by Legislative Media | Jan 13, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: Edinburg City Councilmember David Torres; Edinburg City Councilmember Richard Molina; Edinburg Mayor Richard García; Edinburg Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr.; and Edinburg City Councilmember J.R. Betancourt, following the mayor’s State of the City Address on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at the Edinburg Municipal Auditorium.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Projected growth at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley main campus in Edinburg, along with the anticipated opening next fall of a School of Medicine, are leading to the planned construction of a luxury, off-campus student housing community near the intersection of Chapin Street and Sugar Road, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the 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. The mayor and the EEDC executive director are not related. Domus Development LLC, based in Dallas, will be in charge of the project, which will be located on a 16.17 acre tract of land near UTRGV, according to Carlos Garza, P.E., of AEC Engineering LLC in Edinburg, who represented the firm in successfully having the property rezoned to allow for its construction. “Right now, we are looking at somewhere in the vicinity of at or above 550 beds,” Garza said following unanimous approval for the needed rezoning on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 by the Mayor and Edinburg City Council. “We will have one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and four-bedroom apartments, all with private baths, in the complex.” Garza said he did not have the preliminary estimates or timeline for the project because Eric O. Jakimier, owner of Domus Development, was traveling in Europe on business and unavailable for comment. “I don’t have the specific dates yet but we will move quickly,” said Garza. “Obviously, the longer we sit on the property and not building the facility, it’s more financing we’re putting into the project.” But based on similar projects by Domus Development, such as a recently constructed complex that serves Texas A&M University-Kingsville, the planned local project will be the latest boost to the quality-of-life in Edinburg, as well as an economic asset, should come sooner rather than later. “This new community will promote and protect not only our residents, but also our neighbors,” Garza said. “It will be a gated community, beautifully landscaped, have on-site management, have a clubhouse and other amenities, comply with building and fire codes, fire protection, parking, landscaping, solid waste services, utilities, and all other city requirements that apply.” The housing complex in Kingsville, known as Legends at Kingsville, is valued at $22 million, and provides students with a wide range of amenities to create an ideal community for residents to live, study and play. Mayor Richard García noted that news of the planned off-campus luxury student housing community by Domus Development follows recent announcements by local city leaders of other major advances in Edinburg’s housing and retail sectors. Less than two months after announcing that Edinburg will be home to the new $10 million Marriott TownePlace Suites prototype in America, the City of Edinburg and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation disclosed on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 that Wyndham Garden Hotels will build a four-story facility on the site of the 120-acre The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The Wyndham Garden Hotels will feature 120 rooms, a restaurant, bar service, catering, and meeting space for private and public events, just northeast of Burlington Coat Factory at The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The mayor said more housing developments, such as the planned Domus Development student complex and the additional national chain hotels “come at a perfect time, when more and more people are making their way to Edinburg for work, shopping and entertainment. Thousands of sports fanatics will be visiting Edinburg within the next few months to attend soccer games at the soon-to-be-finished soccer arena and The Bert Ogden Arena being built less than a mile away.” The 189,000 square-foot Bert Ogden Arena, which is being constructed on 40 acres of land on Alberta Road and I69 Central, will be home to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an affiliate of the NBA Houston Rockets, and will feature 8,500 seats and 2,400 parking spots for entertainment events such as major concerts. Meantime, the soccer arena on Raúl Longoria Road is slated to be ready for play in late March featuring 10,000-seat outdoor stadium seats complete with a public park and an amphitheater. It will be home to the Rio Grande Valley Toros, an affiliate of USL Pro, which develops players for Major League Soccer, and will be affiliated with the Houston Dynamo soccer club. Mark Iglesias, President of the EEDC Board of Directors, said construction activities through most of 2015 – the December 2015 report has not yet been compiled – demonstrate the growing strength of the city’s economy. “With one month to go in 2015, construction and related building activities in Edinburg reached almost $128 million in value, with more than $13.1 million of that amount taking place in November,” said Iglesias. “Both of those figures are ahead of the pace for the same periods last year, when total construction activities from January through November 2014 came in at more than $113.1 million, and more than $4 million for November 2014.” Also on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, the Mayor, Edinburg City Council, and EEDC Board of Directors revealed that two new businesses would be added to The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. Bob’s Steak & Chop House, continually recognized as one of the best steakhouses in the country, will be locating at The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley, along with A’GACI, popular among young women for its stylish fashions, which will open just west of the Academy Sports+Outdoor Store, said EEDC Executive Director Agustín García, Jr. “Wyndham, Bob’s Steak & Chop House, and A’GACI will join Texas Roadhouse and Ulta, the latest companies to open for business at The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley, which is located at the corner of Trenton Road and I69 Central,” said the EEDC executive director. “This shopping complex benefits from one of the busiest corridors in Edinburg with more than 99,000 vehicles per day.”
