HARLINGEN — The city’s tougher subdivision drainage standards aimed at curbing flooding are helping boost new home prices by “thousands of dollars,” a developer said Tuesday.
In March, the past city commission bolstered standards requiring developers step up measures by building bigger detention ponds whose costs are helping drive some subdivision lot prices as high as $50,000, developer Armando Elizarde said.
“The word ‘affordable housing’ in Harlingen — that’s not going to happen,” he said, adding his lot prices have soared from about $14,000 to $50,000 in the last 15 years, in part the result of meeting toughening drainage standards.
Now, the new commission is working with developers to revise the city’s Subdivision Development Guide, a 131-page manual specifying engineering standards developers follow as they plan new subdivisions.
“Stringent requirements really affect their developments,” Mayor Norma Sepulveda said Tuesday in an interview. “We should look at it case by case. Harlingen is committed to growth so we want to work with developers. We’re trying to come to a solution.”
Streamling the development process
Last week, commissioners met with about 50 developers and engineers as the city continues opening up to community concerns.
“Harlingen is taking the necessary steps to become a top developer destination, not only in the Rio Grande Valley but the state of Texas,” Commissioner Daniel Lopez stated Tuesday.
“By working alongside developers to update and amend our rules and regulations, the city sees where we can improve and streamline the process to allow for more efficient and effective growth and sustainable development,” he stated. “This collaboration has led to stronger relationships, better understanding and the creation of a partnership between city representatives and private-sector developers in which we are all pushing towards building a better, stronger and more vibrant Harlingen.”
Responding to developers’ concerns
Developers are calling on commissioners to help streamline the development process, trim some requirements and revise detention pond standards.
“Some of the ideas presented include hiring more civil engineers to speed up the inspection process, allowing more than one person to sign the certificates of occupancy, eliminating the rebar requirement in sidewalks, creating a college program to train inspectors, adding more staff to answer phone calls and more leeway to determine if a detention pond is required in subdivisions,” city spokeswoman Irma Garza stated in a press release.
“The city has already taken a major first step by purchasing online software to streamline the permitting process,” she stated. “The software will allow developers, engineers and contractors to track their permitting process from beginning to end. The software will progressively come online in the coming months benefiting all parties.”
Revising toughened standards
In 2020, the Planning and Zoning Commission drafted the city’s first version of the Subdivision Development Guide, which boosted developers’ drainage standards to protect homes against bigger storms.
“We had no input into the initial development guide and its revisions,” Jack Brown, an engineer who’s worked with developers, said.
Now, he’s counting on the new commission to revise standards.
“It seems the commission is trying to make some changes,” he said. “Our new mayor and city commission are listening to some voices in the community and trying to make changes. It’s a step in the right direction. Whether we make it to the finish line remains to be seen. I hope it’s not a lot of lip service.”
Reviewing detention pond requirements
As part of the new standards, officials have been calling on developers to build bigger detention ponds.
To meet the new requirements, he’s building a two-acre detention pond that’s tacking “thousands of dollars” to his new 49-lot subdivision, Elizarde said, adding previous standards required he build a half-acre detention pond for a 42-lot subdivision.
Elizarde suggested city officials clear and widen drainage canals to carry floodwaters to a developing regional detention pond north of town.
As part of a $17.7 million grant-funded project, Cameron County Drainage District 5 is building four regional detention ponds while upgrading the North Main Drain, Rolando Vela, the district’s assistant general manager, said.
“We want to partner to clean canals and make them wider to get the water there,” Elizarde said.
Relaxing sidewalk construction
At City Hall, officials are also revising a measure requiring developments install rebars to bolster curb and gutters, Assistant City Manager Josh Ramirez said.
“It’s higher cost and more labor intensive,” developer Dustin Moore said, referring to rebars.
Instead, developers are requesting officials allow them to install fiber mesh, he said.
“It’s not an inferior product,” Moore said. “There are subdivisions built 30 years ago which used fiber mesh and they look just fine. A lot of things would put Harlingen in line with our neighboring communities.”
Now, commissioners are planning to hold a series of public hearings into subdivision standards, Garza said.
