The Blueprint June 2019

B

The

lueprint

Membership Drive June 27th

It’s that time of year again!

We are offering exclusive deals to all new members who join during our Membership Drive. Reach out to friends and make sure they don’t miss out on this year’s deals and prizes and you might win big too!

Parade of Homes Entries Due June 28th

but there’s only a few spots left!

Texas Legislature makes huge changes

Effective Imediatly Major changes to how city fees are assesed has Corpus scrambling for answers and plumbers have been deregulated statewide.

We are Remolding

Starting June 7th Starting June 7th we will no longer be having meetings in our offices. We will start the remolding process soon after and it is planning to continue through the summer.

Welcome

Returning Members

Air Nail Builders Supply Veronica Castillo American Bank Jim Pickett American GlassMasters Don McMahan Arrow Display Signs Kathy Jones Bob Brown Builder Bob Brown Boral Roofing Products Tom Monilaw C & K Builders Hardware Brenda Laird Cervantes Electric Paul Cervantes Coastal Bend Construction & Restoration Robert Sells D&C Fence Co David Crossland David Clay Inc David Clay

Drew Becquet State Farm Drew Becquet Factory Builder Stores Lisa Champion Fox Garden Homes Daniel Caballero Jim Dean Homes James Dean Mark Silva State Farm Mark Silva MPM Homes Moses Mostaghasi National Wholesale Supply Harold Fisher NP Homes Nader Karimi Royal S&F Empire Homes Farzin Tavalaeian S & G Homes Gary Tarleton South Texas Home Builders Ryan Dibble Texas Throne Grant Hesseltine

1 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

New Members Kent Moore Cabinets

Victor Mendez (512) 743-8297 www.kentmoorecabinets.com

WindShore Engineering Les Selensky (361) 450-0234 windstormready.com

Our Staff

2019 Board of Directors Darren McComb

John Pope

President

D&Z Construction

Moses Mostaghasi

Garrett Dorsey

First Vice President MPM Homes

Paul Cervantez

Second Vice President Cervantez Electric

Tracy Long

Treasurer

First Community Bank

Reid Aston Secretary

Aston’s Designs

Wendy Herman Executive Officer Coastal Bend Home Builders Association

Coastal Bend Green Built AEP-Texas High Performance Homes

Executive Officer Wendy@coastalbendhba.org

Kalli Peralez Business Development Manager Kalli@coastalbendhba.org

Cris Wright

Associates Council AEP-Texas

Bart Braselton

Immediate Past President

Long Builds Construction

Nick Black

Past Presidents Council Newcastle Homes

Wendy Herman

Builder Director Braselton Homes

Ryan Dibble

Builder Director South Texas Home Builders

Victor Ibarra

Builder Director Levian Homes

Mekaila Hopkins Marketing and Administration mekaila@coastalbendhba.org

Connect with us! bit.ly/CBHBAFacebook

bit.ly/CBHBATwitter

Logan Kirkpatrick

Associate Director Ferguson Enterprises

bit.ly/CBHBALinkedin

www.CoastalBendHBA.org 2

June Events 4

Executive Committee Meeting 9:00-10:00 am Closed Meeting

7

Last day a meeting can be in CBHBA Office till after remodel

19

GRC Meeting 12:00-1:00 pm Open Meeting

27

26 28

4

Parade homes entry deadline 4:00 PM

3 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

Board of Directors Meeting 9:30-11:00 am Closed Meeting

Associates Council 12:00-1:00 pm Closed Meeting

Membership Drive TBD

July

October

11 Membership Luncheon

5-6 Parade of Homes

19-20 Fishing Tournament

17 Membership Luncheon

August

November

5-9 Sunbelt Builders Show

20-22 TAB Fall Meeting

September December 5 Membership Luncheon

13 Casino Night

19 Parade of Homes Ribbon Cutting 20 Parade of Homes VIP Party 21-22 Parade of Homes 28-29 Parade of Homes

Looking Ahead

www.CoastalBendHBA.org 4

Memo

O

From

The

City of Corpus

n May 21, 2019, the Texas Legislature passed, and Governor Greg Abbott signed, House Bill 852 which prohibits municipalities from calculating building permit fees based on the construction value of the project. This became effective on the date of passage, May 21, 2019. Effective immediately, all building permit and plan review fees associated with residential applications shall be suspended until further notice. Residential permit applications subject to the suspension include all new one and two family residential dwellings, new residential additions and renovations and remodels to existing one and two family residential dwellings.

