GALVESTON, Texas — The Galveston Alliance of Island Neighborhoods has released its own plan for rebuilding the city’s public housing.
The plan, which recommends replacing all 569 housing units demolished after Hurricane Ike, differs only slightly from that presented by Galveston Housing Authority Executive Director Harish Krishnarao.
The neighborhood organization wants to see less density at Cedar Terrace, 2914 Ball St., and Oleander Homes, 5228 Broadway, but recommends more density at Magnolia Homes, 1601 The Strand.
Although the density difference is slight, it’s important, Ralph McMorris, the organization’s president-elect, said.
"When you concentrate people, it magnifies social problems," he said.
The density the organization recommends has been successful around the country at discouraging crime and providing a better quality of life for public housing residents, McMorris said.
The neighborhood group wants to see 60 units for couples or small families at Cedar Terrace and 110 at Oleander Homes. Krishnarao recommended 80 and 140 at the two sites.
Krishnarao also recommended 80 units at Magnolia Homes, but the neighborhood group thinks the site could hold 141 units, 63 dedicated for student housing and 73 for work force housing.
The site’s proximity to the University of Texas Medical Branch and the city’s downtown retail and commercial district make it a crucial part of the city’s long-term planning, McMorris said. Dedicating all three blocks just for public housing doesn’t make sense from a land use perspective, he said.
The neighborhood group’s recommendation includes one element Krishnarao’s doesn’t — a senior living complex built in downtown. The group used the old Jean Lafitte Hotel, 2101 Church St., as an example of a building that could be purchased and rehabilitated for senior housing.
"We saw this as an opportunity to take a derelict property and turn it into an asset for downtown development," he said.
Private developers recently bought the Jean Lafitte Hotel and met with city officials to talk about rehabilitating it for senior housing. The project is not affiliated with the Galveston Housing Authority.
The neighborhood group also wants the housing authority to agree to buy 133 derelict houses around the public housing sites and turn them into scattered site housing for families. Krishnarao proposed a similar plan for 229 units but did not say whether he planned to restore existing housing stock or build new infill housing.
The Galveston Alliance for Island Neighborhoods is the first community group to come up with an alternative rebuilding plan for public housing. Another group, affiliated with the Galveston Open Government Project, plans to release its recommendation soon.
This story was brought to you thanks to khou.com's partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.
To add a comment, please register or login.