Multiple development projects are underway or under consideration within Graham as the city continues to fill a growing need for area housing.
City Manager Eric Garretty and Code Enforcement Officer B.J. Cook spoke Tuesday, April 8 with the Graham Economic Improvement Corporation regarding housing initiatives in the city.
Cook said a total of 21 houses are under construction in the city including some on Westwood Drive, Normandy Drive, Rodgers Drive, Kentucky Street and in the Pitcock addition on Crawford Street, Medora Street and Lindy Street.
Two different home builders are focusing on the 15 homes in the Pitcock addition, Cook said.
“The Jacqueline addition is WJH, they're based out of Fort Worth. Then the other 10 that are being built currently right now are National Home Court,” he said.
In the Jacqueline addition, WJH is working to get the homes finished and sold. Cook said the city has four water liens on four properties in that area.
“(The owner of WJH) is going to be paying off one of the liens right now and hire some guy to come in to do the spray insulation in the attic. Then he's asking for me to come and do a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) for that one residence. He is telling me that he's going to be doing the other three as well (he's) just taking some time,” Cook said.
The code enforcement officer said the city has seen social media posts about the state of the properties and the condition of the single and two-story homes being built.
“(Public Works Director) Randall (Dawson) and I, we looked at these houses. They are absolutely built well,” Cook said. “I think what the people are misconstruing is when they're putting up their Hardie board and they're patching their holes it does look a little shoddy until they get them painted. Some of them have been painted already and they changed the whole outlook.”
The city has also been in discussions with other home building companies who are considering building or purchasing homes in the Pitcock addition.
In July 2024, the GEIC approved the creation of the Affordable Housing Incentive Program to encourage the construction of new residential units, as well as the renovation of existing and currently vacant housing units.
GEIC offers a reimbursable matching grant for qualified and approved projects in the amount of $10 per square foot, and not to exceed $10,000 per project.
Focuses for the program include new residential units and existing and currently vacant single-family dwellings, condominiums and apartments. Whether the project is a new build or a renovation, the reimbursement grant amounts will remain the same and not exceed the $10,000 per project mark.
The property must be leased or sold to an owner-occupant within six months following the date of completion. The applicants must also prove the rental rate will meet the required Fair Market Rent for Young County for the first three years following approval.
Any applicants who intend to sell the project must prove the final sale price will come in below $240,000, which is the determined maximum sale price established by the GEIC Board of Directors.
“I think if we build the houses, the jobs will come. ...We've had multiple meetings (where businesses say) 'Yeah, I can bring people here. Where are they going to live?' The people that they're talking about bringing here are not going to want to live in a $700 a month rental house,” Garretty said. “It's the mix of housing and the availability of housing that I think is a key limiter to driving our economic future… to find a way to get newer, better and more houses built. I think that helps everyone.”
