If home is where the heart is, Eddie Huskey knows where to find his.
As the sales manager for Betenbough Homes in Amarillo, Huskey also lives in The Meadows, one of three current subdivisions where residences are sold by the company, with a fourth — Heritage Hills — currently under construction.
These four subdivisions are public improvement districts, where homeowners pay taxes for water and sewer services and specific neighborhood infrastructures, such as enhanced landscaping, swimming pools, and parks.
With multiple established districts in Amarillo and Lubbock, Betenbough Homes is building the first public improvement district in Odessa at East 100th Street and Andrews Highway, where construction on Windmill Crossing has begun and the soon-to-be constructed homes are already being sold.
Public improvement district taxes are levied against the home until paid in full over a set period or all at once. Despite paying extra, Huskey said the feedback he’s received has been positive.
“Granted, our kids are grown now, but for parents with smaller kids, having those maintained sidewalks is nice,” Huskey said. “Even for me and my wife, taking our dogs for walks is a nice experience.”
When complete, Windmill Crossing in Odessa will feature multiple community parks and a community walking trail, all of which will be windmill themed.
Residences will be between 1,000 and 2,600 square feet. Students in the area will attend Jordan Elementary, Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School, and Permian High School.
General Manager of Betenbough Homes in Odessa, Lora Robertson, said construction on residences is scheduled to begin between January and February.
“Right now, the area is just land and some streets that have been paved, but we’re already selling homes, and we’re excited about this new community,” Robertson said.
On average, homeowners in an improvement district pay an extra $34 a month in additional taxes, Robertson said, which go to hiring a third-party company which will be responsible for upkeep of walkways, parks and other common areas.
Homeowners will be responsible for maintaining their lawns; no homeowner associations will exist in the community.
“We know HOA fees that are much more than $34,” Robertson said. “The best of it all is you get the parks and the amenities without having the HOA. We’re really excited about this PID because of that reason.”
With homes scheduled to start around $1,900 a month, the community is also looking to bring more affordable housing to an area that sees prices fluctuate based on the boom-and-bust cycle of the oil field.
In November, the median home price in Odessa was listed at $300,000, up almost 16% from the previous year, according to Realtor.com. The website also lists two-bedroom prices between $1,400 and $2,000, depending on the area.
As a cost-plus builder, where contractors get paid for all project expenses plus either an agreed-upon profit or a fixed fee, the goal of the community is to help people find homes that fit their budget.
“In the Permian Basin, more so than any other region, affordable housing is needed,” Robertson said. “It’s needed everywhere, but in the oilfield, there’s sometimes a premium that comes with the boom.”
While a bit further from the reaches of the oilfields in Amarillo, Huskey said the public improvement districts provide more than just a place to live, but a sense of community.
Each district is different, he said, with some having pools, some multiple parks and some walking trails, but in his role, he said he has heard many people say how much easier it has been having an area where they can meet and share space with their neighbors.
“If it’s a community they’re looking for, then it’s a community we have for them,” he said.
