Education & Affordable Housing
Destruction of Low-Income Housing Displaces Residents
By Adriana Perez
Nov 12, 2001, 16:41

The reason given for the destruction of the original APV was to renovate the units that for many years were neglected by the city of Houston. Since its inception as a low-income housing complex in 1942, Allen Parkway Village has been a problem for the city government.

The demolition and renovation took nearly three years to complete.

APV sits on 37.5 acre piece of land that is located within a quarter mile of the high-rise offices buildings of downtown Houston. The land has increased in market value three to five times since demolition began. A building boom began almost immediately as upper middle class townhouses replaced deteriorating homes in the predominantly black Fourth Ward nearby. Construction of commercial and retail property in this area has left many of those displaced wondering whether the city's support for low-income housing would continue to diminish.

Originally called the San Felipe Court, APV was created to clear slums and provide housing for the poor. The neighborhood south of APV between Taft and Bagby is called Freedmen’s Town. It is Houston’s oldest black neighborhood and was established by freed slaves.

Most of the residents in the 1000-unit complex left before the last 22 families were evicted with the promise of returning to a newly renovated building.

In 1995, after many battles between APV residents and the city of Houston, the city finally got the authorization from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to start demolishing most of APV.

Since most of the buildings were in bad shape after years of neglect, all but 10 were demolished.

In April 1996, during the final stage of demolition, residents were relocated to other public housing developments until the renovations were completed.

In 1997, the Clinton Administration awarded the Housing Authority of Houston $21.1 million. After three years of construction, the newly named Historic Oaks of Allen Parkway was opened in 1999.

According to the management agency, Orion Real Estate Services, the complex consists of 500 one and two-bedroom units. Rental rates are based upon the median income limit and on the number of occupants living in each apartment.
According to HUD’s income limit records, the median family income in Houston for 2000 was $58,500, up from $49,100 in 1998. To qualify for residency at the Historic Oaks of Allen Parkway, renters may not earn more than 80 percent of the median income. The average public housing tenant has an annual income of about $6,000.

Currently the surrounding area is booming with upper middle class lofts and town homes. Neither the city nor the private sector has replaced the number of low-income housing units in the Fourth Ward.

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