Council Member Jerry Nickerson hosted a meeting for District 3 residents at the South Garland Branch Library. The purpose of the meeting was to give them an opportunity to share their feelings about the possible development of a multi-family affordable housing development near the corner of Centerville Road and East Miller Road. The residents voiced opposition to the development at that meeting and also attended the Aug. 7 council meeting to voice opposition.
The proposed zoning change, which would make way for the development, was rejected. The vote was 7-1 with District 2 Council Member Deborah Morris voting in favor. She said that young professionals want something nice that they can afford and that District 2 residents had offered their support for the project.
In addition to Morris, several other individuals were on-hand to support the project. Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Mayer addressed council about the need for affordable housing for Garland’s manufacturing employees. He urged council members to approve the development. Mayer also sent out correspondence to Chamber of Commerce members last week to ask for assistance. He obtained support from Hatco, Plastipak, MicroPac, Packaging Corporation of America, Kraft-Heinz and Nutri- Biotech.
“I selected these companies because they represent a variety of products and a variety of skilled employees. I could have collected many more,” he said. “These were six out of six requests. It’s a no-brainer for these companies to support it because workforce is every…company’s concern…The housing market is pricing many entry-level folks out of the housing market. That’s why I’m here tonight.”
Consuelo Ramos-Kaiwi, who serves as president of Garland’s LULAC Council, also spoke in favor of the development and said that South Garland needs this development.
“We don’t need any more Dollar Generals. We don’t need any more tire shops. We need a good development,” she said. “Once we get a development that is nice, we may be able to get a nice grocery store, a nice restaurant in our area.”
District 3 residents in close proximity to the proposed development objected for various reasons including the height of the three-story apartment buildings, the appearance of the buildings and potential traffic problems. Some said that the development would not improve south Garland and that it isn’t the right type of development for the land. Others said that south Garland has enough affordable housing and apartments. Others expressed concern that the development would negatively affect property values.
Nickerson, who voted against the zoning change and development, said that he had the same concerns as other District 3 residents.
City staff had recommended approval of the zoning change in May. The Planning Commission voted unanimously against the change.