BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL APPROVES RESOLUTION SUPPORTING TAX-CREDITED SUBDIVISION ON PECAN STREET
(courtesy City of Brenham)
A new tax-credited subdivision is taking steps forward to build in Brenham after action Thursday by the Brenham City Council.
Councilmembers unanimously approved a resolution providing full support for Sandy Point Housing, Ltd.’s submission of an application to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The application requests competitive 9 percent housing tax credits through the state to support the development, which will consist of 27 single-family homes located on 9 acres on Pecan Street for low to moderate income tenants. The city’s resolution will also grant a reduction of $250 total towards water/sewer tap fees.
Emanuel Glockzin, Jr., developer for Sandy Point Housing, said he aims for these homes to provide a cost-effective housing option for Brenham residents.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
One resident expressed concern about what a subdivision of rental-only homes would do to the appraisals of the existing homes on Pecan Street, adding that she and other neighbors were unaware of the plans for this development. The lack of contact was also a concern of City Manager James Fisher, but he did say that he visited with some of the communities that the developer has built in and received very positive feedback. He also said that other developers who are not seeking tax credits would not need to take these steps.
In addition to the monthly rental tag of about $1,000, Glockzin said the homes will value at $350,000 apiece, and estimated the development would value at $10 million. The homes, which will be 85-90 percent brick, will sit on 2,000-2,200 square feet, hold four to five bedrooms, and have fenced yards. He said they will have “high-efficiency” heating and air conditioning units, refrigerators, stoves and hot water heaters, and will also have double-car garages.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Glockzin pointed to a stretch of 16 homes built by Sandy Point Housing in 2007, located in College Station on Santour Court off of Victoria Avenue, as an example for how the homes on Pecan Street would look. Addressing concerns about turnover in the units, he said half of the tenants at the College Station homes have lived there since they opened.
Glockzin said the property will be on the tax roll, and the developer will pay taxes, insurance, and utilities; tenants will only be responsible for electricity. The income cap for households will be $71,000. An onsite manager will live in one of the units.
Fisher recommended that the city hold off on granting a letter of support until it moves forward with a residential needs assessment started in 2019 to “get a good picture” of what the city needs. Councilmember Keith Herring said the city can still do the study, but that there is “a definite need” for affordable housing in Brenham. Councilmember Clint Kolby agreed, saying these homes would be great for young families.
The council approved the resolution on the condition that the developer reach out to neighboring property owners and provide contact information to them.
I have yet to see someone demonstrate how a nearby subdivision of quality brick houses that will obviously be maintained in order to protect investment will affect home values. I understood when that development company wanted to build metal houses. I would understand if we were dealing with some trashy houses with absentee landlords. Or if it was a trailer park. But literally the only difference here is that these houses will be rented instead of privately owned. The assumption that this is some sort of blight is what I find to be snobby. My neighbors own their house and their yard is always full of trash, their lawn is out of control, the driveway is crumbled, and the siding is falling apart. I guess by your standards they are good neighbors because they could afford a down payment? Also, for the folks ragging on the City Planners…reading is fundamental. The planners recommendation was that Council not support this!
Everyone against this housing project needs to call the City Manager, Mr. Fisher, and demand a “Town Hall” meeting. There has certainly been a lack of transparency concerning this matter. One person cannot fight this, but a mass group can. Remember the race car track that was planned for Chappell Hill ? Citizens banded together and were able to stop it. If you care enough, you can make your voice heard, in person, with the city and the proposed developer !
Heads Up, you are absolutely right. The entire Woodson Subdivision must petition this multirental unit so that it is not constructed in a single family neighborhood. Especially since the city planners,are again arbitrarily changing the city rules for Brenham zoning. This is what the planners have already approved in the new neighborhoods with no front or back yards. It is unfortunate that the elected officials and overpaid city managers don’t know that this is another illegal development. It is sad that our taxdollars don’t buy the trustworthy local government that we once could depend on.
The income cap for households that are eligible to receive the subsidy is $71,000/year so that the cost of renting here would amount to as little as 17% of the household’s gross income. Not every tenant here is going to have the max income, but I’ll bet that a lot of these residents will have more discretionary income than their neighbors along Pecan Street.
I do have problems with tax credit housing as policy because honestly these are federal subsidies that could be directed to a greater number of much needier households. But if I can’t change that and it enables a developer to build a $10 million project in this community and give people jobs and provide affordable housing while paying local taxes, honestly I can’t see any problem with this project at all.
As for the neighbors, I admit that this isn’t the ideal vision that floats through my head for what I’d like placed on the vacant land next to me, but I can’t regulate opulent mansions into existence next to me and everybody else in this community just as assuredly as I can’t force that land to stay vacant forever. The people that own that land are property owners too, the same as me, after all. We both have rights. Besides that, it wouldn’t be fair to the citizens of Brenham that have to pay for housing, especially the younger generation that’s coming up.
