The rural Gulf Coast community of Rockport, Texas, was devastated when Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm in August 2017. Many homes and buildings in the area were damaged or destroyed, including Dominium’s Sea Mist, a 76-unit affordable housing community.
“Our property got absolutely destroyed,” says Ahmed Abdelhameed, development associate at Dominium. “In the aftermath, it was completely uninhabitable.”
The Minnesota-based developer had owned and managed the property, which was built in 2001, for five years. After the hurricane, leases had to be terminated, and the development team quickly began the process of a substantial rehab.
The buildings were gutted down to the wood framing. With insurance proceeds and developer funding, the $6.6 million redevelopment included new roofs, siding, and drywall; more resilient hard-surface flooring on the first floor of the units; and more durable cabinetry that will last for decades. The brick was sealed so water won’t be able to get through when another major storm hits.
The development reopened its doors in January to provide much-needed housing for the residents of Rockport, a fishing and tourism destination. With very few affordable housing communities in the city, it was quickly leased, with approximately half of the residents who had lived at the property at the time of the hurricane returning. Forty percent of the units serve households at 50% of the area median income while the remainder are at 60% AMI.
“It leased up quicker than expected. We knew people were ready for it,” says Abdelhameed. “There’s just so few affordable housing options there.”
In addition to the brand-new units, residents also can enjoy a revamped clubhouse with new furniture as well as a new laundry room. Dominium also hopes to add a new playground and enhanced landscaping in the future.
