HOUSTON, Texas – More than a year after construction on an affordable housing project was halted over safety concerns, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Housing Authority are expected to provide updates on the development.
On Thursday, the mayor, along with HHA CEO Jamie Bryant, will hold a news conference at the completed development, The Pointe at Bayou Bend, located at 800 Middle, and give the media a tour of the site.
Recommended Videos
The Pointe at Bayou Bend was intended to provide nearly 400 affordable housing units. However, in July 2024, Mayor John Whitmire intervened and instructed the Housing Authority to stop plans to move tenants into the complex, citing safety concerns because of the property’s history.
The site was once used as a trash incinerator and for underground petroleum storage. Multiple test results show ash contains lead anywhere from two times to nine times the level allowed by Texas and the EPA.
“I don’t know why they would ever occupy the building,” Whitmire stated in 2024. “It sets you up for every lawsuit you can imagine.”
Records obtained through an open records request reveal that Housing Authority officials were aware of the risks as early as 2019. However, the agency proceeded with the purchase and construction.
Environmental attorney Robert Karl, working with NRP Design, wrote, “There are a number of details pertaining to that parcel’s environmental condition that remain uncertain, including additional investigations in areas not sampled.”
He recommended HHA not risk any earnest money on the property until they could complete an additional environmental review.
We also learned that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expressed concern over the development in early 2024, requesting updates on soil test results from then HHA President David Northern. HHA, under Northern’s leadership, proceeded with the purchase and construction.
After Whitmire instructed HHA not to move tenants into the apartments, federal agents from the FBI, EPA, and Housing and Urban Development collected soil samples from the property in October 2024.
This will be the first time anyone from the city and the Houston Housing Authority has updated the status of the development since that time.
The news release sent to all Houston-area media late Tuesday said, “The Houston Housing Authority (HHA) and Mayor John Whitmire will hold a news conference regarding the Pointe at Bayou Bend at 800 Middle. A site tour will follow.”
HHA employees told 2 Investigates they were invited and encouraged to tour the property in November. They say no one answered questions as to why they were visiting the property or the status of the environmental testing.