HOUSTON — The abandoned old Yellow Taxi Cab company property near Hardy and Hays streets is no more. The 3.2 acres it sits on are being transformed to meet the housing needs of the greater north side.
Money made available through the American Rescue Plan is helping bring in more than 100 affordable rental housing properties. People who live here say it's necessary as higher costs of living are pushing people out.
The walls are coming down at this old Yellow Taxi Cab building, but the demolition is making room for something better.
Diana Pfeifer has strong ties to the community and still lives there.
“We really need affordable housing here so this is a true blessing to the community,” Pfeifer said.
This step is clearing the way for 110 affordable multifamily rental housing units. With $7.3 million from the American Rescue Plan, and state and local fiscal funds. The Harris County Housing Finance Corporation is helping get it done.
“We’re gonna see a greater, healthier future for the area once this development is completed,” Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said.
“Project definitely addresses that. There’s clearly a need for more housing,” Harris County Housing Finance Corporation's Rene Martinez said.
Eighty percent of the units will be reserved for people earning 80% below the median income, allowing rental options to a range of income levels. It's a major change for a once vital property turned nuisance.
“It was attracting dumping, attracting rodents, significantly impacting the quality of life for the neighbors,” City Councilor Mario Castillo said. “And now we’re gonna have communities that can come in and settle and raise their families.”
Pfeifer said fear is a driving factor with rising rent costs as families face being priced out of their community.
“It is vital. It is life-sustaining. A lot of our people take a bus or a rail to work. So, living in this community is not just essential to having a house here it’s essential to how they live and earn a living,” Pfeifer said.
The Houston Land Bank will also be developing single-family homes on two other nearby lots to further expand housing accessibility here on the Near Northside.