New Apartment Complex Yet No Noise From Katy Locals

[falconrock1]

Not sure if I missed something but it seems that all the noise for the apartment complex near Katy Mills WAS initiated and supported by someone with specific interests in the land around Katy Mills (smells like a neighouring money grubbing developer holding out for more cash). The reason why I bring this up is that the new apartment complex construction (on the corner of Roesner and Katy Ft-Bend road) is just about a half mile away from where the low-income apartment complex was set to be built..... and I have not even heard a peep from our Mayor Elmer Fudd. The question is "why isn't Elmer out there looking for illegals" as he said in his statement.

Hmmmpppphh must mean no one is interested or they're all tired from fighting the other developer. I feel sorry for the home owners near there since their values are about to go down.

Plus I saw the land across the street from the new complex said something about custom homes... I doubt anyone would spend $500K on a home across the street from an apartment complex.

[LTAWACS]

Not sure if I missed something but it seems that all the noise for the apartment complex near Katy Mills WAS coming from someone with specific interests in the land around Katy Mills (smells like a neighouring money grubbing developer holding out for more cash). The reason why I bring this up is because is that just about a half mile away on the corner of Roesner and Katy Ft-Bend road there are some apartments going up and I have not even heard a peep from our Mayor Elmer Fudd.

Hmmmpppphh must mean no one is interested or they're all tired from fighting the other developer. I feel sorry for the home owners near there since their values are about to go down.

Plus I saw the land across the street said something about custom homes... I doubt anyone would spend $500K on a home across the street from an apartment complex.

This is true.

[JLWM8609]

I doubt anyone would spend $500K on a home across the street from an apartment complex.

People buy $500k+ homes near apartment complexes all the time. I see a lot of that in Riverside Terrace.

[ricco67]

People buy $500k+ homes near apartment complexes all the time. I see a lot of that in Riverside Terrace.

Don't forget montrose, midtown, or the heights.

We all know how trashy those areas are.

[JLWM8609]

Don't forget montrose, midtown, or the heights.

We all know how trashy those areas are.

Don't forget that ranch style filled slum along Braeswood called Meyerland (don't get it twisted, I know how hard it is to convey sarcasm on the internet, so let me clear up any potential squabbles by stating Meyerland is NOT a slum). There's some expensive homes on N. Braeswood and they're pretty close to the apartment complexes that are west of Chimney Rock.

[falconrock1]

I just don't think these will be high-income apartments. Apartments always brings in transient persons, additional tax burden, traffic, crime, etc.

My main point is why was there so much noise made on the Katy Mill apts and yet these are being built nearby and no one says anything..... wait a minute is there something under the table ???

[Fringe]

Maybe these are designated for American citizens.

[LTAWACS]

Maybe these are designated for American citizens.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!!!!

[cla]

Not sure if I missed something but it seems that all the noise for the apartment complex near Katy Mills WAS initiated and supported by someone with specific interests in the land around Katy Mills (smells like a neighouring money grubbing developer holding out for more cash).   The reason why I bring this up is that the new apartment complex construction (on the corner of Roesner and Katy Ft-Bend road) is just about a half mile away from where the low-income apartment complex was set to be built..... and I have not even heard a peep from our Mayor Elmer Fudd.  The question is "why isn't Elmer out there looking for illegals" as he said in his statement.  

Hmmmpppphh must mean no one is interested or they're all tired from fighting the other developer.  I feel sorry for the home owners near there since their values are about to go down.  

Plus I saw the land across the street from the new complex said something about custom homes... I doubt anyone would spend $500K on a home across the street from an apartment complex.

In the last few years several apt complexes have gone up in Katy - yet none of these are low-income housing.  One of these apts complexes is at the entrance to Grand Harbor, adjacent to where the low-income apts were being considered.  No one raised a fuss over those apts (although I am sure the homeowners at Grand Harbor weren't too happy about it) so why should they have anything to say about the new complex going up at Katy Ft Bend/Roesner?

