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PORT NECHES — Port Neches’ next major subdivision development received preliminary approval this week, clearing the way for construction to begin this summer as long modifications are made to the original design.

City Council members unanimously approved the preliminary plat review for Indian Pointe Subdivision, previously named “Neches River Estates.”

Dinh Nguyen of 2DS Development purchased 32 acres of land from Lee Avenue at Block Street to the riverfront to build 101 single-family homes.

Public Works Director Taylor Shelton said the preliminary plat review has been assessed and returned for corrections. Those corrections must be addressed before construction can begin.

“We end up accepting all the infrastructure when we accept the subdivision,” Shelton said. “We want it to be built to our standards, installed properly and all of those things before we accept it fully and it becomes our responsibility to maintain it. We want something that is going to be good for 30-50 years.”

The plan calls for preliminary infrastructure such as sewer, concrete and water line construction to begin on the subdivision by the first of summer.

Indian Pointe will provide homes from $200,000 to $1.2 million.

Shelton said the addition of the subdivision on the riverfront provides many benefits to residents and the city.

“This project will bring additional property taxes for us and the county,” he said. “Port Neches isn’t developing any more land, so we have to use the land that we have. Our growth comes from using what we are given and we are seeing a lot of that growth right now.”

Shelton said before work on the subdivision begins, improvements to surrounding intersections will be made to Grigsby and Merrimen streets to the corner of City Hall Park and the intersection from Lee Avenue to the boat ramp.

In other business from Thursday’s meeting, the City of Port Neches approved an agreement with Jefferson County to fund street repairs and maintenance.

The contract pertains to 2020 street repair and rehabilitation work previously approved last month. A bond of $700,000 is approved to have a contractor fill in concrete pavement failure and chip seals.

Jefferson County Precinct 2 will provide Port Neches with time, labor and equipment to assist in repairing roadways in exchange for 4,000 gallons of oil.

Concrete fills will begin by late summer.

“Luckily, our roads weren’t heavily damaged by Harvey, but we do have some basic maintenance repairs we need to make to ensure the safety of our roads,” Shelton said. “The chip seal is important to make sure there isn’t water getting into the base of the road and damaging the infrastructure.”

Chip sealing repairs will start by early September.

“The reason we do (our chip seals) in September is to use the asphalt before it gets cold,” Shelton said. “The county will finish their projects then do Nederland, Groves and us before winter.”

Partial road closures are expected in the fall for short periods of time during construction.

Residents are asked to monitor the city’s website, but will also be provided with door-to-door information during that time.