Destination Bayfront - A History

Destination Bayfront:

“Creating a Great Public Space Right Here in Corpus Christi”

(Excerpts from article published in CC Magazine, written by Peter Desopo)

 Every time I have a conversation with my new friend JJ Hart, I am reminded that there is so much more that I can do to serve this community. I am so tired of hearing that Corpus Christi is a city that can’t get out of its own way but nothing in the past ten years has shown me anything different. And if the rubber was not already meeting the road, JJ and I discovered we share a common ideology that I will call the “Minds Matter” theory. Our theory states that it is the great minds that visualize while the mediocre minds are compromising. That leaves the weak minds to criticize and create communities of doubt. These are the communities that fail to succeed.

 Let me explain.

 Corpus Christi is notorious for contracting independent resources for common information. These focus groups and outside project developers enter our city with ideas to enhance their personal or public development with our resources for their gain. If that were not enough, what really hacks me off is we are viewed as an incompetent community. We are described in dark indiscriminate smoke filled rooms of conversation as people incapable of making our own decisions or willing to substantially distribute our own resources. I assumed it was our penance; some old sin needing compensation. That was until my friend JJ got involved. I soon realized our only sin was one of misinformation and inadequate leadership. Ultimately my revelation revealed that if just one guy would be willing to get up off his ass and take a step forward while everyone else remained willing to accept what they are told as the truth; well….the up off his ass guy would be the person earning my trust. Simply put, my friend JJ had my attention. He didn’t want to hear what I had to say if all I had to say was negative. JJ Hart wanted to know what ideas I could provide and what I thought could be done to bring those ideas to fruition. JJ is a visionary and I believe his vision is worth sharing.

 JJ Hart and his wife Leslie moved to Corpus Christi two and a half years ago from New York. They were drawn to Corpus by the great weather, the beautiful beaches and wide open space. On his first visit here in late December ‘06, he was riding around the Island on a boat, enjoying a diet coke, and admiring some incredible looking houses. He knew what houses like these would cost in New York and was amazed to learn that Corpus prices were about one third of what he expected. He couldn’t help but wonder why it took so long to find this place but he wasn’t going to wait any longer. Within two months he and Leslie bought a house on the Island, and Corpus Christi became their home.

 Upon moving here, JJ’s days were filled with golfing, cycling, and the beach. He and Leslie were meeting new people, exploring their new city and all was good. It was the day they tried a little recreational spontaneity that their honeymoon with the city of Corpus Christi officially ended. They quickly learned what we all have come to accept, Corpus Christi and spontaneity rarely co-exist.

 I asked if his definition of spontaneity and mine were the same and he responded,

 “If we searched enough or planned in advance, we could find an art show or a jazz fest, but that was more effort than we were used to. When we lived in New York and felt like getting out, we’d simply start walking. Whether we headed towards Central Park or Rockefeller Center or a myriad of other destinations, we knew we’d find something interesting. Part of it was the walking, part of it was arriving, but often the best part of the journey was being surprised by what we found. Sometimes street performers, or musicians; sometimes we’d sit and just watch the people. The variety was what made it special. That’s something that I feel is really missing in Corpus”.

 Though I’m not sure “surprised” is what I want to be while walking through our City by the Bay, JJ visualizes a place in Corpus that just pulls people in. His preference graduates gravitates? toward a Bayfront filled with people and activities. A place to throw a football, enjoy the sun, listen to live music and grab a hot pretzel from a street vendor. And not just on a few specified days, but just about every day of the year. In fact, when he asked people why such a place doesn’t exist in Corpus he received answers ranging from “no one would go there”, “it’s too hot”, “it requires too much planning” and “graffiti and litter”.

 What the heck is going on here?

 This past October, right after City Council decided to end discussions with Brass Real Estate, JJ started thinking about what he’d like to see along our Bayfront. The City had said “No” to a procession of developers who had come to the city, showed some pretty pictures and described the great things they were going to develop along our Bayfront (assuming, of course, they were granted an incredible array of incentives and privileges). He began to wonder just as I have for the past twenty years, why we needed developers to come in and build what they wanted; why couldn’t we, as a City, create what we wanted?

 He began to think about the possibilities. Hadn’t he come from a city filled with great destinations? Discovery Green had recently opened in nearby Houston (if you’re not familiar with Discovery Green, you can read about it at the website www.destinationbayfront.org). Don’t people realize we have approximately 27 acres of the best waterfront property in the country on which to create something spectacular? Guess not.

 It was time for JJ to listen to what people were clamoring for and his discovery uncovered the following: economic development, jobs, open space, culture, lifestyle and various activities. In his mind only one thing could represent all, but what he found surprising was not one person mentioned wanting another “park”. Was there something wrong with the term “park”? What the hell could be wrong with a park? Central Park is a park – and it’s surrounded by the most expensive real estate in New York. Discovery Green is a park – and it has led to incredible amounts of economic development in downtown Houston.

 Well....it wasn’t long before he realized that it was the perception of a park in Corpus Christi that created confusion. When people here think of a park, they think of Cole Park, so I understand the reluctance. During my tenure as a Coastal Bend resident, Cole Park has been both a friend and foe to the city. It still remains a venue with all the right intentions receiving the least amount of attention. Don’t get me wrong, Cole Park has great potential but it is sorely lacking of amenities, maintenance and guidance. Skate park…nice, kid’s playground….sure, but look at the staging area….a few concerts a year and a Passion Play…come on….we can do better than that!

 Not surprising it turned out that JJ wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines. Several others, who he now calls friends, had similar ideas. They decided to join forces, added a few more to the team, and created Destination Bayfront. The goal: to create a destination unique to Corpus. Something more than retail shops, apartments and swim centers. There is a better option than selling out to the first suitor who presents a mediocre plan with a questionable possibility of funding. My goodness, could they be on to something?

 As Destination Bayfront’s research continued and the idea of a destination public space was materializing, they began looking at examples from all over the country. It’s amazing how these public spaces stimulate a community. They provide a place for people to come together to enjoy each other in various events and cool spaces. They turn a city from a place you can’t wait to get through to one you never want to leave. They bring in tourists; they make the city more desirable for people to move to; they motivate the younger ones to stay in town rather than move to a place with more hustle and bustle; and last but most important, they stimulate economic growth by offering options for developers. Creating a public space filled with activities is one thing, but without economic benefits it could turn out to be “just another Cole Park” So they decided to investigate the possibilities and what they found was exciting. In every example researched, the presence of such a space led to residential development, hotels, new office buildings and convention centers. People and businesses want to be near these public spaces. Simply put it has the potential to be a property investors “surf-and-turf” menu! Convention centers love having these parks nearby because they provide plenty to do for the conventions. The results of all this development is an increase in jobs, sales tax, property tax, hotel occupancy tax and other revenue to the City.

 “So JJ”, I asked, how do we make this happen?

 He replied, “When you ask a community to basically vote yes or no on someone else’s plan, you can generate some interest. But when you ask the community to get involved and offer suggestions on creating its own vision, you can get true buy in”.

 Now for those who have been paying attention, you might have noticed that Destination Bayfront is not presenting a plan or visuals. Nor are they suggesting any activities that they want. They don’t want to present a plan and ask for confirmation or approval; they want to create a process for the community to create the vision. When this destination public space is eventually commissioned, they want it to be a clear reflection of the people who live here, not what others think Corpus needs.