No, no, and there are no developers.
Posted on 02/10/2005 9:59:32 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Developers would face new rules
AUSTIN - Third-world-like conditions that exist in Nueces County and other parts of South Texas in colonias could come closer to being eradicated if a new bill becomes law.
Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, filed a bill Wednesday seeking to end the construction of colonias, which are underdeveloped neighborhoods which are usually past paved roads and in patches of land without municipal water and sewer lines.
"We have colonias with no running water, no drainage, no septic tanks. And when it rains, it floods," said Hinojosa, who represents Nueces County. "People cannot get out of the house. Kids cannot go to school, and you have health problems associated with this."
The bill's two-pronged approached would allow Nueces County to receive state and federal grants that have historically been reserved for border communities, and it would put demands on developers.
Under the legislation, developers must get a plat, a legal document approved by Nueces County commissioners, that includes a map of a subdivided property to ensure adequate roads, sewage, drainage, water and other necessities.
Senate Bill 425 is based on codes that have allowed Hidalgo County officials to force developers to meet accepted municipal standards for water, wastewater and solid waste, Hinojosa said.
And if Hinojosa's bill becomes law, developers won't find it as easy to take advantage of people with low income and create neighborhoods that look like third world countries with little economic development, he said.
State Rep. Vilma Luna, D-Corpus Christi, state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, and state Rep. Gene Seaman, R-Corpus Christi, attended Hinojosa's news conference to show support for the bill.
Nueces County Commissioners Peggy Banales and Betty Jean Longoria also attended and thanked Hinojosa for his efforts.
"This will give us the teeth we needed," Longoria said.
Some of the available grant money that Nueces County could receive may help pay for cleaning up some of the roughly 50 existing South Texas colonias, according to Hinojosa's staff.
So, far Hinojosa's bill has not garnered any vocal opposition.
Contact Tim Eaton at 512-334-6642 or eatont@scripps.com
No that is not the idea. It is an attempt to turn south texas into a "little Mexico". Squatters in other words.
Uh, don't these areas have zoning and building code ordinances? Fine the heck out of the developers.
Better idea: Since most of the people in the colonias are ILLEGALS, why don't we call in INS, the Border Patrol and Los Diablos Tejanos (that's the Texas Rangers for those of you in Rio Houston) AND SEND THEM BACK TO MEXICO!
colony
It seems illegal immigration has other negative consequences.
Colonia Ping!
No, no, and there are no developers.
Isn't that the point? It's a "No Controlling Legal Authority" situation.
They're building these things sometimes without bothering to check for oil and gas pipelines which are thick in the area. Naturally, when they blow themselves up, they'll get a jury of their peers to make the oil companies pay millions of dollars.
Is there no controlling legal authority, are is there authority, but those in authority are too cowardly to enforce the law? It's just a guess, but I'd bet most of those squatters are in this country illegally. Why isn't the INS clearing those places out?
Illegal immigration clearly results in the importation of poverty.
are = or
The article mentions flooding? That place pretty damn dry to me.
The colonia I visited South Texas was built in the middle of a cotton field, had dirt streets (if you could call them streets), houses built from household goods packing crates, no window glass in the houses, and no one spoke English. This colonia was the product of illegal immigrants not any developer.
Muleteam1
Whoa! and that is their idea of "better than mexico"? That IS mexico!
looks. It looks pretty damn dry to me.
I was responding to this comment in the article: "The bill's two-pronged approached would allow Nueces County to receive state and federal grants that have historically been reserved for border communities, and it would put demands on developers."
I have mixed feelings about this. For public safety ,septic systems should be in place but if I want to rough it on my raw land that should be my business.
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