Houston's second-oldest public park got an unwelcome makeover this week after a housing developer's crew bulldozed nearly an acre of century-old forest to make way for a new set of townhouses.
A volunteer group dedicated to maintaining Woodland Park — the namesake green space of Woodland Heights, just north of downtown — caught wind of the damage late Sunday and quickly contacted the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD).
“I was very devastated when I saw what had taken place."
"With the exception of a few small trees all vegetation was removed from the edge of the owners property at the tree line to the edge of the bayou," the organization posted on its Facebook page.
City park officials assessed 3/4 acre of destroyed or removed vegetation and note in a statement that replanting and regrading will be needed to bring the site back to life. HPARD will coordinate with the city public works department as well as the Harris County Flood Control District to correct any erosion control issues that emerged from the "illegal removal" of park plants.
HPARD is in the process of working with the housing developers to mitigate the damage.
Bill Workman — one of the partners behind the townhouse project and, according to The Houston Press, a member of the Friends of Woodland Park — says that the bulldozer operator in question was hired to level the ground to prepare a lot for new townhomes. The work was outlined in a building permit with the City of Houston.
“I was very devastated when I saw what had taken place,” he tells KHOU Ch. 11. “What took place was not our intention or our goal. As a native Houstonian with family who lives within a half mile of that park I’m saddened by the condition it’s in right now.”
Workman says he is determined to do all he can to restore the destroyed area . . . and Friends of Woodland Park plans to make sure he holds up his end of the deal.
The Leader reports that, in their communication with the City, the organization is seeking immediate reforestation efforts and a "hefty, hefty, hefty" civil penalty. The group notes that it will push to prosecute if the damage rises to the level of criminal destruction of public property.
Watch the full KHOU Ch. 11 report:
A townhouse developer says nearly an acre of Woodland Park was bulldozed by accident.
