WWW.CCTEXAS.COM CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS A CULTIVATED GEM ALONG A BEAUTIFUL SHORELINE
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX A CULTIVATED GE BEAUTIFUL SHOR AT A GLANCE CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS WHAT: A thriving coastal city WHERE: N ueces County, Texas WEBSITE: www.cctexas.com 1 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
EM ALONG A RELINE A Coastal Hub, Rich with History, Industry, and Progress With a nod to its past, Corpus Christi, the largest city on the Texas coast and home to the nation’s sixthlargest port, is welcoming growth and modern development. Incorporated in 1852, the city is renowned for its unique combination of natural assets, industries, and a growing tourism sector. With its beautiful beaches and bays, diverse economy, and rich agricultural backdrop, Corpus 2 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
Christi is a thriving community that welcomes new opportunities. A CHANGING DOWNTOWN LANDSCAPE Downtown Corpus Christi is the city’s heart, as Assistant City Manager, Heather Hurlbert, portrays, “We have a downtown Marina, and it sits right on the bay. It is unique, and it is gorgeous. We have a large seawall that runs along the bay area that borders that downtown area, so you get a good mix of that vacation and business feel.” A tax increment financing zone has been established to encourage investment back into the downtown.“We work very closely with our Downtown Management District to help attract new businesses and identify projects in the area,” notes Hurlbert. Part of the effort includes introducing more accommodation to the city core, with projects ranging from the conversion of office spaces into apartments to the transformation of an old vacant hotel into residential housing.“We have a new hotel being built, and there is a lot of sprucing up of existing businesses,” Hurlbert expands. “That synergy is starting to roll, and we’re seeing a lot of attraction into downtown.” From unique restaurants to boutique shops, the downtown core is filled with homegrown businesses contributing to the city’s charm. As for business attraction, she shares, “We do have programs for those who want to come into the downtown area, where we can help with capital and startup costs, with renovation costs, especially if you are activating a vacant building, or making improvements or expansions.” She adds that community events are crucial in drawing people into the area. The Downtown Management District has worked to expand the Art Walk, an event held on the first Friday of each month. “They’ve grown that. It is now attracting up to 20,000 people. They’ve got booths and merchants of all kinds, live music. And it’s become an event.” Corpus Christi is also focused on enhancing the downtown experience for pedestrians. With the bay, just a few blocks from the city center, part of the long-term vision includes improving connectivity between the seawall area and downtown. “On one 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09 CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
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of the major streets, we’re looking at doing some improvements to be able to connect those two assets, to attract people off of the seawall area into the downtown area, and make that transition a little bit more seamless,” Hurlbert describes. AN IDEAL DESTINATION Tourism plays a pivotal role in Corpus Christi’s economy. The American Bank Center, a premier sports and events venue brings a significant number of visitors to the community. Along with this, the city’s beaches and natural amenities make it a top destination for leisure and eco-tourism. The Convention and Visitors Bureau, known as Visit Corpus Christi, is nationally and internationally recognized for its marketing efforts. Hurlbert asserts, “They do a wonderful job marketing for us, and they have done a great job making those connections, going out, and marketing the city.” 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09 CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
Since its establishment more than 100 years ago, the Port of Corpus Christi has cemented its place as The Energy Port of the Americas in the global marketplace. The Port is the largest crude oil export gateway in the United States, as well as No. 2 in the nation in liquefied natural gas exports and No. 3 in total waterborne tonnage. Strategically located on the western Gulf of Mexico, with a 39-mile, soon-to-be 54-foot (Mean Lower Low Water) deep channel, the Port of Corpus Christi is a major gateway to international and domestic maritime commerce. The Port of Corpus Christi also has excellent railroad and highway network connectivity via three North American Class-1 railroads and two major interstate highways. In addition to petrochemical and refined fuel commodities, the Port handles a diverse slate of other cargoes, including wind farm components, military equipment, bulk grain, iron ingots, concrete and pipe. Supported by its seven-member commission, the Port is “Moving America’s Energy” while also investing in its maritime infrastructure to support our strong customer base, ensuring continued growth and success for the next 100 years. Connect with us: portofcc.com Generated by Port Customers and Port Related Activity in Texas 95,000+ JOBS
