Housing project disturbs Port Acres residents

By Sherry Koonce

The News staff writer

PORT ACRES — About 75 people gathered for a town hall meeting Tuesday to voice concerns that a proposed low income housing development could decrease property values and increase crime while posing environmental issues.

The Port Acres residents attended the meeting at the community’s KC Hall, where the Port Arthur Citizens Action Group presented information on the proposed Port Arthur Housing Authority project.

Plans are to utilize a portion of the $46.5 million disaster recovery money received by the housing authority to build 100 government subsidized single-family homes adjacent to the little league park on Ray Ave.

The housing project in Port Acres would replace Port Arthur’s Gulf Breeze apartment complex, which would be torn down. Families would be transitioned off of public housing assistance to home ownership.

In total, the Housing Authority has four projects in the works — three apartment complexes and the Ray Ave. housing project. All are either in the design or construction phase.

“What makes everybody think we want all this trash in Port Acres?” Shirley Hawthorn, 78, said.

Terry Bearden, head of the citizen action group, said whether one lives in Groves, Nederland, Port Neches or Port Arthur, everyone is subject to the impact of low income public housing.

“It eats away real bad a the tax base, and increases crime,” he said.

In addition, the citizens group believes the proposed housing development site has environmental problems that were not detected from an environmental assessment.