City of Austin still not listening to neighbors re: Manor Road affordable housing proposal

UPDATE: Council passes the development proposal by NHP/Capital A unanimously.

As part of the city's expansion of affordable living options, the City Council's housing corporation will vote Thursday whether to accept a proposal by NHP and Capital A Housing for a new development in a largely residential area in Northeast Austin.

Large vacant and under-utilized lots still dot the map around Manor Road in the shadow of the former Mueller Airport tower. Mueller Airport was a simple terminal until replaced by Austin Bergstrom International Airport on a former airbase east of the city in the late '90s.

Neighbors, who mostly live in newer developments in the aptly named Mueller community and a number who reside in the more-lived-in JJ Seabrook neighborhood, have gathered numerous times to discuss the various proposals for a city-owned tract at 3511 and 3515 Manor Road. The JJ Seabrook neighbors "strongly" supported Fontaine Trails, a proposal by the Foundation Communities (or FC) for multigenerational houses which they found more "neighborly," "holistic," and compatible with the geography and surrounding parks amenities. Mueller neighbors only narrowly favored the NHP/Capital A proposal titled Seabrook Square.

According to George Hindman, who lives south of the Mueller neighborhood and Manor Road in JJ Seabrook, calls the NHP/Capital A plan "fiscally irresponsible" and said it will require around $7 million in subsidies to sustain -- money that could be used to build another housing project. Nor does the NHP/Capital A proposal cater to families facing homelessness, as hoped by his neighborhood group.

JJ Seabrook neighbors had hoped to maximize the number of bedrooms (FC planned for 87 2-bedroom, 45 3 bedroom, and three 4-bedroom units -- 135 bedrooms in total; whereas the NHP plan has only 15 3-bedroom and no 4-bedroom units), have onsite services for residents, and be more compatible with existing family housing in the area.

Getting answers as to why the FC proposal was not favored has proven difficult, he said. "... There are huge transparency issues -- we have not been able to get the scoring data or the matrix/rubric weighting," said Hindman, an engineer by trade. "We believe that the whole, short process was biased to produce a result for Capital A contractors."

While attempting to connect the dots, Hindman noticed a key employee of Capital A appears to strongly support fundraisers for certain Austin City Council members: "a clear conflict of interest with the upcoming vote," he said.

Hindman noted a recent trend of multigenerational black homeowners leaving the area -- original homeowners having been there for half a century.

"We tried to engage with [Austin] Housing even prior to the RFP [request-for-proposals] release but from the start the balance seems to be tipped hard in the direction of single room occupancy," Hindman continued. "While we realize it is hard to know exactly how many people end up residing in any given unit, we repeatedly voiced that it is short-sighted to evaluate based on 'maximum units' versus number of individuals housed -- for example, independent singles versus larger families with children.  

"We feel the City should be more transparent with scoring details beyond just the number values because we do not understand how some of the values could be so low and how the staff recommended proposal was so high ... Also, in terms of community engagement, we think the City needs to continue to improve. All the City engagement was digital and many of our JJ Seabrook neighbors do not have internet access."

The JJ Seabrook neighborhood association, Hindman said, went door-to-door but was unable to have these responses "count" in the city's evaluation. 

Residents fighting the conversion of the former Candlewoood Suites on Pecan Park Boulevard in Northwest Austin found themselves in a similar position -- ineffective notices and staff-centric "town halls" while neighborhood groups such as MOVE Candlewood were left to gauge community opinion. The city seemed determined to build another Permanent Supportive Housing (or PSH) project despite the objections.

The JJ Seabrook neighborhood already has two affordable housing complexes -- one-bedroom and efficiencies (Kensington Apartments with 148 units and Franklin Gardens with 22 low-income senior units). Neighbors have communicated that housing for larger families in in short supply. 

Roughly 2,600 Austin ISD children are homeless, 34% of Austin's homeless population are families with children, and 41% of the homeless are domestic violence survivors, he said. There are few available affordable 3-4 bedrooms in all of Austin, Hindman said.

"My understanding is 3515 Manor Road would be the first complex to embrace an explicit opportunity to integrate PSH with other affordably housed neighbors,"  Hindman added. "Supposedly, segregation of PSH is research-based. We asked for such evidence with no reply and we have not been able to find any, only anecdotal comments about it being 'easier' on PSH individuals. [JJ Seabrook neighbors] asked that all be integrated as we are concerned about stigma, the impression, if not the reality, that the on-site services are for PSH only, and long-term housing stability."

Hindman said he has no qualms with Integral Care and the mental health and substance abuse services they provide PSH residents; but a wider array of offerings (sometimes called "wrap-around services") is called for -- e.g. educational opportunities, life skills training, after school programs, community gardens, etc.    

As for NHP's reputation, Hindman said a July 21 Houston Chronicle report revealed the dark side of similar 1- and 2-bedroom developments by the company in Midtown Houston.

"The NHP Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit, fired Cleme Manor’s previous management company, Lynd Living, on July 11 after residents complained to the Chronicle about longstanding issues including pest infestations, sewage backups and, most recently, power outages that lasted for days," the report said, which can be read here.

Comments received by the city, including letters submitted by the Mueller and JJ Seabrook neighborhood associations, may be read here.

Numerous comments (received by the city, at least) were critical of Foundation Communities.

"Please don't let Foundation of Communities run this operation. They do not serve the homeless in Austin. They cherry pick their client's and don't pull from the coordinated assessment. We need more units that support individuals experiencing mental illness rather than glorified tax credit properties."

"This plan gives the most units, keeps them at about the same price as others, and the physical layout blends well with the surrounding. The inviting open space seems welcoming to all, not just those residing there."

A minority of comments received supported a proposal by the Vecino Group titled Hues Plaza. One hailed the "higher number of 3‐ and 4‐bedroom units, no parking garage (just one level podium), [and] mixed use/retail/art space/public plaza/bike path integration."

Other comments supported none of the proposals.

The discussion will be had during the Austin Housing Finance Corporation Meeting portion of the agenda -- at the time of writing it is agenda item 109 and tentatively scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 28. The addresses, 3511 and 3515 Manor Road, is located in Council member Natasha Harper-Madison's district. Contact Council members here.