If you want to live any where near downtown Austin, you can expect to pay upwards of $1,000 a month for rent.
"A major apartment complex on 11th and San Marcos here is very expensive. A thousand dollar a month apartments. That's not what we are about," East Austin resident Michael Guajardo said.
But what the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp. is about is affordable housing. Just East of downtown they are developing a piece of prime real estate to offer at prices they say the working-class can afford. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday.
"The rents here are going to be between $300 and $650 a month, making it very much within the range of the working family," Mike Gerber with Austin's Housing and Community Affairs said.
The working family is at the heart of "La Vista de Guadalupe" apartments. Twenty-two units will be available, and rent will be based on a percentage of the median family income.
"Fifteen-hundred square foot units. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, washing machines. You would be hard pressed to find a downtown developer to say that's economically feasible but it is," Austin City Council member Mike Martinez said.
Guajardo has been living in the neighborhood for 52 years. He said beyond creating affordable housing, this is about taking a stand for working-class Austinites, many who have been priced out of the area housing market.
"It's our statement from those in the community and to Austin: that we can provide affordable housing to those in need," he said.
The apartments should be complete within a year and a half, but the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Cooperation said they already have over 200 applicants on file.
The project is made possible through federal tax breaks, but ultimately the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation wants to give Austinites a break when it comes to quality housing.