Mark Holan. Galveston Daily News. January 15, 1997
Galveston-New tenant rules at Independent Missionary Village Apartments in Hitchcock will help reduce unreasonable evictions, attorney Stephen C. McIntyre said.
McIntyre and attorneys representing the 72-unit federally subsidized apartment complex agreed Friday to settle a lawsuit filed last January.
Among changes for residents are:
- Elimination of unannounced inspections.
- Modification of rules for decorating apartments, especially during holidays.
- Elimination of automatic charges for damage to common areas by unknown vandals.
McIntyre has settled similar cases against Sandpiper Cove Apartments in Galveston and Colonial Park and Wood Hollow Place apartments in Texas City during the past 18 months.
All the apartments, including Missionary Village are subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“The settlement(s)…will help ensure that poor families will not be evicted for violating an unreasonable rule,” McIntyre said.
He estimated 332 families, or probably more than a 1,000 residents, live in the four HUD-subsidized apartment complexes.
McIntyre is a staff attorney for Gulf Coast Legal Foundation which represents the legal interests of indigent Galveston County residents.
Judge Frank Carmona was expected to sign the order in the 122nd District Court.
Stephen C. McIntyre 