Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times Sylvia Earle, director of the new Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, urges caution for any new developments. ‘We are part of a system and not separate, and we need to think of it in this way,’ she said.

For love of the water

Developers see opportunity for affordable waterfront living; environmentalists warn projects, dredging can destroy wildlife

February 1, 2003
By Naomi Snyder
Caller-Times

Developers have made a flurry of multimillion-dollar proposals for Padre Island, Mustang Island and Rockport in the past two years.

The idea behind the proposals is universal - everyone wants to be by the water.

"There’s only so much waterfront property," said Lewis Robinson, a Key Allegro developer who plans a $50 million project in Rockport. "Wherever there is developable land on the water, at some point in time, that land is ultimately going to be developed."

How would you revitalized downtown? Dropping property taxes or waiving or lowering rent fees would help incoming businesses..." Dominic Mondragon, CEO, Equal Eyez Entertainment " We ... need to use our natural resources like the waterfront and marina to their fullest potential... " Susan Turnercq, professor, Texas A&M Kingsville » Voice your opinion

After years of watching the nation’s other waterfronts be flooded with money, local officials are encouraged by the recent proposals.

When the developer of a proposed $677 million project on Packery Channel scaled down his plan and changed his mind about backing the bonds for the channel’s dredging, city officials were confident enough to proceed anyway.

Local officials dream of increased property values and tax revenue, a burgeoning region with more attractions for more people. On the other hand, not everyone is thrilled to imagine the effects of such development. Some fear that throngs of people will destroy critical wildlife habitat and the environment.

"You can love these things to death," cautions Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and the director of the new Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Ready to dredge channel
The list is long of developers banking on people buying land and homes on thousands of acres.

Packery Channel, the silt-filled pass between Mustang Island and Padre Island, has been coveted for decades as a potential hot spot for the nation’s retirees and second-home owners. The latest development plan for the channel is a $290 million resort. The city plans to dredge the channel using tax increment financing bond money that would be repaid through increasing property values on the channel. Voters approved the funding mechanism two years ago. Now, the city is awaiting a final assessment from the U.S. Corps of Engineers addressing environmental impact.

Last year, separate developers proposed turning 1,400 acres on Mustang Island into 2,500 Mediterranean-style homes, a marina and two golf courses.

Another developer wants to put $50 million into the Rockport area waterfront with a resort hotel, convention center, restaurants and other features.

On the Corpus Christi bayfront, Landry’s Restaurants Inc. plans to develop the Municipal Marina, and Leon Loeb, a local developer, plans a mix of shops and condominiums nearby on the bayfront.

The developers say such vast quantities of undeveloped land in the nation are diminishing. They’re counting on the world discovering the bargain prices for coastal Texas real estate. That, and they’re hoping Baby Boomers retiring and people leaving the stock market will trust in the smartness of buying property.

Charles "Sunny" Castor, one of the developers of the 1,400 acres on Mustang Island, said waterfront land prices where he has lived in Palm Beach, Fla., now cost between $50,000 and $100,000 per frontage foot. He said his prices will be 10 percent of that, running from $5,000 to $10,000 per frontage foot on prime ocean land.

He also estimates that for more than 80 million people, the Port Aransas region has the nearest beaches.

Lewis Robinson, the developer of the Rockport resort, said his market is retirees and second-home buyers looking for good land prices.

They are people who are not "overjoyed with what’s happened in the stock market the last several years and are more happy with something tangible and something they can physically hold onto and touch."

‘Just something about it’
The lure of the water is endless, the developers say.

"It’s not an overwhelming demand, it’s just a strong, consistent demand," Robinson said. "Everyone wants to be on the water, whether you’re in California or in Montana."

There’s little doubt that people outside the area are interested in the area’s waterfront.

Jim Saari, 62, and his wife, Jan Lofboom, 58, bought a two-bedroom condominium on Padre Island recently for $150,000 after he retired.

The couple’s main home is in Minnesota, but they don’t mind a jaunt across almost the entire country to take a break on Padre Island, where Jim fishes.

