Renewed effort to halt East End project comes up short

A Harris County District Court judge on Thursday declined to issue a temporary restraining order that sought to halt an affordable housing project in the East End.

The hearing came after developer Alan Atkinson filed suit Wednesday alleging the Houston Housing Authority and City of Houston did not have the authority to buy land just south of Buffalo Bayou off Middle Street for the project.

Federal law requires all properties used for Department of Housing and Urban Development projects to be free of hazardous materials and contamination that could affect the safety of occupants, a requirement the suit alleges the land site fails to meet. Because HUD funds would be involved in the purchase of the land, the suit requested the district court stop the purchase.

At the hearing, which was livestreamed, the judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order. The court did not rule on legality of the purchase.

The Houston Housing Authority welcomed the hearing’s outcome. “This is a great day for affordable housing,” said an HHA spokesperson in an email.

Atkinson filed an earlier suit seeking to halt the project in November, saying the HHA improperly notified residents and business owners. A state district court judge in that case issued a temporary restraining order, and the housing authority held new votes on the projects at properly noticed meetings.

Atkinson is among those who oppose the affordable apartments, arguing the site is potentially unsafe for future residents due to noise and the presence of a nearby railroad, which carries tank cars shuttling chemical, petrochemical and petroleum products.

The affordable housing project off of Middle Street and another East End project north of Buffalo Bayou almost directly across from Clayton Homes have drawn both passionate support and opposition.

Many say more affordable housing is needed, especially as property prices rise in a neighborhood where a third of households make less than $25,000 a year, according to Census Bureau estimates. The two projects proposed for the East End would contain a mixture of both market-rate and affordable housing.

At the same time, a vocal group of residents is working hard to kill the plan, which they have said will overwhelm the area’s strained infrastructure and take valuable land off the tax rolls.