Houston Requires Community Benefits for Development Subsidies

Houston's city council has voted to require a greater set of community benefits from development projects seeking public incentives.

Next City writer Jared Brey explains that in order to receive tax abatements, developments will have to make commitments in at least one of eight social impact categories, which range from the standard—local hiring, job training, public improvements, and affordable housing—to the creative, like participation in re-entry programs, paid internships for low-income students, and crime prevention through environmental design.

The new requirements represent a victory for a coalition of advocacy groups led by the Texas Organizing Project, which has long pressured the city to seek stronger social commitments from private partners. A recent audit from the controller's office echoed TOP's concerns, finding that the city often failed to follow up on commitments that did exist.