Apartments At Highway 249 And Shroeder Rd.

[cfresident]

Another new apartment complex is being built at 249 and Shroeder giving the homes in Prestonwood a lovely view out their back windows. The property was purchased, or is owned by Don Hand. It is adjacent to the property that was clear cut for the office complex.

[mrfootball]

Too many apartments being built in that area. Way too many.

[oldtimer]

Too many apartments being built in that area. Way too many.

Also, new apartments going in on Grant near 249 next to the college. And more going in on 1960 near Perry. So, why do I see a Greenspoint here in the future?

[mrfootball]

Yes, that's a tax credit housing project, "Orchard Park" sponsored by this guy

Stephan Fairfield

...who is building a low-income housing project for "seniors".

http://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/multifamily/h...ards-060802.pdf

[cfresident]

You see another Greenspoint because this area has absolutely no restrictions. You can't build as many or as easily in Sugarland, The Woodlands, Katy, Tomball or any other incorporated area. Cypress will be headed in the same direction once the large tracts of land are all sold to home developers. What's left will become apartments or strip malls. It just kills me to see that happen.

So, the question becomes...do you run? Do you sell your home in an effort to get out before the area tanks?

[oldtimer]

You see another Greenspoint because this area has absolutely no restrictions. You can't build as many or as easily in Sugarland, The Woodlands, Katy, Tomball or any other incorporated area. Cypress will be headed in the same direction once the large tracts of land are all sold to home developers. What's left will become apartments or strip malls. It just kills me to see that happen.

So, the question becomes...do you run? Do you sell your home in an effort to get out before the area tanks?

Back in the '60 and '70 I didn't run when the "yankies" moved in but think I will run now. Let someone chop down all my 70 yr. old oak trees and put in a little bank here. Hunt me another place in the woods.

[mrfootball]

What's happening now, is the State of Texas has decided that it basically doesn't care about Taxpayers, homeowners, quality schools, or accountability. The State, pimped out by Rick Perry's corporatocracy has enabled special interest groups to come into areas where the market forces otherwise wouldn't permit it to, and build (using taxpayer bonded money) these complexes. No where does the state take into account the environmental impact of these complexes (ie. Crime, Social Services, Strain on Schools), instead it is imposed on the local community just like another Tax. Directly taxing the resources of our schools, police, fire, EMS, hospital, and welfare system.

Contact your State Representative.

Dan Patrick

Corbin Van Arsdale (this guy has proven to be a pawn of special interests...no telling how much help he'll be)

[TheNiche]

What's happening now, is the State of Texas has decided that it basically doesn't care about Taxpayers, homeowners, quality schools, or accountability. The State, pimped out by Rick Perry's corporatocracy has enabled special interest groups to come into areas where the market forces otherwise wouldn't permit it to, and build (using taxpayer bonded money) these complexes. No where does the state take into account the environmental impact of these complexes (ie. Crime, Social Services, Strain on Schools), instead it is imposed on the local community just like another Tax. Directly taxing the resources of our schools, police, fire, EMS, hospital, and welfare system.

Contact your State Representative.

Dan Patrick

Corbin Van Arsdale (this guy has proven to be a pawn of special interests...no telling how much help he'll be)

Just so you're aware, one of the unspoken justifications of the Tax Credit program is to make good schools more accessible to poor people. ...and since poor people have to live *somewhere*, they're going to tax the schools, police, fire, EMS, hospital, and welfare services regardless of where they live.

One community or another is going to have to bite the bullet. Why not yours? What makes it so special? Those are the quesitons that you're going to have to answer in order not to sound like credible and not like a whiny little *****.

[mrfootball]

These people wreck good schools. Anytime you get developments like this in clusters and it changes the demographics to a point in which you have over 15% "economically disadvantaged" it begins to negatively effect the learning environment. Drawing resources away from the kids who want to learn, creating distractions for teachers and administrators.

We "whiney little taxpayers" must make this government more accountable.

[TheNiche]

These people wreck good schools. Anytime you get developments like this in clusters and it changes the demographics to a point in which you have over 15% "economically disadvantaged" it begins to negatively effect the learning environment. Drawing resources away from the kids who want to learn, creating distractions for teachers and administrators.

