72 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 Assistant City Manager & Director of Economic Development, Heather Hurlbert, agrees. “We’re probably about 3-4000 units short on residential housing,” she notes. “So, being able to move several hundred residential units into the greater downtown area and other targeted infill areas would be beneficial.” In other housing news, Hurlbert reports that two large, master-planned communities are in the offing. Ashlar Development’s Whitecap Preserve on North Padre Island is an $800 million project on 240 acres. When complete, it will feature 600 residential offerings, including singlefamily homes, villas, condos, and crossgenerational housing, many of which will have access to the area’s canals. Individual yet interconnected neighborhoods will be created within the residential community by utilizing island enclaves, bridges, boardwalks, and various walking paths. The development will also include a town center, a mixed-use area, and dining, entertainment, and retail options. Lake Padre is another master-planned project that will be built in phases over the next dozen years on 102 acres of canal-based land with a total estimated investment of $700M. It will include a mixed-use residential and entertainment district, a boardwalk, homes, and apartments, hotels and shops, and a marina with a two-mile-long public waterfront promenade. Multiple areas of open space will be available for outdoor gatherings, such as concerts, farmers’ markets, and public events. Phase One construction is scheduled to begin this fall with an investment of $188 million. Meanwhile, the city is also working to enhance its downtown and Hurlbert says that it works closely with the Downtown
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