High occupancy rates make apartment hunting harder

Apartment hunters beware.

Finding a place to live in Odessa just got a little bit harder, according to a recent apartment survey presented by the Odessa Chamber of Commerce during the Odessa Development Corporation meeting Thursday afternoon.

Guy Andrews, Chamber of Commerce economic development director, reported during economic agency reports that Odessa has a 97 percent occupancy rate according to the chamber’s apartment report.

The chamber conducts the survey every year, sending mail-outs and making phone calls throughout the city. Eighty-six apartment complexes were sent surveys with 78 complexes responding. The total number of apartment units reported by the survey participants was 8,863 units.

The rate is up 5 percent from the last apartment survey conducted in September 2010. The rate increase is particularly concerning, Andrews said, as plans continue with the Summit Texas Clean Energy project.

The Summit project is expected to create up to 2,000 construction jobs to build a coal-gasification plant in Ector County. Around 150 full-time jobs will be created after construction.

“If we’re at 100 percent occupancy, where will they live?” newly appointed ODC secretary Charles Carlson asked.

Andrews said it’s up to private investors with Summit to decide how to house the impending influx of workers in Odessa.

“If you bring in 2,000 construction workers, where do you bring those people? It’s a concern, but a private development drives that,” Andrews said. “I don’t think we’d be involved at all in providing any type of housing.”

Carlson added that people who are moving to Odessa will probably be opting to live in an apartment before they consider buying a house to live in. ODC members also speculated how the lack of apartment housing might affect Odessa’s sales-tax revenue.

“We know some people live over there (Midland), but a lot of it has to do with where they’re working and where they decide to shop,” Andrews said. “You probably have as much traffic between Midland and Odessa. You’re dealing with something you have a gut feeling for, but unless someone does a study, it’s one of those unknowables.”

In other business, David Miller, vice chancellor for research and commercialization for Texas Tech, updated the board on the National Institute for Renewable Energy and the Texas Wind Energy Institute. Miller revealed plans on a new undergraduate program at Texas Tech into which students from two-year colleges can transfer.

More positive news occurred at the beginning of the meeting as the ODC’s newest member Kriston Crow and returning member Frank Deaderick took their oath of office.

During officer appointments, Austin Keith was re-appointed president, Rick Carlton was appointed vice president, James Zentner remained treasurer and Norma Auguilar-Grimaldo remained assistant treasurer.

ODC members tabled a request to approve appointments to the compliance committee due to the resignation of Terry Richey, which left one position on the committee open. Appointments to the budget committee were approved, with one position open as P.A. Lyon completed the three-term restriction.

During appointments for the partnership, enterprise and advertising committees, Carlson and Keith replaced Tom McMinn and Russell Subia on the Odessa enterprise zone committee, Crow replaced Keith on the advertising committee while Carlton and Deaderick remained on the partnership committee.

Zetner gave a review of the proposed 2011-2012 budget, which the ODC will revise and approve during its August meeting.

@OAlifestyle