J.A.S.O.N. Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Galveston's middle income and elderly are being forced off the island... Isle of flight Galveston Daily News - Forces Drive People Off The Island Theresa Westfall, her husband, Jason Westfall, and son Callen Delgado stand outside their new home in west Texas City. The family moved from Galveston to Texas City where they could afford a new home with a yard. Here is another article from the Austin-American Statesman (Austin's local paper) yesterday... Growth wave hits Galveston Here are two of the article's captions Mercedes Cortez's Galveston home survived the 1900 hurricane, earning it a landmark plaque, but she worries about whether she can survive the higher taxes created by development-fueled appraisals. The twin 27-story towers of the Palisades Palms condominium project rise above Galveston's East Beach. How hot is the market here on the Gulf Coast? Of the project's 288 condos, 237 already are sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 One of the dangers with new and upscale development is the sudden rise in property taxes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 One of the dangers with new and upscale development is the sudden rise in property taxes Surely, there are cities that have faced this dilemma before, is there anything our city government can do to curtail this problem? Our middle class was small to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 I still think, regardless of how strong the homes are, (not talking about the condos), they can still get considerable hurricane damage. It is a nice place to visit, but I would not invest in a home there. That is sad that the ones who have lived there are being forced out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAK Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Surely, there are cities that have faced this dilema before, is their anything our city government can do to curtail this problem. Our middle class was small to begin with.Think about what you're saying. Your expecting the city (actually, county) government to curtail it's own income. Not likely.How much income (for the city government) is there in the middle class of the city of Galveston? Not enough.Sounds like it is time to make a speculative buy... maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 Think about what you're saying. Your expecting the city (actually, county) government to curtail it's own income. Not likely.How much income (for the city government) is there in the middle class of the city of Galveston? Not enough.Sounds like it is time to make a speculative buy... maybe.Maybe it's not likely, but has it been done before in any instance? Are there no middle income housing programs, or tax subsidies for the elderly? I just wish there were some sort of plan..... anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CE_ugh Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 My parents sold their house in Fish Village in 1999 for 89000. Today it's been appraised at 129000. They are kicking themselves for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 There are things that can be done.Boston requires that all new development over a certain size include affordable housing in the project. Many of the new loft developments in the South End where I live have been very successful with market rate lofts (sometimes in the one million plus range) mixed with affordable housing for the working "poor." For developers that don't want to include lower prices housing in the mix (Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, etc...) they are required to pay a fund to a city organization that builds public housing in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 There are things that can be done.Boston requires that all new development over a certain size include affordable housing in the project. Many of the new loft developments in the South End where I live have been very successful with market rate lofts (sometimes in the one million plus range) mixed with affordable housing for the working "poor." For developers that don't want to include lower prices housing in the mix (Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, etc...) they are required to pay a fund to a city organization that builds public housing in the city.That stuff will work in the NE where everything is basically in a closet, meaning no room to spread out. You know this is Texas with ample room to grow and spread out. I wouldnt purchase a high dollar home next to or on the same block as a low income home. Gotta think about resale and property values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Maybe it's not likely, but has it been done before in any instance? Are there no middle income housing programs, or tax subsidies for the elderly? I just wish there were some sort of plan..... anything.There are subsidy programs that fund workforce housing. Tax Credit and Section 8 are most common, but I'd get the sense that only Tax Credit would work in Galveston's political environment. Even then...officials down there are very finicky about these things. Everyone acknowledges the need but few are willing to actually follow through and allow this kind of construction.With that in mind, Galveston is the reason that I oppose zoning for the City of Houston. Developers can be really jacked around with, and they don't like it. So they go to Texas City with their middle- and lower-class housing, and Texas City welcomes them.That stuff will work in the NE...And he's right, that kind of thing cuts severely into tight margins on new developments. Down here, they'd just go across the causeway.Besides, its one thing to have regulations like that in a central city; its another to have them where a lot of developments are second homes or vacation homes...kind of a mismatch in the marketplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 There are subsidy programs that fund workforce housing. Tax Credit and Section 8 are most common, but I'd get the sense that only Tax Credit would work in Galveston's political environment. Even then...officials down there are very finicky about these things. Everyone acknowledges the need but few are willing to actually follow through and allow this kind of construction.With that in mind, Galveston is the reason that I oppose zoning for the City of Houston. Developers can be really jacked around with, and they don't like it. So they go to Texas City with their middle- and lower-class