Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Grants may aid housing in Rockport, Mathis

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Tuesday, August 17, 1999

Grants may aid housing in Rockport, Mathis
State money is meant to help develop good properties with affordable rent
By Andrea Jares
Caller-Times

   New, low-cost housing is on the horizon for Rockport and Mathis now that the state has approved grants that help developers bring down the cost of rent.
   The 76-unit Sea Mist Apartments, is expected to break ground by the beginning of next year at 2210 Chaparel St. in Rockport, according to Archie Jones of Houston, general partner in Sea Mist Limited, which is developing the site.
   The 2- and 3-bedroom apartments will rent for between $358 and $503per month, Jones said.
   Representatives for the 66-unit Mariposa Gardens to be built in Mathis were unavailable for comment Monday.
   Companies who win the highly sought-after housing tax credits from the state are required to charge rent that targets renters earning 50 percent to 60percent of the median income because of the advantage of the tax credit.
   "It permits us to offer what we think is a superior product within the range of affordability," Jones said.
   The entire Texas coast south of Houston has a need for housing for below-median income earners, he said.
   "Rockport was selected because of the tremendous demand for affordable housing there," Jones said.
   The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs recently made an annual award of $21.4 million in federal housing tax credits that will be applied to 53 developments around the state.
   Jones said the project is expected to solicit bids in mid-September with a targeted completion date of year's end.
   Robstown subdivision
   Robstown could have a new 46home subdivision if the state grants funding for the streets, drainage and water lines. The City of Robstown, which applied for the grants, could receive a response back on the project before the end of September, said Gordon Anderson, spokesman for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, which awards the grants each year.
   The $380,000 grant is to build the infrastructure for a 46-home, 11-acre subdivision south of County Road 44 and east of Bauer Road, said Victor Gutierrez Jr, president of the Robstown Area Development Commission, which has been working on the grant.
   The homes are priced for affordability in the median income of the area. The homes will sell for between $55,000 and $75,000, Gutierrez said. The grant helps make them affordable by cutting about $8,200 per lot off the cost of the finished home.
   Brewing Co. starts to build
   The South Padre Island Brewing Co.-Corpus Christi has begun construction at its location at 405 N. Chaparral St., said owner Anthony Benson. When the bar is completed, it will be similar to the casual dining at Benson's other restaurant of the same name on South Padre Island.
   The centerpiece of the location will be a bar that stretches the length of the room and serves in-house specialty brews with names such as Speckled Trout Stout and Long Board Lager.
   Specialties will include seafood such as crab-stuffed flounder, and pizzas with toppings such as grilled quail, artichoke and feta cheese.
   Benson, who lives in Harlingen, decided to move into the former men's department of the Frost Bros. store because of the growth of downtown Corpus Christi nightlife.




On Real Estate is published every other Tuesday in the business section. Business writer Andrea Jares can be reached at 886-3678 or by e-mail at jaresa@caller.com

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