26 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com I s there hope for real growth downtown and on the beautiful Corpus Christi bayfront? There is definitely hope and recent projects are encour- aging signs. Without a doubt, the realignment of Shoreline Blvd. and reconstruction of Ocean Dr. north of Oleander Point have created one of the most beautiful stretches of roadway on the Gulf Coast, and maybe anywhere in the country. With plentiful rains and improved investments in maintenance and amenities, our bayfront parks look better than ever. Downtown festivals like Buccaneer Days, Fiesta de la Flor, the Texas Jazz Festival and the Dia de los Muer- tos festival are more popular than ever, and have led to other public events like the food truck festival. The long-awaited opening of The Cosmopolitan apartments in the old Lichtenstein Department Store building led to sighs of relief from downtown business owners, and young and affluent new residents are now leading growth in the area. The very big moves, however, like the construc- tion of the new Harbor Bridge and the restoration of the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse into a luxury hotel and event center, for example, take large anchor in- vestments. While the new hotel on Shoreline is much better than its lot setting empty for another year, it is not the scale of investment that will move the needle significantly. A much-needed convention hotel of 500 rooms or more, located in the SEA District near the American Bank Center, is an obvious next step. While downtown waterfronts like those in Galves- ton and Santa Monica, California, feature entertain- ment areas built on piers, the Corpus Christi bayfront already has three amazingly unique, permanent exten- sions into the bay, our two T-Heads and the L-Head. Smart city leaders would be on the phone daily to Til- man Fertitta, all but begging for another look at our marina as the site for the ultimate waterfront enter- tainment zone on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The short- sightedness of former Mayor Neal and his cohorts has cost the city and county millions in lost tax rev- enue, and thousands of lost jobs, in the 14 years since Landry’s threw in the towel on Corpus Christi. After the city spent millions improving one block of Chaparral St. that has benefited one business owner, we should be bending over backward to attract a prov- en upscale dining anchor to that exact block—Cheese- cake Factory, Papadeaux’s, Morton’s Steakhouse, Texas de Brazil or Benihana, for example, would bring much needed dining competition to downtown, and would provide a consistent draw for high-spending custom- ers. In turn, more people in general would take time to travel downtown, and they will discover the smaller, independent establishments already in operation while sparking new investment. It’s not a complicated for- mula, but it takes will, effort and leadership. San Antonio turned a dirty ditch into one of the country’s most popular destinations, the Riverwalk. In this pro-growth atmosphere, can we finally make the Corpus Christi Bayfront reach its potential?