{"id":20188,"date":"2024-10-02T13:21:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T13:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/?p=20188"},"modified":"2024-10-02T13:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T13:21:09","slug":"santa-fe-realtors-promote-diverse-housing-options-in-housing-strapped-region-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-2-4-2-2-3-2-4-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-2-3-2-2-2-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-2-2-3-2-2-3-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/homepage\/success-story\/har-transform1024","title":{"rendered":"Heartland Association of REALTORS\u00ae Brings Economic Development Insight to Bangs, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2023, the city of Bangs in rural west-central Texas (pop. 1,600) was considering how to make the best use of a long stretch of property it had recently annexed, in a way that would align with the values of the local community and meet its needs for increased housing and commercial activity.\u00a0 The Heartland Association of REALTORS\u00ae brought a vital infusion of economic development expertise to Bangs by securing a REALTOR\u00ae Party Transforming Neighborhoods<\/a> assessment. A top-tier team from The Counselors of Real Estate\u00ae (CRE) Consulting Corps was sent to evaluate the area, delivering an in-depth analysis of local real estate opportunities and actionable strategies for revitalizing the downtown area<\/p>\n

The project has not only spurred growth activity; it has elevated the profile of REALTORS\u00ae <\/sup>as committed community partners throughout a six-county region, says Laura Tilley, Executive of the 190-member Heartland Association of REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup>.\u00a0 \u201cAs a REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong> board, this is one of the most consequential things we\u2019ve been able to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she first learned about the program, Tilley was encouraged by colleagues in Peoria, Illinois whom she\u2019d contacted to hear about their experience.\u00a0 \u201cOur president and advocacy chair and I sat down with the city manager and the mayor to brainstorm about our goals for the city and for this project.\u00a0 We were very lucky that these officials were absolutely on board and recognized the incredible value that the CRE consultation would bring to the community.\u00a0 Once we made sure we were all on the same page, we were able to run with it.\u201d \u00a0The NAR Community Outreach team worked closely with her as she put the application together.<\/p>\n

The project began with several video interviews in which the CRE team met with Tilley, some of her officers, and the city administrator to further define what they hoped to accomplish.\u00a0 The biggest challenge, she says, was setting up the twenty-five interviews with local stakeholders that would take place during the team\u2019s five-day visit to Bangs in October 2023.\u00a0 She managed to corral business owners, the local \u2018engaged Facebook crowd\u2019, city leadership, the police chief, leaders from local youth groups and churches, and a couple of REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong>, including the board president. \u00a0\u201cA neighboring small city lent us a van and driver to facilitate touring during the visit, which was a great help,\u201d notes Tilley.\u00a0 \u201cIt really was a group effort, and we\u2019re making sure that we\u2019re finding ways to reciprocate and share what we\u2019ve learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CRE team toured the area, conducted their interviews, examined market data, and reviewed prior city plans for developing a long, narrow property fronting the main highway that the city had reclaimed.\u00a0 Its report addressed city infrastructure; the recently annexed property; business, commercial, and downtown investment; and housing and community-building.\u00a0 Its recommendations included moving forward with developing the annexed property; articulating a vision for the downtown area, including placemaking and developing a business incubator; improving community communications; installing branded gateway and way-finding signage; and encouraging residential variety.<\/p>\n

In the past year, reports Tilley, Bangs has made great strides forward using the guidance of the CRE report<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 For the annexed property, the city envisions a development of twenty-five 12K-15K square-foot housing units at a price point just below the threshold of affordable housing, with a park and fitness course backing the existing elementary schoolyard and a front commercial development.\u00a0 The city has approved a septic system, and a draft performance agreement for prospective developers is in review. \u00a0It is also planning artwork for high-visibility signage throughout the town.\u00a0 A local business owner is opening a restaurant.\u00a0 The city has also hired a new code enforcement officer, and a new grant writer, and is generally working to remove obstacles to the revitalization effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy leveraging the power of the CRE study, our association has been able to make the kind of impact you\u2019d expect from a much larger board, says Tilley.\u00a0 \u201cOur members are so excited.\u00a0 I keep hearing, \u2018Wow!\u00a0 We didn\u2019t know we could do this!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about how the Heartland Association of REALTORS\u00ae <\/sup>is working to increase investment and commercial activity in Bangs, Texas and other communities in its six-county jurisdiction, contact Association Executive Laura Tilley at heartlandaor@gmail.com<\/a> or 325.200.2862.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In west-central Texas, the city of Bangs (pop. 1,600) received a boost of economic development expertise thanks to a Transforming Neighborhoods assessment secured by the Heartland Association of REALTORS\u00ae. The project has spurred growth activity and elevated the profile of REALTORS\u00ae as committed community partners.","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,296],"tags":[1837,415,1603],"class_list":["post-20188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","category-success-story","tag-heartland-association-of-realtors","tag-texas","tag-transforming-neighborhoods"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}