The City of Houston voted unanimously on Wednesday to send $2 million to Houston Land Bank and proceed with a voluntary relocation plan for several families living near a “cancer cluster” in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens.
This funding is part of a $5 million Voluntary Relocation Fund, which was approved last year under the administration of former Mayor Sylvester Turner. The aim is for the Land Bank to relocate community members to a different area if they choose to, away from the contaminated Union Pacific Rail Yard site, by renting homes or obtaining land and constructing new homes.
“This will be a complex process,” Turner had said earlier when he announced the formation of a strike team with health and housing officials, real estate experts, and community members to move people away from the contaminated site.
Around 40 Fifth Ward families, who are residing directly above the creosote plume, will be eligible for the program, which will cost roughly $40 million in total. However, the council members said only 10 households have opted for it.
Addressing distrust among Fifth Ward residents
Mayor John Whitmire said several residents of these areas expressed concerns about the relocation plan being an attempt to take up their land and gentrify the area. He also said there was a lot of misinformation about the process and more input was needed.
“They truly believe that their land is going to be worth more next year than it is today,” said Whitmire. “When you’re dealing with that kind of public sentiment from the homeowners, you’ve got a real challenge on your hands to get them to relocate.”
A community member said at the meeting that people “were confused about the message that was being given,” as they saw the city actively building new homes right next to a family which experienced the loss of a member. There is “a lot of confusion of a lack of trust,” she added.
Whitmire referred to the current development projects in the Fifth Ward area, including new street pavements, improvements to the METRO bus lines, and other commercial construction. He also said he’s waiting on the Environmental Protection Agency on additional testing on the site and will be meeting them to get an update. He has now put a freeze on new building permits.
Residents have been vocally expressing their need to have the site cleaned for years. The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) previously reported that the area surrounding the site had rates of cancer that were “significantly higher than expected.” The state health department labeled it a “cancer cluster” in 2019.
The Houston Health Department also conducted door-to-door surveys to gauge the sentiments and health insurance needs of residents living above the creosote plume, which formed the basis of the voluntary relocation program.
“The city of Houston is committed to Fifth Ward addressing the cancer cluster issue, environmental equality and to continue to work with all the levels of government and the private sector to make this a successful effort,” clarified Whitmire. “I think we also have to keep in mind the physical responsibility to all Houstonians that we’re using their money wisely.”
Council Member Tarsha Jackson, who represents the area, said the residents in the area have been dealing with this issue for “a couple of decades,” and welcomed the funding as a pathway to a solution.
The city claims it has tried to nudge the railyard owner Union Pacific along to help with the clean-up and relocation program. However, the company has not made any payments and is continuing to test the soil in the area.
“Union Pacific takes its environmental obligations seriously and is committed to working with the EPA and community on the site assessment process, including the railroad providing all necessary funding,” Clint Schelbitzki, assistant vice president of public affairs, said earlier. “The EPA’s order allows us to move as quickly as possible toward solutions and proactively communicate with residents, so they are fully informed as we move forward.”
In a recent statement, it said it is completing vapor testing near the Houston Wood Preserving Works site and finalizing soil testing plans, adhering to EPA guidelines.
Mistrust among Black families in the area
The Kinder Institute’s “Re-Taking Stock” report shows the evolution of gentrification in Harris County and Houston in the last two decades, which has impacted communities in demographic characteristics and housing development patterns.
Among the identified neighborhoods are four historically Black communities — Fifth Ward, Third Ward, Independence Heights, and Sunnyside.
Houston City Council Member Tiffany Thomas explained during the meeting a history of mistrust between the government and Black folk regarding land ownership.
She referred to Union General William T. Sherman’s issuance of Special Field Order 15, which confiscated as Union property a strip of coastline of roughly 400,000 acres that was to be redistributed to newly freed Black families in forty-acre segments. However, U.S. President Andrew Johnson overturned Sherman’s directive in 1865 and returned most of it to planters who originally owned the land.
“There’s a history, it’s documented, we know what it looks like,” Thomas said. “The only other alternative would have been eminent domain, and if we have eminent domain, it’s Black people’s land, right? The city would have split in fours. So this is a very sensitive topic.”
She said the history of mistrust has long been documented and believes that while the current administration or the next will not be able to bridge the gap, it will take years of diligence and consistency to make strides in this regard. She welcomed the efforts in the community, upon which several people are dependent.
“How much does a city need to invest in the neighborhood before they hit the tipping point?” Thomas asked during the meeting. “We have to marry the two of investing in a neighborhood that for decades has been divested.”
