Brazoria County district attorney Jeri Yenne said last week that her office will likely begin a criminal investigation into allegations that letters were forged to indicate public support for a low-income apartment complex proposed near Pearland.
The project, if approved, would be eligible for funding from a tax-exempt multifamily bond issue.
About 130 letters stating support for the development were submitted to the Pearland school district, the state housing agency, Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, and Rep. Glenda Dawson, D-Pearland.
Many of the letters were typewritten and contained the same wording and format, with different signatures, and some appeared to have been signed by the same person. One of the letters was supposedly signed by a former resident of a nearby subdivision who died nine years ago.
"This would appear to significantly taint any hearing process conducted in this regard," Yenne wrote in a letter to Dawson. "It also raises a concern regarding complaints I have received to initiate a criminal investigation concerning the state's process in this regard. I am requesting that you contact the appropriate officials and request a new hearing."
The proposed project is a 246-unit apartment complex on 16 acres of land on Fite Road, a busy thoroughfare about 50 yards west of the city limits of Pearland.
Opponents of the project say it would increase traffic on Fite Road and burden area infrastructure.
The Travis County district attorney is also investigating the alleged forgery.
