SOME REAL-LIFE OCCUPANTS FOR GALVESTON’S LONG-ABANDONED BREWERY? 
The endangered historic Falstaff Brewery that once harbored a bunch of scared architecture students in a horror flick might become a real refuge for Galvestonians looking for cheap housing — or so Culturemap’s Tyler Rudick seems to think, divining a hint about Dallas developer Matthews Southwest’s plans for the property from the very title of the rep he interviews: “Company officials are unable to reveal the full details until a purchase is finalized,” cautions Rudick. “But [we] spoke with current project leader Scott Galbraith, whose position as Matthews Southwest’s vice president of affordable income development suggests the company’s larger plans for the complex.” Perhaps, but Galbraith is also quick to point out that Matthews Southwest is keeping its options open while studying the site; previous environmental investigations have found plenty of asbestos in the 313,000-sq.-ft. building and soil contamination around it. [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Candace Garcia
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That poor place (pun intended) is so falling down that it would take a real visionary to use any part of it in a future tense. More realistically tho, the “affordable housing” spew from the article should be ignored. While there is a real need for Section 8 and *genuine* affordable housing on the market, forget it. I’d be willing to bet on condos…
I’ve been through it. The structure is
rock solid.
Subsidized housing is an extremely unfair concept, why should the taxayers pay for someone to live in an area where others are working very hard to pay full price and live in? There are plenty of affordable housing markets in any city, it’s a self balancing problem.
…
jobs, housing, taxes, that’s the new US way
The existing building may be solid, but the neighborhood that its in is scary. There is ZERO potential for condos or even luxury apartments. If Galveston has to put affordable housing somewhere (and yeah, to access federal money it sort of has its hands tied), then a neighborhood like this is about as perfectly off-the-radar as will ever be possible.
@commonsense
I know right?
It’s totally unfair that my tax dollars go to poors.
I mean maybe if we stopped helping them, they would wake up, get a job, save enough money to afford an education, use that money to save up for a house, and then buy one.
In my circle of doctor, lawyer, and engineers we always talk about how we never got a leg up and how we turned out just fine.
Psshh. Poors.
Niche: the area around the old brewery is mixed. On the north side it’s vacant land. But there are houses and businesses abutting it on the south. So it’s not really right to claim that it’s “perfectly off the radar.”
.
HUD and affordable housing advocates are obsessed with trying to force low income housing on neighborhoods that don’t want or need it. If half as much effort were put towards improving conditions in poor and underutilized neighborhoods, the rewards could be tremendous. The brewery is actually in a wonderful location to take this approach. It could anchor new development on that end of the island – they could build new businesses, schools, parks, single family housing out there. If only they had the foresight….
@DNAguy, I appreciate sarcasm just as the next guy. However, helping out the poor should be done for a SHORT period of time while they’re on the complete bottom for whatever reason, help with education (except paying for all the fake colleges including Phoenix), but most certainly not pay for such luxuries and not necessities as living in a neighborhood they can’t afford. The whole, teach a man to fish thing, and give them incentive to do better.
I think Falstaff is worst beer i ever had
1. Falstaff
2. Buckhorn
3. Pearl
4. Milwaukee Best
5. Schlitz
@ Benny
Ever try Steel Reserve?
It’s like tasting genocide.
I never heard of Steel Reserve, but sounds like it might fit into my bottom 5 list!! lol
Steel Reserve is even worse if you pour it into a glass so that you can see what you’re drinking. It’s just all-around nasty. If you’re going for bang for the buck on alcohol, go for King Cobra or Franzia boxed red wine.
@ WAZ: I don’t think that you understood my meaning of “off the radar”. The site, if used for new affordable housing, is a place for moderately poor people to live among desperately poor people. Its a place that the powers that be never have to pay much attention to. I agree with you that we don’t administer affordable housing very well in Texas, and what seems to be happening here is happening in many other similar communities.
As for that part of Galveston, it’s low-lying, post-industrial, and kind of scary. Its not primed for any sort of transformation into a functional neighborhood. It just isn’t.
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight In the ghetto