The Herald-Zeitung

The Village Circle apartment complex in New Braunfels is undergoing a major renovation and becoming more green thanks to its new owners.

The Section 8 housing, located on Glenbrook Drive behind Langtry Village, is controlled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but is financed privately.

Donald Self and Randall Crawford bought the 50-unit property, built in 1981, last month and have been very hands-on, doing some of the remodeling themselves.

According to property manager Jessica Urena, the roofs already have been repaired, all the buildings are being painted and any rotting wood is being repaired.

Urena said the playground will be updated by adding fall zones, new basketball hoops and soccer nets. Also, the volleyball court will be cleaned up and any overgrowth of brush will be cleared out to prevent fire hazards.

Inside, new lighting fixtures are being added to each apartment along with ceiling fans in the bedrooms and living rooms to conserve energy and reduce costs.

“The aim is to make it more environment-friendly and to promote a more positive community,” said Urena. “We want to do away with the stigma of Section 8 housing.”

According to Self, who owns property with several other investors in Houston, this also is a big water conservation project, in which low flow shower heads, toilets, spigots and aerators will be added.

“Over $150,000 has already been invested in the remodel, and another $150,000 will probably be added next year,” Self said. “It’s quite a bit for a small property, but it needed to be done.”

This year is the first phase of the project, and the focus is more on the exterior and the general cleaning up of the property, he added. Next year, with phase two, the remodel will focus more on improvements within the apartments.

The 50 apartments are fully occupied, and the work will be done as residents renew their leases, said Urena.

Self said this is their first experience with Section 8 housing, which means HUD offers assistance to the tenants based on income, and the agency will re-assess the market value of the apartments in 2009, but any increase in price will be picked up by HUD, said Urena.