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by Legislative Media | Dec 30, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, Harvey Rodríguez, Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr., and City Councilmember David Torres take a break in Dallas during the statewide convention of the International Council of Shopping Centers, held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Wednesday, November 4, through Friday, November 6, 2015. The local leaders posed for this shot at Pioneer Plaza, located next to the convention center. Not shown, but who also played a leadership role at the convention, is Ellie M. Torres, Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
With one month to go in 2015, construction and related building activities in Edinburg reached almost $128 million in value, with more than $13.1 million of that amount taking place in November, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Both of those figures are ahead of the pace for the same periods last year, when total construction activities from January through November 2014 came in at more than $113.1 million, and more than $4 million for November 2014. The value of construction of new homes for the first 11 months of 2015 leads all year-to-date categories, amounting to more than $43.6 million, compared with more than $31.6 million from January through November 2014. The most valuable construction project to receive a building permit in November was the Marriott Towne Place Suites, being built at 5002 W. Trenton Road by Qube RGV Systems Industries. The construction aspect of the new hotel is valued at $5 million, but the investment for everything, from land to furnishings to the facility, will eventually reach $10 million, according to investors. This Marriott is a new concept and will be the first of it’s kind for the Marriott brand and is scheduled to be open in the Fall of 2016. The second-most valuable project, classified as Multi-Family Residences/New Construction/Addition/Remodel and located at 4604 S. Sugar Road, was issued a building permit for work worth $2 million to Greenpoint Developers, LLC. Also, National Border Patrol Council was issued a building permit for work valued at $580,000 for a new commercial facility to be located at 4174 Crosspoint Boulevard. Chris Ryan Homes & Investments, LLC, was issued the most valuable building permit for a single-family residence, worth $280,000 for its construction, and located at 4817 August Dr. in the Summerfield Manor 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. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. A building permit includes the estimated value of the work, but does not include the costs of the lot, equipment and furnishings. 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. The top categories in Edinburg from January through November 2015 were: $43,652,244 – Single-Family Residences New Construction; $27,431,178 – Commercial New Construction; $24,259,705 – 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); $18,472,564 – Commercial Alterations; $8,264,122– Multi-Family Residences New Construction; and $5,742,670 – Residential Alterations. The top categories in Edinburg for November 2015 were: $5,731,000 – Commercial New Construction; $3,870,670 – Single-Family Residences New Construction; $2,298,766 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction; $509,205 – Commercial Alterations; $391,601 – Residential Alterations; and $356,900 – 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, 307 single-family residences have been approved for construction from January through November 2015, compared with 256 single-family residences during the same 11-month period in 2014. The most valuable construction project to receive a building permit in November was the Marriott Towne Place Suites, being built at 5002 W. Trenton Road by Qube RGV Systems Industries. The construction aspect of the new hotel is valued at $5 million, but the investment for everything, from land to furnishings to the facility, will eventually reach $10 million, according to investors. This Marriott is a new concept and will be the first of it’s kind for the Marriott brand and is scheduled to be open in the Fall of 2016. The second-most valuable project, classified as Multi-Family Residences/New Construction/Addition/Remodel and located at 4604 S. Sugar Road, was issued a building permit for work worth $2 million to Greenpoint Developers, LLC. Also, National Border Patrol Council was issued a building permit for work valued at $580,000, and listed as Commercial News Construction, for a facility to be located at 4174 Crosspoint Boulevard. Coming at a value of $339,400 was a project by the City of Edinburg located at 1231 N. Doolittle Road, categorized as Non-Taxable Additions/Repairs, while Aldama Investments was issued a building permit for a Multi-Family Residences New Construction/Addition/Remodel, located at 1804 Horse Tail Falls, valued at $298,766. Chris Ryan Homes & Investments, LLC, was issued a building permit for the most valuable single-family residence, worth $280,000 for its construction, and located at 4817 August Dr. in the Summerfield Manor Subdivision.
