J.A.S.O.N. Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The Galveston Housing Authority plans to redevelop the Magnolia Homes site, 18th Street and The Strand, and the three other sites that were torn down after Hurricane Ike, with apartments, townhomes and patio homes. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=5e919c8d5e2e1924 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. B Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Well Galveston will be nice for a littel while longer.At least until they rebuild the public housing and bring back full bore all the free services from UTMB, etc before the storm.Its kind of a catch 22 as you have some people who really need it but the reality is what it will really become is a slum ridden with crime, etc.Its funny I have had so many people tell me lately how they thought Galveston was so much nicer one year after the storm. I asked some of them how and they said it didn't feel like they were driving into a dump upon entering the island anymore and that the storm forced people to rebuild or spruce up all the old run down places it had for so many years.Have to agree on that as we are out there many weekends and the Island while still Galveston feels cleaner and more safe for some reason. It feels so much different in a sense that the island could be so much more of a mecca so to speak but the forces that be will try to bring it back many of the faults from the past to get the almighty federal dollar.Guess time will tell if they can make it all blend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 According to the Houston Chronicle, Galveston is up in arms over the reconstruction of 569 units of public housing. Of course Galveston should build back 569 low-cost housing units. But many of the issues surrounding low-cost housing are lost in the debate. In fact, some major issues are missing from the Redevelopment Plan published by the Housing Authority of Galveston. Education. “More than 75 percent of the homes [on the Island] sustained damage. After the hurricane, 1,900 students were displaced and did not re-enroll at the Galveston Independent Schools.” (page 10). Surely Galveston’s schools were also damaged by Hurricane Ike, and it is imperative that Galveston rebuild its schools. Education is especially important to low-income Islanders. It is key to ending the cycle of poverty. But the Housing Authority’s Plan offers little beyond GED preparation courses. Transit. According to the Plan, about a third of the tenants of new public housing in Galveston will have incomes less than $19,150. (figure, page 54). Tenants in that income bracket may not have automobiles. They will rely on Island Transit to get around. But there are few provisions for transit in the Plan. Crime. This is a huge concern in low-cost housing. It could have a whole chapter in the Plan. But the word “crime” appears only five times in 109 pages. The Plan calls for Community Policing, and various programs to mitigate crime. It appears to call for CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design,) but does not include security officers or police patrols. To be fair, none of these things are directly under the control of the Housing Authority of Galveston. Police patrols are the domain of the Galveston Police Department. The Galveston Independent School District is in charge of rebuilding schools. Island Transit handles transit in Galveston. But partnerships should be included to address crime, education, and transit in Galveston’s low-cost housing. Galveston should build back 569 units of safe, quality, low-cost housing. It should be a model for low-cost housing nationwide; not the old-fashioned, crime ridden public housing projects that we all know and fear. It looks like this is the goal of the Housing Authority of Galveston’s Redevelopment Plan. But they’re glossing over some key elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Will there actually be a bus stop at the corner? Or is it just there to make the rendering look good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Note two Galveston public housing topics merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Several years ago George Mitchell approached the GHA about acquiring Magnolia Homes and building upsacale housing to compliment the waterfront developments he was initiating at that time. The GHA could then use the revenue from the sale of Magnolia Homes to fund improvements at other GHA properties. The local minority groups, of course, objected and claimed it would disrupt the existing tenants who had lived their for years, some their whole lives. The press was not kind to George Mitchell and painted him as being an arrogant businessman. This of course could not have been any further from the truth.Galveston has a chance to correct alot of problems. Time will tell if they make the correct decisions. I somehow doubt that they will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 New rendering for the old Cedar Terrace site. The above rendering is of the former Magnolia Homes complex... