1978-11-29 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ ~ October 19, 1978 • .Page II If I may, let me briefly enumerate how I think the interests of Monarch Homes, the City of LaPorte and Beau-Bay Development Corporation are linked together by our variance request. First, Eeau-Bay is quite anxious for Monarch Homes to be its primary builder as it enjoys an excellent reputation as a financially stable, quality-concious builder within the home building in- dustry in the Houston area amongst home buyers, lenders and peers in the industry. Monarch Homes is the oldest locally -owned major home builders in the Houston area having been in. business for 22 years. They operate with-the integrity, im- agination and conservativeness necessary to function in a market place with rapidly rising building costs. As a result of their proven ability, track record, and enthusiasm for the LaPorte area we are pleased to have them in Creekmont. To date, they have spent a great deal of money designing and selecting plans which they feel will be best received by the purchasers in the LaPorte area and offer an alternative to what is being made available there today. Its production and administrative staff s have compiled all the data necessary to begin work using the plans they have submitted, and to change them would in addition to • being contradictory to their marketing thinking would be quite costly to them with respect to both time and money. Therefore, -these variances are very important to them. The interests of LaPorte are served in granting these variances for at least two compelling reasons. One, is that the presence of Monarch Homes injects a competitive force into the area and provides a viable alternative to the housing now available. The competitiveness that result from the entry of Monarch Homes into the LaPorte market area can only result in better buys for the consumer. The one with the most product for the least money will prevail. To provide the competition with General Homes, a Com- pany with Monarch's ability is needed. Second, the trend in the land development and home building in- • dustry in the Houston area and the nation is toward more house on smaller lots. Rising land costs and particularly development costs dictate this trend. The costs of producing lots and housing _ are rising higher and faster than the ability of the consumer to buy them. This is why the F.H.A. and V.A. which had these same two restrictions (the area requirement and twenty five foot rear setback) have discontinued their application. To attest to - this, Monarch Homes has built F.H.A. and V.A. some of the same plans they want to build in Creekmont for years around Houston on the same size lots. Granting these variances would allows them • to coincide with the purposes of F.H.A. and V.A. and provide the -most house for the least money. This end, I think, is directly supportive of the interests of LaPorte.