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Council hears developer pitch for Villages at Orange affordable housing; in-kind contribution details left for council to specify
Summary
A developer seeking Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) funding presented plans for the Villages at Orange family housing development; council was asked to consider a support resolution and an in-kind contribution, with specific contribution type not yet specified on the record.
City staff presented a resolution for council's consideration to support the proposed Villages at Orange family housing development and to provide an in-kind contribution for the project's TDHCA application. A representative for Brownstone, the developer, gave a site and unit overview and requested the council's support.
The Brownstone representative said the planned development would include a clubhouse, dog park, playground, tree buffers and a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The developer said the complex would likely range up to about 84 units, with a more likely maximum around 78 to 84 units, and that unit mix would include income-restricted units and market-rate units to serve lower-income families.
Staff explained that an in-kind contribution to support a TDHCA application may include a cash contribution, reduced or waived permitting or billing fees, or other local incentives; the developer said the in-kind contribution could be whatever the city chooses to offer. A dollar figure was discussed on the record but not finalized; staff described examples such as a modest fee waiver. The developer named the project's approximate cost as a multi-million-dollar investment and said the team would prioritize local hiring for management, maintenance and construction where possible.
The project's proposed location on the site plan is south of the Salvation Army on MLK Drive; the developer said they plan tree buffers and green space. The developer identified Brownstone as the applicant and referenced TDHCA application number 25082 (as presented). The presentation included sample images from other Brownstone affordable projects in Texas.
The transcript records questions from council and staff clarifying unit counts and what the in-kind contribution could include, but the meeting record provided does not show a final council vote or a recorded tally on the resolution in the portions of the transcript provided.
Council did not finalize on-the-record details of a specific cash amount or exact fee waivers within the excerpted discussion; staff and the developer described typical in-kind contributions (cash or fee waivers) and said specific terms would be determined by the city if council approved such support.
Because the official vote and formal resolution text are not shown in the provided transcript segment, the article reports that the council considered the resolution and heard the developer presentation; any subsequent action or final contribution amount was not specified in the provided record.