housing, and Texas City welcomes them.And he's right, that kind of thing cuts severely into tight margins on new developments. Down here, they'd just go across the causeway.Besides, its one thing to have regulations like that in a central city; its another to have them where a lot of developments are second homes or vacation homes...kind of a mismatch in the marketplace.With that said then, I guess Galveston is at a cross roads to if it would want to continue to function as "complete" city, or strictly as a tourist resort. If this current trend continues, I don't know if it can pull off both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 That article did not have one sob-story.Everybody sold, got a bigger house and better schools.If anything the "trend" is helping people so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 That article did not have one sob-story.Everybody sold, got a bigger house and better schools.If anything the "trend" is helping people so far.The only downside (and it is something to be considered as substantial in this case because there is no alternate route) is added congestion across the causeway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 For the last three weeks I have been commuting from Jamica Beach to downtown Houston. This takes about 1hr 15min if there are no wrecks and I leave at 6:15.Anyway, tons of cars are headed into Galveston in the moring, but leaving the island is a breeze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 For the last three weeks I have been commuting from Jamica Beach to downtown Houston. This takes about 1hr 15min if there are no wrecks and I leave at 6:15.Anyway, tons of cars are headed into Galveston in the moring, but leaving the island is a breeze.Yep. Those cars are the workforce that lives in Texas City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Galveston has been on the downturn for so long, it is about time that property values began to rise. NOW is the time to buy that beach property. Read between the lines, who gets pushed out if the property values climb, and what is the majority of the race of said people ? They are cleaning house ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Galveston has been on the downturn for so long, it is about time that property values began to rise. NOW is the time to buy that beach property. Read between the lines, who gets pushed out if the property values climb, and what is the majority of the race of said people ? They are cleaning house ?You clean house if you are the property owner. The renters on the other hand will more than likely get the short end of the stick..........I wonder how many renters will be shafted because of the new developments and rise in property values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Galveston has been on the downturn for so long, it is about time that property values began to rise. NOW is the time to buy that beach property. Read between the lines, who gets pushed out if the property values climb, and what is the majority of the race of said people ? They are cleaning house ?You know, there are some parts of Galveston that are scarier than 5th Ward at night. It'll be a while before many touristy people (or by extension, investors) are willing to journey back into that area.A schizophrenic guy pulled a knife on me at an Exxon station on Broadway one night after having told me that I should be careful in that neighborhood because of all the "devils" running around out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 It'll be a while before many touristy people (or by extension, investors) are willing to journey back into that area.Which streets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 That article did not have one sob-story.Everybody sold, got a bigger house and better schools.If anything the "trend" is helping people so far.Except no one wants to leave, they just can't afford to stay. Galveston's current circumstances forced their move.I don't know about cleaning house TJones, but what about...1. Keeping the middle class on the island, (Black, White, Latino, Asian, etc...)2. Raising the middle income housing stockThe public housing and section 8 dwellers aren't going anywhere, after all who else is going to clean the hotel rooms and wait the tables? It's the middle class that is getting shafted This is New Orleans on a smaller scale. There are the extremely wealthy and the very poor here. It's time the county and city government give some thought to Galvestonians. The rich Houstonians and Dallasites that move to the island don't ever become a real part of the community, or have a real connection to Galveston. They exclude themselves on the west end, (away from the rest of the city), and if God forbid a terrible hurricane did come and wipe everything away, they'd just move to the next coastal community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 One more good hurricane to wipe out the Govt. housing, but they are built like bunkers, and PRESTO you have instant 2005 New Orleans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAK Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Interesting... one of my first posts on this forum was asking whether I should pursue investment property in Galveston... and that was just months ago.Judging by this thread, the response has changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Interesting... one of my first posts on this forum was asking whether I should pursue investment property in Galveston... and that was just months ago.Judging by this thread, the response has changed.I think investing in Galveston property is a smart idea, Gambling WILL be coming to the coast, and a couple of more resorts and we will have ourselves a nice little Atlantic City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAK Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 well, the 'problem' is, i don't have the money to invest in a highrise... i'd have to buy older homes or multi-family homes in the so-called 'less desirable areas' and rent them out until they appreciated enough to sell them...i'd like to move to galveston, actually. but i have the same problem. my taste/wants and my budget do not intersect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I wouldn't buy in Galveston yet... They'll see the blue water and one day when the current/tide/wind is right the BROWN will shoosh them all away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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