Bethany United Methodist Church recently posted some FAQs and answers about its plans to put a senior living development on its property, a reader in the area tells Swamplot. The land is south of the intersection of Linkwood and Bevlyn drives, and may be one of the 4 potential adult active-living housing projects Stream Realty mentioned to Paul Takahashi back in April, as the church’s website says the project’s developer is currently working on the Solea Copperfield senior living complex in Northwest Houston (just south of Birkes Elementary on Queenston Blvd.). The website also notes that 51 of the 101 living units would be rented out to folks with a household income between 33,000 and 45,000 at below-market rates.
The church’s main entrance is about a third of a mile from that set of lots stretching from Buffalo Spdwy. to Main St. where some stirrings were seen in July; a drawing submitted as part of a variance request put in for that land calls that project Traditions Buffalo Speedway Senior:
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- Senior Living FAQs [Bethany United Methodist Church]
- Tradition Buffalo Speedway Senior [Houston Planning Commission]
- Developer Plans Wave of New Active-Adult Communities Across Houston [HBJ]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Long-Empty Land by NRG Eyeing New Relationship Prospects Decades After Steakhouse Abandonment
Images: Bethany United Methodist Church (photo), Houston Planning Commission (diagram)
everything about this wreaks of a tax scam, where the church is the “beard” in the deal to allow a private developer to avoid paying property taxes.
do not ever, ever forget the city of Houston sold the Summit to OF ALL BUYERS ON THIS PLANET a CHURCH that will never, ever pay property taxes. There is no defense for this. A City selling a building to a buyer that does not pay property taxes. In the line of potential buyers, they should almost be automatically disqualified for this reason.
@JRG HTX, it is absolutely a tax scam, I know a church on the north side that’s been buying up properties and redeveloping them into “low income housing” but I’ve seen their books and they’re raking in profit from the rents tax free. Of course they wanted to build a much bigger and grander church (collection plate) with the money they take in. In a nutshell they shook down their members for cash to build the income producing properties to get more income to build a bigger scam to get more members.
I thought the Summit was leased to Fakewood
Dear Neighbors,
There has been a neighborhood meeting scheduled (info below) for the proposed Senior Living Facility, being built at Bethany United Church. If you are opposed to this 4 story building, being built in the middle of the neighborhood this is your time to voice your concern.
Below are some serious concerns being discussed:
1. 1.5 years of construction. Knollwood Village will sustain the brunt of this impact. Commercial traffic (trucks, workers), noise and debris, along with potential crime. All going down Linkwood and Bevlyn.
2. One of the most talked about concerns is parking. Will there be enough to handle 140 residents, + visitors, commercial traffic, preschool, and staff for church and the facility? We do not believe so.
3. Traffic concerns going in and out of this facility on a daily basis. Then include the Longfellow school traffic, all coming and going in the morning and afternoon. There is serious concerns for children’s safety and the amount of cars backing up on Longfellow, Bevlyn and Timberside.
4. Utility Commitments are a big concern. Can the neighborhood take 101 units, and still allow proper water pressure and sewage?
5. The new 600 unit (Traditional Living) Senior Assisted Living facility being built down the street (on Durhill and Buff.). Our neighborhood cannot support both of these.
6. According to our survey: 80 – 90% of the residents surrounding this Bethany project are opposed to this. Most residents believe “it will destroy our peace and tranquility.”
7. What happens if this facility cannot be rented to seniors? Will low income housing take over?
8. There are approx. 30-50 new dogs, along with cats that will also be living inside this facility.
9. Will the trees on the side of the parking lot be cut down? along with the tree in the front?
10. Knollwood Village must have NORTH Bevlyn opened into Westridge and Woodside to alleviate the traffic going in and out.
Please do your best to attend this meeting. It is our goal to be productive and work with Bethany. We understand their church is having financial difficulties. It would seem to many that the Bethany Church should focus on the 800 new, possible parishioners moving in down the street. Maybe we can help that?
Thanks
NOTICE OF A MEETING REGARDING THE PROPOSED SENIOR LIVING FACILITY AT BETHANY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
TIME: 6:00 pm
LOCATION: Sanctuary at Bethany United Methodist Church
3511 Linkwood
All are welcome to attend.
Tax scam or not, after looking at those neighborhood concerns I hope the triple the size of this project.
Is this senior living project on Main St/Buffalo Speedway already a done deal, or is it the real-estate equivalent of vapor-ware? Since the property is still listed ‘for sale’, I assume that closing will depend on whether the variance is granted. Cannot judge if the request is outlandish or just routine.
wow kevin. im surprised that pet dogs and senior citizens are ranking all the way up there with minorities on the nimby fear hierarchy.
So from looking at the site plan on this post and the location of the Church this is really two diffrent projects. When I first read the post I thought it was one.
@Kevin – hahaha, I took your post seriously until I got to number 8. You must hate pets, because I have never heard of someone list pets in a top 10 reasons a project should not get built. Sorry that just made my day.
Dogs certainly are a concern when a developer is bringing in a large number of residents (many of whom will have dogs) into a neighborhood. More often than not, dogs have to toilet outside and so the neighborhood now has an extra 30 or so dogs peeing and pooping in people’s yards. Hopefully the dog owners will pick up after their dogs, but many times they don’t. It’s just another added annoyance.
My neighborhood has recently had to deal a new, private community of 40 townhomes being built by a small incorporated city next door to us. The new development got permission to build an gated entrance that allows their home owners to walk their dogs into our neighborhood, so we’ll have a few dozen new doggies using our yards as a toilet. Something “nice” to look forward to. I might added that no one is allowed to enter the private community for any reason, so if we wanted to walk our dogs over there, we can not.
So, yeah, dogs are just another thing that other people end up having to deal with. I might add that for years, I’ve had dog owners put their plastic bags of dog poop in my empty trash bin. Thanks “neighbor”!
@NIk that sucks that the town home developers squeezed a zillion houses in their property with no green space and now they are free loading on your green space. They should build sustainable places that ppl want to live.