Sweetwater, Texas

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 SWEETWATER , TEXAS in the nearby town of Abilene, Hunt suggests, “Abilene is also going to find itself in short supply of housing with new jobs coming to this area of Texas. We have the space for warehousing and for industry, at what is believed to be a lower price than other areas, but we are going to have to have the housing. We made big movements in the past year towards that housing.” Incentivising developers is one way in which Sweetwater is ensuring they can meet these future housing needs. For the upcoming 94-lot subdivision, Sweetwater Economic Development has offered the developer $4,000 per lot to put in roads and other infrastructure that will allow builders to purchase and build on the lots. According to Adames, “We will give any builder licensed to build homes in the state of Texas a $10,000 incentive if they will build a home in that subdivision that is larger than 1200 square feet.” Other incentives include $6.00 per square foot for infill projects, and $4.80 per square foot for homes being built just outside the city limits. She adds, “We are doing things to try to promote and incentivize people to come in. Hopefully, in addition to these subdivisions, we’ll get some infill on these lots that we will have available whenever some of these dilapidated structures are taken care of in our neighborhoods.” Looking to the future, Adames sees continued growth for Sweetwater. She notes, “My personal goal as an economic development professional, which is very doable if we keep our momentum, is to increase our population by 10% before the next decennial census.” Hunt adds her thoughts: “If we are able to address the housing issue, people who commute to work here will desire to live here. I think as new people move to Sweetwater they are going to push for continued improvements and a better quality of life. “