But I can understand why you are concerned about the "lack of concern" over this new development - after all, it is in your back yard.

[AtticaFlinch]

Apartments always brings in transient persons, additional tax burden, traffic, crime, etc.

Always?

I think you left off the list AIDS infected hypodermic needles.

[kylejack]

Maybe these are designated for American citizens.

So is HUD housing. You have to be a citizen or legal resident to qualify.

[RedScare]

Not sure if I missed something but it seems that all the noise for the apartment complex near Katy Mills WAS initiated and supported by someone with specific interests in the land around Katy Mills (smells like a neighouring money grubbing developer holding out for more cash). The reason why I bring this up is that the new apartment complex construction (on the corner of Roesner and Katy Ft-Bend road) is just about a half mile away from where the low-income apartment complex was set to be built..... and I have not even heard a peep from our Mayor Elmer Fudd. The question is "why isn't Elmer out there looking for illegals" as he said in his statement.

Hmmmpppphh must mean no one is interested or they're all tired from fighting the other developer. I feel sorry for the home owners near there since their values are about to go down.

Actually, it is neither. The other complex was in the City of Houston, so Katy would receive no taxes from it, making it a pariah to the good mayor. The others are all within Katy town limits, making them good taxpaying citizens. And apartment owners pay full freight on their property taxes, not those lame homestead exempted rates that the whiny, demanding homeowners pay. And apartments pay higher water rates, and haul away their own garbage, saving valuable city resources. The mayor can't get enough of them, so that he can assess lower rates on the voting homeowners. Frankly, Katy residents would be lucky to have half the intelligence of the hayseed mayor.

[cla]

Actually, it is neither. The other complex was in the City of Houston, so Katy would receive no taxes from it, making it a pariah to the good mayor. The others are all within Katy town limits, making them good taxpaying citizens. And apartment owners pay full freight on their property taxes, not those lame homestead exempted rates that the whiny, demanding homeowners pay. And apartments pay higher water rates, and haul away their own garbage, saving valuable city resources. The mayor can't get enough of them, so that he can assess lower rates on the voting homeowners. Frankly, Katy residents would be lucky to have half the intelligence of the hayseed mayor.

just for the record, NONE of the apts mentioned are in the town of Katy, but rather Katy area, which of course is in Houston's ETJ.

[WAZ]

Not sure if I missed something but it seems that all the noise for the apartment complex near Katy Mills WAS initiated and supported by someone with specific interests in the land around Katy Mills (smells like a neighouring money grubbing developer holding out for more cash). The reason why I bring this up is that the new apartment complex construction (on the corner of Roesner and Katy Ft-Bend road) is just about a half mile away from where the low-income apartment complex was set to be built..... and I have not even heard a peep from our Mayor Elmer Fudd. The question is "why isn't Elmer out there looking for illegals" as he said in his statement.

Hmmmpppphh must mean no one is interested or they're all tired from fighting the other developer. I feel sorry for the home owners near there since their values are about to go down.

Plus I saw the land across the street from the new complex said something about custom homes... I doubt anyone would spend $500K on a home across the street from an apartment complex.

Are they using TDHCA tax credits and other public funding for this complex?

[LTAWACS]

Not sure

[AK123]

People buy $500k+ homes near apartment complexes all the time. I see a lot of that in Riverside Terrace.

Don't forget montrose, midtown, or the heights.

Don't forget that ranch style filled slum along Braeswood called Meyerland

Yet again people from the city thinking that the far-out suburbs need to be the same way. Why?

It doesn't work the same. Do families target Riverside Terrace, the Heights, Midtown and Montrose as places to move to for nice homes PLUS great family atmosphere and good public schools? If so, that's news to me. Home sales data instead show top selling-communities are Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Telfair/Sugar Land, etc.

