Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine | Page 2

From The President / CEO
Steve Paterson
A Plan Is A Good Thing!
Knowing where you want to end up is a good thing. I am sure this is something everyone can agree
on. It can be in life, love, a job, your education or where you want to live or the house you want
to build. In all these objectives, if you want to be successful you need a plan or at least a course of
action.
Cities are no different. Just like in your personal life, if you just let it flow you might get lucky along
the way and run into something that meets your life’s objectives or as it is the case most times,
meander through life not achieving what you dreamt of long ago. Cities without lack of planning
or a definitive course of action do the same and sooner or later the city of your dreams becomes
streets full of fast food restaurants and strip centers without form or soul.
It has been a long time since League City has revisited creating a master plan for our fair city.
Controlled and structured growth both in business and residential is needed to make sure our
City of the Oaks maintains its brand of being a welcoming city with great schools and a lifestyle and
amenities that is making it a magnet for growth. Without proper oversight this could disappear in
the near future.
I applaud the city for starting to move in this direction with the implementation of a new Geographic
Information system, which allows developers a quick view of available land with all the information
via the internet that they would seek to see if it meets their needs. However, currently we as a
city face a challenge. The zoning in place is not up to current standards to meet our needs to be
a planned community. It does not adequately define what would be needed to be a guide too a
master planned community. The Woodlands and other successfully developed communities in the
Houston area have been well thought out for the use of their lands and developed them accordingly
to maintain land values and community standards. Tight well thought out zoning allows the city to
be able to control growth in a way that benefits businesses and the citizens.
The city needs to make a very concerted effort post haste to develop a master plan that defines what
we would like our community to be in the future. Currently zoning as it is, is allowing developers
and other interested parties outside our community the ability to make those decisions for us.This
is not anyone’s fault and it is not too late to fix, if we act upon this objective as soon as possible.
The City Council and Mayor can start by supporting the city staff with resources and direction that
can make this a reality. The business community in League City, very much supports this effort and
stands by to assist where needed. Input from both business and residents will be critical to make
sure that most of our valuable resource land is used in the most effective manner, so that our tax
burdens are equally born by all parties within the city limits. It is time to right the three-legged
stool, which for too long has been lop sided, with an effective long term master plan for the city.

Steve Paterson