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Area housing projects on a roll

Nan Dickson/Telegram file Construction workers use hammers and nail guns in March to install rafters in a house on a construction site at Drexel Loop and Lakeview Lane in South Temple.

2020 was another record-breaking year for new Temple homes

BY SHANE MONACO

TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

While the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down many things, Temple and its surrounding areas have been on a roll toward growth.

Over the past year Temple annexed many new tracts for proposed housing projects in the western and southern sections of the city, while construction has started on hundreds of new homes. The growth has affected many of the cities along Interstate 35, including Temple, Belton and Salado.

In 2020 Temple saw another record-breaking year for the number of new single-family homes permitted at 1,265. The permitting of new homes was about 20% more than what was seen in 2019, when 1,016 singlefamily homes were permitted.

So far in 2021 Temple is on its way to beat its previous number of homes permitted, with the first four months already reaching 402, compared to 372 during the same time in 2020.

City Councilman Wendell Williams, who represents West Temple, said the city has seen a lot of growth in recent years and has done a good job keeping up with it.

“Temple has been discovered and we are seeing unprecedented growth, and, fortunately, the city is doing a good job of keeping up with that growth as best they can,” Williams said. “There is a lot of stress on the budget to build all those roads, but you have to do it to have that quality of life that everybody wants in our community.”

Belton also has seen many new homes being built, including hundreds currently under development to its south near Loop 121.

City Manager Sam Listi said in January that it made sense the area has seen a lot of home construction, with previous investment for the growth already in place.

“Development cannot occur without appropriate infrastructure to support it,” Listi said. “Water and sewer lines are in place within the Loop 121 corridor. Add to that the proposed widening of the loop and the 109-acre Belton ISD tract at

Telegram file New homes and houses, some still under construction, are seen in December in Three Creeks, a sprawling subdivision off of Stillhouse Hollow Dam Road just outside of the Belton city limits.

Loop 121 and Shanklin Road, and you can see why the area, with its quick access to I-35 and I-14, is so appealing.”

The city also has experienced continued growth to its west in the Three Creeks subdivision, which has seen continuous phases of new homes steadily being built over the past year.

Salado, also located along I35, has seen growth both inside and around the city in recent years.

The Bell County Commissioners Court recently approved many new subdivisions located on county land to the east of the city, consisting of hundreds of planned homes.

All this growth of new homes, along with the purchase of existing homes, has led to an increase in home prices. Temple has reported seeing the median prices for homes in April 2021 increase by about 14.9% compared to the same time a year ago. But the city is still ranked in the top 10 in affordability in the United States.

Currently the months of inventory for homes in Bell County — the number of months it would take to sell all properties currently for sale at the average monthly sales price — is about half a month.

“A stable market typically has six months of inventory,” Billy White, chief appraiser at the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County, said. “The record high demand, together with record low supply, produce increased sales prices and, therefore, increased property values.”

Telegram file The future West Canyon Trails subdivision off of West Avenue O in Belton eventually will have 170 homes. It is one of more than a dozen subdivisions with 1,565 lots platted that are expected to be constructed in the area between Loop 121 and Interstates 14 and 35.

smonaco@tdtnews.com

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