Apartments In Suburbia

[YakuzaIce]

Ok I am making this thread because I recently spoke to some people I know who live out in Sienna Plantation and they are very upset that there are apartments being planned for their area. They have already circulated a petition trying to stop them from being built. I believe there are already some under construction though. If you know Sienna Plantation you will know there is the entrance and then you have to drive pretty far just to get to the neighborhood. These apartments are planned on the vacant land near the entrance which is quite far from the actual development. They are supposedly being built to provide housing for the new medical center being built (not sure where that is).

So the point of this poll is to see how other people feel having these in their neighborhood or what it has done good or bad if they are already there. BTW when I say riff raff I am not saying apartment dwellers are that I am saying how some may view it coming into their neighborhood.

[Lowbrow]

There are all kinds of apartments. Personally I think nearly all major communities should have some apartment housing. For A) the help (har har!).. for temporary housing for things like waiting for your home to be built or seperations/divorce.. and to C) get the riff-raff out of my neighborhood and into yours.

After my divorce I was paying more to rent a "luxury" apartment in Pearland than I would have paid to live in a similar complex inside the loop. I don't think the apartments in pearland are dragging down the cultural status quo at all. LOL.

[YakuzaIce]

Oh, mods I didn't mean to put this in Katy, but it kind of works. So if you all know a better forum please move it. Probably other Houston, maybe going up.

[pineda]

Woodlands residents upset that there are so many Section 8 HUD housing developments already in the Panther Creek and Grogan's Mill area

Quoted from the above article:

"Quite frankly, I am embarrassed to say I am from Grogan's Mill," Aymond said. "Grogan's Mill and Panther Creek are becoming known asthe slums of The Woodlands when they should be taken better care of since there would be no 'Woodlands' without these first two villages."

[SpringTX]

Living along 1960 for a number of years, we saw high-end apartment complexes for young, single professionals working in Greenspoint...very quickly turn into what some would call "slums". Apparently this happened when a lot of public housing projects in downtown Houston were being torn down. Those residents had to go somewhere. So very nice apartment complexes in the suburbs that were having a lot of trouble finding renters...suddenly started bringing in the Section 8 (public assistance) residents. The areas turned from upscale to marginal in a very short period of time. Because of this kind of fear, no suburban community seems to want any low-income apartment complex to be built in their area, and they typically organize to fight any such effort.

I do agree with some of the other posters on this forum that a small number of apartments in any suburban area is a good thing, for the reasons they mentioned.

I'll even go so far as to say that a small number of low-income, government-subsidized apartment units in a suburban area isn't a bad thing. For example, Grogan's Mill and Panther Creek in The Woodlands each have several such complexes, and those communities seem to successfully absorb those residents, without creating unmanageable crime problems, dropping property values, or causing "white flight". The lower housing values of those 2 villages compared to the rest of The Woodlands is primarily due to the age (and quality) of the housing stock, not just the number of apartment complexes.

Apparently The Woodlands makes sure that some of their low-income apartment complexes are for senior citizens only. That's a clever way to prevent crime and preserve the quality of the local public schools.

There is actually a law saying that there cannot be too dense a concentration of federally-subsidized apartments in any one place, although the definition of what is "too many" is subject to debate. Personally, I don't see any problem with a community of 1,000 homeowners having 100 low-income apartment residents (10%) in their midst. If every suburban community in Houston had this, there wouldn't be the slums like we see near Greenspoint, for example.

[LTAWACS]

I say build them. This will serve to remind the residents of Sienna Plantations that no matter how far out the move, there will always be more uneducated people who stumble to the same conclusion as they. That for some reason, moving farther and farther out is no solution to our problems.

[sevfiv]

I say build them. This will serve to remind the residents of Sienna Plantations that no matter how far out the move, there will always be more uneducated people who stumble to the same conclusion as they. That for some reason, moving farther and farther out is no solution to our problems.

LOL

the only other answer is to take the "flight" issue to extreme - and have em move to their own helicopter-friendly island

[HtownKid]

Is there loft/luxury type Apartments in Pearland?

