A Love Letter to Tomball and Small Town Urbanism

Tomball faces a major demographic problem: its population is aging, but there aren't enough homes for the next generation of young adults. To address this, Tomball must start taking this issue seriously. While planning for senior housing is part of the housing element process, it's not currently being prioritized.

Many assume that little needs to be done. The stereotype of an older person in Tomball is someone living in a large, suburban home that they bought cheaply in the past. This person is expected to age in place, using home equity or roommates to pay for caretakers and home maintenance. To support this idea, there are senior support services, room-matching services, and accessory dwelling units. However, this narrative is incomplete. Many older renters have been locked out of the market, leaving them vulnerable to steep rent increases and even homelessness. The proposed solutions are insufficient.

Tomball's policies make it harder, not easier, to build housing for seniors. For example, the new form-based code limits the number of units in any individual building or "design site" to 50. This is not an ideal scale for a place for seniors to live with help or even an apartment building with a doorman. Density is what will allow our elders to find the right place to live in their later years.

It's tempting to put off planning for the future, but this demographic transformation is happening quickly, and if we fail to plan, many seniors will be pushed out of our communities. Aging should not mean having to leave Tomball. We should demand more from our housing plans to ensure that everyone, regardless of their age, has a safe and affordable place to call home.

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