QUINCY — Construction crews are already moving dirt at the site of the new Jackrabbit Estates, and houses should start going up by the end of April. Developer Angel Garza and family members both cut the ribbon and pulled out the golden shovels for a ceremonial groundbreaking April 8.

“The first 55 lots are being built as we speak,” Garza said. “We should be building our first home in six to eight weeks.”

The new development is located on property next to Quincy High School, and Garza said it’s a multi-phase project that eventually will add more than 400 homes. 

“This first phase is 55 (homes),” Garza said. “This is 60 acres; it’ll be a total of 209 lots.”

Garza’s company Palos Verdes purchased a piece of adjoining property to expand the project, which he estimated would add about 200 lots. 

“All totaled together, the buildout will be about 420 houses, just a little under,” he said. 

That may seem like a lot of houses, especially at a time when interest rates for home loans are higher than they’ve been in a while. Garza said there are potential buyers out there, and his company is working with its lenders to help potential homebuyers. 

“We see what’s on the market here, and we see there’s a big need for housing. Not just here in Quincy but throughout the Columbia Basin, there’s a need,” Garza said. “It’s a matter of what the interest is going to do.”

Higher interest rates are a nationwide challenge, he said, but houses are still selling, although not as quickly as they were before rates started increasing. Providing potential buyers with some assistance helps make home ownership more affordable, he said.

Imagine Realty Group managing broker Jessie “Weno” Dominguez said homebuyers will have their choice of 24 different floor plans. All are three to four bedrooms, with the option for five bedrooms. Prices start at about $340,000. 

Jackrabbit Estates is the company’s second project in Quincy, and Dominguez said it’s been a good place to develop and sell homes. 

‘We’ve been four years in Quincy, and Quincy has treated us very well,” he said. 

Garza said Palos Verdes has built 85 homes to date. 

Palos Verdes is a family business, he said, and more than that, it’s a partnership with other businesses in the industry. Son Joel Garza is the construction manager, and daughter Monica Muro is the chief designer. Her son Cain Muro wants to be an entrepreneur and his first step will be joining the business after graduation, Garza said. 

The business also benefits from its partnerships with Imagine Realty, Frontier Title and First Security Bank, he said. 

“I appreciate the team for the awesome job that they do. In business, it’s not just one person. What makes it work and makes the wheels turn — and in a positive way — is teamwork. And we do have that in this business.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].

    With the help of the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce and surrounded by family and industry partners, Angel Garza, center, initiates the Jackrabbit Estates project by cutting the ribbon.
  

    Home buyers will have their choice of 24 different floor plans in Jackrabbit Estates.