Alert for Sugar Land residents (Houston, Bellaire: sales, real estate market, for rent)

[buzzwhacker]

Originally Posted by Visitor2007

What does low income housing mean? Are you all referring to apartments?

Are people who are renting apartments not welcome?

I am educated (more than a masters degree) and I have a good job. I can't afford buying a house now (I am in my 20s). Are people like me not welcome to live in these neighborhoods?

I don't think the majority of people have a problem with apartments in the area. I could even accept the low-income housing. The problem is that 6 large complexes have been built within a 1 mile radius of the high school. This puts a lot of housing in one area and when demand for apartments begins to drop due to an overabundance, then rents begin to drop and thus problems begin.

All one has to do is look at areas with a large concentration of apartment complexes to begin to see a drop in house values and an increase in crime.

[Hayato]

The problem with good poor people is they have SOL relatives/friends that visit too often with beatup cars, then eventually move in or stay for days. Sometimes other good poor people in the apartment complex gets threatened by these characters and and decides to move on to another place and eventually leave the new apartment complex to the SOL people

[sxrckr]

I will tell my personal experience.

I was living in a town-house that was neighboring one of these low-income apartment establishments. I will not say the specific area because some people become angered that I'll drop their property values by talking about it. The area was traditionally more single-family homes.

Anyway, it was NOT good.

I actually conversed with a few of the tenants of this place. They did NOT like living there. They all regretted the move there. The place looked normal, even kind of nice from the outside, but it was all a facade. There were all kinds of late-night comings and goings. For some reason this place just attracted all kinds of riff-raff coming who did not live there, to visit the tenants I suppose. Constant traffic and and out. Tenants who did not have a car had to walk, but most things were too far to walk to. One female tenant tried to walk to a store about two miles away and was assaulted. Gangs of thuggy kids driving in and out all the time... again, probably weren't residents but visitors. Always noise problems. Cops getting called constantly. I saw firetrucks and ambulances there several times too. One time management put warnings on everyone's door that one of the other tenants was actually mugging/assaulting the other tenants. I was told by parents living in the single-family homes that they had moved all their kids into private schools because those public schools were no longer good. Ones who couldn't/wouldn't pay for private schools just put their homes up for sale to move to another area. So, the schools just continued to get worse as the high-performing kids were pulled out by their parents not wanting them in that environment.

Management made all kinds of promises to our town-house complex and the subdivisions around it, but nothing was ever done. Like someone else said, the developers just want to make money off this and get that few million dollar subsidy from the government to help build their business venture. After that, they don't care what happens.

I could think of more, but this is getting long and I'm getting hungry.

So, anyone who thinks this is good for the neighborhood is, well, NUTS. Or is in on it for $$$.

I wish you luck in stopping this. Don't give in to pressure or sweet talk from the developer. You'll regret it.

[kcatheart]

EQUALITYOFMAN,

Why have you been dodging this question throughout the discussion. What is your interest if any in this issue? Do you work for the developer and anything associated to this developer? Your avoidance in answering just makes me think you are part of the developer so you just have alot of financial gain to come of it.

[Visitor2007]

Originally Posted by Hayato

The problem with good poor people is they have SOL relatives/friends that visit too often with beatup cars, then eventually move in or stay for days. Sometimes other good poor people in the apartment complex gets threatened by these characters and and decides to move on to another place and eventually leave the new apartment complex to the SOL people

Is this directed at me?

[Hayato]

Originally Posted by Visitor2007

Is this directed at me?

not really. just read your post and to give an answer to your question... no you are not welcome to government subsidized apartments because first you need a job, if you do it probably would pay more than enough for one person compared to the less fortunate families/SOL singles out there. I checked out a high rise apartment in a predominantly black city once. they were having a walk thru. I saw one unit with a group of thuggish types and as we were getting into the elevator to check out another one, the sales person told me 'this place is not for you' then shuts the elevator door leaving me behind. apparently 70k for my first job in the US disqualifies me

[equalityofman]

I have posted who I am. I am a resident of park pointe. I was laid off from a construction sales company. I initially supported this because I felt a 15-20 million dollar development would bring money into a bad economy. Not to mention property tax revenue.

I have continuously posted because I wanted to be a devils advocate if you will and provide a different angle your frantic posts about not wanting this development.

I live in park pointe, which is VERY near the development and I dont see any issue.

There a 5 apartment complexes around me so whats another one? Especially one what is overseen by the state. And again I want o re-iterate THIS IS NOT SECTION 8 GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED APARTMENTS. I really do not see and issue.

And FYI I bought my home for 94,000 in park pointe 4 years ago. And at that time we were zoned to Kempner HS.

Also, I am looking at some apartments in the area because I want to sell my home and stay in the area. They are all full. People are still moving to sugar land and fort bend, they cant get loans to buy a house so they are renting. Houston is the #1 market in the USA right now for apartment occupancy. So I really dont think there is an issue with vacant and run down apartments.

Not to mention 2 bedrooms are going for 1500 a month!!! This affordable housing proposed will give people like me an opportunity to stay in fortbend and still have money left over to spend on other things. Think about it, this is giving people the opportunity to live in a nice area at an affordable rate.

that is the basic idea of this whole thing.

[txstate]

Some people are just blind to facts. Thanks for the insight.

Originally Posted by equalityofman

One more point:

This is a TDHCA TAX CREDIT development.

This is NOT a subsidized housing program or Section 8 housing. All residents are responsible for the full amount of rent each month, ther are no vouchers.

[EasilyAmused]

If there's no public transport to Sugarland, where do all the waiters, valets, shop clerks, grocery baggers etc live? Why do they have to stay in the city in the 50 year old run down housing?

If the schools are so great, shouldn't everyone have a chance to go? Not just the 65 grand a year millionaires?

[equalityofman]

yes exactly. to run a city you need housing for service level jobs. $1500 a month for a 2 bedroom unit will not be able to support a HEALTHY city.

and it is not as if you live in the mot pristine area. there are 5 apartments, 2 storage facilities, and acres of raw unmowed land around me and the village of oak lake subdivision. what did you think was going to come in the empty land? we all knew when we bought our homes in this area that we were not paying as much as new territory or sweetwater for a reason.