Cinco Controversy Continues…

One of the highly regarded features of living in a master-planned community, like Cinco Ranch, is the promise of predictability.  Winter flowers are replaced with spring bedding plants.  The landscaping is always tasteful but spectacular. In Cinco Ranch, the crepe myrtles bloom in mass. The water features are  pristine and a delight to visit.

Property values are maintained by strict guidelines, enforced when necessary. The Architectural Control Committee is to administer decisions fairly and equitably always deciding in favor of sustaining property values.

So, what’s up now? Why aren’t more Cinco Ranch residents aware of the ongoing dispute? Both The Katy Times and The Houston Chronicle–Katy Edition have featured articles on the controversy of a proposed replacement of eight Cinco Ranch monuments. The monuments mark the subdivision entrances at Cinco Ranch Blvd. and Westheimer Pkwy; the monuments are at the Grand Parkway.

It’s a three-way disagreement involving the Cinco Ranch Property Association, the Cinco Ranch Landscape Maintenance Association and Municipal Utility District 12, the initiator of the proposal. The MUD’s proposal to replace the current monuments, in favor of a more modern look, is estimated to cost $1.4 million; therein lies the disagreement. Residents have voiced a desire to spend the money elsewhere including funding a ladder truck for the Willowfork Fire Department.

The initial controversy concerned who owns the land and who would be the deciding entity. MIchael Meagher, Cinco Ranch community manager, said, “There’s no question that Cinco Ranch Property Association owns the land. Because they own the land, they own the monuments. That’s the easy part.”

Meagher continued, “But there is a lot of ambiguity in the declaration of the Landscape Maintenance Association with what its responsibilities are in terms of controlling what goes on within the major thorough-fares.”

According to The Katy Times, “The process began one-and-a-half years ago when MUD 12, which collects a half-percent sales tax from the Cinco Ranch commercial area, decided to give back to the community by using the funds to replace the existing monuments with newer and more modern designs”.

The Times continues, “The Landscape Maintenance Association controls the right-of-way in the subdivision and it was assumed that Cinco MUD 12 had to attain permission from the Landscape Maintenance Association before moving forward. However, the Neighborhood Representatives Committee became involved in June when several residents voiced the commercial community should not be the only ones with input on the decision.”

As the controversy escalated, Cinco Ranch residents voted on an online survey 5:1 against the project. With these results, the issue became a hotbed of discussion and disagreement. Finally, word is spreading in Cinco Ranch. In order to resolve this problem, Robert Alexander, attorney for the Cinco Residential Property Association, has been asked to determine who actually has the right to determine whether the monument project can proceed.

The confusion continues…