Established in 2005, Gourley Contractors, LLC is a full-service general contractor, providing outstanding construction services within a 75-mile radius of Corpus Christi, Texas. The vast experience of our dedicated team ensures quality construction with on-time results. Gourley Contractors performs new commercial ground-up and renovation projects, as well as residential renovations. While we are proud of all of our projects, some of the stand-outs have been City of Corpus Christi City Hall Council Chambers, Hurricane Alley Water Park, Hewitt Drive Kitchen Renovation, the Palapas at TAMU-CC, Port Aransas Beach Residence Renovations, Jerry McDonald Ball Field-Port Aransas, PenFed Credit Union-Staples Street Renovations, Barndominium-San Diego TX, UBS Financial Services Renovations, Youth Odyssey Ropes Course Building, Flock Bar Tenant Finish-Out, with many more deserving of mention. We have also completed twenty park projects for the City of Corpus Christi, with the most recent being the new Cole Park Playground. Due to the attention to detail and professionalism we provide, Gourley Contractors has many recurring customers, including the City of Corpus Christi, Youth Odyssey, Purple Door Women’s Shelter, The Diocese of Corpus Christi, and Simmons Bank, along with several others. Value…Expertise…Consistency…Integrity…not just words, but the way we do business at Gourley Contractors, LLC. Beautiful results start with us. Tel: 361-883-3766 Address: 4921 Ambassador Row, Corpus Christi, Texas 78416 Gourley Contracting provides the experience and attention to detail required to exceed expectations on all projects – whether commercial construction or residential renovations. Regardless of size, each project is managed professionally, ensuring timely, on-budget completion. Complex or straightforward, all projects are important to us because they are important to our customers. We take pride in providing beautiful results. CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE Similar to its civic counterparts, Corpus Christi is experiencing challenges in the housing market, with inventory levels struggling to keep up with demand.“Looking at the city as a whole, we do have tight inventory, so we are working with developers to continue to develop that single-family housing stock, and to diversify our housing,” Hurlbert explains. One notable project involves the conversion of an abandoned hotel built in the 1970s. “It’s a rock solid hotel that has up to 400 rooms, and they’re converting it into workforce housing units,” she recounts. “We are going to help them a little bit with subsidies to help buy that rent down a little bit.” Hurlbert further highlights that this project is creating an opportunity to repurpose a vacant space without the need for extensive new infrastructure. Additionally, the building is five minutes from several of the city’s major industries, making it an ideal location for workforce housing. As it grows, the city is investing in its critical infrastructure, including securing a sufficient water supply for the future.“We are moving forward with a desalination plant,” Hurlbert reports. “Over the past 50 years, we’ve secured surface water, which has worked well, but that is still very much dependent on rain. This will provide us with a drought-proof water supply.” The first plant is expected to produce up to 50 million gallons per day, with the possibility of future expansion. PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE As Corpus Christi continues to grow, workforce development remains a top priority. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi attracts many students to the community, and the city is collaborating with the university to find ways to retain graduates. Additionally, Del Mar College offers training programs 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
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tailored to meet the needs of local industries.“We’ve worked through some of our economic development programs to provide specialized engineering training, for instrumentation, for a lot of our plants including our petrochemical plants. We work very, very closely with them,” Hurlbert maintains. The Texas Workforce Commission is also a main partner, offering valuable training to support the city’s workforce. To support this evolving economic landscape, Corpus Christi is engaging with industries and major employers to understand where the deficits are.“We are very cognizant of the fact that we do have to make sure that we have properly trained people to staff those industries and businesses, so we can continue to thrive.” NEW OPPORTUNITIES The city is currently exploring options for co-locating new developments at the municipal airport. “We have a lot of areas out there that we can expand on. We are doing a lot of work to attract direct flights, to see how we can partner out there,” remarks Hurlbert. As for potential industries, she relays, “Hydrogen is a huge thing in our area, and it is a viable industry, but it is very heavily water and energy-dependent, and so we are working with our regional partners on how to best attract that new technology, and balance that with the resources that we have.” In addition to the airport development, the nearby King Ranch, a large agricultural area, is exploring carbon capture initiatives. “We’ve got some interesting stuff going on,” she acknowledges. We are continuing to build our secondary retail markets. We are the retail hub of the area, and so we want to continue to attract those businesses that provide that quality of life and that quality of spending in the area, as we’re attracting these people to our region.” QUALITY OF LIFE AMENITIES Boasting over 190 parks, ranging from green spaces to fully developed recreational areas, the city is alive Smarter steels for people and planet At ArcelorMittal Texas, we are leading the way in sustainable steelmaking with Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) technology. ArcelorMittal Texas’ high-quality HBI is a vital ingredient for eco-friendly steel production, contributing to a greener future as we continue to supply industries worldwide with the raw materials needed to build the world responsibly Leading the Way in Sustainable Steelmaking ArcelorMittal.com 10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
