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Keene council approves Covington Acres cooperation, sells EDC land and greenlights Fairview Street contract changes
Summary
At its April 14 meeting the Keene City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting a housing tax-credit application for Covington Acres, authorized a cooperation agreement, approved street contract changes for Fairview Street, and authorized the sale of an EDC-owned parcel at 526 Wallen Ridge.
The Keene City Council on April 14 unanimously approved a resolution supporting THF Covington Acres LP’s application to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for tax-exempt bond authority and housing tax credits, authorized a related cooperation agreement, approved adjustments to a Fairview Street improvement contract, and authorized sale of a roughly five-acre Economic Development Corporation parcel at 526 Wallen Ridge.
The council opened a required public hearing on the Covington Acres application under Texas Government Code section 2306.67071 and then closed the hearing before voting. The council then approved Resolution No. 2025-467, which the city presented as the formal local action necessary for the developer’s application to proceed. Allison, identified at the meeting as a representative with the housing foundation, was present during the public hearing and available to answer council questions.
In separate motions the council moved to modify earlier action on a Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) grant-funded Fairview Street project. At the previous meeting the council had combined a base bid and an extra 100 linear feet into one award; TDA later informed staff that the agency would not accept that combined submittal. The council rescinded the prior combined action, re-awarded the base bid for the 2024 CDBG Fairview Street improvement contract to HD Cooks Rock Solid Inc. (dba Rock Solid) and separately approved a change order to add about 100 linear feet at a cost of $50,735.80.
The council also approved a motion authorizing the Type B EDC to sell approximately five acres at 526 Wallen Ridge. City staff said the property is owned by the EDC (Type B) board; the council’s vote authorized moving forward with the sale as presented in executive session.
All of the above votes were recorded as unanimous at the meeting. Council members who moved or seconded motions during the meeting included Councilmember Rob Foster and Councilmember Easley for consent items and project-related votes; Councilmember Smith moved the change-order approval.
Votes at a glance • Resolution 2025-467 (Covington Acres / THF tax-exempt bond/tax credit application): approved unanimously. • Cooperation agreement for Covington Acres (agenda item 7A): approved unanimously. • Rescind/reaward for 2024 CDBG Fairview Street improvement (separate base bid award to HD Cooks Rock Solid Inc.): approved unanimously. • Change order adding ~100 linear feet to Fairview Street contract (approx. $50,735.80): approved unanimously. • Authorization for Type B EDC to sell ~5 acres at 526 Wallen Ridge: approved unanimously.
Why it matters: The Covington Acres resolution provides the locally required approval step for a developer seeking state housing tax credits and tax-exempt bond authority—tools commonly used to finance multi-family housing. The Fairview Street decisions align the project with TDA grant rules and keep a street-improvement contract moving forward. The EDC land sale clears a city-owned economic-development parcel for transfer.
Councilmembers indicated the votes followed additional information reviewed in executive session; the council then returned to open session and took the actions described above. No public speakers opposed any measure during the hearing, and no conditions or contingencies were announced on the record tied to the votes.
