Construction in Edinburg for January 2016 off to big start, topping $36 million in value, with soccer stadium and multi-family complex leading the way

by Legislative Media | Feb 19, 2016 | Politics

Featured: Letty Reyes, Director of Business Development & Public Affairs, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Dalila Razo, Business Manager, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Nelda Ramírez, Assistant Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos; Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and Diego Reyna, Research Analyst, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. This image was taken at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on Thursday, January 21, 2016, during the public affairs luncheon sponsored by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.

Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR

Construction and related building activities in Edinburg totaled more than $36 million for January 2016, almost five times higher than the same month in 2015, with the 9,400-seat stadium that will be home to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros professional soccer team coming in as the most valuable project, after it was issued a building permit for work priced at $16.8 million, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The soccer stadium, which still has not been given a name, is being built on a 37-acre site, according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department, which issues all building permits. The second-most significant construction project approved for a building permit in January 2016 was a 168-unit multi-family housing complex, worth more than $9.7 million, located at 4604 South Sugar Road, next to the Edinburg Regional Medical Center/Edinburg Children’s Hospital. Located on a 9.77 acre site, this multi-family housing development, a project of Greenpoint Developers, LLC, is the latest addition to a growing and modern residential region that now includes The Villages at Sugar Road, the Bridges at Edinburg, which is an assisted living community, and the residential Summerset Estates and Summerfield Manor. Kamaldeep Gill was issued a building permit by the city in January 2016 valued at $2.1 million for a 50-room MainStay Suites, an extended stay hotel, to be located on a 10-acre site next to the Comfort Inn. Both hotels, which are part of Choice Hotels International, are immediately west of The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The address for both the Comfort Inn and the MainStay Suites is 4001 S. Business Highway 281 in the Comfort Subdivision. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits. During January 2016, building permits for work valued at $36,212,106 were issued by the city, compared with $7,279,701 in January 2015. The top categories in Edinburg during January 2016 were: $19,240,000 – Commercial New Construction; $9,994,464 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction; $5,885,185 – Single-Family Residences New Construction; $935,200 – Commercial Alterations; $140,075 – Residential Alterations; and $17,000 – Non-Taxable New/Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine). Also according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department, 45 single-family residences were approved for construction in January 2016, compared with 13 single-family residences during the same month in 2015. For the month of January 2016, building permits were issued for 27 additions/remodels of single-family residences, compared with 50 in January 2015. Multi-family residences – which range from two-unit duplexes to complexes of five or more units – totaled 176 units approved for construction in January 2016, compared with 20 units in January 2015. On Wednesday, July 15, 2015, plans for the soccer stadium now under construction were first unveiled with the announcement that the United Soccer League (USL) awarded its 25th franchise to Alonzo Cantú, owner of the NBA Development League Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The club, known as RGVFC Toros, will serve as the hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo. RGVFC is slated to kick off later this spring. The soccer stadium, which is modeled after the Houston Dynamo’s BBVA Compass Stadium, is located at the intersection of East Freddy González Drive and South Raúl Longoria Road. “The USL is proud and excited to welcome RGVFC to our league,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said during last summer’s announcement. “We have great confidence in Alonzo Cantú, who has a proven track record in business and professional sports in the Rio Grande Valley. This vibrant economic market with a population of 1.3 million enjoys a long tradition in soccer. RGVFC is a first-class sports organization that will treat the passionate south Texas soccer fans to a state-of-the-art 9,400-seat soccer-specific stadium which surely will become a source of pride for the region.”

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