Humble ISD needs the property for an additional middle school and potentially another elementary school, and there is no room for either on the property already purchased in the area by Humble ISD for these critical schools. The school overcrowding today is at an alarming level, with no relief in sight.  Humble ISD is growing faster than most school districts in our state.

Humble ISD has made an offer for the entire 90-acre property that HCHA has yet to accept, and HCHA still wants to add more housing to this overcrowded school district, ignoring the greater public need for this property.

Low-Income housing lowers existing nearby property values. Do market rate Buyers want to live closer or further from Low-Income housing when looking for new homes? Ask yourself.

Studies have shown that the addition of single room occupancy (“SRO”) buildings, such as hotels and apartments, increase crime rates in neighborhoods with these SROs. For example, researchers found that neighborhoods that have an SRO “experience upward of 47% more assaults and 68% more thefts; the percent increases for drug crimes and prostitution are even greater.” See Krupa, J. M., Boggess, L. N., Chamberlain, A. W., & Grubesic, T. H. (2021). Noxious Housing: The Influence of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Facilities on Neighborhood Crime. Crime and Delinquency, 67(9), 1404-1428. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128719875701 This same study found that “the number of assaults in a neighborhood with an SRO is expected to be 1.48 times greater than in a neighborhood without an SRO.” In addition, the plan is to have the hotel and apartment buildings connect to an existing neighborhood (Lakeshore) by a street, which will increase the ability of criminals to target homes and residents in the Lakeshore subdivision.

Walking distance is generally considered to be from 500-1000 ft up to one-half a mile. The View at Lake Houston Project would be approximately 8.5 miles from the nearest bus stop, which is not a local bus stop but rather a park and ride bus stop, and within walking distance to only a handful of businesses that could provide employment for its residents Therefore, despite what is typically sought in assisted and subsidized housing, the majority of the tenants would be forced to drive to their places of employment. In addition, the proposed project is located off one of the busiest main thoroughfares in the Lake Houston area and will dangerously increase vehicle traffic in an already overly-congested area.

Lake Houston Parkway is a nightmare of rush hour traffic with a commute time of approximately 30 minutes to go less than 3 miles to Beltway 8, with no relief in sight by Harris County Engineering.