ORANGE, Texas — When driving through Orange, one might see plenty of construction and potential as the city goes through a new phase of growth.
On Jan. 24, the city broke ground on a new hospital that is expected to be completed in 2023. The city also has new restaurants, including a Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks, on 16th Street.
A new subdivision, that is expected to be completed sometime in 2022, is another sign of the city's continuing growth. The subdivision is expected to be built behind Little Cypress Middle School and have almost 200 single-family homes.
City officials said the new addition to the city is just one small part of an overall phase of growth for Orange. The phase has kept life busy for Orange Planning and Community Development Director Kevin Knauf.
“Busy, busy, very busy, like I say, everyday I get calls,” Knauf said.
Knauf said Orange is a desirable location.
“Orange is a very proactive, very pro-development community, and I think that word is spreading, and people are seeing the opportunities here,” Knauf said.
Those opportunities include the almost $200,000 single-family homes that could soon come to the city. Knauf has stacks of blueprints and most of them have already been approved.
“We're looking at over 650 single family lots coming in the city of Orange over the next few years,” Knauf said.
The upcoming addition to the city’s growth has members of the Orange community feeling a mix of excitement and worry.
“We're worried about where the water is going when they get these houses built,” Michael Owens, Orange resident said. “We’re worried about how they are going to drain it and keep it from flooding us.”
City officials said they have taken the drainage problem into consideration concerning their plans.
“The drainage district has been very, very good and active, and proactive in those drainage standards to make sure people aren't getting flooded from new development,” Kevin Knauf said.
City officials hope the developments and growth will make Orange a place where people go to have fun, make memories, settle down and start a family.
“It’s mental,” Orange Mayor Larry Spears said. “It gives some hope for the people that used to say Orange was dead. We're just establishing ourselves as a place to come have a good time, and now, a place to want to live and raise your children, so we're excited.”
The Orange City Council will have a meeting on Tuesday night where they are expected to approve another subdivision.