A sign in a window in downtown Terrell reads, “Kaufman County is the fastest growing county in the country.”
This North Texas town of about 18,000 people – and the hometown of singer and actor Jamie Foxx -- has a lot to offer, according to locals – including plenty of land that’s attractive to developers to come and build homes.
Earlier this month the city council rezoned almost 66 acres in southwest Terrell from agriculture/multi-family to planned development. It gives the green light for the developer, Dominion Acquisition LLC based out of San Angelo, Texas, to move forward with plans to build dozens of new homes.
With growth comes the need for housing and the expansion of infrastructure, said Avery Shaw, who co-owns a coffee shop and music store in downtown Terrell. She meets people from all over North Texas who come across her shop and are new to Terrell or from out of state.
“It's still such a small town, it's baby steps to prepare for growth, to prepare people for growth and trying do that in the best way for the city to flourish to its full potential,” Shaw said.
During an Aug. 5 public hearing, Angie Cooper, CEO of the Terrell Chamber of Commerce, addressed the need for affordable housing. She said the developer has worked with programs that offer assistance, such as housing vouchers.
“These people are hardworking individual families who simply need a little help,” Cooper said. “It is critical for our community to help have other options for people to live in.”
A Terrell Housing Authority report presented to the council in the spring showed 499 residents were on a waiting list for access to housing assistance, which includes vouchers and rental assistance. The average annual income of applicants was just under $20,000.
Prior to the hearing, the city mailed 31 letters to property owners who lived within 200 feet of the rezoned property and received only one letter back that was not in favor of the future development.
Jane McFadden, who co-owns the music and coffee shop with her daughter Avery, said while she’s excited about the impact having more customers will have on small businesses, she has heard some pushback from at least one customer who lives near the planned development.
“It all just rather caught them off guard, and they had a lot of questions about infrastructure," she said.
A city spokesperson said now that the council has unanimously approved the zoning change, a housing finance corporation appointed by the city will meet this week to discuss next steps.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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