Developer Brett Smith, left, and Groves Planning and Zoning Commission member Craig Plokhooy address council on Monday. (Mary Meaux/The News)

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GROVES — Groves City Council has granted a specific use permit to a developer seeking to build luxury apartments at the site of a former hospital.

The permit was granted to Brett Smith during Monday night’s meeting. The permit allows him to move forward with the project which includes submitting site development building plans.

Several audience members expressed concern about the construction of the apartments and how it would affect everything from drainage and traffic to privacy issues to possible crime as well as concerns the developer would turn the apartments over for government housing in the future.

Groves resident Dawn Buffington contacted residents neighboring the property to inform them of the issue. Some of them, she said, had received notices regarding the apartments but did not understand the 200 feet zoning regulation. A public hearing recently where she was the only one who spoke against the issue, she said. She penned a letter to council explaining the views of the residents who are in opposition to the project and included their signatures. 

“First and foremost, the proposed development is simply too large for our area. The increase in population density would put a strain on our already overburdened infrastructure, leading to increased traffic congestion, noise pollution and strain on our public services,” Buffington said. “The type of housing being proposed is simply not in keeping with the character of our neighborhood, this development would bring in many residents, which could lead to increased crime rates and other negative social effects. We are deeply concerned about the impact this development would have on property values in the area.”

Another concern is that the apartments would be in the city of Groves but in the Port Arthur Independent School District zone, which is something that might deter people from renting thus leading to the decline in occupancy. A decline in occupancy could in turn lead the developer to turn the property into low income apartments per comments at the meeting. Several residents voiced the concern of government housing and possible crime associated with that. 

Maddie Bearden said she is one of the people who didn’t understand what the issue was about at first. 

“I realized that the apartments are being advertised as luxury apartments, and I don’t believe that this area has the income base to support that for any extended period of time. Farnham Park (apartments) started out as luxury apartments, and they are now Section 8,” Bearden said, adding the names of several other apartment complexes that started as luxury and are now Section 8 or HUD housing.

Bearden cited the amount of crime at the HUD/low income housing apartments where shootings occur in broad daylight. As a homeowner Bearden does not want to move.

“I came to this neighborhood because it was nice and peaceful and quiet and my home is paid for. I don’t want to move, but I don’t want to live in the middle of crime central,” she said.

Brett Smith brought visuals — large photos of the former Doctor’s Hospital at 5500 39th St. which has been vacant for more than a decade and renderings of the project called The Cove at Groves which will have more than 200 units. 

According to information from the developer the apartments are non-HUD subsidized and are privately funded and developed. All apartments are a minimum of 1,000-square fee, one to three bedrooms and priced in the range of $1,600 per month and up depending on square footage.

City leaders see the project as a positive for Groves. The hospital and adjacent doctors offices have been vacant for years and attract vagrants and vermin. Mayor Chris Borne said the city has been concerned with the old hospital since before he got on council in 2018. The answer has always been “the city does not own the hospital. We can’t do anything with it,” he said.

In addition the city did not have the funds to demolish the hospital. 

But now, when the city needs financial help, there comes a developer with the money to tear it down and build something that will bring substantial income to the city, he said. At one time the property tax for the site brought in $6,491. That dropped to $1,734 per year.

With estimated values for everything from trash to sales tax and more the project has the potential to bring in $377,000 for the city, Borne said.

Some residents voiced concern over privacy with having the two-story apartment’s windows overlook nearby homes. Borne noted that there are two-story homes all around the city that overlook other people’s property. 

Borne, along with councilmembers Mark McAdams and Brandon Holmes were in favor of the development. 

At the end of the meeting after the specific use permit was approved, Borne spoke of the decision saying it was not an easy decision for him. His first instinct, he said, was to say “absolutely not” for fear of what had happened in the past and why the ordinance for no multi-family zoning was brought in 2005 or 2006. But with research and in communicating with Smith and the city manager, Borne felt more comfortable. 

“We don’t always get to make exciting decisions that everybody jumps for joy, but I believe this is one that was required, and it’s going to make some people mad, and I understand that, but I believe it is for the betterment of this city, and I will continue to make hard decisions, and I know I’m going to make people mad, and that’s okay, because I think this was best,” he said.