CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi City Council approved a reading today to re-zone 240 acres on North Padre Island for a long-term development project.
The master plan for the property, called Whitecap Preserve, will include more than 600 residential lots and an additional 50 acres for commercial and natural uses.
"Corpus Christi will become known more as a beach city with developments like this," District 4 City Councilman Greg Smith said of the project. "It will be a very different development than what we're used to seeing on the Island right now."
Whitecap Preserve will be built on the former Schlitterbahn and Waves Resort properties by Ashlar Development, a company known for building resorts in the Texas Hill Country.
Development is estimated to take up to 10 years to complete and will be built in phases. The finished product will include permanent residencies, short-term rentals and a new system of canals with total access to the water.
Corpus Christi Development Services Assistant Director Nina Nixon-Mendez said of the plans, "People feel like that's the gateway to the island, and so with this development, I think you'll see what can be further developed in the future."
The City of Corpus Christi also initiated a public improvement district to help with construction costs, which is valued between $800 million and $1 billion. According to Mendez, the cost will be well worth it.
"Its location at the commercial node to the island is really the most optimum location for this kind of development," Mendez said.
The area will also feature bioswales that help manage storm water levels and a nature preserve for migrating birds.
Dr. Michael Womack at South Texas Botanical Gardens said a new preserve is critical, since several migration routes converge in South Texas along Padre and Mustang Islands.
"Any place that we can protect an area creating nature preserves is going to benefit those migrating birds for generations to come," Dr. Womack said.
A second reading for zoning the area will happen at the next city council meeting.