Any complex names?

[YakuzaIce]

Here are a few sites with a few pages of them.

http://www.moveforfree.com/apartments/texas/pearland.html

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/TX-Pearland.html

http://www.rent.com/apartments/texas/houst...inity/pearland/

Are you planning on moving out to Pearland?

BTW I have never used this site for anything or am recommending it. I just found it on a search and saw it listed a fair amount of complexes. And I am not sure if any are lofts/luxury. Sorry if this doesn't help.

[ekarl17]

I think that no apartments should be in the suburbs, because "we" middle-class people don't want all the lower-class minorities nearby our neighborhoods or schools.

[ricco67]

I think that no apartments should be in the suburbs, because "we" middle-class people don't want all the lower-class minorities nearby our neighborhoods or schools.

LOL.

Ekarl, I REALLY hope you have a good argument prepared. In case you haven't noticed, we have a tendency to defend both sides quite well.

If you're not prepared, get ready to get schooled.

I figure you have about 12 hrs to defend an argument, especially after THAT post and the other thread you created.

[TheNiche]

LOL.

Ekarl, I REALLY hope you have a good argument prepared. In case you haven't noticed, we have a tendency to defend both sides quite well.

If you're not prepared, get ready to get schooled.

I figure you have about 12 hrs to defend an argument, especially after THAT post and the other thread you created.

Actually, its just kind of difficult to take him seriously...in any number of ways. I'm not even going to waste my time.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

<<<<Goes on record again as not being in favor of apartments in my neighborhood. No matter if they are luxury or not, they tend to slide into slums. I have said before, i live near what was once luxury apartments. They have now gone to the wind and it sucks. People in this area would rather pay a high mortgage than a high rent. The end result of that has been a dramatic lowering of the rent to attract tenants and also some sort of government bond thing that has attracted some not so good people. Thankfully the complex is very small so it is easier to control. At the request of the home owners in the area, we have seen dramatically increased police patrols. They have been zeroing in on the loud thumping base from the cars and speeders. Frequent drives through the apartments have also been noticed. I personally would like to see the property get taken over and the apartments demolished.

[mrfootball]

Harris County has very low standards and suburban areas that would like to Incorporate to try and improve development standards are at the mercy of Houston's ETJ.

I think there ought to be more restrictions placed on where Apartments can be built.

[Trae]

I think that no apartments should be in the suburbs, because "we" middle-class people don't want all the lower-class minorities nearby our neighborhoods or schools.

Uh huh, well I'm smelling a racist. I think you believe if any of "us" minorities move into any area, it would become bad and ghetto, right?

[Montrose1100]

I like the luxury apartment/condos that they build. They are cute.

[TAK]

as someone who grew up in apartments, i have a total dislike for them... over time, apartments are not good for the people that live in them - except that they are cheap... apartments are not good for the neighborhood, except that they increase the value of the corner store, liquor store, fast food restaurants, and pawn shops.

apartments have a terrible flaw - the tragedy of the commons - nobody owns anything, so nobody cares about anything. That's apartments in general, whether they be luxury or 'ghetto'. owners have more pride in the place than renters.

The 'problem' people refer to most is the problem with low income apartments (low income neighborhoods, period, but specifically in apartments where no one has responsibility for anything other than themselves.) A concentration of low income will lead to a concentration of crime. Here in Houston, we tend to equate that to races, which historicall have a income differential - for many reasons - but that's window dressing for the class society. A concentration of any low income group will lead to problems. (Anectdotally, I grew up poor - I was taught how to steal by poor non-minorities who said, "you'll never get caught, and if you do, you won't get in real trouble. they'll just call your parents." their line of thougt was partially true... except minorities got in real trouble when they got caught... all the poor kids stole... white, black, mexican, chinese, vietnamese. all the poor parents smoked cigarettes and drank beer (waste of money)...

when all the parents have time to do is focus on paying the bills, getting a ride to work, getting a second job, other 'necessities' (like taking their child to the library) become 'luxuries'. When people 'give up' on moving up, forget it. And make no mistake, our society is not made up such that everyone can move up. There will always be low income people

But back to apartments - I understand, from an investor's point of view, why Houston (actually, most of Texas) has large apartments with low rents - cheap land, lots of units = good profit. Hell, I often wish the four complexes within walking distance of my house would be bulldozed and turned into parks. However, if I owned those complexes, I'd be more than happy with status quo... and getting paid.

