By CATHERINE DONNELLY
Special to the NEWS
In April of 2022, the San Benito Housing Authority (SBHA) began reconstruction on its historic Palmville property, which is home to mostly elderly and disabled residents, according to Melissa De Los Santos, Palmville Property Manager, SBHA. The ribbon cutting for the expansive remodeling project took place on Thursday, March 28, almost exactly two years later.
“I worked in the Section 8 department for three years doing inspections all over San Benito and noticed the lack of one-bedroom downstairs apartments in our city, which is critical for elderly and disabled families,” said De Los Santos.
A lot of thought and planning went into the ambitious project. Before construction, there were 100 total units, and only six of them were two-bedroom apartments. They merged some units to make them bigger for families and partially to accommodate the upgrades. Now there are a total of 84 units in 31 buildings, with 18 two-bedroom apartments and 66 one-bedroom units.
Many Housing and Urban Development (HUD) properties have standardized and uniform sizes and shapes of buildings and abodes. This wasn’t so for Palmville. Some buildings have only one unit, some have up to four units. The buildings’ square footages range from 800 square feet to 2,310 square feet.
The extensive remodel included many upgrades including central heating and air and the addition of tankless water heaters. New stainless-steel refrigerators, stoves and microwaves replaced the old appliances, and the addition of washers and dryers were added to each unit for the convenience of the residents.
General area upgrades include a new fitness center and a shuffleboard area. A new community room was added for socializing and to provide space for events. It includes two televisions, a checkers game table, and a dart board. The property has two picnic areas with barbeque pits for outdoor grilling.
“I started as Palmville’s property manager shortly after construction began,” said De Los Santos. “It was challenging because we had to carefully relocate current residents so their apartments could be remodeled and then we would move them back.”
De Los Santos describes a massive team effort that included current and former commissioners, directors, staff, volunteers, donors, investors, residents and their families and providers. For instance, the maintenance team moved personal belongings for the residents and even take belongings to and from storage units for them. At one point, more than 10 of the residents were living in hotels that HUD paid for to make construction move faster.
“Commissioner Ricardo Perez even donated moving boxes to a resident that couldn’t afford to buy them when he was being temporarily relocated,” said De Los Santos.
During the construction chaos, they still tried to have events and activities, particularly Loteria, that the residents look forward to. For those who are not familiar with the pastime, Loteria is a traditional Mexican board game of chance, similar to bingo. The Loteria cards are tiled pictures that include the name of each character.
“Our Chair, Jessica A. Gonzales, came here to host events and donate prizes for the residents,” said De Los Santos. “We also had other agencies, such as home health agencies, stop by to volunteer hosting Loteria for them.
Executive Director Elizabeth Salinas, her son Roger Salinas and former employee Alma Cardenas also donated prizes, according to De Los Santos. Prizes included toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, deodorant, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, pillows, bath towels and other everyday items that residents need but may have to forgo on a fixed income or due to lack of transportation.
“It has been a challenging journey as property manager, but I’m thankful for all the help that people have been willing to give me, and I am so proud to be working for such an amazing property and getting to help so many elderly families,” said De Los Santos.
Everyone is welcome to apply to be placed on the waiting list. Current tenants are mostly elderly and disabled families with only one or two household members. People can apply at the main office at 1400 North Reagan Street. There are 14 vacancies as of press time, but they are expected to be filled by the end of April.
The rent for a one-bedroom is $529 and two-bedroom apartments are $675, but residents only pay 30% of their gross adjusted income because the units are covered under the project-based voucher program.
“I want to genuinely express my appreciation for everyone involved with the renovations and grand opening at Palmville,” said Colton W. Sanders, Senior Vice President of R4 Capital, L.L.C. “R4 was pleased to provide more than $10.9 million net equity to the Palmville Homes transaction. The investment is from a $325.3 million national LIHTC fund that is closed with 19 investors.”
Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) play a vital part in the development and preservation of affordable rental housing for low-income households. Tax credits provide a source of financing that developers can use to create affordable housing, according to the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC).
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