Housing officials broke ground recently on a new mixed income community on El Paso’s far east side, near the busy intersection of Joe Battle Boulevard North and Zaragoza Road. The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (HACEP) (www.hacep.org) has partnered with Hunt Companies and Investment Builders, Inc., both of El Paso, to make the $22 million project a reality.
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| The development will have a mix of housing types. (Rendering from huntcompanies.com) |
Named ‘Eastside Crossings’ due to its proximity to a busy intersection along Loop 375, the project will bring 188 residential units to the area, a mix of affordable and market rate units. The unique development will combine 45 market rate units with 64 public housing units and 79 affordable housing units.
Property amenities will include a clubhouse which includes a fitness center, a swimming pool, cookout areas, trails, covered parking, and a playground. Access to the development will be available from both Joe Battle and Zaragoza Road.
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| Eastside Crossings site plan. (City of El Paso) |
Developers will have an eye on energy efficiency as units are built to LEED Silver standards. All units will contain Energy Star appliances.
Housing officials decided on mixing affordable housing with market rate units in order to “eliminate the stigma associated with traditional affordable housing initiatives by producing public housing and affordable units that are indistinguishable from unrestricted income units,” according to Robin Vaughn, Executive Vice President of Hunt Companies, Inc., in a press relase.
Gerald Cichon, CEO of HACEP adds, "This property is the wave of the future in our strategy to leverage federal and state tax dollars to provide housing to the full economic range of families in a place everyone can be proud to call home."
Officials hope to have ‘Eastside Crossings’ ready for occupancy by fall of 2014.