KOLKHORST, LEMAN URGE CITY OF BRENHAM TO SHOW RESTRAINT ON SANDY POINT HOUSING PROJECT
(courtesy City of Brenham)
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst and State Representative Ben Leman have urged restraint by the City of Brenham concerning Sandy Point Housing, Ltd.’s proposed tax-credit home development.
The two lawmakers say many constituents have contacted their offices about the Low to Moderate Income (LMI) project being considered on Pecan Street. They ask the city to perform more research before adding more LMI developments, and encouraged concerned residents to attend tomorrow’s (Thursday) Brenham City Council meeting, where this topic will be discussed.
The council unanimously approved a resolution granting full support for the development at its meeting on February 4th. The developer plans to build 27 single-family homes for affordable rental housing on approximately 9 acres on the north side of Pecan Street, west of Loesch Street and east of Kerr Street.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
According to the 2021 Site Demographics Characteristic Report issued by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), the City of Brenham has three times the amount of housing tax credit units per capita than the rest of the state.
As a result of this data and pursuant to the Qualified Allocation Plan, housing tax credit applicants looking to develop in Brenham must obtain the city’s approval for their applications. This approval must be included in the full application submitted to TDHCA as a written statement of support from the local governing body for the development. The application is due March 1st.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Kolkhorst said Brenham has done “more than its fair share” of LMI developments compared to the rest of the state, adding that her office has heard from many constituents who felt the process was “not transparent, nor was there enough time given to voice their concerns.” Leman said he and Kolkhorst have cautioned city leaders against additional projects, given that the city “already has a disproportionately high percentage of housing projects compared to the State of Texas.”
As part of the council’s approval earlier this month, it made a condition that surrounding property owners be notified by Sandy Point Housing, Ltd. The city said the developer has satisfied this requirement by sending letters to approximately 60 surrounding property owners.
The council will meet tomorrow (Thursday) at 1 p.m. at Brenham City Hall to discuss the matter. However, the item is listed under the consent agenda, meaning it is considered routine and can be acted on by the council with a single vote, unless a councilmember pulls it from the consent agenda to have the council discuss it regularly.
We build homes in Brenham and I think it’s fair to say that we build the least expensive homes in Brenham while still maintaining a high quality. Arm River Builders. We actually built quite a few homes near this proposed development. I don’t know who the developer is but I was asked about those 9 acres and most agreed that they were asking too much. I’ve been puzzled how they are making the economics work. In any event, we did buy 5 acres behind LJs BBQ and had initially intended to build 18 of our starter homes back there. We elected not to, but quite frankly, we could just as easily built the homes and decided to rent all of them. Either way, Brenham desperately needs more affordable housing. A high school education doesn’t typically pay more than $15 an hour in this town and that’s probably being generous. Kolkhorst, etc. are being politicians and that’s ok but I expect that the people living in this development will be just like most of the rest of us living in Brenham; hard working and hoping to provide a better future for our children.
Brenham is a nice town and that’s why people are moving here. Regardless of how you may feel about “good shopping” the reality is that Amazon is killing most retailers and Brenham is no exception. The restaurant scene does leave alot to be desired and those places that are good are not cheap but its getting better all the time.
I live in the neighborhood. There are already a number of rent homes including a group home. I see no problems with them. There are already lower income homes right around the corner on Kerr St. They were there when the people on Pecan St. bought their homes and when we bought ours back in 1983.
These will be new construction. So what is the difference? Every “good” neighborhood in Brenham adjoins another not so “good” one.
A normal rent house?
You have no idea what you are talking about. There are plenty of people who rent in Brenham that have no problems at all. There are plenty of home owners in Brenham that are full of problems.
Cars coming and going, like drug dealers in an apartment complex?
The fact of the matter is there are not enough high paying jobs close to Brenham to allow for most first time home buyers, and lower income households to be able to afford to buy a house in Brenham today. All the new houses being built now are mostly being purchased by retirees and people moving here from other parts of Texas, and other parts of the country. There will come a breaking point where the people who work and live in town, will not be able to afford to live, eat, and drink in the same town. It is already happening. Have you tried to go out and have dinner and drinks at any of the new restaurants lately? You can easily spend $50 to $100 on 2 people for a dining experience. These are Houston prices. They are catering to the new arrivals and weekenders. The locals are being priced out. There needs to be more industry and more houses that are being built and sold for less, or a lower property tax rate for the existing homes and/or homes that are used as rentals. Less faux fancyness. Small, affordable for young and old alike, without government subsidies. Style Craft and the other new development across the Hwy are nothing affordable at all. Just over priced junk.
Vote out the people who are doing this.
It is up to you. It is up to all of us.
Couldn’t agree more. Everyone wants to look down their nose at somebody else while the whole ship is going down.
