The owners of 13 apartment complexes are seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the cancellation of contracts that would displace “countless families”.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Housing Authority was in court Tuesday in a Nueces County lawsuit that claims the agency violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when it proposed canceling dozens of low-income housing agreements.
The case raises questions about whether those agreements were approved legally, as Corpus Christi continues to face a shortage of affordable housing.
The owners of 13 apartment complexes are seeking a temporary restraining order. They are asking a judge to stop the Housing Authority from voiding more than 50 housing agreements, arguing that canceling the contracts could displace countless families.
The contracts in question were approved by a previous board. The deals allowed portions of existing apartment complexes to be designated as low-income housing in exchange for removing those properties from the tax rolls.
Jeff Lehrman, who represents the Housing Authority, said Tuesday’s hearing focused on two main issues: asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit and addressing a temporary restraining order that blocks the Housing Authority from taking further action.
“Today was a plea on two things. We filed a plea of jurisdiction asking the court to basically dismiss this lawsuit that the developers brought against the housing authority because they don’t have subject matter jurisdiction so they can’t bring these affirmative claims against us,” he said.
Apartment managers have said that canceling the agreements could have long-term consequences for families across the city.