4K March 29, 2013 neighborsgo.

com News
The city of Heath will host the 2013
Heart of Heath 5KRun/Walk at 8:30a.m.
Saturday, kickingoff at City Hall, 200Lau-
rence Drive.
The event will take place rain or shine
and is open to all ages and athletic abili-
ties, fromthe casual walker or baby jogger
to the elite runner.
This year, the start and finish lines will
be chip timed, with participants wearing a
computer chip to time their progress from
the starting line to the finishline.
The course is certified by USA Track &
Field, the national governing body for
track and field, long-distance running and
race walking. Heart of Heath will be pro-
fessionally managedby the Rockwall Run-
ning Center.
Male and female race categories are di-
vided by age, with awards presented to the
top three in each class. The top runners
overall and over-40 masters winners will
also receive awards.
Newfive-year age brackets fromage 20
to70will be introducedat this years event.
The youth age brackets are under-11, 12-14
and15-19.
ADri-Fit T-shirt featuring the Heart of
Heath logo will be given to every partici-
pant while supplies last, and drawings will
take place after the race for door prizes do-
natedby local merchants.
Registrationis available online through
heathtx.com or in person at Heath City
Hall.The cost is $25 Friday and the morn-
ing of the race. The youth registration fee
is $10.
Pre-registration packet pick-up will be
from noon to 6 p.m. Friday at Rockwall
Running Center, 811 E. Yellow Jacket
Lane.
Packet pickup and registration at the
race will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, fol-
lowed by warm-up at 8:15 a.m. All pro-
ceeds fromtherunwill benefit Heathtrails
andparks.
For more information, call 972-771-
6228. A map of the route is available at
heathtx.com.
Information provided by Suzanne
Brooke withthe city of Heath.
HEART OF HEATH
Photo submitted by SUZANNE BROOKE
About 400 runners and walkers registered for the annual Heart of Heath 5K
Run/Walk in 2012.
Annual 5K run, walk
scheduled on Saturday
SUBMITTED STORY
Residents of the Caruth Lakes subdivi-
sion in Rockwall have vowed to fight a pro-
posedaffordable housingproject that would
be located near wetland along State High-
way 66 across from the Rockwall ISD ad-
ministrationbuilding.
Georgia-based developer NuRock Com-
panies plans to build 60zero-lot line homes
ona15-acre site andrent the units at below-
market rates tofamilies makingless than60
percent of the median income in Dallas. To
fundthe$11millionproject, NuRockhas ap-
plied for federal tax credits granted by the
Texas Department of HousingandCommu-
nity Affairs.
Youve done your market analysis,
youve done your traffic analysis, but you
missed the community analysis, Caruth
Lakes resident Gregg Bass toldthe develop-
er at a public meeting Tuesday that drew
more than150people. This land matters to
us, and we will do everything we can to op-
pose this.
Bass and other neighbors urged Rock-
wall residents to attend a public hearing
April 18 and to write representatives of the
housing agency and elected officials to dis-
courage approval of the tax credits.
I will make it a sport out of emailing
these people, said Bass, noting that hes
moving out of the neighborhood because of
his job, but that he cares about the commu-
nity.
Neighbors rallied Tuesday at J.W. Wil-
liams Middle School to listen to a presenta-
tionby DanAllgeier, senior vice president of
NuRock. He told them the development
would look like other neighborhoods in
Rockwall and house families that work in
the city.
Its not going to be a bad neighbor, All-
geier said. Its going to be a good neighbor.
There is a huge need for housing like this in
Rockwall.
Many neighbors cited the disturbance of
wetland, lack of public transportation and
infrastructure, NuRocks track record in
property management and poor communi-
cationwithcommunitymembers as reasons
tooppose the development. They pointedto
a news report fromAtlanta-based WSB-TV
about a rat infestation at a NuRock-owned
apartment complex, whichAllgeier saidwas
related to deficient municipal maintenance
of adrainage ditch.
Several residents at the forum said
theyre not against affordable housing in
Rockwall, but questioned the suitability of
the proposed site, part of which sits on a
floodplain.
Echoing some of his neighbors, Dallas
ISDteacher Edgar Pinilla said he moved to
Caruth Lakes because of the ecologically
rich greenbelt next door and the close-knit
atmosphere of the community there.
If I have to go to Austin to oppose this
project, I will, said Pinilla, who is originally
fromColombia.
Residents objections swayed the Rock-
wall Housing Authority earlier this week to
suspend its participation in the project, a
partnershipthat came to light at a Rockwall
City Council meeting March 4. RHAChair-
man Bruce Paton said there was a lack of
support from community members and
state and local officials, coupled with a
sprinkling of threats directed at those who
dosupport the project.
Mayor David Sweet said he was pleased
withthe housingauthoritys decision.
I hadconcerns about theproposedpart-
nership betweenthe Rockwall Housing Au-
thority and NuRock and the proposed loca-
tion of the project, as well as the decision of
the partnershipthat the additionof the new
housing in it should take priority over im-
proving the quality of the units that are
ownedandoperatedby the Rockwall Hous-
ing Authority, Sweet said in a prepared
statement.
The housing authoritys withdrawal
doesnt affect NuRocks application for tax
credits, though the developer would have
preferred to count with the local groups
long-terminvolvement, Allgeier said.
Residents have asked NuRock to walk
away from the project, but Allgeier said his
company will let its application stand. The
development is competing along with 17
others in its region for a total of $10 million
in tax credits, though applicants have re-
quested$23.5millioninallocations.
NuRock abandoned earlier plans to
build low-income housing in Wylie because
funding didnt come through, Allgeier said.
If tax credits are denied for the Rockwall
project, the company will reevaluate.
Its not cheap, but its alsonot unusual to
makethesameapplicationmorethanonce,
Allgeier said. In this instance, it will be a
business decision well make when the time
comes, if the time comes.
Rockwall/Rowlett editor JulietaChiquil-
locanbe reachedat 469-330-5671.
Neighbors challenge affordable housing project
CARUTH LAKES
By JULIETA CHIQUILLO
jchiquillo@neighborsgo.com
PUBLICHEARING
What: Publiccomment on2013
HousingTaxCredit Program
applications
When: 6p.m. April 18
Where: J. ErikJonssonCentral
Library, 1515YoungSt., Dallas
Moreinfo: Theapplicationnumber
for NuRocks project inRockwall,
calledResidences at CaruthLake, is
13090. Visit tdhca.state.tx.us.