CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Sinton is full of a lot of land and it’s an area many might not guess could grow, in terms of population.
But with the arrival of the Steel Dynamics plant in Sinton, many of their employees are choosing to live in not just Sinton, but all across the Coastal Bend.
One of those workers is Miguel Paiz, who was transplanted from Virginia. He lives in Portland and said it was easy finding an apartment, but it’s a little more challenging finding a home.
“They’re a little pricey right now, but what can you do? You have to find a house.” Paiz said.
The City of Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said the city is contributing about $3 million towards wastewater and storm water improvements for three housing developments in the Callalen area.
Those housing developments would bring over 800 homes to the Callalen area, which the city is hoping will target Steel Dynamics workers.
“Many months ago we worked with the Steel Dynamics leadership team to see what type of housing would their employees want and they told us that they want, pretty much, a starter home at a price point that they could afford,” Zanoni said.
He said that price point would be a little over $200,000 for a home, but he said with anyone being able to buy them, Steel Dynamics workers would have to buy them pretty quickly.
“We know that the market is tight in Corpus Christi, as it is across Texas, so families have to be aggressive working with their realtor's and keeping their eye out for product that becomes available,” he said.
Paiz said it’s incentivized housing, like the future homes in Calallen, that would help broaden his options.
“A lot closer to home, I mean, to work. My wife likes the country so, I guess that will work for her,” he said.
San Patricio County Judge David Krebs said the county doesn’t have enough housing right now, but said a developer is already planning housing in areas like Sinton.
“They have committed to build at least a thousand homes in this Coastal Bend from Aransas to Ingleside, Gregory, Taft, Odem and Sinton. A thousand homes a year for the next 5 years,” Krebs said.
He said a mall could even be in the works in San Patricio County.
Krebs said the County is doing a study to do an alternate route around Odem, which he said will be the I-69 route west of Odem.
They are hoping it will help improve the traffic now that more people are coming into the county.
