By Seth Schmidt
The Tracy Economic Development Authority is moving ahead with an initiative to spark more new housing construction in Tracy.
Jeff Carpenter, EDA director, says he has been in contact with several contractors and developers with serious interest in building new duplexes. The EDA would be involved in acquiring property and facilitating the new construction, but would not own any new housing.
The construction of quality, owner-occupied duplexes, Carpenter feels, would fill a need in Tracy, while also expanding the city’s property tax base. Prospective duplex residents, he feels, could be people now living in single-family houses in Tracy, that in turn might became available for resale. The sale of those houses could attract additional people to the community.
The EDA took a step this month toward securing one site for new housing, in offering $3,000 for a vacant house at 901 South Center St. Plans are to raze the site, and eliminate a blighted property near one of the main entrances to the community.
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.