Williamson County has submitted a lawsuit trying to find to avert the town of Austin from making use of a formerhotel on Pecan Park Boulevard to supply housing to people today who are homeless.
The Candlewood Suites hotel is in a part of Northwest Austin that is in Williamson County.
The lawsuit, submitted on Friday, asks for a momentary restraining buy and a momentary and lasting injunction from a nonprofit designed by the metropolis of Austin called AHFC Pecan Park PSH, in accordance to a Williamson County information release.
Building homeless housing at the lodge violates limits for the supposed use of the property, the release mentioned.
“The Williamson County Commissioners Court has been vocal in its opposition of the Metropolis of Austin’s misguided ideas and has engaged authorized counsel to advise the Commissioners Court docket on how best to aid the County Attorney’s Place of work and neighborhood citizens with opposing the City’s strategies,” the launch stated.
“In addition, the Commissioners Courtroom has discovered and funded a distinctive prosecutor to support the County Attorney’s Office environment in pursuing this lawsuit.”
The Austin Town Council accepted a $3.9 million agreement with Household Eldercare in May well to renovate the hotel, now identified as Pecan Gardens, into a area to residence men and women ages 55 and more mature enduring homelessness. The renovation will include staff workplace room, a redesign of the lobby to market protection and neighborhood collecting and landscape architecture.
“We have not nevertheless been served with the lawsuit, but we are aware that Williamson County has been looking at litigation for very some time,” mentioned Yasmeen Hassan, a spokesperson for the city of Austin.
“Through that time, soon after lots of neighborhood and stakeholder dialogue, the town has been transferring forward with methods to handle homelessness in the Central Austin Area. We are pleased to be moving ahead to set up a everlasting supportive housing facility in Williamson County and glimpse ahead to the operate that Eldercare will do to work the facility. Eldercare has experienced achievement with comparable projects and we are hopeful that our neighbors suffering from homelessness will shortly reward from the renovated facility and companies it will present.”
Dozens of citizens adjacent to the lodge and the total Commissioners Court docket objected when the metropolis of Austin used additional than $9 million on the lodge in August 2021, the release explained.
“The City of Austin carries on to clearly show comprehensive and utter disregard for the regulation, its neighbors, its citizens and community leaders as it barrels recklessly ahead with its options for the everlasting housing of the homeless at this spot in Williamson County,” said County Decide Bill Gravell. “The actions by the city of Austin have remaining no other choices than to go after authorized motion.”
Read: Williamson County asks metropolis of Austin to hold off conclusion on homeless resort
Study: Austin beefing up security at former Candlewood Suites just after breakins, burglaries
Pecan Gardens is the fourth hotel or motel the metropolis has bought to convert into homeless housing. The city’s intention is to purchase 10 hotels — one in each individual Metropolis Council district — to dwelling people going through homelessness.