Rent Cafe Blog

While location, location, location is something we tend to emphasize a lot, the best places often come with compromises that are hard to come to terms with—chief among which, the financial matters. But price in itself isn’t everything either. After all, renting a space to live in is all about, well, space. And if you’re anything like us, the more stretch you get for your cash, the wider your grin, so apartment size is important. Then again, you cannot lose sight of location completely…

​Here’s what $1,500 rents across the US—from 271 sq.ft. in Manhattan to 1,948 sq.ft. in Memphis

For the full article click here.

The industrial city of Baytown, just east of Houston, has long been ignored by residential developers who create masterplanned and amenitized communities.  CDS performed a series of studies for the Baytown – West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation in 2008 – 2010 covering both retail and housing demand in the area.  Our work showed that both new retail and housing development serving middle class households was justified by existing market conditions.  Since then, Baytown has had great success in attracting well-known retail businesses to fill shopping and dining gaps, plus new quality apartment development.  

The last piece of the puzzle was attracting a developer to create a new amenitized residential community serving the well-paid professionals and managers who work in the fast-growing industrial facilities nearby.  This customer base has long been buying homes in more distant suburban communities such as the west Lake Houston area and Clear Lake, and increasingly in the adjacent community of Mont Belvieu.  We demonstrated that a new higher-priced single family development was feasible in Baytown itself, especially if the community supported its development.  Finally, 2016 has brought the news Baytown has waited for.  The city has accomplished a lot since CDS’ studies, and it’s a credit to local leaders who have worked to attract new investment.  See the article linked below.

Steve Spillette
CDS Community Development Strategies

Does your community have a historic downtown that seems to be neglected? Despite the local history, interesting architecture, and walkable streets, many businesses locate elsewhere. On the surface, it can sometimes feel like a hopeless situation. But many small communities are discovering what works in big cities can work in their little towns, too.

A Little History
The heritage and charm of historic downtowns weren’t enough to sustain economic activity in many small places as economic conditions and consumer preferences changed over time. For many communities, this trend accelerated during the 1960s. Many local businesses were driven under by national chains. Occupants moved out. Rents declined. Eventually, building owners lost the revenue and/or the interest in keeping their properties up to date and in good condition. Sadly, many otherwise attractive buildings fell into disrepair and vacancy.

Brenda Crenshaw
CDS Community Development Strategies

​With the senior population increasing and living longer, the demand for new Active Adult housing is being explored by more developers. One developer, Greystar, has taken the plunge into senior housing recently with the announcement of two Houston properties and 26 more to come around the country.