An apartment complex in southwest Houston that has faced repeated flooding since the 1960s and will be demolished and used as a 6-acre green space and detention site to prevent further flooding in the Westbury area is in the process of moving its residents.

The sale of the property to the city of Houston was finalized in June. Houston City Council first approved the purchase, at a cost of $11.1 million, in November. Residents of the 132-unit Spring Village apartment complex at 11810 Chimney Rock will be moved out over the next 12 months with assistance from Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department.

In an email, Jean Gould, the department's deputy assistant director of policy and communications, said the department is overseeing several aspects of this project, including hiring developers to demolish and redesign the property.

“Once the relocation and demolition phases are complete, we will work with Houston Public Works to determine the best design for the property,” Gould said.

Relocating the residents will cost the city an estimated $1.5 million, with design and air monitoring, abatement, and demolition estimated to cost $120,000, $1.2 million, and $450,000, respectively.

Because the relocation and design processes can vary, the city of Houston has not set a definitive completion date for the entire project, Gould said.

The project is paid for through the city’s Multifamily Voluntary Buyout program, funded through $23.5 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding made available in response to 2016 flooding events. The grant was provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in a process overseen by the Texas General Land Office.

Spring Village will join the Boardwalk Apartments, 9100 Fondren Road, as new detention sites funded solely through the Multifamily Voluntary Buyout program. The Boardwalk Apartments site was purchased for just over $1 million.

Another property, a 4.4-acre lot at 5312 Clarewood Drive, will also be turned into a detention site that will replace the Monticello Square apartment complex. Unlike the Spring Village and Boardwalk Apartments properties, the $14 million buyout uses funding from both the Multifamily Voluntary Buyout and the Harvey Buyout Program.

Meanwhile, Spring Village residents needing assistance can contact relocation specialist Karen Murrell; residents have been encouraged to reach out to either Murrell or the housing and community development department at 832-394-6200 or via email at [email protected].