Applications for building permits at existing one and two family residential dwellings located in a special flood hazard area identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are still required to provide the cost of the construction value at permit submittal for compliance with National Flood Insurance Program requirements.

-Gene F. Delauro Assistant Director of

Development Services 5 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

313 E. 12th St., Ste. 210, Austin, TX 78701  (800) 252-3625  (512) 476-6346  www.TexasBuilders.org

MEMORANDUM To: From: Date: RE:

Local HBA Executive Officers Scott Norman, Executive Director May 30, 2019 Sunsetting of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners

Late Sunday night and Monday, actions occurred in the Capitol that ultimately resulted in the abolishment of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners with no transfer of their regulatory powers to another agency. What this means is that beginning September 1, 2019, the agency and state statutes regulating plumbing will cease to exist.

As you know, TAB’s position all along has been that the serious deficiencies and poor management of the State Plumbing Board must be fixed. While TAB supported the Sunset Commission’s recommendation to transfer the oversight of plumbers from the Plumbing Board to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), TAB made it clear that we just wanted the multitude of deficiencies fixed, even if that meant keeping the current Plumbing Board as the oversight agency.

At no time did TAB ever support the deregulation of plumbers, and at no time during the legislative process was that option discussed. TAB firmly believes that plumbers must be licensed and regulated by the state of Texas.

Unfortunately, a large and influential group of plumbers opposed the immediate transfer of the Plumbing Board’s duties to TDLR and worked to secure enough votes in the House to reject the conference committee report for HB 621 that would have done so. The fallback position that would have kept the Plumbing Board in effect for two more years, however, was not exercised and resulted in the deregulation of plumbers across the state.

Effective September 1, 2019 the Plumbing Board is abolished, and all requirements of the plumbing license law will cease to apply. While the Plumbing Board is abolished, it will continue to exist until no later than September 1, 2020 for purposes of concluding its business and “winding down” its operations.

TAB leadership is exploring what actions, if any, can be taken to address this situation and will be meeting with industry partners and their leadership to discuss this issue fully. TAB will provide updates to our membership and local HBA EOs as circumstances arise and will have more information to share at the TEOC legislative briefing in conjunction with the TEOC conference next month. If you have any questions or comments, please call Scott Norman or Ned Muñoz at 512-476-6346. Attached is a release posted by the Plumbing Board on May 29, 2019 as well as a story by the Texas Tribune.

Thank you and rest assured that TAB will be a part of this process as it unfolds.

https://files.constantcontact.com/4f85804e001/bce117f2-48a7-456c-a49a-56de772dc58c.pdf https://www.texastribune.org/2019/05/28/texas-plumbers-future-laws-board-abolished/ www.CoastalBendHBA.org 6

O

Affordable Project

xford Mills, a $38 million historic rehabilitation in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, seeks to create a vibrant, education- based community of teacher housingand nonprofit organizations.

Composed of two former industrial buildings, this high-
density housing project includes 114 apartments that provide much-needed workforce housing and 38,000 square feet of commercial/office space for more than 10 different nonprofit organizations.

Ninety of the apartments are rented to residents earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), with 68 of those units reserved for local teachers. The remaining apartments are rented at market rates.

