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burt

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Everything posted by burt

  1. burt
    I'm curious to see how the mayor-elect reshapes the Houston Housing Authority. With all of the controversy surrounding the HHA and Mayor Turner, will Whitmire clean house or do we get more of the same from this group? Given the budget shortfalls that have been identified, and the billions in property value taken off tax rolls via the HHA and Turner, I will be eager to see if there is material change in how the HHA operates.
  2. burt
    Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Finds Violations Related to Houston Housing Project | Civil Society | The Texan
  3. burt
  4. burt
    https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-lawmaker-protests-construction-of-low-income-housing-near-heavy-contamination
  5. burt
    No new information, but a quick read... https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/construction-development/two-decades-in-the-making-the-i-45-expansion-project-remains-a-beacon-for-controversy-109851
  6. burt
    I don't disagree that the City was happy to take the $90MM and run, however I can't imagine TxDOT agreeing to pay $90MM for detention. Maybe so, but that just seems expensive for a detention pond/park. I would have to think there was some language in the purchase agreement addressing a scenario where the project doesn't come to fruition. Guess we will find out who has the better set of lawyers. After all, they are the only one's who are going to come out ahead in all of this anyway.
  7. burt
    I can't imagine that this project gets cancelled all together, but if it does (or is significantly scaled back) what happens to the land and properties that TxDOT has already purchased? I believe they already paid a hefty sum (~$90MM) to the Housing Authority for Clayton Homes. If that property (and others like it) are no longer required for this project, is there a clawback mechanism for TxDOT to recoup those funds?
  8. burt
    An extension is an extension? The goal of an extension would be to improve connectivity, which extending to the north would not accomplish. The connectivity to Navigation was presented by HHA to HUD in their application (I'd have to go back and search for the PDF) as a way to facilitate bus traffic and access to the project. That infrastructure does not exist. The streets in this area cannot accommodate bus traffic. The fact is, in order to accommodate the increased volume of vehicle traffic and bus traffic that this project will bring, long time residents will be forced from their homes should Middle St (and possibly others) be widened.
  9. burt
    Not sure you can extend Middle much farther north. I think there is only one block (maybe two) to the north of the Middle St./Kennedy St. intersection before you hit the trails. If I remember correctly, the HHA also claimed this project would have direct access to Navigation as a major thoroughfare. That could mean that the ingress/egress will be on the Velasco side. Although that would conflict with NRP's statement. Completely agree with thedistrict84 that this project is ill-conceived.
  10. burt
    So according to this article, NRP plans to widen/extend both Middle and Kennedy St. In order to widen Middle St., they are going to have to tear down existing single family homes that have been there 70+ years. Not sure how it makes sense to remove those homes, occupied by mostly low income families, in favor of the new development. In order to extend Middle St. to Navigation, one would have to move the fire station. Seems unlikely.
  11. burt
    This is the last I have heard of it...but CoStar lists HHA as owner with a 2023 completion date. https://dolcefino.com/2020/12/14/federal-judge-broadens-fight-over-controversial-public-housing-deal/ True Owner Houston Housing Authority2640 Fountain View Dr, Suite 300Houston, TX 77057United States(713) 260-0501 (p)(713) 260-0808 (f)www.housingforhouston.comSince May 21, 2020 Developer The NRP Group, LLC1228 Euclid Ave, Suite 390,400Cleveland, OH 44115United States(216) 475-8900 (p)(216) 475-9300 (f)www.nrpgroup.com Units 400 Year Built-Mar 2023 Class A GBA 400,000 SF Market Segment All Rent Type Affordable Affordable Type Affordable Units
  12. burt
    This is a different project than the project adjacent to the silos. Same developer though. The N. St. Charles lot is bound by N. Live Oak, Parkview Bayou Dr. (formerly Kennedy St.), and N. St. Charles. It is shaded in orange/red on one of the previous posts that includes a map.
  13. burt
    FWIW, I believe these are going to be condos instead of traditional MF.
  14. burt
    The Mayor is fully aware of the $90MM. He and his friends at the HHA have already begun lining their pockets with those funds. FBI poking around...
  15. burt
    As mentioned, the lawsuit is just a show...too many people are making too much money off this project for it not to move forward...it's comical that they would run Rodney Ellis out there given his wife stands to make millions off the HHA projects that are to replace Clayton Homes. TXDOT funds were used to purchase Clayton Homes and she is the broker on the HHA projects. If anyone thinks ol' Rodney cares about anything other than that, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona if you are interested.
  16. burt
    The map actually came from the developer's website. I too forgot about the interactive map.
  17. burt
    This is a bit dated, but most of this has come to fruition.
  18. burt
    Real Estate 101...Industrial sites, dry cleaners, gas stations, tire shops, anything with underground storage...all considered to be "environmentally questionable" given the use of the land....so again...this lot (from a real estate perspective) is considered questionable given its past use until proven otherwise. The burden of proof is on the City and they have not lived up to their end to this point.
  19. burt
    HHA has yet to provide any ESAs and part of the issue is that they plan to purchase that land without making those disclosures. So if the land passed a Phase I, why not release it? If there is no remediation required, why not disclose that? It gives the appearance that HHA is hiding something (which they have been known to do). Using tax dollars to purchase land without doing proper due diligence such as environmental, traffic study, etc...is not being a good steward of tax payer funds. And given the history of the site and proximity to other industrial sites, I think it is safe to say that the environmental integrity of the lot is questionable until proven otherwise.
  20. burt
    The "oversight" is my main concern. HHA has been less than transparent and provided several misleading statements in their application to HUD (for instance they state that Middle Street will provide direct access to the site directly from Navigation, this is not accurate and misleading). The environmental issues that exist at the NRP site are of the most concerning. The City is essentially forcing low income folks to live in an area that is environmentally questionable. My back of the napkin math for this project (land and construction cost) puts the cost of each unit at $260,000+. That is high even for Class A projects let alone on a site with environmental issues. I agree that giving private developers incentives in some cases makes sense. The problem is when the developer flips the property (many times at a large profit) and you are stuck with a developer/operator that does not live up to the agreements as they were set forth. This has happened in several cases with NRP, JLB, Ojala, etc...The developers and their brokers seem to be the only winners here.
  21. burt
    There are currently about 250 households in the immediate area. HHA is planning on placing 926 units (many of which are low income units) on the NRP site. This is about a 370% increase in the density of the neighborhood, with absolutely no intention or plan to upgrade the infrastructure. Furthermore, taking the Ojala and NRP properties off the tax roll will put further strain on existing residents already burdened with rising taxes.
  22. burt
    The FBI now appears to be poking around. https://dolcefino.com/2020/04/30/fbi-investigating-city-housing-deals/
  23. burt
    Corruption at its finest. https://youtu.be/PZNBIwbMNQw https://youtu.be/BsUzsbnYRu4 https://youtu.be/LIsR4T-kwtU https://youtu.be/OBmq1GP67zg https://youtu.be/fKruR5PmzzI
  24. burt
    Sounds as if this project is on hold. Marquette got cold feet with the all the proposed affordable housing projects nearby. http://www.saveeastend.com/
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