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Planners approve controversial low-income housing development

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By MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Oct 25, 2007 - 12:13:48 am CDT

Despite pleas from neighbors for more time - and their own misgivings about unanswered questions - Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commissioners gave the green light Wednesday for a low-income housing project to go forward.

Creekside Village would have 61 apartments and 10 townhomes on about 6 acres at 10th Street and Military Avenue, near State Fair Park.

The housing would be reserved for people making 60 percent or less of Lincoln’s median income, and 20 of the apartments would be for people classified as severely mentally ill, according to the developers, Fred and John Hoppe.

The land is owned by the city, and Urban Development Director David Landis said the project is an opportunity to remove an eyesore from an entrance to downtown.

Rundown former Naval Reserve buildings dominate the site, which is mostly used for storage by the Public Building Commission, although the city Parks and Recreation Department operates a shooting range there.

Landis said the city doesn’t have money to demolish the buildings, which are full of holes and have asbestos in them.

The land also is in the flood plain,  and could be under as much as 5 feet of water in a 100-year flood, according to a Planning Department report. Developers are allowed to build in a flood plain if they meet certain requirements.

But the flood plain issue concerns neighbors, as does the fact the project seems to be on a fast track to city approval.

Ed Caudill, president of the North Bottoms Neighborhood Association, said the Hoppes met with neighbors in fall 2005 about the possibility of building at the site.

But Caudill says he never heard another word until earlier this month, when another neighborhood meeting was called and residents were told there would be a public hearing on the project in a couple of weeks.

He said he’s concerned the project is being pushed through without adequate input from neighbors.

Another North Bottoms resident, former City Councilwoman Annette McRoy, asked why the city-owned land is being offered for potential sale to one developer and not put up for competitive bids.

“If we have surplus land, why wasn’t an RFP (request for proposals) put out?” she asked.

Several planning commissioners also expressed concerns about the speed at which the project was moving, especially with so many unanswered questions surrounding it.

For instance, the city will need approval from the Army Corps of Engineers because of the development’s proximity to a levee, and it may need approval from the Navy to change the land use from public to private.

Neighbors and at least a couple of commissioners wanted to consider delaying approval of the project for at least two weeks, but Fred Hoppe said that would make it impossible for the project to meet a Nov. 30 deadline to apply for state low-income housing tax credits.

Hoppe said the credits, which could apply to as much as $8 million of the project’s total cost, are vital to making it work.

The project also will likely qualify for as much as $1 million in tax-increment financing from the city.

In the end, planning commissioners said they would put their faith in the City Council and such city departments as Planning and Urban Development to shepherd the project, and they voted 7-0 to approve it.

If the project is approved by the City Council, Hoppe said construction will probably start in spring 2009.

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.


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klumpy wrote on October 25, 2007 6:07 am:
" It's a good idea to develop the area, put it back on the tax rolls, provide jobs in construction; but, where are the services for the "people classified as severely mentally ill?" "

 It would seem.... wrote on October 25, 2007 6:11 am:
" That this is far too easy for the University to take it over. They already want the fairgrounds. What's to stop them from getting this property too???? There is far too many lost homes in the North Bottoms now. And just where is the money coming from???? The taxpayers of course. All of this comes into play. Why wasn't this brought up earlier long before this November 30 deadline???? Because they want it pushed through as quickly as possible. No public input, no hearings, no open bids offered. Just yet another case of people in power serving their own interests. "

 Easy wrote on October 25, 2007 8:04 am:
" How does putting up homes on this property make it "easy for the University to take over?" Wouldn't that make it harder since people would actually be living there, as opposed to now when it is just storage? There's no reason to vilify UNL just b/c they're interested in land nearby. Stop and think before you start making wild accusations. "

 DR wrote on October 25, 2007 9:52 am:
" The way Lincoln is moving forward. We will be needing to turn the whole town into low inconme housing. The local government only approves what they think of. UNL, private investors get pushed out if does not benifit a local officials pockets. "

 sally mae wrote on October 25, 2007 10:02 am:
" Can't believe the Mayor and his directors fell for this hook, line and sinker. This is floodplain on the convergence of three major streams: Antelope, Oak and Salt Creek. Residential does not belong here. Period. The city shouldn't give away land that should be preserved for flood storage. In 1951 Salt Creek was 41 feet deep. This whole area was underwater. But I guess it's good enough for low income or special needs housing and so a developer can make a buck or two. And after all, from the Cardwell Branch lawsuit we all read about in the LJS last week, the City can always just pay out millions in claims after a disaster happens. "

 Debbie wrote on October 25, 2007 10:09 am:
" Why are these guys so interested in providing housing for the poor and mentally ill? Could it be they need those two groups to qualify for the $8.5 million in government money that will pay for their development? Why do the poor and other vulnerable keep getting put in the worst areas of our city such as flood plains? "

 Marvin wrote on October 25, 2007 10:21 am:
" Anyone half awake knows UNL would love to get hold of the North Bottoms area for whatever purposes. Their appetite for land is insatiable. Any land they get is off the tax rolls! I'm not sure this project has anything to do with UNL. It does however involve lots and lots of government money. That's who's paying for it! It will put more development in a flood plain which is currently in public hands and should stay there undeveloped. It will raise the flood levels when the flood waters eventually come. "