The collaborative, education-centered model for Oxford Mills replicates other similar successful historic rehabilitation projects. Seawall Development’s Donald Manekin developed this model based on his experience as a board member of Teach for America and a two-year stint as interim chief operating officer

Enlivens

Philly Community

of the Baltimore, Md., city school system. Based in Baltimore, Seawall Development partnered with another private developer, D3 Development in Philadelphia, to launch the model there.

Although there was some push back from local residents due to concerns about gentrification, several key strategies were utilized to maintain a sense of community, including discounted rents for teachers, designated office space for nonprofits and other educational organizations, social and professional programming and events, and community meeting spaces that are open to the public.

For more housing affordability resources, visit nahb.org/housingforall.

7 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

2019

i e u d B l rs on the

B

Sponsorships still Available

ay

Captains’ Party Friday, July 19th Weigh-in Bash Saturday, July 20th at Doc’s Seafood

Big Red Big Trout Big Flounder Spot Pot Heavy Stringer Calcuta

Raffle $1500 Roy’s Gift Card $50 per ticket

Winning ticket drawn July 19th at the Captain’s Party. Do not have to be present to win. Pre-purchace tickets at the CBHBA office. www.CoastalBendHBA.org 8

Membership Drive Prizes

June 27th 1pm-4pm Gemini Sushi Bar and Lounge

2 round trip plane tickets raffle

New Member

Top recruter gets quarter page ad in Parade of Homes Magazine Hourly prizes And much more!

Deals

Raffle for quarter page ad in Parade of Homes Magazine Free Luncheon Coupons Recognition in the Monthly Newsletter And much more!

What

O

Buyers

Will Pay for

n average, home buyers are willing to pay an additional $8,728 upfront on a home in order to save $1,000 a year in utility bills, according to NAHB’s recently released study, What Home Buyers Really Want (2019 Edition).

The study is based on a survey asking recent and prospective home buyers (people who bought homes in the previous three years or are planning to do so in the next three years) what they want in a home and community.

It is important to note that while the

Green

average amount a home buyer is willing to pay is $8,728, the median is $5,000.

The difference can be explained by the presence of some very greenmotivated home buyers who are willing to pay more than $50,000 upfront to save $1,000 a year.

It may also be the case that these particular home buyers have the means to make a bigger upfront payment.

www.CoastalBendHBA.org 10

th Friday, June 28

Survey Looks

R

at

oughly 20 percent of remodelers undertook projects that created an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) by converting an existing space over the past 12 months, and almost as many created an ADU by building a new addition. Those numbers come from a survey conducted by NAHB as part of its first quarter 2019 Remodeling Market Index.

NAHB started addressing this topic in its RMI survey because it is not possible to detect national trends in ADU creation through existing data

sources.

ADUs in general require permits, but ordinances vary tremendously across the country, and there are no federal

ADUs

government standards or programs to collect the information in a consistent way.

Many property owners may be unaware of, or may even ignore, the requirements.

According to a 2006 report from the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, an estimated 90 percent of ADUs in San Francisco as of 1960 were created without obtaining proper permits.

Roughly 75 percent of remodelers in the survey reported ADU projects costing at least $50,000, and a substantial 28 percent reported projects costing at least $150,000.

www.CoastalBendHBA.org 12

Fun Times Golf Tournament

June is

National Homeownership

T

he home building industry celebrates National Homeownership Month in June, which provides HBAs and members with the perfect opportunity to highlight the benefits of homeownership and encourage recognition of the vital role that homeownership plays in our nation’s economy.

NAHB’s National Homeownership Month toolkit provides articles, HomeThatFits_Full.pdf

1

4/4/17

10:49 AM

A home that fits Whether you need more or less space to meet your family’s changing needs, new homes are built with modern lifestyles in mind.

Month

templates, advertisements and other resources to help members and HBAs promote homeownership In addition to using the prepared materials in the toolkit, consider celebrating National Homeownership Month in other ways. The media, city and county officials, local home buyers and other members of your community are ideal audiences for outreach activities promoting the advantages of homeownership.

