b'C o m m u n i t yTop/Left then Clockwise: Night rendering of Whitecap NPI homes and canal-front amenities; Interior and exterior renderings of a typical waterfront home; Overhead view of entire project showing seven miles of new canals and the sites (circled) of seven new bridges to be constructed.Whitecap NPI Making Historicconnected directly to the clearer, cooler waters of the Gulf of Mexico, via Packery Channel and Lake Padre, when water began flowing under the new Don Patricio Bridges, Strides in Reshaping the Island canals,inFebruary2024.Inthemonthssince,islandresidentshavereported marked improvements to water clarity, fishing, and even the odor emitted from the generally improving the quality of life for canal-front dwellers. It is rare, if Even in the rich, deep memories of Coastal Bend lifers, no one can recall a privatenot unheard-of, for a new land development to actually improve the environment project making such significant changes in the landscape as quickly as Whitecap NPIadjacent to it, but that is what is happening at Whitecap NPI, and the investment has has at the former Schlitterbahn site on Padre Island. In less than three years, somebeen heavily front-loaded, before a single lot is offered for sale.seven miles of new canals have been dredged and bulkheaded. What has not been widely discussed among island residents, both those in favor The massive transition of what was North Padre Islands only golf course for decadesand opposed to Whitecap NPI, is the projects massive economic impact on Corpus is the creation of some 600 canal-front homesites at Whitecap NPI, the $800 mil- Christi. In the same way that Cinnamon Shore has brought wealth from throughout lion mixed-use project jointly conceived by International Bank of Commerce andthe state to Port Aransas, both buyers and rental guests at Whitecap NPI will spend heavily with local builders and contractors, as well as at restaurants, retail stores, with Strategyst Sales. In addition to hundreds of luxury residences, the project calls for anfishing charter guides, and on and on. upscale hotel, retail and restaurants on a waterfront setting, a full-service marina andPhase One of Whitecap NPI sales is set to open this year to the public, in which 200 yacht club, and a massive, dry-stack boat storage facility.canal-front lots of 35 to 65 feet in width will accommodate homes starting at about Most unique to Whitecap NPI, compared to any waterfront development of its kind2,000 square feet in the $1 million range, up to over 3,000 square feet priced up to $3 in the United States, is the creation of new, marine habitatboth in the constructionmillion. Home designs include canal-front docks, swimming pool and spa options, of the new canal system that is fed by Laguna Madre on the back side of the island,custom terraces, balconies and decks, plus other personal home amenities.and the Gulf of Mexico, through Lake Padre, feeding from the front side. Land thatNorth Padre Island is experiencing the great advantages that come with todays ap-was a rather lifeless, deserted golf course is now marine habitat for fish, underwaterproach to community development, which equates to more than just the preser-flora, crustaceans, and birds, lots and lots of birds! A key feature of the new commu- vation of the natural environment, but to the enhancement of it. The idea extends nity is the Whitecap Nature Preserve, a new birding habitat. beyond doing as little harm in the building processthe mission underway at For the first time, the generally stagnant waters of the Padre Isles canal system wereWhitecap NPI is adding wildlife habitat that did not exist at the start of the project.60THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE TheCoastalBend.com'