OHS has extended the deadline for development proposals after the meeting Wed.
After a raucous meeting Wednesday night where Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam McGough complained of being intentionally kept out of the loop and Lake Highlands residents accused city housing officials of purposely withholding notice to homeowners to avoid opposition, the Office for Homeless Solutions (OHS) this morning extended the deadline for real estate developers to submit proposals. Notice of the extension from Aug. 14 to Sept. 19 was posted on the city’s procurement website Thursday.
An overflow crowd attended Wednesday night’s informational meeting, but protesters quickly asserted the project to build up to 175 affordable supportive housing units for homeless persons was “a done deal.” The Lake Highlands site at 12000 Greenville is already city-owned and requires no time-consuming trip to the plan commission for approval. Only a city council majority vote is needed for a green light.
The city’s memo, which went out to developers and others who’d expressed interest in the project, was brief: “The Bid Due Date for this project has been extended to: September 19, 2019 at 2:00 PM.” It’s not clear what will change in the ensuing month, but developers may propose other properties they find suitable. Besides 12000 Greenville, Site 2 (2009 & 2011 North Haskell Ave. combined) and Site 3 (4013 Roseland & 1805 North Haskell Ave. combined) in District 14 are also on the city’s list but can accommodate only 10 housing units each and would require rezoning.
OHS officials said they located the three proposed sites after an exhaustive search of city-owned properties, but they struggled to produce a list of those properties or other sites given serious consideration. It’s possible the city or their development partners will locate other suitable properties in the next few days and develop alternative proposals for submission.
The city council vote on development proposals is planned for November.
The Greenville Ave. site is between Bending Oaks High School and the Markville Post Office
