Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As you may know from my flyers, webpage and knocking on your door, I am strongly against adding more high-density apartments in Nassau Bay.
I believe we need to aggressively address the conditions or repurpose the old apartments we already have.
During the i45 debate on April 18th, 2022, Mark Denman said, "As my years as Mayor, I never encouraged apartments.”
However, on Oct 27, 2020, the former City Manager Jason Reynolds and Planning Committee Chairman Roscoe Lee presented a proposal STRONGLY recommending new apartments next to Upper Bay and City Hall. See the rendition above and location of the developer for the 7 story complex.
In the video link below, the former City Manager Jason Reynolds said:
"The development and redevelopment of Nassau Bay is going to change the character of this city and we need to realize that... anything coming in is going to be higher and more compact and a little closer to the neighbor's yard and I know that doesn't fit to what the city was when it was established as a suburb... At this point we really are PART OF HOUSTON... we are quickly coming out of being a SUBURBAN COMMUNITY".
I could not disagree more on a comment like this.
While other members of Council and several citizens made remarks (including myself as a citizen at the time) refuting the above, Mark Denman did not make contrary comments in that meeting to this proposal or the above statements. I said in this meeting that the founding fathers of Nassau Bay incorporated our city in 1970 to do the exact opposite, which was to protect us from becoming Houston.
I believe that to this day.
On Nov 9, 2020 I was elevated to City Council and took the position immediately that any new apartments proposed to be built in Nassau Bay must go for a vote/referendum to the citizens. Others on Council agreed. This resulted in the apartment proposal to be tabled until Nov of 2022.
Unlike my opponent, I have serious objections to these new apartment proposals and will continue to do so as your Mayor. The zoning change proposal was made for the apartment projects identified and recommend by our former City Manager Jason Reynolds and strongly recommended by Roscoe Lee Chairman of the Planning Commission.
You can watch the video here of former City Manager Jason Reynolds talking about Nassau Bay is ‘'Houston" and accept that inevitability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRvL4sURKvk
The link below is Roscoe Lee’s Planning Committee Chairman presentation to Council on Oct 27, 2020. Roscoe said the Planning Commission recommended 7-0 to accept the apartment proposal and suggested we make these new apartments 'happen' and additionally just 2 weeks after the comprehensive plan with proposed future zoning was approved by the Mayor. This is wrong and not the direction we want for the City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxRAE_h1q4Y
Above is an excerpt from the slide show of the presentation given to Council.
I ask for your vote to help me maintain the character of the ‘Incomparable Nassau Bay’.
Thanks for your support and if you have any questions, please feel free to call me.
Phil Johnson
281-734-1074
