burt
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Posts posted by burt
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4 hours ago, samagon said:
specifically with Clayton Homes, as I remember reading here, the city was not at all displeased about Clayton Homes going away, so that land might end up being a detention pond/park area regardless of this projects future.
I suspect it they can't build the realignment, with other land they've already acquired, they'd probably try to get it back out there as taxable properties.
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.
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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?
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1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:
An extension is an extension. I don't think they said anything about how long the extension would be. (FWIW, there are easily three blocks between the current end of the street (4 blocks from Kennedy) by which Middle Street could be extended to the North before hitting the trails.)
Would love to see the source of that alleged claim about "direct access to Navigation as a major thoroughfare."
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.
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31 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:
I suspect they are talking about extending Middle Street to the north, not to the south. It's hard to imagine what improvements they would make to Kennedy Street; seems likely they just plan to extend it to the east.
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.
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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.
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23 hours ago, thedistrict84 said:
@ljchouasked an important question in another topic, and I figured it best to rehash it here to see if anyone knows: what is the latest on HHA's so-called "EADO" 800 development at 800 Middle St? I know there was a notice and comment period regarding an environmental impact study by the City of Houston which ended in October, but I haven't heard anything since.
I did hear that the contract to purchase the site for the Ojala development was tabled during the last HHA meeting in late February, after a large number of people commented in opposition during that meeting. I guess that is a win at this point.
For the record, I do not oppose affordable housing developments and welcome the ones that are here. The problem is the volume of such developments already in the East End, and the very real concern that development of these projects is outpacing market-rate developments in the area. I've been cautiously optimistic about recent efforts to spread these developments out in other neighborhoods, and hopefully that trend continues.
This is the last I have heard of it...but CoStar lists HHA as owner with a 2023 completion date.
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
DeveloperThe NRP Group, LLC1228 Euclid Ave, Suite 390,400Cleveland, OH 44115United States(216) 475-8900 (p)(216) 475-9300 (f)www.nrpgroup.com
Units400Year Built-Mar 2023Class AGBA400,000 SFMarket SegmentAllRent TypeAffordableAffordable TypeAffordable Units-
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6 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:
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.
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17 hours ago, thedistrict84 said:
Guess the apartments are back on, good news for the area. We definitely need some more market-rate apartments in the area.
The unit count seems a bit small, so I’m assuming these will be larger units?FWIW, I believe these are going to be condos instead of traditional MF.
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46 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:
Yeah, someone should probably tell the Mayor's office.
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...
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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.
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The map actually came from the developer's website. I too forgot about the interactive map.
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This is a bit dated, but most of this has come to fruition.
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https://generalacademic.com/ambushed-and-robbed-on-houstons-buffalo-bayou-bike-trail/
Keep your eyes and ears open near this spot...seems to be happening more frequently. Safe riding!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The FBI now appears to be poking around.
https://dolcefino.com/2020/04/30/fbi-investigating-city-housing-deals/
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Sounds as if this project is on hold. Marquette got cold feet with the all the proposed affordable housing projects nearby.
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John Whitmire Houston Mayor
in City Hall
Posted
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.