Katy - 77494 Apartment Complexes and impact to real estate prices (Houston: section 8, for sale)

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by curbur

I was born in 1987 and I couldn't have been less serious, so sorry for the mediocre joke and the confusion.

Agreed - 1988 here and I find the humor in it.

Carry on.

[acrackl]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Why do folks think that suburbia should be only for affluent homeowners? If there's employment in the area, there should be options for renters, such as apartments, and for less affluent homeowners (the DR Horton Express Homes). As if those are going to hurt your child's education.

I'm against zoning, so government should neither force out rental housing or entry-level housing, nor require it through inclusionary measures. If a developer can afford to address demand by purchasing land and making an apartment or entry-level housing development work financially, then more power to them. If the land is too expensive, then oh well, too bad for the developer.

Even our finest MPCs have apartments. You'll find very few places in the region that are exclusively affluent single family areas. It doesn't hurt the region in the least.

I would draw a distinction between affluent and those seeking a more sober/sane/healthier education environment for their children. When someone says the school district is great - I would encourage people to look at who lives in that area. This isn't about race/socioeconomic status, but about mentality of the parents and their desire to put a high value on education and see their kids succeed in school. I would prefer not to live in an area where the parents view the school as nothing more than a "day care" where they can drop them off. Katy ISD has a few such parents too - but they are in a minority.

This is the main attraction to a good school district - and I would much rather see Katy ISD preserve its status than turn into Alief ISD.

PS: I wouldn't call myself or my neighbors "affluent" - most hold steady jobs, but it is a mix and some are definitely lower middle class.

[curbur]

Originally Posted by acrackl

PS: I wouldn't call myself or my neighbors "affluent" - most hold steady jobs, but it is a mix and some are definitely lower middle class.

I have the same notions about most suburbs in town; solid middle class with some mixture of upper middle and lower middle within them. However, I think that a lot of people's view of what 'affluent' is skewed in America; most people think of millionaires when that word is brought up, but given the fact that the average salary in the U.S. is still less than $50k yearly, a lot of families in 77494 are doing very well compared to most people.

[bilz987]

I doubt a few high-end apartments is going to have any impact on the school district. There is plenty of demand in good school zones so rents will probably be high if they are zoned to SLHS. The people renting to send their kids to the good schools are placing just as much value on education as you are, so you likely don't have to worry about apartment dwellers changing your school's culture.

If Katy ISD does start to decline it will be a slow process so you will have plenty of time to sell. By that time there will be a nicer newer neighborhood to your west.

[jtothemak]

Originally Posted by bilz987

If Katy ISD does start to decline it will be a slow process so you will have plenty of time to sell. By that time there will be a nicer newer neighborhood to your west.

The nicer newer neighborhoods have already started with a brand new high school opening for the next school year. The west side of Cross Creek Ranch, Fulbrook, Fulbrook on Fulshear Creek and soon to be opening Fulshear Run. South half of 77494 will still be good for years to come pending we don't have the white flight senario of the 1980s however 77441 is going to give it a run for it money in the near future.

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by jtothemak

South half of 77494 will still be good for years to come pending we don't have the white flight senario of the 1980s however 77441 is going to give it a run for it money in the near future.

You may offend some on here with the notion that an LCISD school could be equal or even superior to its Katy ISD counterpart. Certainly a number of the Bella Terra residents I used to live by wished their neighborhood "would get picked up by Katy ISD" (right, because that's how school district zoning works.)

[jtothemak]

Originally Posted by NTexas2010

You may offend some on here with the notion that an LCISD school could be equal or even superior to its Katy ISD counterpart. Certainly a number of the Bella Terra residents I used to live by wished their neighborhood "would get picked up by Katy ISD" (right, because that's how school district zoning works.)

Zoned to into Foster High School I would agree with your old neighbors however being rezoned to the new Fulshear High School is going to change things.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by jtothemak

Zoned to into Foster High School I would agree with your old neighbors however being rezoned to the new Fulshear High School is going to change things.

Is something wrong with Foster where a child won't get as good an education as they would at a south Katy HS?

Or is it just that Foster isn't as uniformly affluent in demographics, which makes it somehow inferior?

[jtothemak]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Is something wrong with Foster where a child won't get as good an education as they would at a south Katy HS?

Or is it just that Foster isn't as uniformly affluent in demographics, which makes it somehow inferior?

Foster is still a great school however it is on a different level when you try to compare it to Seven Lakes HS which in a lot of peoples minds is off the charts for being one of the best academically.

[kittyhawk]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Why do folks think that suburbia should be only for affluent homeowners? If there's employment in the area, there should be options for renters, such as apartments, and for less affluent homeowners (the DR Horton Express Homes). As if those are going to hurt your child's education.

I'm against zoning, so government should neither force out rental housing or entry-level housing, nor require it through inclusionary measures. If a developer can afford to address demand by purchasing land and making an apartment or entry-level housing development work financially, then more power to them. If the land is too expensive, then oh well, too bad for the developer.

Even our finest MPCs have apartments. You'll find very few places in the region that are exclusively affluent single family areas. It doesn't hurt the region in the least.

Of course you need a variety of housing stock in any area. However, large swaths of multifamily housing in the suburbs have proven time and again to be a detriment to the schools and the immediate area around it. There are probably 25+ apartment complexes either brand new or being constructed south of Clay, West of SH-6, and North of Westpark. These were in works before the economic downturn and will be hard to lease now that the economy is backtracking. It does not bode well for the schools and the property values in these areas.