I wish the city would stop all these subdivisions. The house are cheap, ugly, and expensive! I would rather see the grass and trees.
I think the city council needs to wake up!!!
This town is obsessed with “low income housing” and “parks” , both of which we have plenty !!! What person or family is going to want to move here when we have no industry , no stores to shop at, very few decent restaurants and a town that is headed for disaster. We offer nothing that is desirable. Many middle class people would like to leave Houston and Austin for a calmer life,– people that could boost the economy with their spending, but they do no want to live in a low income(or moderate) (which is still to be seen) rental project, and secondly, we have no place to spend money. Not even a clothing store. There are hundreds of acres of land for sale along 290, but no big corporation or industry is going to build near a town that provides so little. I am sure the new shopping center, if it is ever completed, will be nothing but junk stores. Our leaders need to go back to the drawing board and learn what this town needs to survive . Their efforts are going in the wrong direction. We need to be trying to upgrade our town rather than continuing this vicious downward spiral !
And herein lies the problem. Brenham used to have plenty of good homestyle restaurants to eat at that did not cost a small fortune. Used to have plenty clothing stores, shoe stores, bakeries, etc etc etc. AND THEN the Houston people came, and the Austin people , and all the people from everywhere that came to Brenham because it was such a lovely, small town. So what do these folks do within a short time of their move? Complain that Brenham has no this or that whatever they had in the big city. They vote in another outsider to help them “improve ” Brenham. And now everyone is complaining about what Brenham doesn’t have again! There is an old saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” Well this is what you all have done and now you have to live with it.
BIB You Post actually Makes no sense to me, You are blaming People moving into the area for the Lack of stores to shop? Why do people always blame “Outsiders” foe every problem that happens here in Brenham.? People ARE allowed to live wherever they want and Just because you were apparently Born here in Brenham you do not get to say who comes in and who does not , I am also a Born in Brenham Guy and I welcome people from other towns to move here. I love Brenham and take it as a compliment to our town that others come here and fall in love with it too. Those People from Houston and Austin you spoke of come here and add to the Property tax role as well as Teach our kids and work at our local hospitals and clinics , as well as open new business. You or anyone else has a say as to who lives here and who you want to keep out .
The view expressed by “Fired Up” is an opinion, however I have share a different opinion. As a 20+ year citizen of Brenham, I have found lots of great shops downtown and plenty of great places to eat. Sometimes, it is all in the eye of the beholder. I do think we could use more places for men’s apparel, but in general we have an excellent retail and dining scene. I actually work in management in the industrial segment and know that we have jobs open that pay well and offer good benefits. There is a lot of industry here that needs good people I think we need to stop selling ourselves short and realize the blessings we have in this community.
Growing up poor and still living paycheck to paycheck, I resent this. But it doesn’t surprise me one bit coming from higher income humans…. Leave us peasants alone, we have enough to worry about just by being poor… *rolls eyes
Property value! Really who’s buying houses in brenham? This community needs a upgrade in their thoughts! Their no jobs, no where to shop! No revenue being generated! Property value! Yeh right!
I do not understand the point you ar trying to make. Would you be kind enough to elaborate. Thank you.
Obviously the people complaining work in Houston. There are so many residents that live here that don’t make enough to pay the high prices asked here in Brenham for housing. The only way I afford my place is that I bought it 25 years ago and it was affordable. No way could I afford it today. No one wants a low income housing development in their back yard, but we have to start somewhere. A trailer park using old fema buildings was built in my neighborhood and we knew nothing about it. Is it an eye sore, yes, are the cops called often, yes. But it is what it is.
The City of Brenham has three times the amount of housing tax credit units per capita than the rest of the state?!
Why does Brenham have so much more than other area? Were outliers
This project will not bring in “poor” people. The “poor” people already live in Brenham. This just gives them an opportunity to live in a nicer home. Also, This is low to moderate income. These people will have to pay rent. This is working poor. This is not a Brenham Housing Authority project.
A nicer town brings in more businesses and more workers.
Well said.
Dear God no!!!! How can Brenhamites survive if people with less money than them live nearby? Or worse, what if the “wrong” kind of people move in? The horror! They’ll get their filthy poorness all over everything! Brenham’s elite citizenry contains mostly millionaires, making 77833 the most wealthy zip code in the state, right? An elite enclave must be protected from the barbarian poor. How dare anyone consider making life better for anyone else! This resistance to affordable housing is not at all subtle racism. The homes look nice, so its not about appearance. This is uncharitable racism from people who will hold their heads up high in church and call themselves “Christians”. Wipe the stars off your bellies and get out of the way of affordable housing.
