• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3.1 LAND USE 3.1.1 History and Development Trends Permanent settlement in the area that would eventually become Corpus Christi began in the 1840s when Henry L. Kinney and William P. Aubrey established a trading post on the west shore of what is now called Corpus Christi Bay. In 1846, Corpus Christi became the county seat of newly formed Nueces County, and by the 1850s the city was laid out with numbered streets. After the Civil War, the city emerged as an important shipping center when the main ship channel was dredged to accommodate large steam ships. The first railroad arrived in 1875, with three more rail lines following by 1914 (Long 2012a). Mayor Roy Miller adopted an aggressive modernization program in 1913. In three years, the City had paved 12 miles of existing streets, constructed two miles of new streets, laid 26 miles of sanitary and storm sewers, built a garbage incinerator, and installed a new water system (WPA 1942, 169). Though travelers crossing Nueces Bay had utilized a raised oyster reef between the Nueces and Corpus Christi Bays since the 1840s, a reinforced concrete causeway was completed in 1915 (Givens and Moloney 2011, 11; 195). A hurricane in 1919 destroyed much of North Beach and the downtown area. The city was rebuilt quickly, and in 1926 a deep water port was opened to accommodate large vessels, ushering in a period of growth and prosperity for the area. The following year, a bascule bridge (drawbridge) was constructed over the Inner Harbor and opened to the traveling public. The population doubled between 1920 and 1930, largely due to new job opportunities related to the construction and expansion of the port. In 1923, natural gas offered new opportunities for growth in the region, followed by the discovery of oil in the early 1930s. When Southern Alkali Corporation developed the first major industrial plant in Corpus Christi, the Port dredged a canal and new turning basin at Avery Point which was completed in 1934 (Givens and Moloney 2011, 239). Other industrial development and refineries were located along the channel, and petroleum and related products became the primary exports for the Corpus Christi port. Despite the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the population of Corpus Christi again doubled between 1930 and 1940 due to the growth of the petroleum industry (Long 2012a). In 1941 the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was established in Flour Bluff just south of Corpus Christi, which also promoted growth in the area during World War II and the post-war years. Throughout the twentieth century, Corpus Christi continued to expand to the west and south, and the city almost doubled in size with the annexation of the naval air station and the communities of Clarkwood, Annaville, and Calallen in 1962 (Givens and Moloney 2011, 259). With population growth came new neighborhoods and the development of recreational resources, particularly beaches. This growth, combined with the increase in automobile ownership in the post-war years, spurred a period of infrastructure expansion throughout the 1950s and 60s. During this time the bascule bridge had become a bottleneck for ships as well as beachgoers trying to get to the North Beach area for recreation. In 1956, construction began on a new high-clearance bridge (the Harbor Bridge), during which time the bascule bridge was kept in operation (Givens 2010). On October 23, 1959, the Harbor Final Environmental Impact Statement – US 181 Harbor Bridge – November 2014 3-1 CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment Bridge was opened to the traveling public; the bascule bridge was sold for scrap and removed in 1960 (Givens 2010; Port of Corpus Christi 1998). At the same time of the construction of the Harbor Bridge, US 181 was widened and extended along Broadway Street to a junction near the original Nueces County Courthouse. Construction of I-37 in Corpus Christi began in 1961, following a route between Antelope and Buffalo Streets and connecting to US 181 near Broadway Street. In 1963, the construction of the Crosstown Expressway re-routed State Highway (SH) 286 further east from a previous alignment following Port Avenue and Ayers Street. Neither the Crosstown Expressway nor I-37 followed existing transportation corridors; they were constructed through established residential neighborhoods, requiring demolition of homes, churches, and businesses, and changing travel patterns throughout the city and for the surrounding area. The result of construction of I-37 left isolated pockets of neighborhood areas to the north of the interstate, bounded by oil refineries and the Port on the north and west and the highway itself on the south. 