It's a different demographic and a different animal. Having lots of apartments across the street from expensive housing can work fine in city areas with more density, nearby employment centers and higher land values. When you try it in the outer suburbs, what you risk getting eventually is Alief or Spring ISD... once enviable family-friendly areas with great schools, not anymore.

[VicMan]

In the case of Montrose, likely many do. In the case of the Heights, maybe for the elementary schools. In regards to the other two, I doubt that many families come for the zoned schools.

Yet again people from the city thinking that the far-out suburbs need to be the same way. Why?

It doesn't work the same. Do families target Riverside Terrace, the Heights, Midtown and Montrose as places to move to for nice homes PLUS great family atmosphere and good public schools? If so, that's news to me. Home sales data instead show top selling-communities are Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Telfair/Sugar Land, etc.

It's a different demographic and a different animal. Having lots of apartments across the street from expensive housing can work fine in city areas with more density, nearby employment centers and higher land values. When you try it in the outer suburbs, what you risk getting eventually is Alief or Spring ISD... once enviable family-friendly areas with great schools, not anymore.

[AtticaFlinch]

It's a different demographic and a different animal. Having lots of apartments across the street from expensive housing can work fine in city areas with more density, nearby employment centers and higher land values. When you try it in the outer suburbs, what you risk getting eventually is Alief or Spring ISD... once enviable family-friendly areas with great schools, not anymore.

The very first apartment I lived in, almost a decade and a half ago, was smack dab in the middle of Kingwood. And, despite its presence, Kingwood is still considered a pretty nice to live, and the property values are still pretty high, and the crime is still pretty low, and it's still a low-density exurb, etc...

It's not that people from "the city" (whatever that means in Houston) are trying to create a one-size-fits-all approach to development, it's just that they recognize the reasons for the apartment protests are either disingenuous or poorly reasoned.

[livincinco]

Yet again people from the city thinking that the far-out suburbs need to be the same way. Why?

It doesn't work the same. Do families target Riverside Terrace, the Heights, Midtown and Montrose as places to move to for nice homes PLUS great family atmosphere and good public schools? If so, that's news to me. Home sales data instead show top selling-communities are Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Telfair/Sugar Land, etc.

It's a different demographic and a different animal. Having lots of apartments across the street from expensive housing can work fine in city areas with more density, nearby employment centers and higher land values. When you try it in the outer suburbs, what you risk getting eventually is Alief or Spring ISD... once enviable family-friendly areas with great schools, not anymore.

Cinco Ranch has a number of apartment complexes that are very nice and well-maintained, and that's true of most outer suburbs. I don't think that you're looking at this from a family perspective. I know that if I had young children and couldn't afford a house, I would look for a way to get my children into Katy ISD or one of the other premier school districts in the area.

[JLWM8609]

It doesn't work the same. Do families target Riverside Terrace, the Heights, Midtown and Montrose as places to move to for nice homes PLUS great family atmosphere and good public schools?

DeBakey High School for Health Professions is considered one of the best public high schools in the USA and is located smack dab in the middle of Riverside Terrace. US News lists it as #40 in its top 100 schools in the nation. None of the public high schools in the suburbs that you mentioned are on that list.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html?PageNr=2

[little frau]

DeBakey High School for Health Professions is considered one of the best public high schools in the USA and is located smack dab in the middle of Riverside Terrace. US News lists it as #40 in its top 100 schools in the nation. None of the public high schools in the suburbs that you mentioned are on that list.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html?PageNr=2

When one of my sons went to DeBakey HSHP, there were no students zoned to the school. It may have changed by now but at that time, a student had to pass an admissions test to get in, and it was not an easy one. Living in Riverside Terrace would not get you in but living in HISD itself might.

I've never quite understood why some folks think a good education cannot be had in HISD. The district has some excellent vangard and magnet programs available to students that qualify. Not all kids can qualify for those programs though. They don't have the necessary grades. If a child is not college material to begin with, moving to the suburbs will not change anything. And, sometimes it's not the teachers. It's the parents.

