CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — If you're driving fast down Interstate 35 leaving Portland and heading toward Aransas Pass, you can easily miss the small RV and hotel lot off Linda Kay Lane.
Matthew Teifke is one of the buying partners of Dome Dudes Motel and RV Park. He said that while the lot may not look like much on the outside, the small living spaces play a big role when it comes to attracting industry workers.
"The idea is that we have really cheap rent," he said. "So we're charging lot rent $350 for a space," he said.
Teifke said compared to what workers might pay for hotel visits, investing in an RV could provide more bang for their buck.
"If you get a hotel, it might be $70, $100 a night, minimum. That comes out to $3,000 a month, so this is a tenth of that cost," he said.
San Patricio County Pct. 2 Commissioner Tom Yardley said that RV lots help fill gaps that some in the community may feel due to the lack of affordable housing options in the area.
"There is a shortage of places for them to stay short term," he said. "You have several hotels in Portland and you go by these hotels during the week their occupancy rates are fairly high."
Yardley said he's seen RV lots grow in popularity of the years.
"At some point all the rentals are full, all of the apartments are full and if you're not looking to by a home then your options quickly become every limited," he said.
It's an option Yardley said property owners should consider, at a time where high housing costs are not projected to slow down.
"Houses in this area buy as quick as the developers can get them built and yet we still need more houses, so I don't see that changing in the near future," he said.