with the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Corpus Christi is dedicated to reinvesting in its regional parks, ensuring they continue to serve as valuable recreational spaces for both residents and visitors.Along with this, the community is welcoming a new $10 million aquatic center, the first new swimming pool built in the area in 30 years. Corpus Christi is also making significant improvements to its coastal areas. The North Beach area, a popular spot for both tourists and permanent residents, has recently seen the addition of a new park and bathroom facility right on the beach. Further enhancements are underway on North Padre Island near Packery Channel Park, where a new lifeguard and bathroom facility is nearing the end of its design phase and will soon begin construction. “There’s several of those big assets that are going in through our bond program that will be going to the voters in November. We’ve got some other big park projects that will be coming through that too,” Hurlbert details. “We’ve got about a million dollars CHOOSE CCISD LEARN MORE ABOUT REGISTRATION Our students enjoy a positive environment where they explore, learn and belong! CCISD Biz View AD.indd 1 8/15/24 1:53 PM 11 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09 CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
worth of amenities that are planned for fiscal year 25 to go into a lot of our parks, including benches, water fountains, swing sets, things like that, just to kind of spruce some of them up.” IT TAKES A COMMUNITY “We are a small region, we have to work together,” Hurlbert highlights some of the key entities that contribute to Corpus Christi’s success. She names the Nueces County government, the Port of Corpus Christi, and the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation as important partners in the city’s progress. Strong relationships with the Naval Air Station and the Corpus Christi Army Depot, are also valued, along with major industry partners, such as Valero, Flint Hills, Shamir, and Lyondell Basell. Looking ahead, Hurlbert summarizes,“We have a lot of momentum going, and I think we’re going to see some great things coming forward in the next 18 to 24 months.” WhitecapLivingNPI.com EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. Models do not reflect racial or ethnic preferences. Not an offer or solicitation to sell real property. Whitecap NPI does not discriminate against any class of persons protected by federal, state or local law. ARTIST’S CONCEPTUAL RENDERING Own Where Luxury Meets The Gulf 12 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
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PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Port of Corpus Christi www.portofcc.com The Port of Corpus Christi is the third largest port in the United States in total waterborne tonnage. Strategically located on the western Gulf of Mexico with a 36-mile, soon to be 54foot (Mean Lower Low Water) deep channel, the Port of Corpus Christi is a major gateway to international and domestic maritime commerce. n Gourley Contracting www.gourleycontractorsllc.com Gourley Contractors, LLC is a general contractor, performing commercial ground-up and renovation projects, and residential remodels, within a 75-mile radius of Corpus Christi, Texas. Organized in 2005, Gourley Contractors is a woman-owned HUB in the State of Texas, and employs experienced, dedicated staff able to complete the most complex construction projects. n ArcelorMittal Texas HBI www.northamerica.arcelormittal.com At ArcelorMittal Texas, we are leading the way in sustainable steelmaking with Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) technology. ArcelorMittal Texas’ highquality HBI is a vital ingredient for eco-friendly steel production, contributing to a greener future as we continue to supply industries worldwide with the raw materials needed to build the world responsibly n Corpus Christi ISD www.ccisd.us At Corpus Christi ISD, our students thrive in a supportive, innovative environment from pre-K to high school. With modern facilities, innovative programs of choice, and a strong community focus, it’s no wonder we received the 2023 H-E-B Excellence in Education award for Best Large School District. Choose CCISD! n Whitecap NPI www.whitecaplivingnpi.com Over the past few years, Whitecap NPI has embarked on an ambitious journey to redefine the coastal living experience on North Padre Island. With a blend of innovation, extensive planning, and a deep commitment to community enrichment, Whitecap NPI has emerged as a transformative force, shaping the island’s landscape and setting new standards for luxury living along the Texas Gulf Coast. 14 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09
WWW.CCTEXAS.COM WWW.BUSINESSVIEWMAGAZINE.COM AS FEATURED IN Corpus Christi TX
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