Houston mayor calls for termination of controversial East Side housing project
HOUSTON - Federal funding for a huge $100 million affordable housing complex hinged upon the absence of nearby "man-made" hazards.
For the Houston Housing Authority's 800 Middle St. project, those safety criteria included a giant radio antenna rising just yards away from the property.
"There is an adjacent radio tower that they said was 300 feet tall and the truth of the matter is the radio tower is nearly 300 meters tall, which is almost a thousand feet. That's three football fields," said Rachel Hooper, an attorney for residents opposing the development.
Bottom-line - the Housing Authority misrepresented to state and federal agencies not only the size of the tower. But also the so-called potential "fall-zone."
In other words, were it to collapse, the antenna could smash directly into 800 Middle Street.
A vocal critic of the project, Mayor John Whitmire, said the latest revelation underscores the need for a house cleaning at the Housing Authority.
"The tower is just one more component of poor decision making by the Housing Authority, and I think you will be seeing some leadership changes there," said Whitmire.
Literally surrounded by toxic ash landfills and a lead contaminated state superfund site, Whitmire views the 800 Middle Street development as a dangerous boondoggle deserving of termination.
"We are doing everything we can, working with legal to see if we could put a halt to it," said Whitmire.