[livincinco]

When one of my sons went to DeBakey HSHP, there were no students zoned to the school. It may have changed by now but at that time, a student had to pass an admissions test to get in, and it was not an easy one. Living in Riverside Terrace would not get you in but living in HISD itself might.

I've never quite understood why some folks think a good education cannot be had in HISD. The district has some excellent vangard and magnet programs available to students that qualify. Not all kids can qualify for those programs though. They don't have the necessary grades. If a child is not college material to begin with, moving to the suburbs will not change anything. And, sometimes it's not the teachers. It's the parents.

I agree that a good education can be had in HISD, but it is dependent on getting into the right school. IMO, the difference with the suburbs is that you have a greater opportunity to live in an area where you are zoned to a good school without running the risk of not getting accepted to one of the magnet schools.

I understand your comment about teachers, but sometimes it's less about teachers and parents and more about the overall student body. There's a big difference between a school where most of the students expect to go to college and one where only the exceptional kids will go.

[AtticaFlinch]

I agree that a good education can be had in HISD, but it is dependent on getting into the right school. IMO, the difference with the suburbs is that you have a greater opportunity to live in an area where you are zoned to a good school without running the risk of not getting accepted to one of the magnet schools.

So... if the school is in "The City", and if it's not a magnet school, it sucks?

Tell me, what is it that Katy ISD does that makes its educational opportunities so vastly superior to that of HISD's non-magnet schools? And, by what rubric are you making these judgments? There are many problems with most benchmarks used, including standardized testing scores and college matriculation. That said, if there is a legitimate rubric to gauge the success of a particular school over another, and that not educating some kids at a better school leaves them poorly equipped to succeed in life, shouldn't we be making an attempt to get all the kids educated in Katy (or wherever)? After all, why won't anyone think about the children?!

[livincinco]

So... if the school is in "The City", and if it's not a magnet school, it sucks?

Tell me, what is it that Katy ISD does that makes its educational opportunities so vastly superior to that of HISD's non-magnet schools? And, by what rubric are you making these judgments? There are many problems with most benchmarks used, including standardized testing scores and college matriculation. That said, if there is a legitimate rubric to gauge the success of a particular school over another, and that not educating some kids at a better school leaves them poorly equipped to succeed in life, shouldn't we be making an attempt to get all the kids educated in Katy (or wherever)? After all, why won't anyone think about the children?!

Two questions:

1. Why does everything have to turn into suburb v. inner loop on this site?

2. Are you seriously trying to open a discussion as to whether Katy ISD schools are on average better than HISD's non-magnet schools? If so, feel free to open a thread on it and we can take that discussion elsewhere.

My point was that environment and the aspirations of the students matters regardless of the school district that you're in. The average child is more likely to attend college if he/she is surrounded by other kids that are working to attend college. Your point is a general point, mine is specific to what is best for an individual child.

The Chron published its school rankings today. There are seven HISD schools ranked in the top 100 in the state. There are also 13 schools rated lower than 900. There is variation of quality of schools in any district, but it's more dramatic in HISD than most.

http://www.chron.com/databases/School-rankings.html

If you're zoned to one of the poorly performing schools, you have an opportunity to apply to a magnet school, but there is an element of risk because you're not guaranteed entry.

To get back to the topic of the thread...many parents would rather rent an apartment in an area that will get them into a top 100 high school than buy a house in an area where they are zoned to a poorly performing school.

[ricco67]

Two questions:

1. Why does everything have to turn into suburb v. inner loop on this site?

2. Are you seriously trying to open a discussion as to whether Katy ISD schools are on average better than HISD's non-magnet schools? If so, feel free to open a thread on it and we can take that discussion elsewhere.

My point was that environment and the aspirations of the students matters regardless of the school district that you're in. The average child is more likely to attend college if he/she is surrounded by other kids that are working to attend college. Your point is a general point, mine is specific to what is best for an individual child.

