by Nicole Bradford
Pearland City Council on Monday quashed a plan to replace a retirement community with more apartments in Pearland’s Ivy District.
The developer, American Modern Green, requested an amendment in the planned development from Pearland City Council, stating that building continuing care living units for seniors is no longer feasible.
“These guys keep coming to us with these grand plans — do part of it and they come back and say it’s no longer viable,” said Councilman Rushi Patel, one of five members who voted down the amendment. “(City Council) would not have approved this eight years ago if they had shown 800 apartments.”
Councilman Tony Carbone, who was on the council when the development was approved, agreed with Patel.
“If it had been brought to us with two blocks of multifamily and some townhomes, I don’t know it would have gotten approved back then,” he said. “I struggle with this one.”
Located at the southeast corner of Spectrum Boulevard and Ivy Park Terrace, the Ivy District is on a planned Waterlights District site that never came to fruition. A planned development for the Ivy District was approved in 2016.
Tract No. 1 of the development currently has apartments under construction. The plan for Tract No. 2 called for 366 retirement and continuing care living units.
Granting the amendment to the plan wouldn’t physically change it, said DJ Blanchard, a multifamily consultant with Sueba USA, “just the people who live within it.”
Still, concerns included that the developer had never intended to build the retirement living units. Some expressed concern that the developer may also want to change a planned retail and office component to multifamily.
“That’s not even on the radar,” said consultant Stephen Ritchey.
Council members Clint Byrom and Tony Carbone cast the only votes in favor of the amendment.
As it stands, the developer has not been able to find a partner for the retirement residential and continuing care units.
“I questioned at the time, and I question now the viability of that in this marketplace,” Mayor Kevin Cole said. “I understand the concern, but I certainly don’t think anybody is trying to do a bait and switch.”
