No progress on initiative to remake blighted Hobby area? Declare victory and move on!

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Remember back in 2006 when Mayor Bill White’s new Housing Czar David Mincberg (another successful BUSINESSMAN, we were told), announced with great fanfare that through various funding sources, the city would be overseeing a $35 million investment in renovating apartments surrounding Hobby Airport?

Then-Councilmember Carol Alvarado was giddy about the expected cleanup of the blighted area:

“When you’re driving either to or from Hobby you kind of just put your eyes over your head until you get to 45,” said City Councilwoman in Dist. I, Carol Alvarado.

Indeed.

And who better to lead the charge than David Mincberg, as Mike Snyder reported for the Chronicle:

Jerry Winograd, president of the Houston Apartment Association, said some developments experienced multiple foreclosures that led to a cycle of neglect and degradation. And in recent years, he said, apartment owners have been hard-pressed to pay for maintenance as rents have decreased while costs such as insurance and utilities increased.

After briefing the City Council on the plan, Mincberg explained it to about 200 apartment industry leaders in a luncheon speech. Winograd said the industry is supporting the effort in part because it is led by Mincberg, a longtime apartment industry executive.

“It was a brilliant move on the mayor’s part to bring in an industry person to run the program,” Winograd said.

Unfortunately, as Paul Knight reports for the Houston Press Hair Balls blog, that $35 million revamp of the Hobby area never materialized, so putting one’s eyes over one’s head, as Miss Alvarado put it, is still the norm.

It’s not that surprising, since David Mincberg seemed to have trouble following through on running the city’s housing programs like a business, ultimately resigning to run for county judge (unsuccessfully) and leaving projects and initiatives unfinished.

Always positive about their man’s record, Mayor Bill White’s press shop nonetheless asserts that the program has achieved great things:

Frank Michel, the mayor’s spokesman, tells Hair Balls that the program has been a success, increasing affordable housing in the city and improving neighborhoods. He adds, “The failure to do any particular project doesn’t mean the program or overall philosophy failed. We also have to take into consideration the concerns of the neighborhood.”

They promised to revamp and remake the Hobby area, so it does mean that part of the program (half of it, actually) failed. But if there has been success in Fondren Southwest (the other area initially targeted by the initiative), we’d love to hear about it. Maybe Mike Snyder will even follow up with a report in the big newspaper (not the tiny Monday or Tuesday editions)!

Back in 2006, the Chronicle editorial board (then known as Mrs. White) concluded their praise of this initiative as follows:

Interim city housing director David Mincberg makes the case that upgrading these acres of apartment blocks will attract more stable tenants, reduce crime and spark new business development. If successful, the program could strengthen the tax base and bring higher tax collections….

However the plan is structured, it must receive careful oversight to ensure that it does not join the ranks of past city housing projects that have crashed in embarrassments of wasteful spending, fraud and mismanagement. Mincberg has had significant success with his private sector real estate ventures. His appointment to this housing post brings a measure of confidence that such a large-scale, publicly funded apartment renovation plan can achieve its goals.

As it turns out, the blogHOUSTON prediction was a little closer to the truth:

In any case, it’s almost certain there will be no careful consideration of this latest, greatest program to help the poor in Houston. And it’s just as nearly certain that we’ll be discussing all sorts of allegations of fraud and non-performance related to the program in a few years.

Well, at least there was no fraud in the Hobby part of the program — just non-performance.

Speaking of non-performance — David Mincberg, who got so distracted during his stint as Mayor White’s housing czar, was recently rewarded by hizzoner with an appointment to the board of the Houston Housing Authority. Isn’t it neat how failure leads to bigger and better things (and, no doubt, more business opportunities!) if you know the right people in Houston?

You might even call it The Houston Way.

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Kevin Whited is co-founder and publisher of blogHOUSTON. Follow him on twitter: @PubliusTX