Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Chuck McElroy will always call Port Arthur his home, and now the retired professional baseball player is set to create homes for others in the city.

McElroy Estates will be located near the corner of 39th Street and Tallowood Drive and include 46 single-family homes starting in the $200,000 range.

McElroy, a Lincoln High School class of 1986 graduate who set a school record for strike outs, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies that year and spent time playing for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Anaheim Angels, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres before retiring in 2001, according to information from the Museum of the Gulf Coast.

McElroy, who now lives in League City, said he had been looking at the piece of vacant property for years after his retirement from professional baseball.

He and business partner Mike Rebcesher worked on the project before the housing market hit a crisis and it was put on hold.

“We kept working on it, trying to do it, then all of a sudden he came to me and said Chuck, let’s do it,” McElroy said.

McElroy knows there is the need for housing in the city, which is one of the reasons he is building in Port Arthur.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the site is planned at 11 a.m. Monday.

McElroy hopes to start the first house by spring or summer 2023.

The 46 new homes means a lot to the city.

Pat Avery, president and CEO of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, said the new development highlights growth and expansion.

The influx of housing in turn will bring new businesses to the area, which could mean more property taxes for the city, and more supporting businesses such as salons, dry cleaners, additional people moving to the city and more.

Local businesses and merchants will see the benefit from the new residents.

“More revenue for their businesses, which means that they will get a raise in their income, as well,” Avery said. “In the end, it is a win-win for everyone.”

The subdivision feature streets names honoring McElroy’s family and those who positively impacted his life, such as grandmother Mamie Simmons, mother Elizabeth Mayfield and high school coach Cordell Lindsey.

“They are the reason I got to that level,” he said.

But this won’t be his only project in the area. He has his sights on projects in Port Arthur as well as in Beaumont, Orange and in between.

“I also want to do something with other former players who came out of the area,” he said. “Professional sports athletes are like a fraternity. Whether you play football or baseball, it’s all one.”

He also has a goal of taking part in development on Pleasure Island.

McElroy, his wife and two sons are part of ProVision Developments which is handling the development and Rebcesher is their business partner.

A free homebuyer workshop is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Bob Bowers Civic Center. The workshop is in partnership with National Assistance Corporation of America. Preregister online by clicking here.