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Council backs $500,000 line of credit and letter of support for Broderick senior housing project
Summary
Dallas City Council voted to support Saint Margaret Inc.'s application for 9% housing tax credits for a senior affordable development on Coit Road and authorized a line of credit for up to $500,000; one council member voted no citing concerns about operations and neighborhood impacts.
The Dallas City Council on Feb. 12 adopted a resolution offering a letter of support and authorized a line of credit of up to $500,000 for Saint Margaret Inc.’s proposed Broderick senior affordable housing development at 12800 Coit Road.
The resolution supports the developer’s application to the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs for 9% low‑income housing tax credits and authorizes the line of credit to help the applicant meet financing needs tied to the project. Councilmember Joann Mendelsohn publicly opposed the motion, citing neighborhood impacts around the existing St. Jude’s property and unresolved operational problems that she said had created public‑safety and nuisance complaints near Coit and LBJ.
Why it matters: The council’s letter of support and the standby financing increase the competitiveness of a 9% tax‑credit application—a state award that is often contingent on local endorsements. Council staff and the developer said the project will add senior units at a range of income tiers and help satisfy city affordable‑housing targets.
Council discussion: Councilmember Mendelsohn said she could not back the project because she had observed “a lot of issues” around the existing operator’s property and worried another site could increase pressures on the surrounding corridor. “I will not be supporting this,” Mendelsohn said, citing panhandling, encampments, and business complaints she said she had documented with photos and calls to staff.
Other councilmembers disputed the characterization of widespread impacts around the site. Councilmember Jaime Schulz asked the Office of Homeless Solutions whether outreach and enforcement were active in the corridor; the director said outreach teams and clean teams regularly cover the area and that the site’s operator notifies staff when problems arise. Councilmember Chad West and others said the development would provide badly needed senior housing at 50 percent and below AMI and urged a data‑driven response to neighborhood concerns.
Developer and staff statements: Cynthia Ellickson, director of Housing and Community Development, confirmed the proposed Broderick development would be on the same parcel as the existing Saint Jude’s property and that the existing site provides a smaller set of supported housing units. Assistant director Darwin Wade provided unit counts and affordability mixes in response to council questions.
Outcome and conditions: Council approved the resolution and the authorized line of credit. The motion did not specify additional conditions beyond the standard requirements of the city’s financing and tax‑credit support processes.
Ending: The city’s support will be included with the developer’s TDHCA application. City staff said they will continue to monitor operator performance and neighborhood impacts and encouraged residents to report service requests to the Office of Homeless Solutions and code enforcement.
