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Tuesday, Mar. 2, 1999

First National Bank using Mexican designs

McKinzie Road facility will be first of 5 in Corpus Christi for the Edinburg-based bank

By ANDREA JARES
Staff Writer

   Edinburg-based First National Bank is looking south of the border for inspiration for the look of the $2 million bank it is building at 3306 McKinzie Road.
   Robert Gandy, bank president and CEO, said he wanted to preserve the mission revival style with wood trim and barrel-roof tiles in the 7,671-square-foot project.
   "We wanted something that has a tie to South Texas," he said. "We like the warmth and the sense of history in the buildings."
   The bank is the first of five planned over the next five years in Corpus Christi, all of which will be in the same style.
   The bank decided to build all new branches in the same way since winning a 1997 state architecture award from the American Institute of Architects for the same style of building in Elsa.
   The location of the next four banks in Corpus Christi has not been decided.
   "There's a lot of great locations in Corpus to consider," Gandy said.
   When the 7,671-square-foot bank is completed Oct. 27, it will be the company's 16th South Texas location.
   The company has one existing bank - First Nueces National Bank - in Corpus Christi. That bank, 10935 Leopard St., will move into the building at the corner of McKinzie and Up River roads, near Interstate 37. It will employ 20 people.
   Gandy said the location's proximity to the Interstate will give the bank more exposure.
   "The visibility helps with our name recognition," he said. "And it's sure a lot prettier than a billboard."
   

More patio/garden homes

   Benchmark Homes is beginning to build 28 patio/garden homes in the Southfork Patio Homes Subdivision. The first six are under construction on a 3.68-acre area on The Mansions Drive, off Rodd Field Road.
   "It's a continuation of what was a successful project," said Will Cocke, builder at Benchmark Homes, who anticipates an April completion date.
   The 1,492 square-foot homes will each have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. Selling price for each of the one-story units starts at $104,900.
   Cocke said the homes are different from townhomes because they do not share a common wall. Each home is connected by a common roof, called a lanai, under which there is a patio. The difference gives a feeling of separate houses, not apartment living.
   Sales are handled through Pat Falk and Berta Bates at Pacesetter Realtors, who sold 25 of similar patio/garden homes in the same subdivision by Southfork Patio Homes Inc. What made them so popular was the lack of a common wall, Bates said.
   There are four floor plans to choose from. Landscaping, outside maintenance, water and sewage is all taken care of by the townhome association.
   The project will last for 1 to 2 years, with each phase of the project beginning as homes are sold. The next four homes will begin construction in six weeks, Cocke said.
   

Island four-plex planned

   Padre Island is getting more apartment space, with the development of a $143,000 four-plex at 14006 Fortuna Bay Drive on Padre Island. The project is expected to be completed in April, with move-in expected by May 1, said Doug Shaw, owner of Shaw Builders.
   Each of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments have garages, have water views and are located across from a boat ramp. The apartments each have 940 square feet of living space.
   Pets will be allowed in the bottom apartments, which have all tile flooring. The top apartments have carpeting, and pets aren't allowed. The low-maintenance yards are designed with rock landscaping.
   Rent is $850 a month, with renter paying all utilities.
   Shaw has built five duplexes on Padre Island in the two years he has been a builder.
   "At this point the demand seems to be real, real good," he said.
   
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 in the business section. Items for consideration may be faxed to 886-3732.

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