Houston City Council OKs $11.4 million apartment buyout for Westbury flood mitigation

An apartment complex in Southwest Houston that has faced repeated flooding since the 1960s will be demolished and used as a 6-acre greenspace and detention site to prevent further flooding in the Westbury area.

“The homes in this area are homes that have flooded at least 10 times,” said Martha Castex-Tatum, vice mayor pro tem and District K City Council member, who represents the area. “I am ecstatic to see we are purchasing this apartment complex to alleviate the anxiety and nervousness that these residents feel.”

Houston City Council approved the $11.4 million buyout Nov. 18 of the Spring Village Apartments complex at 1180 Chimney Rock Road, Houston.

Houston Housing and Community Development Department officials told council members during a June meeting that the city will fund and facilitate relocations of tenants. The buyout funding comes from a round of disaster recovery dollars allocated to the city after the 2016 Tax Day Flood.

The project comes on the heels of several similar efforts in the Westbury area that local residents have been advocating for. In the last year, the city has approved a $1.4 million land purchase for the Spellman Detention Basin as well as the $3.4 million purchase of a former Shell Oil Co. property to expand the network of basins that form the Willow Waterhole.

Editor's note: this article has been updated to list the correct city department involved in the land purchase.