24 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com T he April 18, 2004, edition of the San An- tonio Express News business section fea- tured the story, He Knows Development, and He Wants to Play in S.A., in which Landry’s, Inc., CEO Tilman Fertitta, dis- cussed his plans to invest heavily in San Antonio as an alternative to his abandoned proposal to take over development of the Corpus Christi Mari- na. After years of tense negotiations and vocal public debate, Fertitta pulled out, citing the City’s demand to include a local developer, along with resistance to funding needed improvements to the marina’s infra- structure—much of which was done anyway years later. Shortly after successfully creating the Kemah Boardwalk on Galveston Bay south of Houston, and redeveloping Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard with a new convention center, the San Luis Resort, the Hilton and Holiday Inn resorts, plus multiple restaurants and themed attractions, Fertitta set his sights on Corpus Christi. This was when the would-be billionaire and re- ality TV star would join a prestigious but dubious club of fellow prospective investors who have been shown the door by the city’s entrenched, monied community of professional naysayers and opportunists. Then-mayor of Corpus Christi, Loyd Neal, claimed at the time, “Mr. Fertitta said, ‘This is it. Take it or leave it.’ At that point, we said if that’s the case, there are no further negotiations.” Fertitta’s account of the broken negotiations offered more detail, telling the Express News, “The wanted to carve out a piece for a local guy. We drew a line.” In the ensuing 14 years, Landry’s has invested over $100 million in San Antonio, and billions more in welcoming communities across the United States. Today, the Corpus Christi Marina and its three land masses that extend into the bay are home to a to- tal of three waterfront restaurants, including Landry’s, plus the private Yacht Club and a fish shop. At any time of year, a bit more than half of the marina’s boat slips are rented; the big boat shows that turned the marina into a nautical Disneyland are gone; and other than an occasional sailing regatta plus a few people fishing in the bay, the Corpus Christi Marina is a lovely, dead space. Considering the opposite directions both entities have taken in the years since, it seems clear now which side had it right at the time. A desire for urban renewal backed by the investment to do it, along with an intolerance for the decay of private property, were required to help many of Florida’s downtown waterfronts meet and maintain their potential as thriving destinations.