The Chron published its school rankings today. There are seven HISD schools ranked in the top 100 in the state. There are also 13 schools rated lower than 900. There is variation of quality of schools in any district, but it's more dramatic in HISD than most.

http://www.chron.com...l-rankings.html

If you're zoned to one of the poorly performing schools, you have an opportunity to apply to a magnet school, but there is an element of risk because you're not guaranteed entry.

To get back to the topic of the thread...many parents would rather rent an apartment in an area that will get them into a top 100 high school than buy a house in an area where they are zoned to a poorly performing school.

After my kid graduated from a high school in the woodlands, she told me that the drugs, idiocy, and the parent's indifference was no better than the inner city school she was in. While quite a few of her classmates went to college, a good majority didn't.

Going to a "good school" (city or suburbs) doesn't equate to a good education or a good income if the students or parents aren't properly involved or motivated.

[livincinco]

After my kid graduated from a high school in the woodlands, she told me that the drugs, idiocy, and the parent's indifference was no better than the inner city school she was in. While quite a few of her classmates went to college, a good majority didn't.

Going to a "good school" (city or suburbs) doesn't equate to a good education or a good income if the students or parents aren't properly involved or motivated.

Of course, it doesn't, but it does increase the probability of getting a good education and a good income.

[AtticaFlinch]

1. Why does everything have to turn into suburb v. inner loop on this site?

Try asking the guy from the 'burbs on post 16 who brought it up.

Oh, also, my geotag has recently changed. Now I'm a 'burb guy too. I am one of you.

In an effort to fit in better with my new digs, how's this for a start:

Apartments lead to bad schools! People of different cultures and whose skin most likely happens to be darker than mine live in apartments! They malevolently destroy property values like that planet-eating thing from the original animated Transformers movie! Angry exclamation!

[livincinco]

Try asking the guy from the 'burbs on post 16 who brought it up.

Oh, also, my geotag has recently changed. Now I'm a 'burb guy too. I am one of you.

In an effort to fit in better with my new digs, how's this for a start:

Apartments lead to bad schools! People of different cultures and whose skin most likely happens to be darker than mine live in apartments! They malevolently destroy property values like that planet-eating thing from the original animated Transformers movie! Angry exclamation!

You must be overcome with self-loathing. Enjoy your McMansion and giant SUV.

[AK123]

Try asking the guy from the 'burbs on post 16 who brought it up.

Oh, also, my geotag has recently changed. Now I'm a 'burb guy too. I am one of you.

In an effort to fit in better with my new digs, how's this for a start:

Apartments lead to bad schools! People of different cultures and whose skin most likely happens to be darker than mine live in apartments! They malevolently destroy property values like that planet-eating thing from the original animated Transformers movie! Angry exclamation!

Oh please.

You and others are ones to talk about stereotyping, the way you are doing it with suburban folk.

It's no secret that too many apartments can bring an area down, or at least be a big contributer to decline. 15-20 years ago, Alief had good schools. You're now on FM 1960 you say... do you realize Westfield High was a highly ranked, desirable school 10-15 years ago? There's a thread in city-data about the subject now... city folk in addition to suburban folk are naming bad apartments as a primary reason neighborhoods decline. Some apartments may start out good, and go bad later as they age and renters want the latest and greatest. At that point, rents go down, as does quality. If there's too much of it, it can overwhelm the neighborhood, and in moves the cheap housing and banks giving anyone who can breathe a bad loan. Then come the foreclosures, pride in the area and sense of community gone. People from all walks of life can tell you this, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

[jgriff]

1. Why does everything have to turn into suburb v. inner loop on this site?

Exactly. Have you noticed how few posts there have been on this site lately? Is the narrow mindedness of people who never travel outside the loop driving people away? It's driven me away a few times and certainly made me less likely to post.