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rammer Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 According to the Houston Chronicle, Galveston is up in arms over the reconstruction of 569 units of public housing. Of course Galveston should build back 569 low-cost housing units. But many of the issues surrounding low-cost housing are lost in the debate. In fact, some major issues are missing from the Redevelopment Plan published by the Housing Authority of Galveston. Education. “More than 75 percent of the homes [on the Island] sustained damage. After the hurricane, 1,900 students were displaced and did not re-enroll at the Galveston Independent Schools.” (page 10). Surely Galveston’s schools were also damaged by Hurricane Ike, and it is imperative that Galveston rebuild its schools. Education is especially important to low-income Islanders. It is key to ending the cycle of poverty. But the Housing Authority’s Plan offers little beyond GED preparation courses.Transit. According to the Plan, about a third of the tenants of new public housing in Galveston will have incomes less than $19,150. (figure, page 54). Tenants in that income bracket may not have automobiles. They will rely on Island Transit to get around. But there are few provisions for transit in the Plan.Crime. This is a huge concern in low-cost housing. It could have a whole chapter in the Plan. But the word “crime” appears only five times in 109 pages. The Plan calls for Community Policing, and various programs to mitigate crime. It appears to call for CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design,) but does not include security officers or police patrols.To be fair, none of these things are directly under the control of the Housing Authority of Galveston. Police patrols are the domain of the Galveston Police Department. The Galveston Independent School District is in charge of rebuilding schools. Island Transit handles transit in Galveston. But partnerships should be included to address crime, education, and transit in Galveston’s low-cost housing. Galveston should build back 569 units of safe, quality, low-cost housing. It should be a model for low-cost housing nationwide; not the old-fashioned, crime ridden public housing projects that we all know and fear. It looks like this is the goal of the Housing Authority of Galveston’s Redevelopment Plan. But they’re glossing over some key elements.It's not the quality of the ARCHITECTURE that determines the fate a public housing project, it's the quality of the RESIDENTS.Public housing units usually result in a PLANNED SLUM - because most public housing residents are lazy, unmotivated, and financially foolish.A ridiculous percentage of them are also using/dealing drugs. GALVESTON SHOULDN'T REBUILD A SINGLE UNIT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 The necessity for public housing By Michael A. Smith The Daily News Published November 8, 2009Galveston Housing Authority got off to a bad start with its planning to rebuild after Hurricane Ike. The authority’s initial plan for more than 1,000 units of various housing types sent a current of opposition through the city. That was a reasonable reaction to an unreasonable plan.The opposition that has grown up in the meantime, however, is shortsighted and every bit as dubious as the authority’s initial plan. People in that opposition group argue any public housing would be a universal negative, and, therefore none should be rebuilt... http://www.galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f7a96708aab58fd5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Rendering for Oleander Homes site... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 The necessity for public housing By Michael A. Smith The Daily News Published November 8, 2009Galveston Housing Authority got off to a bad start with its planning to rebuild after Hurricane Ike. The authority’s initial plan for more than 1,000 units of various housing types sent a current of opposition through the city. That was a reasonable reaction to an unreasonable plan.The opposition that has grown up in the meantime, however, is shortsighted and every bit as dubious as the authority’s initial plan. People in that opposition group argue any public housing would be a universal negative, and, therefore none should be rebuilt... http://www.galveston...7a96708aab58fd5Galveston isn't Steamboat Springs Colorado. That's a ski town with 9,000 people. Michael Smith could have made his point by comparing Galveston to Portland, Maine. Both are near the ocean. Both are an easy drive from a major city. Both have about 60,000 people. Portland Maine has 1,024 public housing units.http://www.porthouse.org/And opposition to public housing is not short sighted. It's based on 70 years of failed public housing projects. Groups like the Galveston Housing Authority cannot repeat the same mistakes. Schools, transit, and crime prevention have to be an essential part of any plan to rebuild Galveston's public housing.It is incredibly dangerous to build public housing without also addressing the other problems that come with poverty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinite_jim Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 It appears to call for CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design,) but does not include security officers or police patrols.What exactly does this protocol call for? My first thoughts are of the public corridor visibility and HPS lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 What exactly does this protocol call for? My first thoughts are of the public corridor visibility and HPS lights.There are lots of different things that can go into CPTED. But the GHA hasn't been specific about security efforts in their housing projects. It's one of the questions that Islanders would be smart to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.