3.1.2 Current Land Use Patterns Land use in the vicinity of the proposed project is mixed and includes commercial properties, single and multi-family residences, oil and gas production facilities, industrial facilities, public facilities, parks, recreational facilities, religious facilities, museums and undeveloped land (see Land Use Plates in Appendix E for a depiction of land uses). Land use in North Beach, the northern limit of the proposed project, consists of commercial uses (primarily hotels and restaurants) and parks along the beachfront blocks, with the area west of Surfside Boulevard primarily characterized by residential uses. The Texas State Aquarium, the U.S.S. Lexington Museum and Corpus Christi Beach are the most prominent land use features in the North Beach area. West of US 181 in the North Beach area, the land use is almost entirely industrial or undeveloped, with a small waterfront residential development located at the northern extent of the proposed project area. The Port of Corpus Christi Authority (the Port) owns and operates cargo facilities in this area as well, including a large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) disposal site (called the Upland Confined Placement Area) used to store material dredged from the bottom of the ship channel including the Port’s inner harbor. The Port properties are outside the city limits of Corpus Christi. South of the Inner Harbor, the area west of US 181 between Industrial Canal and Broadway Street is dominated by Port industrial uses, with the exceptions of Whataburger Field (a professional baseball stadium owned by the City) and the Hurricane Alley Waterpark, which are part of the Sports, Entertainment & Arts (SEA) District. The area west of US 181, south of Broadway Street and north of I- 37 is characterized by a mix of uses, including residential, commercial, and industrial. The Broadway Wastewater Treatment Plant is located west of US 181 and south of Whataburger Field. South of this plant and across the Union Pacific railroad is the Old Bayview Cemetery, established in 1845. Several public facilities, including the Oveal Williams Senior Center and T.C. Ayers Park (see Section 3.5.2.1) are located on the north side of I-37 west of its intersection with US 181. North of I-37, between Lexington Avenue and Nueces Bay Boulevard, the area is almost entirely residential, shifting to petroleum refinery uses west of Nueces Bay Boulevard. Final Environmental Impact Statement – US 181 Harbor Bridge – November 2014 3-2 CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment East of US 181 and south of the Harbor Bridge is the downtown area of Corpus Christi. This area is primarily characterized by commercial uses. In the northern downtown area (north of I-37), there is a concentration of community and government facilities, including Bayfront Science Park, the Convention Center (American Bank Center), and the Federal Courthouse. There are also many downtown blocks which are undeveloped or serve as surface parking lots. The SEA District encompasses much of the northern downtown area. This district encompasses the Convention Center, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, the South Texas Institute for the Arts, Harbor Playhouse, Heritage Park, Asiatic Cultural Center, and the Corpus Christi Visitor Center. South of I-37 and west of N. Staples Street, the development is a mix of residential, commercial and municipal land uses, including City Hall and the Nueces County Courthouse. The land uses flanking the Crosstown Expressway (SH 286) are primarily residential, with commercial concentrations at its intersections with Laredo Street and Morgan Avenue, the southern limit of the proposed project. 3.1.3 Local Land Use Plans and Policies Applicable land use plans and policies adopted by local governments in the vicinity of the proposed project are described in this section. For information regarding the Area Development Plans representing the citywide planning efforts divided into 11 major planning areas throughout the city, see the specific community discussions included in Section 3.5.3. 3.1.3.1 City of Corpus Christi Integrated Community Sustainability Plan The City of Corpus Christi’s Integrated Community Sustainability Plan is in the process of development and will eventually serve as the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan will rely on the concepts represented in the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan published in August 2011 by HDR, Inc., which was funded by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds from the Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The plan was developed by a project team of technical specialists who worked in cooperation with the City and community stakeholders in order to identify “context-sensitive, multimodal transportation choices that support economic growth and social equity while protecting natural resources and promoting public health and safety” (HDR, Inc. 2011, 1). The City’s Sustainability Plan will be comprised of three components: a plan summary, mobility concepts (the bulk of the plan), and an implementation matrix that serves as a “stepwise recipe for realizing a more livable and sustainable community” (HDR, Inc.

Load more

  184

Copy Link