RESIDENTS URGE BLINN COLLEGE TO ADDRESS NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS OVER PROPOSED SPORTS COMPLEX
As Blinn College prepares to take a major step with plans to build a new sports complex in Brenham, residents nearby the proposed development are calling on College officials to make adjustments to avoid encroaching on their neighborhood.
Blinn College trustees are set to vote on Tuesday on authorizing the College to negotiate a guaranteed maximum price, proceed with agreements related to developing real property, and seek proposals for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the complex, to be located on land west of the campus between Oak Tree Crossing Drive and Robert C. Appel Drive. The project calls for a practice football field and track; competition soccer and softball fields; a field house with offices, locker rooms and training facilities; and up to 250 parking spaces.
Members of the Timber Oaks Homeowners Association (HOA) held a community meeting last week at Abiding Word Lutheran Church to provide a forum for citizens who are worried about how the development will change their neighborhood as it is today. The HOA has repeatedly voiced concerns to the Blinn Board and Brenham City Council about the project the way it currently stands, and it asks for the College to take steps to prevent adverse impact to residents.
and the field house that will be included as part of Blinn
College's planned sports complex project.
A primary point of contention is the project’s proposed use of Oak Tree Crossing Drive – the entrance into the Timber Oaks subdivision – as an access point. Members of the HOA have stated the street is not meant to handle the large amount of traffic that a development of this nature would bring, with potentially hundreds of vehicles filing in and out for practices and games.
Timber Oaks resident John Powell spoke on the matter of traffic when addressing the Brenham City Council last Thursday. While the College has altered its project concept, adding an entrance to the complex by way of extending South Saeger Street, Powell believes it does not solve the road safety issues posed by Oak Tree Crossing Drive also being part of the plan, especially since the proposed north-side parking lot is a short distance from the Timber Oaks homes.
Drive, near where Blinn College plans to build a sports
complex.
Other matters of importance for Timber Oaks homeowners include the light and noise levels coming from the fields, namely during sporting events at night. Blinn has indicated in presentations to residents that it intends to utilize shielded LED lighting that protects from excess glare spilling to nearby homes and will direct speakers away from houses. The College also plans to incorporate a landscaped buffer between the homes and the development, but the HOA has asked for the College to ensure that mature trees are included as part of that landscaping.
Currently, Blinn’s football team and track athletes practice on the field that formerly stood as Spencer Stadium on College Avenue, while football games are played at Cub Stadium. The softball team and soccer teams play at the fields at Hohlt Park.
Timber Oaks HOA President Cathy Hamm, who also spoke to the city council last week, stressed that the Timber Oaks community is not against the building of the complex altogether, but it wants Blinn to help preserve the investment that its residents have made. It also wants the City of Brenham to not just look at whether this project satisfies city codes, but whether it fits in with the city’s larger planning efforts so that residents are protected.
Blinn College maintains it has kept Timber Oaks residents involved during the design phase, and that their feedback has been taken into account over the course of multiple meetings, phone calls, emails and board discussions. In a statement, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Communication and Engagement Richard Bray said:
“Blinn College appreciates the input we have received from stakeholders throughout the planning process for the Brenham Campus Sports Complex, including the residents of the Timber Oaks Subdivision. We have had meaningful conversations with the Timber Oaks HOA and have incorporated their feedback into the project’s final design.
In fact, Blinn extended the project’s design and planning process to ensure stakeholder feedback was carefully considered and addressed. As a result, the College added an entry point off Saeger Street for a total of three access points, added additional parking, and conducted a subsequent analysis of the updated site plan, with particular attention to reducing potential noise and light impacts on surrounding properties. The College made these modifications at its own expense.
Throughout this process, Blinn has maintained extensive communication with Timber Oaks residents through multiple in-person meetings, phone calls, emails, and discussions at Board of Trustees meetings. Blinn has heard and carefully considered their feedback, along with that of other stakeholders, and reflected it in the final complex design.
Blinn is proud to invest more than $42 million in the community through this project. We look forward to the benefits the Sports Complex will provide our students and neighbors, and to continuing Blinn’s longstanding role as an educational and economic driver for Brenham and Washington County.”
community meeting on August 31st at Abiding Word
Lutheran Church to discuss Blinn College's plans to build
a sports complex near the subdivision.
However, some in the HOA feel this matter goes beyond that of a planning disagreement, with other residents saying they believe the neighborhood’s wellbeing is being overlooked and that their main concerns, from the access on Oak Tree Crossing Drive to the distance between homes and the complex, have yet to fully be addressed. They are asking the College to exercise thoughtful planning while maintaining compassion and community partnership.
The discussion surrounding the project has also drawn the attention of former Blinn officials. Douglas Borchardt, who served as a Blinn trustee for over a decade and was a board chair, submitted a letter and two addendums to the current board asking it to maintain a community-focused, transparent approach as it evaluates plans. He wrote, “As trustees, you are entrusted with decisions that shape both Blinn College and the lives of the families who live beside it. The principle of treating neighbors with the same care and respect we would expect for ourselves is not merely a moral ideal — it is a practical guidepost for siting facilities in ways that respect residential stability, safety, and quality of life.” He added that he is not advocating for or against any specific site for the project, and that he has offered to meet with a formally appointed committee composed of trustees.
Click here to view the letter, closing letter, addendum A and addendum B as submitted by Douglas Borchardt to the Blinn Board of Trustees.
The Blinn Board will take up action on the sports complex when it meets Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the third-floor board room of the Brenham Campus Administration Building. The meeting will be livestreamed on Blinn College’s YouTube channel.