Also consider leveraging the growing reach of social media by implementing some of the ideas in NAHB’s guide Promoting National Homeownership Month Using Social Media.

Access materials like these by scaning this QR code or going to http://bit.ly/ NAHB_JuneToolkit

Learn more at nahb.org/timetobuy.

15 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

Why safety matters New homes are built with modern floor plans, energy-efficient systems and the latest safety features to protect your family.

Learn more at nahb.org/timetobuy.

I

Court Remands others, filed a lawsuit in Southern WOTUS Rule the District of Texas the Back to EPA challenging definition in the

n a victory for NAHB and the housing industry, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas declared that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act when drafting the Obama-era “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule in 2015.

In 2015, NAHB and the Texas Association of Builders, among

2015 WOTUS rule.

The court has issued a partial decision on NAHB’s summary judgment motion by remanding the 2015 WOTUS rule back to the EPA. However, the court did not vacate the rule.

17 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

I

NAHB

Concerned about

n a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee, NAHB expressed concerns to federal lawmakers over increased costs and undue burdens to America’s home builders and home owners regarding the use of cluster mailboxes by the U.S. Postal Service.

Since 2012, the Postal Service has expressed preference for centralized delivery service, typically to cluster

mailbox units. In practice though, this change has resulted in a de facto mandate for new construction across the nation.

By moving to cluster mailboxes in an attempt to save money, the Postal Service is essentially shifting this additional upfront cost to home builders — and ultimately — to home owners. It is unclear who, if anyone, will be responsible for the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the units or any associated legal liabilities.

Mailboxes

19 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

New Index Shows Single-Family Production Mostly in Exurbs

I

n a sign that housing affordability is becoming a growing issue nationwide, exurbs were the only region that registered single-family permit growth Large Metro – Outlying County, on a year-over-year basis in the exurbs of larger metropolitan areas; first quarter of 2019, according Smaller Metro – Core County, to NAHB‘s Home Building urbanized areas and inner suburbs of Geography Index (HBGI). metropolitan The HBGI is a Exurbs were the small areas; Smaller Metro quarterly measure of only region that - Outlying County, building conditions registered single- outer suburbs of across the country. small metropolitan It uses county level family permit areas; Micro county, information about growth small towns; and single- and multiNon Metro/Micro family permits to County, rural areas. gauge housing construction growth At 5.6%, the year-over-year growth in urban and rural regions. in single- family permit activity of There are seven regions in this first exurbs was the highest among the iteration of the HBGI. They are: regional geographies in the HBGI. Large Metro – Core County, highly Exurbs are outskirts of major urbanized areas; Large Metro – metropolitan areas that lie beyond Suburban County, inner and outer the suburbs. suburbs of larger metropolitan areas; www.CoastalBendHBA.org 20

2019 Committees Government Relations

Open Meetings – Meets on the last Wednesday of every month Chair- Jerry Garcia

Builder Liaison

Open Meetings – Meets bimonthly

This is when our members have an opportunity to meet with employees of the city of Corpus Christi, hear their concerns and provide input as to how we can make Corpus Christi a better city.

This committee decides what we advocate for and against and how we go about doing so. They follow the items that are going to be put before the city council and forms a plan of action as to

Fishing Tournament

how to support, improve, or defeat it.

This committee is responsible for planning and executing the Builders on the Bay Fishing Tournament. This committee meets about 2-3

Membership

Open Meetings Meets about every 45 days.

Chair- Paul Cervantez

This committee is in charge of our recruitment efforts.. Although every member is encouraged to recruit new members, the membership committee focus on it by planning events like our membership drive. They also concern themselves with member retention.

Education and Scholarship

Open Meetings – Meets as needed Chair- Garrett Dorsey

Open Meetings – Varies Chair- TBA

months before the tournament and once after.

Coastal Bend Green Built

Closed Meetings - Meets quarterly Chair- Garrett Dorsey This committee guides the CBGB program that strives to promote the construction of high-performance, low-impact residential homes in the Coastal Bend. You must be a

member of CBGB to be on this committee.

