Corpus Christi approves two new, one redone, affordable housing units for District 3

Two new, and one reconstructed, affordable housing projects have been approved for Corpus Christi, bringing the number to 46 such complexes in the city.

The Village at Greenwood, 6018 Greenwood Drive, and Avanti at Greenwood, 6102 Greenwood Drive, will have about 81 apartments each.

Sixty-nine of the Village apartments will serve families at or below 60 percent of the area's median income; 73 of Avanti's apartments will serve low-income (60 percent) families.

Casa de Manana Apartment Project, 4702 Old Brownsville Road, will be demolished and rebuilt. The new complex will have 99 apartments, according to a city presentation.

All three will be in the city's District 3. The developer is TG 110, Inc., a San Antonio-based company.

The district's council member, Lucy Rubio, spoke in favor of the new housing units at last week's council meeting.

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"Well, I'm super excited that they're all in District 3. Like I've said, District 3 is open for business," Rubio said. "It's in my area; I live by there. This land has been vacant a long time. We need it there."

Los Encinos Elementary, on Frio Street, opened its doors at the beginning of the school year. Rubio said she's excited to welcome more families to the area.

"We have a need because of Hillcrest (neighborhood relocation) having to find homes. Those families need homes," Rubio said.

According to a city map of affordable housing for multifamily use, District 3 has 12 affordable housing complexes already.

Affordable housing, defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is deemed affordable to those with a median income household as rated by local income guidelines, said Rudy Bentancourt, director of housing and community development for Corpus Christi, in an email.

The new development projects are not "Section 8" housing, which is a voucher program which authorizes the payment of rental housing assistance to private landlords on behalf of low-income households, Bentancourt said.

District 1 council member Carolyn Vaughn and council member at-large Paulette Guajardo questioned whether nearby residents had been notified of the affordable housing complexes.

The area where the new development projects will go is already zoned for multifamily use, which means that nearby residents do not need to be notified, according to Miles Risley, city attorney.

Though each project required a separate resolution, all three are in Corpus Christi Region 10 urban category, which means the developer would only receive tax credits for one of the complexes.

Under the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Housing Tax Credit Program, tax credits and points are awarded to eligible developers to offset a portion of their federal tax liability in exchange for the production or preservation of affordable rental housing. The tax credits are not guaranteed.

By the council approving the resolutions, the maximum number of points are given to the developer.

BY THE NUMBERS

Affordable housing for multifamily

District 1: 14

District 2: 8

District 3: 12 (plus two new)

District 4: 4

District 5: 7

Source: City of Corpus Christi

Twitter: @reporterjulie