BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL DENIES RESOLUTION FOR TAX CREDIT APARTMENTS
The Brenham City Council issued a split vote in opposition to a proposal for a subsidized apartment project at a standing-room only meeting today (Thursday).
After an hour of discussion between councilmembers and comments from the public, the council voted 4-3 to reject a resolution of support for The Bluebonnet, a workforce housing community led by KCG Development that would have been located on 6.11 acres on Prairie Lea Street. Councilmembers Shannan Canales, Leah Cook and Clint Kolby voted in favor of the item, while Atwood Kenjura, Adonna Saunders and Albert Wright were against. Mayor Milton Tate voted “no” as the tiebreaker.
Of the 10 people who spoke, a majority voiced disapproval against allowing the project to proceed. Many acknowledged the need for more affordable housing in Brenham, but believe that the city adding more subsidized housing is not the right step to address it.
Brannon Industrial Group President Blake Brannon, who said he is speaking as a concerned citizen, stated that developers are already in the area building homes, and will continue to do so until supply exceeds demand.
Blinn College Board Secretary Charles Moser said the College is concerned about the proximity of the development to College facilities, noting that they could cause traffic congestion and additional complications.
Resident and business owner Neil Krebs said whatever the council’s decision, steps need to be taken to improve Brenham’s housing situation.
Ina Spokas, Vice President of Development for KCG, rhetorically asked what type of affordable housing would be considered appropriate.
Prior to public comment, several councilmembers reiterated their stances on why they either supported or opposed the development. Kolby addressed several concerns raised to him by citizens, saying there is a demand for this type of housing and expressing the desire to provide options for working-class citizens. Kenjura said this is not the only kind of project that can fulfill Brenham’s need for housing and echoed the concerns of Blinn College, adding he is concerned about the type of people who could move into the development and that any benefit would potentially be offset by additional burdens on Brenham ISD and the Brenham Police Department. Wright said he felt this project would not be the best thing to move forward with, and that it would not solve all of the city’s problems right away.
(courtesy KCG)
Canales said everyone’s voice is important to this issue, while Cook said regardless of the vote on this project, the city has to come together to find ways to solve its housing problems. Saunders said the council respects all of the feedback it receives and asked to not judge councilmembers based off of a singular vote.
Brenham | Washington County Economic Development Director Susan Cates said at the council’s previous meeting on the matter that the city currently has 532 subsidized housing units, but only 76 of them are not part of the Brenham Housing Authority or age-restricted to the elderly.
As Brenham has over two times the state amount of housing tax credits per capita, a resolution of support from the council was necessary for the project to proceed with funding from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). Since the resolution was rejected, the state will not grant KCG funding for the development.
Also at today’s meeting, the council:
- Received a presentation in work session on a potential facility naming policy for the city.
- Held executive session to discuss utility competitive matters regarding the city’s gas utility system, gas supply and transportation arrangements and agreements.
- Rejected all bids submitted in response to the Hohlt Park and Henderson Park pedestrian bridge rehabilitation project. Only one bid was submitted for the project, and it was over the city’s budgeted amount.
- Approved a resolution repealing a 1982 resolution that created the Brenham Airport Advisory Association, as well as an ordinance repealing an order in 2000 that approved the bylaws of the Airport Advisory Board. Several documents related to the airport board are needing to be repealed or amended, after the council approved the dissolution of the board in January.
- Proclaimed the month of February as Fair Housing Month.
Click here to view the agenda packet for today's meeting.
9% of home sales were between $100,000 and $200,000 while 25% of the population makes between $25,000 and $49,000. There are simply not enough houses for regular workers. And note these are all people with jobs.
Of course Mayor Tate voted no….that’s what he always does…energy prices, food prices, all soaring….population growing….lack of affordable housing …..it’s definitely hard times….so the city says no, there’s a local homeless mission that houses zero homeless people….they say no….at a certain point maybe you should ask the local criminologist , at what point do desperate people necessarily turn to alternative survival measures…I’m very conservative, but when it comes to food, shelter and clothing…..I say yes! well, the city council is at the tipping point….in short order , Dr. No will be forgotten ….1 or 2 % increase in inflation and you won’t know where the storm came from…plan to take care of people….
Sad that Brenham does not want to attract blue-collar workers and beginning young professionals. That is who this project was designed to help. There is no reason for a blue-collar worker or young professional to move here for a job because they cannot find adequate affordable housing in this town. This town is continuing down a path of seniors and wealthy vs. the very poor who are on public assistance. Why do you think we have so many in Brenham Housing Authority. There are not enough jobs to clime the economic ladder and it stems from no housing.
You have so many in low income housing that don’t want jobs just live off uncle sam. Building more housing authority housing will not create jobs other that construction workers that normally are not low income. This project will put Blinn College the biggest employer in the county to spend more funds to increase police force, street improvements and security issues for the students. And can you tell me what the occupation percentage of low income is how many homes or apartments are empty.
Seriously need to build independent-living, age-restricted affordable housing for 65+ seniors. By helping seniors out of dilapidated homes they cannot afford to repair there will be homes freed up for new families to repair to city code.
I’d have very much liked to have voiced my opinion at the midday meeting today but I had to work in order to still be unable to afford housing. I can only guess based on the comments weighed by the councilmembers today that this ongoing fact will result in me becoming a burden to the police department. Does that sound about right to y’all?
