Lancaster City Council to discuss low income housing at tonight’s meeting

by Jeff Melcher

Monday night, March 19th , the Lancaster City Council will discuss a proposal for low income rental housing in the northwest end of town.

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Senior city staff officials, Rona Stringfellow and Jan Belcher, have forwarded the proposal to the council with no recommendation and a request for direction.

A development team of Anderson Capital, LLC; and a group formed as the “Covenant Estates of Zion” proposal to construct 25 single-family rental homes along west Wintergreen Road. The five acre site is near the current Pat Raney school bus service center and the Blue Bell Ice Cream production plant. The new residential development in this area would have a housing density of 5 homes per acre and is intended to become an alternative to apartment rental units. The developers also hope that the low-income tenant families eventually take over the properties as homeowners.

Developers propose rental rates on these homes in the range of about $400 to $1000 per month. The fenced, controlled-access “gated” development is promised to include amenities such as a community business center, a health screening room, wide area internet access, a community room, an exercise facility, walking trail, barbeque area, and a playground.

Funding for the project depends on financiers and developers obtaining Housing Tax Credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, The developers also request the city of Lancaster waive or defer normal fees and charges such as parks fees, stormwater fees, and other charges typically imposed on new residential projects. In order to qualify for the Housing Tax Credits, the city must agree to a waiver of state restrictions related to the percentage of existing homes in Lancaster already qualified for such Tax Credits. Lancaster already has more than twice the Texas average of housing units per capita supported by either Housing Tax Credits or private activity bonds.

The council’s March 19th meeting is their scheduled work session and no vote on the proposal will be taken. Public hearings and formal actions will be scheduled for the March 26th meeting.

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Anonymous

Interestedcitizen5, says:

In 1997 during the Walker litigation, it was reported to the Lancaster City Council that Lancaster already had more than its fair share of Section 8 rental assistance units.

Excessive numbers of rental assistance units have a detrimental effect on market rents generally. They drive out honest competition. Their presence makes a community a fertile ground for increasing numbers of low cost housing units. This is not free market capitalism because the real production costs of housing are distorted.