 KN wrote on October 25, 2007 12:07 pm:
" The city has a vacant piece of land on 10th Street, adjacent to Hayward Park - the only neighborhood park & playground in the North Bottoms - and the best thing it can come up with is a rushed-through give-away for low-income housing - with 1/3 of the tenants classified as "severely mentally ill"? The neighborhood has nothing but low-income housing already! Because of the floodplain issue, plans call for removing three feet of soil from the park, which already has a drainage problem, to raise up the development. Thanks a lot for the "help", civic leaders! "

 Eric wrote on October 25, 2007 1:11 pm:
" The poor and mentally ill are being used as nothing more than an excuse to justify yet another building project to line the pockets of Lincoln's three biggest construction companies. Why build on swamp land? Because the cost of development will be that much higher! The cost of land will be less but making it safe to build on will cost much more in the long run. And the best part for investors? It will further depress property values in the bottoms allowing developers to purchase additional land at a bargain. Land which is located between the two stadiums and within walking distance of the Hay Market and University. "

 Save Hayward Park! wrote on October 25, 2007 1:50 pm:
" I enjoy the park here. With construction, completion and a soon-to-be increased density of mentally ill residents wondering around, I will have to kiss one more decent place to go "so long". Nobody needs to build in a flood plain in the wide open spaces available in Nebraska--Second graders would tell you that much. Another portal to the city, West O Street is plenty blighted also, and that location makes a LOT more sense. ANd don't forget the game (football and baseball) traffic in the area and the quagmire that causes already. I had more hopes for Dave Landis than witnessing his succombing to the greed of builders for stupid ideas. Annette McCroy is right---WHERE ARE THE RFP's, PROCESSES and PROCEDURES for this greedy overtaking of citizen rights. This town is really starting to get a class warfare thing going---poor people lose always, and rich people win always. What a farce of a democracy for everyone. Shame on the civic leaders for hurrying up to be so stupid. RESCIND, RETHINK and RE-EDUCATE! "

 Kate wrote on October 26, 2007 6:12 am:
" Hey John and Fred. Why not put this in your neighborhood? Pretty evident, "low income housing" what the city of lincoln thinks about the north bottoms. Thanks once again city council for ignoring us. You still haven't fixed the mess from the traffic of baseball we deal with. "

 Mrs. Johnson wrote on October 26, 2007 8:20 am:
" I was there and watched this hearing. I was sure the neighborhood had it locked up. That was up until the end and then the Urban Development director and Hoppe's brought the Planning Commission to tears. They have a November 30th deadline for funding! I was crying too! What will they do if they lose their 8.5 million in public money to build their project? They had to have approval that day so they can make it to and through city council before Nov 30th. How will they rush this through the council's three readings when there's only two meetings in November? They must have some pretty good connections at city hall??? "

 welfare wrote on October 26, 2007 8:24 am:
" This is welfare for the rich. And who'll be voting to approve this? Those who make the biggest fuss about welfare for the poor! "

 Ask John Spatz wrote on October 26, 2007 8:56 am:
" Why didn't the LJS ask City Councilman John Spatz about this development? Seems weird reporting to me... "

 Bob wrote on October 26, 2007 10:22 am:
" I hope the City Council takes a hard look at this, instead of fast-tracking this handout. Included in the Planning Commission's document package (and still on their website) is a letter from the former Urban Development Director, Marc Wullshleger, stating that the neighborhood association met with the developers and had no objections to the project. HORSEFEATHERS! - to put it diplomatically. This has all been crafted out of the public eye until the last minute, when it's presented as a done deal. "

 JK wrote on October 26, 2007 10:40 am:
" I wish I were smart enough to figure out how to get the federal government to pay $9,000,000 to build me a building to put poor and mentally ill people in and make me rich. "

 mad as heck wrote on October 26, 2007 2:15 pm:
" Jon & Robin will not allow this to fly through city council. They'll force the city to do a RFP as they should be. "

 Vera Mae wrote on October 26, 2007 4:45 pm:
" This project has all the hallmarks -- or should I say fingerprints -- of development Lincoln really needs: taxpayer funded, developers' greed, and city officials' stupidity. Who in their right mind would build anything let alone housing in a flood plain. And, we the citizens will get stuck with the bill, not once but twice. "

 Hoyt wrote on October 27, 2007 1:39 am:
" The Hoppes sat on this project for over TWO YEARS, yet they waited until the last possible moment to bring this before the planning commissioners, claiming that if this project wasn't allowed to move forward immediately, they would lose their only opportunity to apply for funding. Could it be that the Hoppes deliberately acted this way in order to create a false sense of crisis and to get officials to hurriedly cram this thing through the approval process? Could it be that the fewer questions anyone asked about this whole project the better? Could it be that if anyone had been given the opportunity to properly examine this proposal it very likely wouldn't have been approved so quickly or easily, if at all? To add gratuitous insult to injury, Landis closed his statements by implying that it was the North Bottoms residents who were trying to manipulate the system. He all but accused those residents of attempting to thwart this project by holding up its progress so that funding would be denied, when all any of the North Bottoms residents had actually asked for was that approval be delayed for a couple of weeks so that legitimate practical questions could be asked and answered. "

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