November 20, 2024 by Ashley Norris
Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice Team Helps Temporarily Halt Development of Low-Income Housing Over Closed Landfill in Alief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Houston, TX — Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice (EJ) team, in partnership with community advocates, has successfully paused the proposed development of a low-income housing project on top of a closed landfill in the Alief area. The envisioned housing complex, called Kirkwood Crossing Apartments, has faced growing criticism for planning to build over a former landfill site, which could pose potential health risks to future residents.
On behalf of their client, Houston One Voice, the EJ team filed formal objections with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in June 2024 to the development application. In providing these comments, the EJ team worked closely with the Harris County Attorney’s Office. Harris County Pollution Control Services had filed several concerns about the proposed redevelopment with TCEQ. The Houston Health Department also filed comments and raised environmental concerns about the proposed housing development on a closed landfill.
In August 2024, the EJ team conducted multiple community presentations, rallying local residents and other organizations to request TCEQ hold a public meeting on the proposed development plans. Community advocacy played a pivotal role in pressuring the developers to rethink their plans. “More public engagement is needed on any proposed redevelopment of this closed landfill,” says Amy Dinn, manager of the Environmental Justice Team. “The developer wanted to put a 4-building apartment complex on the site despite ongoing concerns about migrating landfill gasses and drainage plans for the site. The general public should be advised and allowed to ask questions about those potential risks.”
In 2022, Kirkwood Crossing Apartments had applied to Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for Competitive (9%) Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (Application #22023). Josh Goldberger, the Manager for that tax credit program, recently informed Lone Star Legal Aid that the Kirkwood Crossing Apartments project would not be moving forward. TDHCA reported that the Applicant returned its awarded housing tax credits to TDHCA on August 28, 2024.
Although the developer has officially withdrawn their development application for the housing project as of September 11, 2024, TCEQ confirmed that the developer may resubmit their application.
Houston One Voice is a nonprofit Community Based Organization partnered with the University of Houston, City of Houston Council Members, Special Purpose Districts, Super Neighborhoods, Civic Clubs and Homeowners Associations in Southwest Houston. Houston One Voice focuses on advocacy and community engagement around the redevelopment of closed landfills in the Southwest Houston area for the purposes of creating more detention to address the Houston regions’ flooding issues identified by the Harris County Flood Control District. Increased detention at the Doty Landfill would provide needed flood relief for Alief and the Keegans Bayou Sub Watershed, which during Hurricane Harvey contained the largest number of flooded parks in Harris County.
Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice Team will continue working to protect vulnerable communities from environmental hazards and promote equitable development practices in Texas.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
For media inquiries, contact:
Clarissa Ayala
Director of Communications, Lone Star Legal Aid
