by Breeanna Jent on 2014-12-07

Aegis Builders Inc. celebrated the opening of a new Grand Terrace office located next to Bank of America on Barton Road in a ribbon cutting ceremony held Monday afternoon, Nov. 24. Aegis Builders Inc. and a local independent real estate broker, Jeffrey McConnell, have partnered together to bring housing to the Grand Terrace area over the next several years. Aegis - which means "shield" in Greek - and McConnell are working together on five projects in Grand Terrace, one of them a commercial/light manufacturing project, shared McConnell. The first project in the works is the construction of 12 townhouses at Preston Street, which is expected to see its groundbreaking in the coming weeks. The townhome development will consist of three separate two-story buildings, each with four units, according to staff reports from the December 2013 planning commission meeting where the project was first approved. Aegis Builders Inc. Vice President Darryl Moore, a long-time resident, called Grand Terrace "a beautiful little city," but its small size posed challenges. Moore said, "That makes it very hard for it to work economically." Grand Terrace has several parcels of undeveloped land, providing Aegis and McConnell "the opportunity to bring some units to the city," said Moore. McConnell and Aegis have been working for several years to bring these projects to the city, McConnell told the City News. Not only has he worked with Aegis to "prepare to develop" the projects, but also in "waiting for the market to come around so the projects would pencil out," said McConnell. The projects will "generate a much-needed revenue source to this cash-strapped city," said McConnell. Moore said the city will see benefits in increased real estate and sales taxes. "Not only does the city need more real estate taxes, but it needs more customers," said Moore. "It needs in-town customers to support businesses through taxes, and that generates the money that keeps our city going." The goal is to enhance the city, shared Moore. "We want to keep Grand Terrace a nice place to live," he said. For more information on sales contact Jeffrey McConnell Broker at 909-841-JEFF (5333).