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by Legislative Media | Dec 27, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Harvey Rodríguez, Vice President, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors; Ellie M. Torres, Secretary/Treasurer, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors; Nelda Ramírez, Assistant Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and Agustín García, Jr. Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, on Monday, December 14, 2015, when the EEDC hosted a holiday celebration for area residents at its headquarters, located at 101 North 10th Avenue. Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
By his own admission, Harvey Rodríguez, the Vice President of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, says as a younger man, the thought of serving on a city board was not even a passing thought, even though today, his leadership roles in public service also include his status as chairman of the Recreation and Park Board in Edinburg. “Did I ever feel that I would be 33 years old and be serving on the EEDC Board of Directors? If you asked me 10 years ago, there was no way,” said Rodríguez, the youngest appointee on the five-member EEDC Board of Directors. “But I relish this opportunity. I appreciated everyone who supported me through it, and now I have a chip on my shoulder to show that I am extremely capable. I wake up with that attitude every day.” 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, Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. The mayor and the EEDC executive director are not related. Rodríguez, selected last May by Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr., for a two-year term on the influential EEDC governing board, said his appointment should serve notice to younger adults in the city that their ideas and experiences are essential to the successful running of municipal government and business development in Edinburg. With more than 50 percent of Edinburg’s estimated population of 77,100 aged 29 years and younger as of 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau – and more than 20 percent of the city’s population made up of residents aged 18 to 29 years – Rodríguez inspires residents as young as high school students to set their sights high, beginning with becoming involved with as many role models, community leaders, and business officials as possible. “I always encourage every high school student that if you can get a college scholarship anywhere, they have to go,” said Rodríguez. “There is a lot more outside of the Valley that I exposed myself to through college and travel, so I always tell people to go out there and meet new people.” But don’t stop there, his advice continued. “As cliché as it may be, I would tell them not to take no for an answer,” emphasized Rodríguez. Rodríguez, whose extensive professional credentials include currently serving as South Texas Operations Manager for CAS Companies, LP, took his experience and insights on behalf of the city to a major convention, held in early November 2015 in Dallas, of the International Council of Shopping Centers. Mayor Pro Tem Jasso, along with City Councilmember David Torres, his wife, Ellie Torres, who is Secretary/Treasurer of the EEDC Board of Directors, as well as Agustín García, Jr., the EEDC Executive Director, Letty Reyes, EEDC Director of Business Development & Public Affairs, Diego Reyna, EEDC Research Analyst, and then-Edinburg City Manager Ramiro Garza, Jr., also participated in the three-day event, held on Wednesday, November 4, through Friday, November 6, 2015. The gathering was billed by organizers “as a great opportunity for owners, developers, retailers, brokers, lenders, municipalities, property asset managers and product and service providers to gather under one roof to exhibit, make deals and form successful partnerships.” Edinburg continues to build its reputation as a potential successful market in the eyes of many major retailers, Rodríguez contended, saying he and the city delegation who went to Dallas had more than enough evidence to back up their civic pride. “They know we are a booming market. They know the disposable income (personal income after taxes) in the Valley regardless of the incorrect image that some national news media say about us,” he said. But the city’s selling points speak for themselves, he added. “The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the UT School of Medicine set to open next fall, our ongoing construction projects such as the Bert Ogden Arena, the 9,400-seat soccer stadium for the Rio Grande Valley Toros professional soccer team, our major transportation corridors including Interstate Highway 69, Tres Lagos, the planned 2,571 acre master-planned community that will be located in the Edinburg school district and which will feature a future campus of Texas A&M University, and more,” Rodríguez recalled the growing and long list of reasons why businesses should stay, expand, or locate to Edinburg. “These achievements make it so much easier to show retail developers and other prospective employers why Edinburg is the place to be.”
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by Legislative Media | Dec 14, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: George Cárdenas, Senior Vice President, Inter National Bank, McAllen; Shekhar Gianchandani, Chief Financial Officer, Qube Hotel Group; City Councilmember Richard Molina; Hiren M. Govind, Chief Operating Officer, Qube Hotel Group; Himesh Jeram, Chief Executive Officer, Qube Hotel Group; Mark Iglesias, President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and Ellie M. Torres, Secretary/Treasurer, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. The group was participating in the Tuesday, November 17, 2015 groundbreaking of the $10 million Marriott Towne Place Suites being built near the intersection of Professional Drive and Trenton Road. Not pictured is Mohan Tewani, Chief Development Officer, Qube Hotel Group. The new facility is the latest sign of economic growth in the city, which is also showing continued gains in its retail economy.
Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
Edinburg’s retail economy from January through October 2015 was 7.16 percent ahead of the same period last year, a figure that is almost double the the statewide average of all Texas cities, which came in with a 3.6 percent improvement when comparing the same 10-month periods, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEC 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. For the month of October 2015, the city’s retail economy registered a 7.55 percent rate of improvement over the same month last year, the EEDC added, according to data released on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. These figures are based on sales made in October 2015 by businesses that report tax monthly. Among its many duties, the Texas Comptroller’s office is the state’s chief tax collector, accountant, revenue estimator and treasurer. The 7.55 percent increase over the same month last year was the best showing among the Valley’s larger economies. During the first 10 months of 2015, Edinburg’s retail economy produced $20,245,270.46 in local sales taxes, compared with $18,891,654.50 for January through October 2014, resulting in the improvement of 7.16 percent. During October 2015, the city’s retail economy generated $1,568,278.46 in local sales taxes, compared with $1,458,157.23 for October 2014, representing the improvement of 7.55 percent, also according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The local sales tax is used in Edinburg to help pay for many city services, while the EEDC uses its one-half cent local sales tax to help generate economic development in the city. The amount of local sales taxes collected also helps reflect the strength of an economy, along with construction activities, per capita income, education, historical performances, and related trends. The sales tax, formally known as the State Sales and Use Tax, is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services. Texas cities, counties, transit authorities and special purpose districts have the option of imposing an additional local sales tax for a combined total of state and local taxes of 8 1/4% (.0825).
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by Legislative Media | Dec 6, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Mayor Richard García; Claudio Motta, Operations Manager, Santana Textiles; R. Delfino Neto, President, Santana Textiles; Roberto Cantú, Chief Executive Officer, Santana Textiles, and Leticia Flores, Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. They were among a large contingent of political, business and community leaders who participate in the ribbon cutting, held on Thursday, November 19, 2015, celebrating the start of the first phase of a corporate investment of $50 million in north Edinburg.
Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
For the second consecutive month this year, Edinburg and McAllen shared the lowest unemployment rate among the Valley’s major economies, both coming in at 4.9 percent for October 2019, which also was the best showing for Edinburg for that month since October 2008, which also posted a 4.9 percent figure, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. 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. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. Also according to the latest data, which was released on Friday, November 20, 2015 by the Texas Workforce Commission, there were more than 35,000 people employed in Edinburg during the month of October 2015. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Edinburg’s latest showing was better than the U.S. unemployment rate for September 2015, which came in at 5 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). Edinburg’s October 2015 figure of 4.9 percent continues a year-long pattern of positive reports: September (4.9 percent); August (5.1 percent); July (5.4 percent); June (5.1 percent); May 2015 (4.8 percent); April 2015 (4.6 percent); March 2015 (4.8 percent); February 2015 (4.8 percent); and January (5.1 percent). EEDC Board President Iglesias said new businesses, both small and large, continue to build or locate in Edinburg, which will result in continued job creation in the city.“On November 17, 2015, the Marriott Towne Place Suites broke ground near the intersection of Trenton Road and and I69,” Iglesias said. “This four-story, 95-room hotel represents a $10 million investment and will create 20 to 30 full time jobs when it opens for business in the fall of 2016, the same time the the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine in Edinburg begins its first semester – and with it, create more jobs as well.” In another related development, the Thursday, November 19, 2015 ribbon-cutting ceremony for Santana Textiles will lead to the creation of 300 high-paying jobs, according to the economic development contract signed by Santana Textiles with the EEDC. Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, noted the importance of the project for the entire community, including farmers, the region’s university and South Texas College. The project also garnered a contribution of more than $1 million from the Texas Governor’s Office. The massive operation, with production buildings longer than a football field, is the only one of its type in Texas. Mayor García called it one of the city’s crown jewels, joining the list of ongoing projects such as the Bert Ogden Arena and a soccer stadium as well as the regional medical school and university. “These are investments that are calculated, studied. This investment right here was very minimal,” the mayor said of the city’s financial contribution, explaining Edinburg is expected to see a $284 million annual return via its economic impact. The Edinburg Santana Textiles facility is expected to become the largest in the country when it begins denim production. Despite challenging conditions in Brazil, the family-owned enterprise has thrived and is now able to use cotton grown in the Edinburg facility’s own region, which also creates additional indirect jobs. “The good news is they’re also very cognizant of our community; very compassionate about the people that live here and they’re very careful to be hiring across the board,” said Mayor García. “They hire veterans. They hire mobility-impaired individuals. They hire a cross-section of the community.”
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