Sunday, June 22, 1997
Prison's presence spurs home construction
By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-New
A problem plaguing small Texas communities that are home to
prison facilities may turn out to be a blessing in Colorado City.
About 20 acres of land will be cleared beginning next week
to make way for a planned 72-home community that will feature
new houses, a community center and park and at the same time add
$3.5 million to the local tax base.
"I bet we haven't seen 72 homes built in the last 25 years,"
said Mayor Jim Baum.
Developer Bill Lee of Austin said only five new houses had
been built in Colorado City in the past five years.
But thanks to an arrangement between private and governmental
entities, the Hillcrest Addition will soon be a reality in the
Mitchell County seat with a population of 4,600 residents and
2,330 prison inmates.
Of that civilian population, 530 are employed at either the
Wallace or Ware units of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
A third prison is scheduled to be built sometime in the future,
bringing even more employees to town.
A lack of rental property, particularly apartment complexes
and duplexes, is usually cited as the main drawback in small towns
with prison facilities.
"Small communities have a difficult time getting rental
properties," said James Campbell, director of the Brownwood
Economic Development Corporation. Brownwood is home to the 500-bed,
200-employee T.R. Havins felony substance abuse facility.
But Colorado City decided to go a different route when financing
provided difficult for rental property. Mayor Baum was tired of
seeing only 50 percent of the prison employees actually living
in Colorado City and contributing to its economy.
The benefits of landing a prison, with its steady payroll and
long-term stability, are "predicated on getting people to
live here," Baum said.
That's when Bill Lee, an Austin developer with a business called
Covenant Communities, entered the picture. Lee was working with
the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs when he
heard of a housing shortage in some small towns.
"Someone in a passing conversation told me there were
some real problems in the prison communities," Lee said.
Lee then met with state Rep. Rob Junell, who represents Mitchell
County. Junell immediately organized a meeting of several state
and local officials, including Nancy Sullivan, director of the
Mitchell County Economic Development Corporation.
The result was the Hillcrest Addition, a product of a "covenant"
of sorts with Mitchell County, Colorado City, and the Texas Department
of Housing and Community Affairs which will provide affordable
homes for moderate income people such as prison employees.
Two manufactured houses are scheduled to arrive in August to
place on the first two foundations in Hillcrest and soon after
that five or six models will be in place for people to view. Within
three years, all 72 single-family houses are expected to be in
place, along with a community center and park.
"Our slogan is 'good neighbors in good neighborhoods,'<n>"
Lee said.
The arrangement that made the good neighbor policy possible
includes donation of the land from the county, a $492,136 grant
from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs for sewers
and paving, and assistance from TU Electric and Lone Star Gas.
Another grant from a state agency will allow eligible people
to receive $5,000 grants to cover the down payment and closing
costs. Lee said prison employees make between $15,000 and $24,000
a year and most will qualify for the down payment assistance.
A homeowners association will be formed in Hillcrest and strict
regulations will be in place to ensure that turnover in the addition
won't cause the homes to deteriorate.
"You have to give people the ability to control their
neighborhood," Lee said in order to maintain its appearance.
The houses will range in price from $43,000 to $55,000 and
will be available to any people who qualify, not just prison employees,
Lee said.
The arrangement seems to be a good alternative to building
apartment complexes, something that developers are reluctant to
do in small towns.
"It's much harder to get one financed," Sullivan
said of apartment complexes.
And people involved think the single-family homes will enhance
the city and make the owners feel a part of the community.
The one-story homes will contain between 1,000 and 1,500 square
feet and all will have a front porch.
"They look a whole lot like a lot of the houses in the
community already," Lee said.
Other area communities are facing similar problems with most
having inadequate rental property for an influx if prison employees.
Breckenridge is home to the Walker Sayle Unit, a 500-bed felony
substance abuse facility. It employs 204 workers.
City Manager Gary Ernest said everything available to rent
in Breckenridge is rented. Some people commute and others live
around Lake Hubbard, he said. The city continues to work with
developers, but "we've never been able to get anyone to come
in and build," he said.
Chamber of Commerce manager Bob Donnell said the city was at
a critical point about two years ago but has stabilized now. He
said about 70 percent of the prison employees now live somewhere
within Stephens County, but more rental property would be welcomed
in Breckenridge, particularly duplexes or quads.
"That would be something we would really like to look
at," he said.
Nearby Albany in Shackelford County has attracted some of the
Breckenridge overflow.
"In certain price ranges there's a shortage," said
City Manager Bobby Russell.
Russell said he has talked to "four players" about
new housing.
"There's a lot of interest," he said. "I'm thinking
it's going to start very quickly."
Russell said about 30 prison employees live in Albany, either
from the Walker Sayle Unit or one of the Abilene prisons.
"We would have more if we had additional houses,"
he said.
Brownwood is suffering from a housing shortage, but more so
because of expansion at two manufacturing plants than from the
200-employee T.R. Havins substance abuse facility.
Both 3M and Kohler had added several hundred employees over
the past three years, said James Campbell, director of the economic
development board.
"That's probably hurt us as much as the prison has,"
he said.
Campbell said a lack of rental property is "still our
number one priority." He said 50 apartment units will be
under construction this summer.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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