Federal probe delays demolition of apartments near Minute Maid
The city of Houston will temporarily delay granting demolition permits to the Texas Department of Transportation while federal authorities review the acquisition of the Lofts at the Ballpark near Minute Maid Park, city officials said Wednesday.
The apartment complex, which was slated for demolition, has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing battle over the $9-billion Interstate 45 expansion, which would rebuild and widen I-45 in north Houston and restructure parts of Interstate 10 and Interstate 69 near downtown.
Local activist group Stop TxDOT I-45, a vocal opponent of the expansion, protested Tuesday outside the Lofts at the Ballpark, where construction fences had already been installed along the perimeter of the complex.
On Wednesday morning, City Council Member Letitia Plummer announced that the city of Houston will not grant TxDOT a demolition permit for the site until the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) concludes its investigation into the state agency’s acquisition of the property.
“This expansion has really affected people in the city the last couple of years, and it’s going to be important for (TxDOT) to work with us and be honest and transparent. Things move so quickly, and we already have a housing shortage...and we can’t displace any more people in the city,” Plummer said.
Housing advocates argue TxDOT should not move forward with the demolition while the FHWA continues its earlier investigation into a civil rights complaint that the expansion project disproportionately harms Black and brown communities. The other key stick
ing point is that TxDOT — in the project’s environmental impact statement — said that it would only need to demolish 165 units for the expansion, but now the agency plans to knock down 375 units.
The FHWA on Tuesday announced it had requested additional information from TxDOT about the acquisition of the Lofts and the decision to demolish all three buildings in order to evaluate its environmental impact. Mary Benton, spokeswoman for Mayor Sylvester Turner, confirmed that the city will temporarily delay granting a demolition permit to TxDOT until the FHWA is satisifed with the information it receives.
“You can’t take more (units) than what’s needed at a time when affordability is a critical question and the housing stock is in short supply,” Turner said at Wednesday’s City Council meeting “Even if the green light was given on this particular project, I just don’t know what TxDOT was thinking. It’s doesn’t do anything to generate goodwill.”
TxDOT officials said in a statement Monday that they purchased the Lofts at the Ballpark before the civil rights complaint was filed, and so they are legally entitled to proceed with the demolition. They also claim that “delaying demolition presents significant public health and safety concerns,” and that “vacant buildings such as these have attracted illicit and illegal activity.”
The agency did not respond to a request for comment on the city’s demolition delay announced Wednesday.
Opponents of the project said they were pleased with the new developments, and thanked the elected officials who worked to prevent demolition crews from moving forward. Housing advocates hope the temporary pause will lead to sustained action, although city officials have indicated they may be unable to stop the demolition permanently unless federal authorities dig up new information about the plans.
“We think it’s responsible to wait and be patient, and wait for the FHWA ruling so we can employ better vision as to what these buildings should be used for,” said Michael Moritz, an organizer with Stop TxDOT I-45.
“It would be a shame if the building comes down in the future, and especially if all three do. Our message to the city is to hold off until you find a solution that allows them to stay up,” Moritz said.