In 2021, the median income in Washington County was $54,971. This project would have helped those that make 80% AMI or less. That is only $44K per year; not a lot. Gets even worse when 50% AMI. There are people all over our town that need help, whether it be short or long term. I think some of us need to go back and read Proverbs 19:17. We are better than this. We care about our community, not discriminate against it.
Being kind to the poor is one thing, but eventually Brenham will become like Austin with homeless flooding in to enjoy the kindness. Did you notice the other two stories on KWHI about recent garage thefts and burglaries? The council made the right decision.
If you make 44K a year you can afford housing without assistance…….
That all depends on what your situation is.
$44000 is not that much, especially if you have kids and single income.
There is also NOTHING WRONG WITH government assistance!
These programs are designed to help people who cannot do any better, and those who can, but need a break, and a hand up.
I find it funny how so many people think that any type of government assistance means that the recipients are all jobless, drug addict, losers.
Most are your friends and neighbors, trying to raise a family, and save up enough to buy a house.
If the new, over priced, junk houses keep being built for the new, out of town folks moving in, and no other, more moderately priced units or apartments are built, then Brenham is NOT going to be able to keep all the businesses running and staffed, plane and simple.
There is already a shortage of employees, shorter open hours, and longer waits at most businesses in town, as it is now.
It is only going to get worse, before it gets better, if nothing else is done about the housing issues.
Well said. Federal government assistance includes all those income tax deductions and credits and nobody thinks twice about the morality of using them. It is understood that people should claw back as much as they can from their federal tax obligations and nobody’s going to shame anybody else in our community for doing that, rich or poor. But our City Council just voted not to have millions of dollars of federal money injected back into our economy. Now it’s going to get allocated to some other town, likely halfway across the state. We won’t benefit at all. If your tax preparer or anybody else with a fiduciary duty to you did something like that, you’d fire them immediately.
Well Jd if there are people here needing a hand up or a job why is there staffing shortage. It’s because a lot of folks in the subsidized housing don’t want to work would rather live off the system have seen that a lot in my 71 years. As for overprice junk housing do what i did buy a fixer upper and repair to your liking as you can.
How many people do you know that are on government assistance that are actually using it temporarily as a means to bridge the gap until they find a job? That was the original intent, but people have figured out how to live off of it without ever looking for work.
I know many people who the government programs help out. Some, it is all they can do. Others, more than half, benefit monthly from the assistance, whether it is food stamps, lower Healthcare costs, or money to help pay their rent. The fact is, most people are average people who work during the week, go home at night, and some, if they are lucky, buy their own house one day. I grew up in section 8 housing as a boy, with my little brother, and mother, after my Dad disappeared when I was 2.
My Mom, went back to school (night school), and learned some skills that got her a job, and off of the assistance.
I know plenty about it.
I grew up poor, worked hard, and am not in that situation anymore.
The Government, is us, is America.
Unfortunately, our government has caused a lot of the issues that make it harder for a regular, average American, with an average IQ and education to afford a simple house, simple car, start in life.
This apartment building will eventually get built somewhere, sometime.
As much as some people think they can stop the growth of Texas, especially this area, are fighting a loosing battle.
Do you actually think that all of the new houses being built are for the locals because of not enough houses to buy?
Hell no.
They are for all of the out of town, out of state people that are moving here, with plenty of money to spend. Do you think those people will be filling all of the entry level/intermediate level positions that are need? Ha!
The city and county approved these over priced things, to get a bigger tax base. They could of had the builders dedicate at least some of the houses to a more moderately priced customer, first time buyer. No, they just keep building more, closer together, for more money. The real estate industry is to blame as well.
Every single realtor in town has continued to jack the prices up, to make more money, just like all their counterparts all over the state and country. It is a problem all over.
It is extremely hard to find a fixer- upper anymore because bigger rental outfits buy them fix them, flip them.
It is not as easy as having the few holdouts in the city council vote no, to stop progress.
Eventually, those holdouts will no longer be in the council.
Progress for Brenham should include the lower income, as well as the higher.
Well said J.D.! No one complains or whines when businesses out to make a profit receive government assistance. The government sponsored CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Plan all provided “free” money assistance to businesses. And let us be honest and admit that most of those businesses were not financially strapped for cash yet, they received free government money. Read the papers and listen to the news; many owners of said businesses (NOT ALL) that “profited” from free government money spent it on personal pleasures instead of keeping their employees employed. Why didn’t those affected businesses draw on their cash reserves or a line of credit instead of applying for and accepting free government money??? Government should not be in the business of balancing the books of businesses that fail to practice sound business principles. And for the record, free government money is TAXPAYER MONEY; YOURS AND MINE. The system has a lot of flaws and loopholes that allow individuals and businesses to receive the gift of free government money and assistance. Some benefit the general welfare of our nation; but, a lot is just corporate welfare and fraud. It is NOT government assistance to lazy people of “other” races that is causing OUR taxes to skyrocket. J.D. is right; most are honest, decent and hard working people who simply need a “helping hand instead of a hand out”. Think about it.
This community reaches out to those in need way more most. These companies take advantage of government programs to put money in their pockets…at tax payer expense. Government programs are full of waste. Funny how many of us came from poor backgrounds. But we rolled up our sleeves, went to work, made do with what we could manage and survived just fine….without government handouts!!
44k for a family of 4? Market rate apartment? That is just over $1,400 a paycheck.
Well said
I don’t make 44,000 a year and I don’t get any government help. I work hard and make it work. That’s what’s wrong with this country. People think the government should take care of them.