Townhomes have struck a chord in Pasadena.

One of the newest examples of the Pasadena trend toward denser housing is Terreno Vista, a 74-unit project in early development on Vista Road just west of Burke.

The developer, Houston-based Mirador Builders LP, has built one six-unit block on a six-acre tract between two medical offices. The property includes two lakes and a planned party pavilion.

Although there are fire walls and spaces between the homes, they share a foundation slab and appear connected from the outside.

Pasadena Planning Director Sarah Benavides said the city’s recent spurt of townhomes and multi-family development has come about as developers have built fewer single-family homes.

Part of the reason is lack of open space, she said.

“In the areas they are looking to put residential (construction), it’s a lot more economical for the builder to do townhomes and multi-family,” Benavides said.

Also, she said, many property owners don’t want a large house they have to maintain.

Another townhome complex in the area, Village at the Park, was developed in 2008 near Burke Crenshaw Park.

Benavides said more townhomes are planned for Keith Street near Bondy Intermediate School in the Fairmont-Beltway 8 area, and a senior apartment complex is slated for Vista Road across the street from Terreno Vista.

Of the six finished homes at Terreno Vista, three are under contract from potential buyers, said Mirador Builders owner Jennifer Hamelet. A Houston native, Hamelet studied interior design at the University of Texas and has been in business 21 years.

Prices for the existing six units range from $160,000 to $204,000. As more units are sold, the top price will go up to $250,000, she said.

“We are selling below our build cost, but that’s okay,” Hamelet said. “I have 74, so I have plenty of time to make it up.”

Units feature hardwood floors and granite counters, six-foot windows, 10-foot ceilings and attention to detail in construction and landscaping, she said.

“The feedback I’m getting is, ‘Wow. There’s nothing like this in Pasadena,’” said Hamelet, who also builds homes in River Oaks and the Houston Heights.

“I tend to look for areas that have already seen appreciation,” she said of her decision to build in Pasadena. “I buy where I can get the best land value, where things have already hit, and I pass the savings along to my buyers.”

Construction of 12 more houses at Terreno Vista will start in May, Hamelet said.

More units would be under way, she said, but her crews have been busy finishing another development on Yale Street in Houston before the April 30 end of the federal tax credit for first-time buyers.


Nancy@CallNancyFurst.com