The Fountain View housing project, one of the housing tax credit proposals in 2018, was nixed amid vocal opposition.Houston City Council voted to support one of two controversial affordable housing projects Wednesday following a heated debate over some residents'Ultimately, the council passed a"resolution of no objection" on that second proposal for a 102-unit development in the 4000 block of Richmond in Upper Kirby named Felicity Oaks.
The vote came after weeks of fierce neighborhood resistance to the Felicity Oaks plan in which homeowners raised concerns about increased traffic, overcrowded schools, a lack of grocery stores within walking distance, and a desire to not have high-density complexes in their neighborhoods. Some residents and officials also criticized the developer, VERSA Development, for insufficient community engagement. While the company reached out to residents who spoke at public meetings, it did not proactively contact other community groups or set up meetings to discuss their concerns.
Daniel Hendren, a representative with VERSA Development, did not respond to calls for comment but admitted during a public meeting on Tuesday that his team had not focused sufficiently on community engagement and said he accepted responsibility for that. He added that he had spoken with some residents and planned to reach out to more in the coming weeks.
District K Councilmember Martha Castex-Tatum said rejecting an affordable housing proposal based on biased resident feedback would constitute a violation of Houston's compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was supposed to remedy the city's previous affordable housing policies the federal agency deemed discriminatory.
Put it in anyway!
So I don't suppose there aren't going to be any in River Oaks neighborhood, right?