News File - What Was Mitchell's Vision?

Mitchell provided the world an example in The Woodlands

Houston Chronicle

A testament to his vision, Mitchell's original plan for The Woodlands continued to be implemented even after he sold it in the late 1990s. He intentionally left a 1,000-acre parcel near the entrance of The Woodlands for a commercial district. Others recognized the value. "Many developers would have developed that first because it was closest to the highway and most accessible," Galatas said. "But George saw a bigger picture and he saw a town center that would serve not only The Woodlands but all of north Houston."
George’s Coffee Club: Founding members of The Woodlands keep George Mitchell’s visionary legacy alive

Community Impact Newspaper

“We’re not trying to get anyone elected into office; we’re not trying to promote anything; we’re just trying to share information we know about [The Woodlands’ history],” said Galatas, president and CEO of Roger Galatas Interests and author of “The Woodlands: The Inside Story of Creating a Better Hometown. “Hopefully, it will be useful to somebody.”
The Vision and Its Building Blocks

Roger Galatas Interests

Mitchell and his team worked over the years to more clearly define key elements of the vision and to establish the building blocks upon which The Woodlands’ success was achieved. I believe the vision can be fairly stated today as a "real hometown for people and companies where one can live, work, play, shop and learn."... George Mitchell’s vision for developing The Woodlands as a major master-planned community continues to be the guiding light for its success.
The Woodlands nearing end of development

Community Impact Newspaper

“George Mitchell originally planned The Woodlands to be 150,000 people, and it was going to be completed in 20 years,” Tough said. “The eventual build-out is going to be 130,000 people.” If the original plan to include a population of 150,000 people was followed, The Woodlands would have a higher population density with more congestion and more traffic, Tough said.
Art in Public Places

Roger Galatas Interests

Prior to its grand opening in 1974, The Woodlands Corporation adopted a formal program to provide art in public places throughout the community.”
The Healthcare Building Block

Roger Galatas Interests

Attracting first class medical care for the new town was identified early on as an important quality of life building block.
The Interfaith Building Block

Roger Galatas Interests

When started, Interfaith had one employee. It now has hundreds, plus thousands of volunteers and a talented executive leadership. It’s still a non-profit corporation established to help churches develop in The Woodlands. But it is much more. Interfaith volunteers visit new residents to provide information on how they can relate to the community. Its services to seniors range from transportation for shopping and medical visits to pairing with student writers so the seniors can record their life stories. Interfaith offers those in need financial assistance for rent, food and clothing. Its annual programs include adopt-a-school, a school supplies and backpack drive, and an adopt-a-family drive at Christmas. Its information and referral services provide up-to-date, full-time assistance for area residents, via telephone and internet.
Development Starts

Roger Galatas Interests

The projects included a 335-acre commercial, conference and leisure center that contained extensive shopping, commercial, office and recreation facilities including a large swim and athletic center, the 200-room Woodlands Inn, an 18-hole golf course, an information center for prospective buyers and a 15-acre lake. The expanded construction also required building almost two miles of major thoroughfares through undeveloped land to connect the Grogan’s Mill Village Center to interchanges at Interstate 45. This extensive front-end development allowed The Woodlands to open with enormous impact that really differentiated it in the market place and made it a big time player in the emerging “new town” development initiative sweeping the nation.
Montgomery County recovers from historic flood conditions

Community Impact Newspaper

Although it was not called low impact development in the 1970s when The Woodlands was being built, Jeff Taebel said the master-planned community implements a lot of the same principles and sets a good precedent for the rest of Montgomery County.
Town Center Emerges from Vision to Reality

Roger Galatas Interests

Town Center was planned to be a regional center of commerce for all of the North Houston region, including its population of one million people who today live within 20 miles of The Woodlands.