Poe tours Regent I, sees the future of 'affordable' housing

As workers swept up a new first-floor apartment at the Regent I complex at the old fairgrounds, community leaders met with a congressman to talk about the area's most critical needs following Hurricane Ike - housing.

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, saw for himself the progress at the new Regent I apartment complex and to hear how the region is recovering from Hurricane Ike.

Shaun P. Davis, executive director of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission used Thursday's gathering as a chance to emphasize some of the more pressing needs in the area: short-term housing.

"It's difficult to move on to the next phase, which is development like this, when you can't get people out of their cars," Davis said about families who are living in their cars.

At Regent I, 22 families have moved in while 752 are on a waiting list. The goal is to have all 160 units occupied by January.

Regent I is the first development to replace the former Magnolia Gardens apartments. The money came from a Hope VI grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Hope VI is a competitive grant that the Beaumont Housing Authority won.

Poe called it a nationwide model.

"The phrase that has been used is affordable housing. But this is not affordable housing only," Poe said. "When we think of affordable housing we think of all kinds of things but this is more than that. This is quality. This is housing that is dignified."

As the region grows and work is being done to rebuild after Hurricane Ike, Poe emphasized the importance of local contractors and moving people into temporary and then permanent housing.

Kelly Crawford, executive director of disaster recovery for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, said the agency is "fighting hard" to ensure federal money is released swiftly to areas in need.

"This housing authority has come a long way. The leadership has been phenomenal," Mayor Becky Ames said. "Af-fordable housing and general market housing are very much needed."

She said the city offers help with such developments by assisting with infrastructure that can include roads, side-walks and lighting.

Standing outside Regent I, housing authority planning and development director Cleveland Como looked toward the nearby hurricane-ravaged Harvest Club and could see hope.

The city planned to raze the club once the downtown event center was built, but the Hurricane Ike beating hastened those plans.

The housing authority plans to buy the land and build another 100 single-family homes, Como said.

Robert Reyna, Beaumont Housing Authority executive director, has been working with Texas A&M University's landscape architecture and urban planning department to study North End revitalization.

The university concluded the North End could be an ideal location because of access to parks and recreational activi-ties.

Revitalization also could promote economic development, fostering a strong business community, which could re-establish the North End "as a diverse urban experience."