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Tuesday, May. 11, 1999

Townhouses planned in Calallen

Development could eventually expand to 92 units within three years

By ANDREA JARES
Staff Writer

   Families searching for moderately priced homes close to Calallen schools and shopping may not have to look much longer.
   A new development by Chuck Sebbert Builder Inc. will introduce townhomes starting at $97,000. The site is a 2.56-acre tract at 13661 Teague Lane in the heart of the Calallen shopping area and within blocks of the high school and elementary schools.
   The first leg of the project is 23 units of single-story four- and five-plexes that will cost $2.5 million to develop. Expansion onto two more lots is under negotiation with land owner Bhanukant Patel that could eventually bring the project to 92 units in the next three years.
   The two- and three-bedroom homes will have two baths, two-car garages, covered porches and either covered patios or enclosed privacy-garden areas. Buyers can choose from three floor plans. All homes will have fireplaces and prewiring for security.
   Construction will begin Wednesday on the first fourplex of the first phase set to open in September.
   Chuck Sebbert, owner of the construction company, said the RiverCrest townhomes are needed because of a lack of single-family housing in the area. This is because land in the Calallen area either has a large number of industrial pipes that crisscross the area or does not have proper drainage or is too expensive to build moderately priced homes.
   William Hulsey, senior vice president of lender Charter Bank Northwest, said townhomes offer the same living space at a more affordable price because there is more living density on the land.
   "Since townhomes use land much more efficiently, you can build a reasonably priced townhome right in the heart of the community, literally across the street from schools and shopping at a very competitive price," he said.
   He said the homes will be most popular with first-time homebuyers, buyers who don't want the responsibility of a lawn, and empty-nesters who want smaller homes.
   Steve Dean, owner of Calallen Realty Co., which will sell the property, said townhomes on the south side of Corpus Christi have been selling very well.
   "There's no reason why we can't do that here," Dean said.
   The homes are owned by Sebbert, former Corpus Christi mayor Ronnie Sizemore and his son Jeff Sizemore.
   A townhome association will handle the upkeep of the exterior of the homes, the grounds maintenance and pay the water bill.
   

Carino's for new mall

   The tenants at the $12 million South Coast Plaza Mall will include restaurant Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen, said David Cottrell the Houston-based developer of the site.
   The 6,500-square-foot building will be located on one of the pad sites in the mall parking lot at 1730 S. Padre Island Drive. The $1.8 million building will have a tropical feel to it.
   The family restaurant serves moderately priced Italian food. The restaurant specializes in pasta dishes, including "Skilletini," which is spaghetti with sausage or shrimp served with marinara sauce on a hot fajita plate.
   The restaurant is owned by Adalla Abdahah and Creek Ford, both of Austin, under the name Fired Up Inc.
   When the restaurant opens by the end of 1999 it will employ 75 people.
   Other contracts recently sealed include a 23,000-square-foot MacFrugal's discount store, 8,200-square-foot Dollar Plus, and a 1,200-square-foot Subway. The mall will also include a McDonald's.
   Thirty-thousand square feet remain to be leased.
   Cottrell canceled a previously announced 40,000-square-foot mall planned in Alice. A 50,000-square-foot mall in Kingsville is still planned for construction late this summer. It will employ 60 people when completed.
   Business writer Andrea Jares can be reached at 886-3678 or by e-mail at jaresa@caller.com. On Real Estate is published every other Tuesday. Items of interest can be faxed to 886-3732 for consideration.

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  © 1999 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.