The Apple Seeds Apartments, located at 1530 S. Seguin Ave., in New Braunfels, is going to be completed on time and on budget following two years of permit delays, said Eric Cooper, President and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank.
What happened
A culmination of the COVID-19 pandemic and city’s permitting process delayed the project, Cooper said.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we got architect drawings, a contractor ready to build—but we were missing the permits necessary to start the construction,” Cooper said. “It took two years for us to get a permit and the delays in permitting over that period of time, building codes changed and because of those building code changes plans that were drawn two years earlier had to be redrawn and created some additional delays.”
What the city is saying
The city issued a permit in February 2023 under the 2019 codes, which was not picked up by the Apple Seeds Apartments or the contractor on the project. Permit approvals expire after 180 days with no forward progress on the project. The city issued a second permit extension which was granted in June 2024 with a notice that further extensions may not be able to be granted due to the city adopting the 2021 International Code Council's codes, Director of Communications and Community Engagement Jenna Vinson said in an email to Community Impact.
In case you missed it
The $12 million development broke ground in June 2021. The 52-unit affordable housing project will offer two bedroom and three bedroom apartments for families with children under the age of 15 and households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income, according to a news release.
Units will be equipped with energy efficient appliances such along with washers and dryers. There will also be an amenity center, mail room and community kitchen area, Cooper said.
The Apple Seeds Apartments will also incorporate food access, nutrition education, children’s programs and financial literacy, the release states.
Quote of note
Cooper emphasized that the food bank was a “hand me up” organization not a hand me down organization.
“Through design and architecture [and] construction you have an opportunity to really inspire and we want these families to be inspired by their surroundings,” Cooper said. “It’s not institutional—it’s home.”
Looking ahead
Cooper said they hope to be complete with the project by summer of 2026.
