Developers resurface plans for debated South Overton student housing project

Alex Driggars, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
This rendering shows a proposed student apartment complex near 14th Street and Avenue X, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.
This rendering shows a proposed student apartment complex near 14th Street and Avenue X, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.

Less than a year after rejecting a controversial student housing project in a historic central Lubbock neighborhood, the city council will take up the matter again later this month following the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation of the project in a recent meeting.

Landowner Thomas Kenneth Abraham and architecture firm Parkhill are seeking a zoning change from medium-density residential to high-density residential for a series of lots between 14th and 15th streets at Avenue X, on the western edge of the South Overton neighborhood and just east of Texas Tech.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the change request 5-2, though the city council will have the final say.

More: Lubbock City Council votes to reject proposed South Overton student housing project

If the zoning change is approved, developer Parallel plans to build a 671-bed student housing complex on the property. The city council denied a zoning change for a similar project at that location in August last year amid concerns from nearby homeowners about traffic, parking, crime and other safety issues.

The most recent iteration of the project's plans includes a few significant changes from last year's version, Parallel representatives said.

This rendering shows a proposed student apartment complex near 14th Street and Avenue X, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.
This rendering shows a proposed student apartment complex near 14th Street and Avenue X, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.
This rendering shows the structure as originally proposed in July 2023.
This rendering shows the structure as originally proposed in July 2023.

The proposed concrete-and-brick building would be 75 feet tall, down from the 94 feet originally pitched. The new design scraps plans for a rooftop pool and the façade has been changed to better fit in with surrounding properties, the developer said.

Plans also show the bed count reduced by about 35, and around 25 more parking spaces in a 570-car garage.

Of the 99 properties within 400 feet of the proposed zoning change, owners of 29 of the properties responded favorably to the city's notification of the change; representatives for 17 others indicated opposition. Abraham's signature appeared on 26 of the favorable replies.

Abraham did not speak at the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, but wrote in his notification response he believes the development will boost the area's walkability, the city's tax base and the local economy.

"The next three years will bring (thousands) of high-paying construction jobs to central Lubbock. Rental income from these construction employees helps property owners in South Overton," Abraham wrote. "This development will be great for recruiting when prospective students see walkable brand-new modern housing options with covered parking right across the street from campus."

But many of the same South Overton residents that fought the change initially continue to voice their opposition to the project, including Tonja Hagy-Valdine, who led nearby residents in pushing back against the development last year.

In this file photo, South Overton resident Tonja Hagy-Valdine speaks in opposition to a zoning change to build a large student housing complex Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 at a Lubbock City Council meeting.
In this file photo, South Overton resident Tonja Hagy-Valdine speaks in opposition to a zoning change to build a large student housing complex Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 at a Lubbock City Council meeting.
This map shows the location and current zoning of a proposed student housing development, outlined in black, in the South Overton neighborhood, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.
This map shows the location and current zoning of a proposed student housing development, outlined in black, in the South Overton neighborhood, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2.

"It's a little suspect that we are revisiting the same zoning less than a year later," Hagy-Valdine said in the public hearing. "As of right now, it is no more appropriate for this neighborhood than it was in June, July, August of last year."

"This is a beautiful development," she continued. "You are developing on the backs of the residents that live there. We are not opposed to development … all we're asking is that (Abraham) develops within the standards that (the city) has set forth."

The Board of Trustees of St. John's United Methodist Church, which is responsible for the property of the church located just south of the site, also oppose the change. Church representatives said they are concerned with parking and traffic, safety and the impact of pets on their nearby greenspace.

"We believe that there may be an impact on the access to first responders and emergency vehicles in the neighborhood, a neighborhood which, by the way, is home to our pastor and his young family," Jeff Watson told commissioners on behalf of the church.

The city council is expected to vote on the change on first reading May 28. If approved at that meeting, a second reading would take place June 11.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Debated South Overton student housing project back on agenda

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