I’m all for affordable housing options in this area, but I want to put this out there for the neighbors.
1) While Glockzin said the homes will value at $350,000 apiece, they won’t be on the tax roll for this value. Check Brazos County Appraisal District out and all of the properties on Santour Court are appraised at $40,568 so don’t expect much tax revenue there (roughly $920 annually). Which leads me to…
2) Do a little digging on values of nearby homes to the Santour Court development such as Faimes Court or Ransberg Court and all of those houses appreciated in values from 2011-2021 by almost $50,000-60,000. Which leads me to…
3) You surrounding property owners can probably expect the same to happen to you and YOU get to foot the increase in tax revenue for the development in your backyard. And if you try to sell to get out of the mess, an independent appraisal will come in way under the appraisal district’s value thus creating a mess you wanted no part of.
Enjoy Pecan Street!
Did the people of Brenham upgrade Key Street? I lived on Key street about twenty years ago and I didn’t like it at all! So I moved to the country. No neighbors, no problems, and my life is perfect now! May I suggest that you all do the same? JD is on point, just saying!
Then you live there
As a neighbor to this property I am very concerned about this proposal. We were certainly not contacted before they moved forward with anything. I can tell you that that the majority of the property owners would be against it. They can claim all they want that it will not drop our values but it most certainly will.
The land was for sale at some point.
Someone purchased the land. That person has a right to improve the land as they see fit. That is their right. This is Texas, not California.
If you do not like what your neighbor is doing, then build a fence, move, or deal with it.
You live in town.
There are already many things that these council members are approving that are ridiculous, in my opinion.
Brenham DOES need more affordable housing for people. That is the truth.
The real issue with any new housing, or cheaper housing, is how does the city deal with problems when they arise.
I do not see why this development will be an issue, unless the BPD does not enforce the current laws. It is a known fact that in the “bad” parts of town, Xxxxxxx to say the least, the police department tends to not care as much. They allow more bad elements to get away with more things. That is a fact there, and in other, less fancy neighborhoods. I own property all over the county, and see this in real time.
They care plenty about xxxxxx and other more higher end neighborhoods.
Just as everyone was up in arms over the female rehab facility that went in, this too shall pass.
If you do not like what is happening in Brenham, vote with your dollars, vote with your votes, run for office to try and change something, move out of the city.
Other than that, just listen to how you sound.
Where is the charity and good will towards man?
Disgusting.
Charity and good will towards man, give me a break. You have tried to belittle everyone who was trying to do goodwill by wearing a mask when the pandemic started. You told those ‘old folks to stay at home’ if they don’t want to get sick. Not as compassionate then as you are now.
How about good will towards the homeowners on Pecan St. whose home values will decrease if this rental commune takes place. If there were proper codes and deed restrictions in place, this sort of thing couldn’t happen. But NO, ‘move or deal with it” in you most compassionate voice.
Since you own so much property in the county, maybe you should donate some of it to build low income housing near you. That truly would be charity.
Wearing a mask and building affordable/low income housing are 2 different things. First, this whole wear a mask, stay safe nonsense is just that. Most of all the masks people wear do little to nothing, they are not respirators or filter masks that might actually work. If you have read my comments before, then you would know. Secondly, Brenham has a lot of people who make below $50,000 per year, who cannot find a house to buy because the real estate is priced very high, and the rentals are few and far between. One of the main problems is there is not the industry or jobs here locally to have the regular citizens afford the houses that are for sale. The new houses that are being built are starting at $200,000 to $300,000, which is more than most current residents can afford. That is a mortgage payment
(including insurance and taxes) of approximately $1,800 to $3000 per month. Then, the existing houses are also priced very high for most first time buyers. Did you buy your house?, or did your parents or family leave it to you like a lot of current Brenham residents did. That is not the case for everyone. I already rent out property for very low costs and help out people all over the county and have for years. I understand your concerns, but just because people are in a lower income does not mean that they are going to be undesirable. It starts with the screening of the tenants, and the local law enforcement to keep the law breakers out, or in jail.
The fact is more people are moving to Brenham from all over, which makes the costs go up more, which makes housing harder to find. I disagree with many off the city council and city planner’s schemes, but they have their own agenda that seems not to be in line with what I think is good, or others for that matter. Facts don’t change though. The land was for sale, someone purchased it. It was going to be developed into something. Maybe you and your neighbors could have purchased it and made a park or something else.
JD get real. The point of several comments is simple. Government subsidized housing does not need the support of this city council and mayer since other hard working taxpayers do not want this in their backyards. The city planners should have enough common sense to know that owner occupied dwellings and multi family rental units are non compatible uses. This is common sense. You ought to know this if your a city planner.