[Pumapayam]

Some of the apartment rating sites you can clearly tell that the management company chimes in with a fake review to make the place seem nicer.

You can definately tell when an apartment does not deserve the high ratings it gets. :closedeyes:

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

I think that no apartments should be in the suburbs, because "we" middle-class people don't want all the lower-class minorities nearby our neighborhoods or schools.

Again, i dont like apartments and i sure as hell dont like people using race to define a persons character or economic status. Some of the so called "middle class" people are drowing in debt and are 1 pay check away from being homeless. Keep that in mind!!!

[Natty]

Again, i dont like apartments and i sure as hell dont like people using race to define a persons character or economic status. Some of the so called "middle class" people are drowing in debt and are 1 pay check away from being homeless. Keep that in mind!!!

So eloquently put. You are so right.....

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Like 'em or not, aren't apartments a necessary evil?

How many of us have lived in apartments at some point in our lives? I would guess about 90% of us has lived in an apartment at one point or another...whether it's growing up, in college, as your first "home" after college, or as a permanent home (whether by choice or not).

Rather than ban all apartments, why not just focus on the problem apartments? We've got three "tax-credit" apartment complexes near us that appear to be well-maintained, safe and quiet. And we've got another apartment complex (non-tax-credit) nearby that I don't like to drive by even in the daytime. I'd love to see that one demolished, but the others I don't mind.

I know it's not likely to happen, but I do think there should be a limit on the size of apartment complexes. I been to, and lived in, some very large complexes...and they seem to invite the criminal element more than a small complex. I've also lived in a small complex (24 units) in which you knew half the residents by name.

Given the choice, I'd pick a small complex every time.

[ChampionsAdam]

As someone who has professionally managed apartment communities for almost 15 years, I can say that there are many property owners out there that don't give a hoot about the surrounding community and simply focus on the bottom line. There is one scary management company/investment company in town that if they bought something in my neighborhood I'd sell my home..terrible ethics and poor maintenance on it's sites.

For the most part I think a solid owner/management firm will do it's best to maintain a good property to increase the value of the investment and bring in good tenants. But beware... there are some rotten apples out there.

[Jeebus]

I think that no apartments should be in the suburbs, because "we" middle-class people don't want all the lower-class minorities nearby our neighborhoods or schools.

Please, tell us how you really feel!

[westguy76]

as someone who grew up in apartments, i have a total dislike for them... over time, apartments are not good for the people that live in them - except that they are cheap... apartments are not good for the neighborhood, except that they increase the value of the corner store, liquor store, fast food restaurants, and pawn shops.

apartments have a terrible flaw - the tragedy of the commons - nobody owns anything, so nobody cares about anything. That's apartments in general, whether they be luxury or 'ghetto'. owners have more pride in the place than renters.

The 'problem' people refer to most is the problem with low income apartments (low income neighborhoods, period, but specifically in apartments where no one has responsibility for anything other than themselves.) A concentration of low income will lead to a concentration of crime. Here in Houston, we tend to equate that to races, which historicall have a income differential - for many reasons - but that's window dressing for the class society. A concentration of any low income group will lead to problems. (Anectdotally, I grew up poor - I was taught how to steal by poor non-minorities who said, "you'll never get caught, and if you do, you won't get in real trouble. they'll just call your parents." their line of thougt was partially true... except minorities got in real trouble when they got caught... all the poor kids stole... white, black, mexican, chinese, vietnamese. all the poor parents smoked cigarettes and drank beer (waste of money)...

