Design Restrictions to Preserve Small-Town Character
With the boom in construction and development in Tomball, there is a growing concern in regards to preserving the charming character of Tomball amid the new additions. One of the ways to do this would be to require brick facades for both new and renovated buildings along the Main Street, or FM 2920, area. Currently, the section of Tomball called Old Town already has design standards in place. A couple of weeks ago, the City Council looked at requests for fee waivers to be extended to beyond Old Town for new development. The discussion of the issue came down to the idea that if the city is offering these incentives, it should be able to require those businesses to build their establishment in line with the design standards of the area. A restriction such as this is actually not uncommon. The Woodlands, infamous for the hurdles that new development must jump through in order to keep a certain cohesive design throughout the community, is an extreme example. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people believe these design regulations are too restrictive. In addition to requiring a cohesive style throughout the 3-mile strip, Stephen Fox, a historian at Rice University's School of Architecture, believes that investing in beautification of the area--such as planting more trees and greenery, sidewalks, and public spaces-- will also help to draw people to the area. According to him, when a town's businesses gravitate towards the highways, the towns begin to lose their "sense of place and identity." These design standards would not transform the area overnight--the time line for when current establishments will be renovated is unknown. However, the east side, where there is still more undeveloped land, may begin to show evidence of the new standards more quickly.
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