Associates Council

Closed Meetings – Meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month President- Cris Wright

This brand new committee oversees our outreach to the community to encourage participation in the construction and related industries. They also The Associates Council represents the interests find deserving students wanting to pursue careers of Associate Members of the Association and in these fields to support with a scholarship. produces projects that provide networking opportunities for members. Members of the Associates Council are elected each year in September for a one year term.

21 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

EPA Offers Guidance On Groundwater

Recent guidance from the EPA seeks to clarify condi- tions under which ground- water discharges require a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimina- tion System program. The guidance states that “... releases of pollutants to groundwater are categori- cally excluded from the Act’s permitting requirements because Congress explicitly left regulation of discharges to groundwater to the states, and EPA has other statutory authorities.”

Most Desired Home Technology According to the latest edition of NAHB’s study, “What Home Buyers Really Want,” 46 percent of recent and prospective home buyers want a security camera in their home, more than any other home technology feature listed in the survey. The next most desired technology features

FAQ Explains New Opportunity Zones NAHB has updated its opportunity zones resource page with an FAQ outlining key points included in two sets of proposed regulations related to these new tax incentives.

Established as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, opportunity zones provide tax incentives for investors with capital gains to invest in underserved areas affected by poverty and unemployment.

Roughly 11 percent of Census tracts in the United States have been identified for invest- tment.

The federal government is now working to coordinate other federal initiatives with the opportunity zone program.

were: video doorbell (45 percent); programmable thermostat (44 percent); a wireless home security system (40 percent), and a multizone HVAC system (39 percent).

www.CoastalBendHBA.org 22

Life Spike Members John Tucker

612.50 Moses Mostaghasi

63.50

Bill Sanderson

253.50 Renee Carter

62.50

Sean Vitelli 226.25 Monica Sanderson

57.00

Louis Alty 140.50 John Pope

56.50

Mark Garza 139.50 Isidro Gonzalez

53.50

Jerry Garcia

139.00 Robert Sells

54.00

Shayne Schroeder

128.00 Ed Cantu

46.00

Leslie Schey

126.50 Bart Braselton

45.00

Bill Fleeman

114.50 Jim Pickett

41.50

Fred Braselton

109.50 Trey Summers

38.50

76.50 Jodi Steen

38.00

75.00 Kevin Pitchford

35.50

Garrett Dorsey

75.00 Matt Martini

32.50

Jack Randolph

72.50 Brian Grunberg

31.50

Claudia Mostaghasi

68.00 Shawn Karaca

30.00

Paul Cervantes

64.50 Francisco Aguilar

29.00

Beverly Bacak Richard Voss

23 The Coastal Bend Home Builders Association June 2019

The Spike Club consists of members who are recognized for outstanding achievement in membership recruitment and retention. Spikes receive recognition at local, state, and national levels and rewarded many special honors including colored jackets indicating their level of achievement.

Spike Members

James Skrobarczyk

24.00

Maverick Velosky

11.50

Scott Whisenant

19.00

Donald Shelton

11.50

Tracy Long

17.50

Cris Wright

10.50

Julie Jenson

15.00

Dolores Sanchez

10.00

Pat Nolan

14.50

Eric Newman

7.50

James Mazoch

13.00

John Wallace

7.00

Jon Roel 13.00

Paul Cervantez

6.00

Joseph Cortez

13.00

Jose De Los Santos

6.00

Ryan Dibble

13.00 www.CoastalBendHBA.org 24

T

DOJ Files Suit Against Multifamily Properties

he U.S. Department of Justice has announced a lawsuit against 82 multifamily properties involving more than 3,000 housing units in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. The case is United States v. Miller-Valentine Operations.

Alleged violations include accessibility barriers involving steps and inaccessible routes, inaccessible features in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of floor space for wheelchair users to maneuver, and public spaces that do not comply with the ADA.

“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”

-William Shakespeare