when all the parents have time to do is focus on paying the bills, getting a ride to work, getting a second job, other 'necessities' (like taking their child to the library) become 'luxuries'. When people 'give up' on moving up, forget it. And make no mistake, our society is not made up such that everyone can move up. There will always be low income people

But back to apartments - I understand, from an investor's point of view, why Houston (actually, most of Texas) has large apartments with low rents - cheap land, lots of units = good profit. Hell, I often wish the four complexes within walking distance of my house would be bulldozed and turned into parks. However, if I owned those complexes, I'd be more than happy with status quo... and getting paid.

good post!~

i agree

I say build them. This will serve to remind the residents of Sienna Plantations that no matter how far out the move, there will always be more uneducated people who stumble to the same conclusion as they. That for some reason, moving farther and farther out is no solution to our problems.

don't lay your percieved problems on others because you obviously have issues. There is no need to call people ignorant just because you do not understand their motivations or percieved needs. I hate it when people hide behind the anonymity of the internet and act like complete asses. You can make your point about Sprawl without be-littling others

[MiDTOWNeR]

Uh huh, well I'm smelling a racist.

Oh...here we go. The answer to everything.

[shinoda28107]

It is a proven fact that Houston is more racially segregated than it was a decade ago. We all know that "white-flight" lowers the quality of life in any area (tax dollars leave). Where the "nice" suburbs are, there are also nice school districts.

My point is (yes..I have one): Though not all apartment complexes bring low-income minorities, many do. Placing them in a "good" area (if that's what you are afraid of) can only help the youth affected. Adequate law enforcement ensures that the presence of crime is minimal....(okay...I guess that I don't have a point...forget it!)

[jfre81]

If not for apartments, a lot of the service-sector jobs you don't think about but depend upon to make your life what it is wouldn't get filled. None of the people who work those jobs would be found anywhere in Houston but the streets, and one of the things they ask for on your job application is an address. Furthermore, nobody's going to drive from 30 miles out of town to slice deli meat for you at Kroger or make your Starbucks latte. This goes for the Inner Loop as well as the burbs.

If you think you're that well-to-do enough that you can't stand to live near my poor white apartment-dwelling ass, go buy your own island in the Florida Keys, and take your arrogance with you. Otherwise, keep your doors locked or I'm gonna steal your big-screen TV and spirit it away on the Metro bus.

[houstonmacbro]

I think that density is the real culprit.

[Firebird65]

If you think you're that well-to-do enough that you can't stand to live near my poor white apartment-dwelling ass, go buy your own island in the Florida Keys, and take your arrogance with you. Otherwise, keep your doors locked or I'm gonna steal your big-screen TV and spirit it away on the Metro bus.

LOL! That is one funny post. Bravo. And if that guy doesn't lock his door, my equally poor white, apartment-dwelling ass will be right behind you to take his stereo and his computer, although I'm not sure if I can carry both at the same time. That would require me to put down my 40-ouncer. What a tough choice.

Like Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

[crunchtastic]

LOL! That is one funny post. Bravo. And if that guy doesn't lock his door, my equally poor white, apartment-dwelling ass will be right behind you to take his stereo and his computer, although I'm not sure if I can carry both at the same time. That would require me to put down my 40-ouncer. What a tough choice.

Like Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Ditto that. This whole classist rent vs. own thing makes me crazy. Crackhouses bad. Hookers runing out of an 8-plex on the corner, bad. But we have police and code. People that simply can't afford your 4/3 faux stucco POS, what makes them so bad? Good grief. Reason 207 why I would never live in a Sienna Plantation.

Try visiting somewhere else on the planet where there is no such thing as middle or even upper middle class home ownership of any sort. The fact that anyone has got it good here as a homeowner has everything to do with sheer geographic size and available land, and precious little to do with the fact that you rate -- because you worked for it!! and those brown people don't.

So. Shall we get over this landed gentry thing? Because we all know you're this close to being upside down on your mortgage anyway.