EDINBURG, RGV – A new 128-room affordable housing complex, to be known as The Heights, is set to be constructed in the city of Edinburg.
The new contemporary garden-style apartment community will offer one, two and three-bedroom rental units. Of the 128 units, 110 will be for families earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income, while the remaining 18 units will be available at market rate. Nine of the units will be set aside for persons with disabilities.
The project is to co-developed by Casa Linda Development Corporation of Dallas, Texas and Highridge Costa Companies based in Gardena, California.
To finance the development, The Heights was awarded $1,432,741 annually over a 10-year period in tax credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The Housing Tax Credit Program creates housing opportunities for working families by offering tax credits to investors.
Details about the project were unveiled at a “virtual” groundbreaking ceremony at Edinburg City Hall. The event could not be held at the site of the project – on the southwest corner of South Raúl Longoria Road and East Wisconsin Road – because of heavy rain.
Mayor Pro Tem Richard Molina was at the “virtual” groundbreaking ceremony. Molina said Edinburg needs more of these types of housing development.
“With the additional 128 units, people wanting to move to Edinburg now have more choices and we are excited about that,” Molina said. “People that want to come and live in Edinburg will now have more options thanks to this housing development.”
Molina said the population of Edinburg has grown 19 percent since the 2010 Census. “We anticipate that it will continue to grow with the excitement of the new school, UTRGV,” he said.
Michael Costa, president and CEO of Highridge Costa Companies, said residency at The Heights is open to anyone making 50 percent of the average median income in the Hidalgo County, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“The residents are qualified based on income qualifications, credit, and criminal background check. Once they clear those and units are available, then they are able to move into the unit based on their income level,” Costa said. “There is no restriction as to who qualifies within the community.”
Costa explained the rationale behind working with Casa Linda. “We complete very much in partnerships and we worked with Casa Linda Development Company because they understand the politics, they understand the needs. We thought it would be much more beneficial to partnership with other states. We’re very grateful and very fortunate to be a part of this team.”
Mohannad H. Mohanna, president of Highridge Costa Development Company, said the housing The Heights will include starting rents for a one-bed room at $224 per month, a two-bedroom unit at $262 a month, and a three-bedroom unit at $296 a month.
“It is everyone’s right to have quality housing in an environment that promotes the growth of families, that promotes the ability to save, to be able to have some of those extra funds to provide for their children, rather than not looking at the majority of their income towards housing payment or rental payment or mortgage payment,” Mohanna said.
Linda Brown, co-founder of Casa Linda Developing Corporation, said: “We are thrilled to combine our Texas multi-discipline expertise with one of the leading national affordable housing companies to develop The Heights.”
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ border field representative, Yesenia Ayala, is in charge of overseeing the tax credit for those applying for a housing unit at The Heights. Ayala said colonia residents could benefit from the housing opportunities at The Heights. “The reason being that we’ve seen this before, where these developments come up. We have some of those families that come and live in these types of properties and their lives change. Their lives are transformed,” Ayala told the Rio Grande Guardian.
Edinburg construction passes $152 million from January through July 2016
Acccording to Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, the building permit for work at The Heights is valued at $9,430,920. This does not include the value of the land and other amenities for the affordable housing development. The total value of The Heights is estimated at $19 million.
In a news release, Edinburg EDC listed The Heights as the top construction project in Edinburg for July 2016. Others of note included:
$2,800,000 – Edinburg Village Apartments, 701 S. 4th Avenue, Maverick Subdivision;
$960,000 – Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, 1202 N. Monmack Rd., Tex-Mex Subdivision; and
$379,259 – South Texas Independent School District, 510 S. Sugar Rd., Tex-Mex Subdivision.
Edinburg EDC reported that construction and related building activities in Edinburg from January through July 2016 have passed the $152 million level, with the month of July 2016 accounting for almost $21 million of that amount.
Combined, building permits from January through July 2016 were issued for work valued at $152,426,011 compared with $78,554,684 for the same seven months in 2015. During July 2016, building permits for work valued at $20,681,153 were issued by the city, compared with $13,330,130 in July 2015.
The top categories in Edinburg year-to-date (January through July 2016), totaling $131,744,858, were:
$56,692,060 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$33,958,883 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$29,809,085 – Commercial New Construction;
$22,523,804 – Commercial Alterations;
$5,000,021 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$3,413,758 – Residential Alterations; and
$1,028,400 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine.)
The top categories in Edinburg during July 2016, totaling $20,681,153, were:
$14,165,120 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$4,071,753– Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$1,661,759 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$480,871 – Residential Alterations;
$256,650 – Commercial Alterations;
$45,000 – Commercial New Construction; and
$0 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine).
The top categories in Edinburg from January through July 2015, totaling $78,554,684, were:
$25,396,282 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$22,062,622 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$12,258,728 – Commercial New Construction;
$10,011,285 – Commercial Alterations;
$4,909,356 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$3,916,411 – Residential Alterations; and
$0 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine).
The top categories in Edinburg during July 2015, totaling $13,330,130, were:
$6,068,106 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$3,126,145 – Commercial New Construction;
$2,131,770 – Commercial Alterations;
$1,267,156 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$691,953 – Residential Alterations;
$45,000 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); and
$0 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine).
The Edinburg EDC news release said that, according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department, 34 single-family residences were approved for construction in July 2016, compared with 45 single-family residences during the same month in 2015. The news release also stated that:
Year-to-date (January through July 2016), building permits were issued for 257 single-family residences, valued at $33,958,883, compared with 182 single family residences, valued at $25,396,282 from January through July 2015.
For the month of July 2016, building permits were issued for 58 additions/remodels of single-family residences, compared with 52 in July 2015.
Year-to-date (January through July 2016), building permits were issued for 431 additions/remodels of single-family residences, valued at $3,413,758, compared with 347 additions/remodels of single family residences, valued at $3,916,411, from January through July 2015.
Multi-family residences – which range from two-unit duplexes to complexes of five or more units – totaled 30 buildings, representing 155 units, valued at $14,165,120, approved for construction in July 2016, compared with no multi-family residences in July 2015.
Year-to-date (January through July 2016), building permits were issued for 172 multi-family residences, representing 810 units, valued at $56,692,060, compared with 30 multi-family residences, representing 63 units, valued at $4,909,356, from January through July 2015.