Back home right now, their Minnesota lakefront home is dotted with icehouses for ice fishermen.

"My son says, ‘I just can’t get you off the water,’ " Lofboom said. "I know. There’s just something about it."

The two don’t know if they’ll retire on Padre Island, but they thought the purchase was a worthwhile investment.

"We spent three days on a look-and-see and then bought it,’’ Saari said. "We love it. It’s beautiful."

Local people are just as interested.
Donna Grove, a 42-year-old wife and mother, has been living with her family on Padre Island for eight years. Both she and her husband, Larry, were born and raised in Corpus Christi.

"We live out here for relaxation,’’ Grove said. "It’s not the city life. The water is very calming."

Despite the quiet calmness of the water, neither Grove nor Saari worried about further development of the untouched land around them.

"Is the traffic going to be horrible? Yes, in the summer," Grove said. "Can we live with it? Yes. Will I be in a bad mood? Probably some days."

The Corpus Christi Coastal Conservation Association, a group that includes fishermen, also has come out in support of the Packery Channel project. The association hopes it will improve water circulation and boat access between the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre.

Others who love the water are more worried.

Earle, the director of the new Harte Research Institute at A&M-Corpus Christi, urges caution for any new developments.

Healthy coastline diminishes
Other parts of the country that already have developed their bays have seen much of the life in them destroyed. Dredging, which is proposed for Packery Channel, as well as Mustang Island, can be particularly harmful, Earle said.

Chesapeake Bay was dredged, and only about 1 percent as many oysters as were there at the beginning of the 20th century remain, Earle said.

Little healthy coastline remains in the United States, she said.

"We are here as a part of the system and not separate, and we need to think of it in this way," Earle said. "We should be mindful of the impacts of what we do to the ocean, and what we do and how that affects our own health and well being."

Wes Tunnell, who works with Earle as associate director of the Harte Research Institute and is director of the Center for Coastal Studies at A&M-Corpus Christi, has other worries.

He said environmental studies of Packery Channel, including one by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, have shown almost neutral environmental impact. Any hope of improved water circulation is futile, Tunnell said. Other attempts to dredge channels and passes in the area have silted back over in a year or two. Packery Channel may need constant dredging, he said.

Paved paradise
Plus, other economic costs could be high.

More development on the barrier islands will cost the taxpayers millions if hurricanes hit.

Tunnell said he wasn’t opposed to well-planned communities such as Port Aransas that have been around a long time, but he’s not so hot for more asphalt on the undeveloped islands.

"To go in the middle of pristine grassland and put paved parking lots on it, I’m definitely opposed to that," Tunnell said. "These are places that can be enjoyed by everyone without having to live right on them."

Also, the increasing population will mean more demand for city services. Area officials said there will be a sufficient supply of water - both Port Aransas and Corpus Christi have plans in place for more facilities.

The Texas Department of Transportation plans a Texas Highway 361 road widening from Avenue G to the first beach Access Road No. 1, about a mile and a half south. The state will let bids in February of 2005, adding curbs and gutters to the road and a separate, paved hike or bike trail.

But is anyone willing to say how much growth is too much growth?

Many environmentalists urge caution, while local officials embrace development of the area’s waterfront.

Unanswered questions

City Councilman Mark Scott, who represents Padre Island, said 80 percent of Padre Island land is the protected Padre Island National Seashore. The rest can and should be developed, Scott said.

He is working with local people to craft new zoning ordinances just for Padre Island to ensure the area’s beauty is preserved.

"There is more interest and more activity on island property than we probably ever had," he said. "We decided growth is going to continue on the island and we’re going to move forward."

For some who study the environment, we’re rolling the dice as humans, spreading out and developing more land.

Quenton Dokken is a professor at the Center for Coastal Studies.

"How much human impact can the coastal marshes, the marine habitats, how much can they tolerate?" he asked. "In many ways, it’s an unanswered question."

Contact Naomi Snyder at 886-4316 or snydern@caller.com