Amen, JD. These comments are embarrassing. The Brenham elite love to tell you about how their families are business owners that have lived here for generations. They love to talk about how outsiders are ruining their perfect little town where everything has always been done a certain way. But they forget that they are paying their workers 10 dollars an hour, and most of the homes here are 250k or more. Where do you expect these people to live? “Anywhere, so long as it’s not next to me” seems to be the answer. You should be ashamed of yourselves. This isn’t some inner city housing project. They are high-quality, single-family homes that happen to be rented to WORKING families. These people are responsible citizens who have jobs, not criminals. They are going to have ON SITE maintenance who will not allow their renters to trash their 300k houses. Unlike Section 8 housing, people who create problems can be evicted. If you want to live somewhere where nobody is going to develop land near you, I suggest you move out of town and buy a large lot.
If you don’t ask for government assistance then you do not have to go beg the city planner and city government for approval. Then you can just build and rent it out. Why should the government give you money to make affordable housing in my neighborhood and then destroy existing home values? Could it be that you want government dollars so that you make a bigger profit off of the less fortunate? I can’t explain it any simpler than that.
No, sir! If you would drive around Pecan street, I can guarantee that is not “Brenham snobbery”. That is you making an assumption. The people in MY neighborhood are mostly middle-class workers or elderly retired couples. Those middle-class families work hard for their money to pay for their homes. And you call them “snobs” for not wanting their property values to decrease by being surrounded by rentals? What about the elderly? They can’t just up and move, as you suggest. When they built or bought, I believe they considered that their home for their remaining years. Most won’t have the money to buy again and start over. And at over 70, they can’t just go out and get another job. Why don’t you consider their well-being? Where do you expect those people to live?
According to the Census, Brenham’s median household income is about $45k/yr. but this new development will have income caps all the way up to $71k/yr. The Census also reports that the median cost of homeownership with a mortgage is about $1,400/mo. which is about 37% of median household income (although that figure seems low and may be based on the prices people with mortgages paid decades ago). These units will lease for $1,000/mo. with some utilities paid, so some people may be paying as little as 17% of their income on housing.
I don’t think that it’s entirely fair to appeal to the plight of the middle class in opposition to a project that addresses the plight of the middle class. The future tenants here could realistically be able to save enough money to become future homeowners even if their income is closer to the median rather than above it. Our community clearly has a need for a project like this.
I can understand your reluctance to have it right next to you, but somebody’s going to complain about it no matter where it goes. Let me ask you though, are you impacted by any deed covenant or ordinance that prevents you from renting your property? Would you voluntarily impose an irrevocable deed restriction on your own property forbidding it’s future rental? What if the restriction only forced you to hire a professional rental management company, like this project would have? If not then why not? Could you find any neighborhood that restricts rentals? Any developer of a new neighborhood could do that unilaterally if buyers wanted to avoid having renters next door and seriously thought that that added value. So why aren’t there neighborhoods like that? Myself personally, I think that the concerns are largely overblown.
I feel that snobbery isn’t the right term, but there’s a whiff of hypocrisy, some selfishness, and mostly just ignorance. But ignorance is curable with a little perspective.
Thank you for voiceing your opinion. I m so happy you put it constructively. In my anger I can’t even express as well as your words have spoken. We deserve our representatives to look out fo us. And to look out for us. Or we have to go. Then we have no choice but to make plans to leave Sorry but after the sham of our new trash king an additional money on our billing THAT WE were NOT even made aware of I feel this city council has a problem with our citizens. You obviously don’t CARE what we think. Even though we’ve paid property taxes for sixty years plus.
The article states
“The council approved the resolution on the condition that the developer reach out to neighboring property owners and provide contact information to them.”
Will that be only immediate adjacent neighboring property?
What’s the timeline? Does it need to be within so many days?
The article also states “Fisher recommended that the city hold off on granting a letter of support until it moves forward with a residential needs assessment. . .” Has anyone looked up the information given to Council?
I used to live on Kerr street adjacent to this proposed development. We knew years ago something was coming. It previously was used as pasture but that stopped quite awhile ago too. This was before much of the housing on that section of Pecan were even built. This town is growing like a weed…which is inevitable. Economic growth is necessary for any community and this project is just a byproduct of that growth. That being said, I glad we moved then!
It is hard to believe that not one person in this town has submitted a question, comment or concern over this proposed “affordable housing” !!
That’s correct! The “other neighbors were unaware of the plans for this development”.
How can they make their voices heard? I dont think very many will be in favor of this!
I am glad that I sold my house on Pecan St. last year when I did. I would not want to be next to incompatible single family dwellings. If others that live there have the same strong feelings then they should suggest that the council members that support this project trade home locations with them. There are no council members that live in the area. City planners need to better understand their professional duties and what compatible land uses are.