Rosenberg Defeat's Developer's 168 Unit Apartment Complex in Council Vote!
Rosenberg Council, Citizens Unite Against Proposed Apartment Complex
by Bob Dunn, Mar 21, 11:47 pm
Rosenberg residents were out in force Tuesday night in a show of opposition to a proposed 168-unit apartment complex for people with modest incomes.
With a standing-room-only crowd in attendance, the City Council prepared to vote on a resolution recommended by City Manager Jack Hamlett opposing construction of the Providence Estates apartment complex on the southeast corner of Louise Street and Airport Drive.
“There appears to be a large group of residents here tonight concerned about a large-scale apartment complex being built near their homes,” noted Neal Rackleff, an attorney with the Houston office of Lock Liddell & Sapp who represents the project developer and spoke to the council.
“Almost everywhere you go, if you propose apartments that are income-restricted, nobody wants them in their neighborhoods,” Rackleff said. But the residents at Providence Estates would be “good, strong citizens, who have to be employed, and simply can’t afford a single-family home yet.”
Rackleff hinted that the city should be careful its actions aren’t construed as discriminatory or in violation of fair housing laws.
“That said, I’d like to make a plea for communication and understanding,” the attorney said. “We feel the market is strong, and that there are a lot of people living in substandard housing in this community.”
Rosenberg attorney Don Schwartz also addressed the council, saying he represents “the other people – the people living in the city of Rosenberg… who would like to retire in Rosenberg.”
Schwartz said in the “core” of Rosenberg, 37% of the housing is rented, and there have been four major apartment projects built in recent years. Instead of another apartment project, he said, the location would better serve the city if single-family houses were built on it.
“Bring in families that pay taxes and contribute to the community,” Schwartz said. “Everyone needs a house – I’m not saying they don’t – but if you look at the census, we’re not discriminating. We’re not seeing any new housing being built.” . . . .
. . .Schwartz said after the meeting that Thorse has applied for $1.2 million in state tax credits, and is in competition for the credits. One of the criteria involves whether a project is viewed negatively by the surrounding public.
Therefore, Schwartz said, “it’s my job as a homeowner to give them as big a black eye as possible.”
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1 jls - Mar 22, 10:43 am
Thank you Schwartz! At least some city councils in this area are getting the message. Not like the Mo-City decision (5-2 for apts) for Sienna Developers and their mayor last year, against popular opposition and a petition of over 1100+ homeowners which spun-off a developer SLAPP suit! At least that council/mayor represents its citizens.
(for the entire story visit http://www.fortbendnow.com -- click on title link above)
posted by responsible_dvlpmnt at Wednesday, March 22, 2006
4 Comments:
Comment from FBnow.com:
1 jls - Mar 22, 10:43 am
Thank you Schwartz! At least some city councils in this area are getting the message. Not like the Mo-City decision (5-2 for apts) for Sienna Developers and their mayor last year, against popular opposition and a petition of over 1100+ homeowners which spun-off a developer SLAPP suit! At least that council/mayor represents its citizens.
It's nice to see the people of Rosenberg working with their council to impact the community! I wonder if the developer behind those apts. is aware that there are many rental opportunities in the area and it isn't just about manipulating markets for your bottom line?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Update on this from FBNow:
Developer Pushes Ahead With Rosenberg Apartment Plans Despite Opposition
by Bob Dunn, Apr 1, 09:18 pm
A San Antonio developer has decided to move ahead with plans for a controversial low-income apartment complex in Rosenberg, although he says the odds are slim it will ever be completed.
Greg Thorse said in a recent interview he’ll proceed with a state application for tax credits for Providence Estates apartments, a 168-unit project planned for the southeast corner of Louise Street and Airport Drive.
The project drew strong opposition at a March 21 Rosenberg City Council meeting, with citizens and council members uniting against it at least in part because it’s aimed at people with limited incomes. The council voted 4-1 to adopt a resolution against Thorse’s plans.
After the meeting, Thorse said he would take a few days to decide whether to proceed in the face of such fierce opposition. Late last week, he said he decided the project was so far along, he may as well apply for the tax credits.
“To be honest, the chances are not really that good,” Thorse said, adding that he thinks he has only a 20% chance of winning the credits. And without them, “it’s a deal-breaker.”
Thorse said his chances were hurt when state Rep. Dora Olivo sent a “negative” letter to the agency with whom he’s making application.
In addition, Thorse said, he’s learned recently that engineering costs for the project site may come out so high that it won’t be feasible to build the apartments.
Last month, he said demographic information he’d obtained indicated Rosenberg was a prime city in which to build income-assisted apartments, because the occupation rate for existing units in Rosenberg is an unusually high 98.6%.
Rosenberg attorney Don Schwartz spoke out against the project at last month’s council meeting, saying residents believe it will drive down property values.
“We need to deter people from coming in and building apartments that might become a slum or ghetto. Why should Rosenberg be the gathering point for all of this?” Schwartz said, as a crowd at the meeting erupted into applause.
“I feel you’re condemning people before you even know them,” Councilor Antonio Martinez, who voted against the resolution, told Schwartz, “just because they might not be able to afford what you can afford.”
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No real big surprise here. Another developer not considering the wishes of the community it's doing business in.
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