Edinburg nixes proposed low-income housing development

EDINBURG – A proposed 92-unit, affordable living apartment complex was scrapped this week after residents who live in surrounding neighborhoods complained about its impact on traffic, noise and crime.

More than 60 petitions against the development were delivered to the City Council protesting Los Mesquites Apartments, a gated community with rents ranging from $300 to $635 monthly that would have qualified for low-income housing tax credits. But residents who live in subdivisions surrounding the proposed site at 2233 S. Tourist Drive complained that the apartment complex was an improper fit amid rows of houses.

The proposed development would have brought additional unwanted noise and traffic and the potential for heightened illegal activity, devaluing the surrounding properties, neighborhood resident Jeremy Santoscoy told the city council.

“In our neighborhood, it doesn’t fit,” said Santoscoy, who found out about the proposed development when he saw surveyors last week and began circulating the petitions. “The density it will create will saturate the area. The infrastructure isn’t there to support the development.”

More than a dozen residents showed up at Tuesday’s meeting to oppose the development, leading the council to act unanimously in rejecting a request for support. Residents said more of their neighbors would have attended the meeting if they knew about the proposed apartment complex.

Los Mesquites Apartments, a complex featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, was slated to be placed on 8.5 acres on Tourist Drive, which runs parallel to Closner Boulevard south of the Echo Hotel.

SUM-TEX owner Scott Brian said his proposed development was first rate, featuring a clubhouse with theater and exercise rooms, secured access and perimeter fencing and designs to maintain outdoor patios and walking areas. The $12 million development qualified for tax credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, requiring some of the apartments to be set aside for residents making $29,580 and less.

But the development also required a resolution of support from the city to proceed with the tax credit application, a step that was denied Tuesday after the residents complained about its location.

Edinburg Acting City Manager Shawn Snider said the proposed location was, in fact, zoned for multi-family housing and allowed the developer to have his application discussed. But Snider warned the developer there would likely be opposition from residents used to the single-family housing.

“We want people to invest in Edinburg. The question was what type of complex it was going to be and whether the location worked,” Snider said. “The city wants him to know there are other places that may be more suitable.”

But Brian said the location was the only one in Edinburg that fit the TDHCA’s scoring criteria. He said he would look at other sites in the Valley – which is eligible for about $30 million from the state’s pool of tax credits – to search for a suitable replacement.

Al Herrera, an area homeowner who joined his neighbors in protesting the planned apartment complex, said two-lane Tourist Drive doesn’t boast the infrastructure to support a dense development.

“They saw the community’s reactions and wanted to respect the citizens’ wishes,” Herrera said.

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and legislative issues for The Monitor. He can be reached at jjanes@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4424.

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