Property owners who are concerned with their own property values in their neighborhood, higher traffic, noise, and sadly crime that can often be found in low income properties have a right to be concerned and it is NOT racism. The arrogance to judge people and question their faith when they are simply concerned about what for many, is the largest single investment they will make in life is very misplaced. The willingness to make it a racial issue is a desperate and blind attempt to ignore the reality of the justifiable concern of these property owners. Calling names, mocking, and sarcastic language is demeaning and hurtful to our community and the valid discussion of how the resources in our city should be used. People should not be shamed into silence using the false issue of race because they have a valid concern and want to engage in a discussion of public concern.
I am a proponent of affordable housing, but through an open market capitalist system. The state of Texas shouldn’t be subsidizing 60% of market rents, especially for individuals that make more than the median household income for the area. These are being approved for households making up to $71,000, which is well above the median household income of $54,071. Low to moderate income starts at 80% of the median, or 43,257.
But please continue to call those that oppose it racists. Nothing about this has to do with race, so it makes you look ill informed for bringing race into the conversation.
I am glad that there are rich people in the Brazes Valley willing to build homes for poor people that barely make 75K a year. I am sure that these rich developers are contributing everything out of the kindness of their hearts. That is why all of these developments deserve a tax break too. The hard working citizens should be willing to contribute their tax dollars for this obvious philanthropic mission.
Nelson, you must have missed the part that states ” Brenham has done “more than its fair share” of LMI developments compared to the rest of the state”.
According to the 2021 Site Demographics Characteristic Report issued by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), the City of Brenham has three times the amount of housing tax credit units per capita than the rest of the state.
Clearly, Brenham’s “elite” cares about those with less.
Nelson,
Id like to know how much you have given to local churches or missions in town . You point the finger but it probably points back at you.
Just the facts…Brenham 249th wealthiest city in Texas.
https://www.homesnacks.com/richest-places-in-texas/#rankingTable
Nelson, I think your comments are uncalled for. This is about city planning and what makes sense for each neighborhood. if you knew the people who live in the affected area you would find out that we are not racist or elitist and have no stars on our bellies. Condescension does nothing to help or inform.
“Brenham’s elite citizenry contains mostly millionaires, making 77833 the most wealthy zip code in the state, right?”
Wrong.
https://namecensus.com/money/wealth/cities/TEXAS.html
I looked up several other lists, categorizing in different ways. 77833 is not even on most, and well down on those where it is listed.
Your post seems to be pretty much stuff you made up.
Reply to just-the-facts: Nelson’s post is nothing but sarcasm and snide remarks in a feeble attempt to make a misleading, fictitious, over-generalized statement about white people. If he had a reasonable, meritorious objection he wouldn’t have jumped straight to calling everyone racists.
Reply to Nelson: Typical response to call everything racism, yet you’re making the assumption that only minorities live in low income housing, so who’s the racist now? Nor do you have any idea what race either myself, or the other commenters are, yet you’re assuming we’re racist. If this country is so full of racists, as your comments some to infer, then how did a black woman become the richest woman in America? Or a black man become President?
Just one more thing to add, Star-Bellies: Who will work at all of the wonderful big box stores Brenham hopes to attract, and how well do they pay? They will by definition be low paid workers. Just ask the rank and file at Walmart. Racists sure get upset when you point out their racism!
If I read this right this development pays lower property taxes and in the meanwhile our property valves will go down makes no sense just like everything else the city is doing the same old SNAFU.
“Resistance to affordable housing”
You may want to do some research.
In the article it states we have 3x the per capita average for the state of Texas.
We are #9 in subsidized volume but #167 in total population size.
Another example of how out-of-touch City Council is with the citizens of Brenham. On one hand they want to increase economic development by bringing in large shopping facilities to attract more businesses and residents (which I’ve not heard a lot of support on form the citizens), on the other hand they want to increase low income housing. Those two are mutually exclusive of one another: low income housing tenants, by definition, are LOW INCOME and do not have the disposable income to support the economic development the City is seeking. I have very little business acumen, but even I can see how that is not going to work. And funny how they think that only the 60 property owners surrounding the development will be affected by this.
When the surrounding properties were bought there should have been full disclosure on what might be done. Im thinking attorney if it goes through.
Given the track record of most large retailers that would come to Brenham, they will all utilize low paid workers. Just ask Walmart employees.
Generalize much! At some point you have to have some faith in the market. There are already lots of unfilled jobs in the area which is forcing wages up. Retailers will pay what they must to attract good people.
Very well stated. I would say that your business acumen is pretty accurate, and I agree with everything you have mentioned.
I live pretty close to there and feel the project is probably not going to be bad, but if I lived right next to it, I would be concerned with my property value. A normal rent house brings a different type of neighbor with more noise and lots of cars coming and going. What will these bring?
But if it’s so great, why are they keeping communication to a minimum? Let’s talk it out.