We "whiney little taxpayers" must make this government more accountable.

Yeah, and they also get wrecked at bad schools. Why is your kid more important than the kid with poor parents? I don't disagree with you that the Tax Credit program needs to be retooled, but these are questions that you need to provide answers to in order to be taken seriously. After all, even poor people pay the State sales tax.

In all seriousness though, the point of primary and secondary public education is firstly to remove kids from the streets. Day care allows more of the parents to enter the labor force and keeps crime down. The learning experience is a secondary effect...at least that is how it seems to be prioritized if you look at policy closely enough. The fact is that a kid's outcome is far more influenced by the home environment than by the kid's peer group.

[mrfootball]

1) Because my wife and I care about our kids and our community

2) Because I pay taxes in my community - a tax burden which is disproportionately (and might I add unconstitutionally) borne by property/home owners.

3) Because our government should be accountable to us, especially in matters that affect us directly, such as this.

The more I read your posts Niche, the more I believe you're part of the problem and not part of the solution.

The real irony in this situation is that one hand we need less government interference (gov't agencies bringing in people who otherwise wouldn't or couldn't afford to be here - developing complexes that wouldn't survive the marketplace without using public money) and yet we need more government interference (on behalf of area residents) to provide a voice, to provide regulations and restrictions so that this area doesn't become saturated with undesireable development such as this.

Its time to organize.

[TheNiche]

1) Because my wife and I care about our kids and our community

Yeah, poor people care about your community too. They'd like to be a part of it.

2) Because I pay taxes in my community - a tax burden which is disproportionately (and might I add unconstitutionally) borne by property/home owners.

I'm not sure what the Libertarian Party told you, but property taxes are constitutional. Poor people are taxpayers too, both directly in the form of ad valorem taxes, and indirectly because, for instance, their demand supports the existence and valuation of the housing that they rent, on which landlords pay taxes.

3) Because our government should be accountable to us, especially in matters that affect us directly, such as this.

Shouldn't they be accountable to all of their citizenry?

The more I read your posts Niche, the more I believe you're part of the problem and not part of the solution.

The real irony in this situation is that one hand we need less government interference (gov't agencies bringing in people who otherwise wouldn't or couldn't afford to be here - developing complexes that wouldn't survive the marketplace without using public money) and yet we need more government interference (on behalf of area residents) to provide a voice, to provide regulations and restrictions so that this area doesn't become saturated with undesireable development such as this.

Its time to organize.

I know it sounds like I'm giving you a hard time, but I'm asking the hardball questions that your supporters will never bother to come up with because you're all on the same page. Always avoid groupthink. Embrace the devil's advocate as a means of contingency planning; learn to think as your opponents think, and counter their every move.

Only the TDHCA and other government officials will prompt these kinds of questions. They may be asked of you outright, in which case, you'd better have a damned good answer on the spot...or they may be only thought and not asked because they may just dismiss you as a whiny selfish guy. But if you can craft your argument to address these doubts, then you will have a stronger position and a better chance at success.

Good luck.

[mrfootball]

Good points.

I'd like to know how exactly TDHCA is held accountable to taxpayers and citizens? Same with HCHA?

[pineda]

apartments on the rise in northwest quadrant

[PureAuteur]

Ok, here's my intuitive perspective. I won't go into any nuts and bolts, but I think the NW side extending from the Willowbrook area out along 249 will not go downhill. The entire area is just too solid. It's surrounded by the Cy-Fair area, Cypress proper, the Cypress Creek and the HP business area, Lakewood Forest, Champion Forest, the Champions area, Klein, and Tomball. These are all strong communities. Communities affect what kind of people you see in the apartments that get built. The clear cutting is still a major problem, but I'm not worried about any kind of demographic shift. Remember last year when we were so worried about the mall going downhill? I was in there recently and it was fine. The Willowbrook business district is heavily policed, both by Harris County and HPD. I always feel safe in the area. Another reason it won't be going downhill is that the Great Northwest is one of the few good areas in the entire Houston area, not counting the outer towns and suburbs. The land is valuable, it has lots of trees, it has a beautiful creek, and it has expensive homes. Finally, if there is ever any kind of incorporation in the Great Northwest, which I'm sure there will be, controlling what happens to the area and its demographics will become even easier.