Rio Hondo hosts grand opening for apartment community

RIO HONDO — Veronica Longoria didn’t have to finish the apartment tour.

She had already fallen in love with the kitchen area in the four-bedroom apartment she now lives in.

Longoria and her children are just one of the 60 families that have already moved into the new Riverside Village apartment community in Rio Hondo.

“It’s the biggest I have ever lived in and it’s very comfortable and spacious for my family,” Longoria said about her new home. “My kids love the fact they all got their own room.”

She said the family no longer fights over the bathroom.

Longoria has lived at the property for five months.

“It’s been one of the best places to live, honestly. It’s quiet, you don’t get bothered and it’s very peaceful,” Longoria said. “My kids love it and this is one of the safest apartments I’ve lived at.”

She was just one of many who attended the Riverside Village Apartment’s grand opening yesterday.

The brand new affordable housing property in Rio Hondo offers living quarters to moderate income households.

The developers believe everyone deserves to have a beautiful home, no matter the income.

“We are very happy to be here. We knew Rio Hondo needed some new affordable housing to give people some options of places to live,” said Tim Lang, Tejas Housing Group director of tax credits and acquisitions.

“We are very proud of the product that we put on the ground.”

And the residents love it as well. Not a day passes without children playing in the park and basketball area after school and into the evening.

“People have embraced it and I hope people will enjoy living here for many years to come,” Lang said.

The apartment community also offers free after-school lunches and homework help for residents and also has monthly activities for adult residents.

“This is one of the best things that have happened in this town,” said Gerald Hartzog, a Rio Hondo city commissioner.

“To have 60 apartments here in Rio Hondo is just great for the community.

“Our community is begining to grow,” Hartzog said. “These apartments are first class.”