Term Rentals (STRs). An ordinance to better regulate STRs came before City Council today but was tagged. It will now go before the Quality of Life Committee on Monday, April 7th for further discussion.

Attached is the language that will go before the Committee. If anyone from your Super Neighborhood would like to speak on the item, here are the details:

District H Final Town Hall Virtual Meeting by Michael Graves

Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, will hold his final Town Hall for this year on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. It will be a virtual meeting, and you are requested to RSVP for the event at wkf.ms/4hlmuaq, or you can scan the QR code on the invite.

This is your opportunity to meet your council member and his team, ask questions, offer comments, and hear updates coming in 2025. In addition, you can find out more information regarding available city resources.

Introducing the Greater Heights Management District Project by Michael Graves

At the WHCA Member’s meeting Tuesday, March 25th I outlined an effort by a small group of neighbors to create a “Greater Heights Management District.” In order to appreciate the value of this idea, it’s necessary to understand what a “Management District” is and does. It’s also worth mentioning something known as a “Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone” which is often called a TIRZ. 

For the more visual, the following are the slides I used at our member’s meeting.

What is a TIRZ?

In brief, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone is a way for a portion of property taxes for a defined region to be collected for development use within that geography.

TL;DR – a TIRZ is a source of development funding based upon property taxes.

What is a Management District?

Management Districts are special districts created by the Texas legislature. These districts are empowered to promote, develop, encourage and maintain employment, commerce, transportation, housing, tourism, recreation, arts, entertainment, economic development, safety and the public welfare.

Management districts are typically formed to benefit one of three categories: to support raw land development, support a major activity center, or support neighborhood redevelopment. For our purposes, we are interested in redevelopment. Activities could include, but are not limited to, safety & security, public right-of-way maintenance, litter and graffiti abatement, landscaping and public art, branding and way-finding signage, public nuisance and sign code violation reporting.

TL;DR – A Management District does things for the improvement of the community.

The Greater Northside Management District

Woodland Heights is currently part of the Greater Northside Management District. Established in 2001, the GNMD first started to deliver services in 2006. GNMD revenue sources include a tax on business and commercial properties, but not residences. They also seek grants and partnerships.

Woodland Heights is in the southern-most corner of GNMD. It has done a number of projects in the neighborhood. Often, their projects also involve other parties.

For example, TIRZ-5 provided funds for the upgrade of the intersection at White Oak Drive and Houston Avenue, and renovation of the nearby parkette. TIRZ-5 could only provide the funding. They contracted with GNMD for the ongoing maintenance of the installation.

The Greater Heights

There is no Management District immediately to the the west of Woodland Heights. This has certain implications. For example, the Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ-5) has provided funding for the redevelopment of the Shepherd/Durham corridor. Once that work is complete, maintenance and cleaning of the area will fall to the city, in conjunction with any nearby civic associations. That means there’s very little resources available.

In reality, it would be vastly better if there was a Management District that was able to take up the ongoing operation and maintenance work required once the redevelopment effort ends. A small group of neighbors have launched an effort to create such a new Management District, which they are/were calling the “Greater Heights Management District.”

This effort has been ongoing for at least 6-8 months, but very little has actually been stated about what might be involved. In January, I attended a meeting at the Montie Beach Community Center where I learned a little. There I saw a map that proposed GHMD to cover the area from I-45 west to TC Jester, and I-10 north to the 610 loop. You’ll see this in the slides shown above.

They had the idea that GHMD would levy a small tax on both businesses and residences. This would be something that would ultimately be voted on by impacted neighborhoods. The resulting funds would be used to address a long list of potential priorities. Some of the ideas included; timely maintenance of public spaces, improvements to park facilities, and a constable patrol program covering the entire area.

This is all very encouraging, most especially the constable patrol. Much of the GHMD area does not have any constable patrol, and those that do constantly struggle to fund them via purely voluntary means. GHMD has the potential to be quite transformative. It could do a lot of good.

Progressing the Idea

GHMD must be created by the Texas Legislature. That means crafting a bill, and finding representatives to support it going through committees in both the house and senate. Initially there was a rumor that the GHMD team might seek to get this put before the current session of the legislature. It now seems that won’t be possible. The language of the bill is not ready. There are too many other bills already submitted. Time is just too short.

On that basis, GHMD won’t be officially created until the next legislative session. Even so, now is the time for neighborhoods potentially included in the project to have some input on the crafting of the bill. Have some say in defining the scope of what it sets out to do.

Want to know more?

Of course you do! At least, I hope you do. In the end, it might impact literally everyone in the area. All the above has been gleaned from various sources. I’m told that the scope of the project has evolved, but little has been shared. Nothing made public.

The team leading the charge to create GHMD are going to be presenting at the next meeting the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council. That’s Tuesday, April 15th at 6:30pm at the Historic Heights Fire Station, 107 W 12th St.

I encourage anyone interested from Woodland Heights to join me in attending this meeting. It’s the first significant opportunity to discover what’s being considered, and possibly have some input into the process.

Michael Graves, President, WHCA

Greater Heights Super Neighborhood 15 Council by Alaina Hebert

https://www.facebook.com/events/407988114648691?ref=newsfeed

Details

Event by Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council

107 W 12th St, Houston, TX 77008

Duration: 2 hr

Public · Anyone on or off Facebook

The second quarter meeting of the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council (GHSNC) will be in person at the historic Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station.

The main guest presentation will be from members of the Houston Planning Department on the Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Development ordinances, so that GHSNC members and members of the public can have a better understand of these programs and how they might apply to our area. Other items on the agenda include TxDOT’s proposal to raise lanes on I-10 between Heights Blvd and I-45, updates from the stakeholder members, and other items of mutual interest.

The update on the 11th Street Safety Improvements project previously scheduled for this meeting will take place at a separate City meeting 6:00 PM the following night via Microsoft Teams Live. Visit www.letstalkhouston.org/11th-street-bikeway for details.

District H Town Hall Recording Now Available Online by Woodland Heights Civic Association

A recording of the District H Town Hall, including discussions of both Redistricting as well as the District's Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), is now available to view online here. As a reminder, the public can attend any Town Hall meeting, a list of which can be viewed on the Redistricting website here. Residents who cannot attend the meetings in person may choose to attend a virtual meeting on May 25th at 6pm

April Member Meeting Tuesday, April 12, 6-7pm by Woodland Heights Civic Association

https://www.woodland-heights.org/calendar-1/2022/3/8/whca-bi-monthly-member-meeting

Agenda

  • Houston Public Works will make a brief presentation on the North Main Bike Lane Extension, which will run from West Cottage to Airline.

  • WHCA will talk about our Curbside Native Tree Program.

  • We will be accepting nominations for board for May elections.

  • Pickup your 2022 Constable Patrol Sticker or your 100+ club sign.

  • There will be an open forum at the end.

March WHCA Member Meeting - Postponed to April by Alaina Hebert

WHCA March 2022 Member Meeting

Please join us for the March Bi-Monthly General Meeting.

We’ll give updates on the 2022 “Past Meets Present” Home Tour, hear from guests, and take neighbor Q&A. We are also seeking Board Nominations for the May 10, 2022 Elections.

We will have 2022 Constable Patrol stickers for pickup and be looking for Home Tour volunteers.

Bring a chair and a neighbor and we’ll see you on Tuesday, March 8, at 6pm on the South side of Norhill Esplanade.

Check out our curbside tree project and purchase a tree below.