CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment 1 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 2 3.1 LAND USE 3 3.1.1 History and Development Trends 4 Permanent settlement in the area that would eventually become Corpus Christi began in the 1840s 5 when Henry L. Kinney and William P. Aubrey established a trading post on the west shore of what is now 6 called Corpus Christi Bay. In 1846, Corpus Christi became the county seat of newly formed Nueces 7 County, and by the 1850s the city was laid out with numbered streets. After the Civil War, the city 8 emerged as an important shipping center when the main ship channel was dredged to accommodate 9 large steam ships. The first railroad arrived in 1875, with three more rail lines following by 1914 (Long 10 2012a). 11 12 Mayor Roy Miller adopted an aggressive modernization program in 1913. In three years, the City had 13 paved 12 miles of existing streets, constructed two miles of new streets, laid 26 miles of sanitary and 14 storm sewers, built a garbage incinerator, and installed a new water system (WPA 1942, 169). Though 15 travelers crossing Nueces Bay had utilized a raised oyster reef between the Nueces and Corpus Christi 16 Bays since the 1840s, a reinforced concrete causeway was completed in 1915 (Givens and Moloney 17 2011, 11; 195). A hurricane in 1919 destroyed much of North Beach and the downtown area. The city 18 was rebuilt quickly, and in 1926 a deep water port was opened to accommodate large vessels, ushering 19 in a period of growth and prosperity for the area. The following year, a bascule bridge (drawbridge) was 20 constructed over the Inner Harbor and opened to the traveling public. The population doubled between 21 1920 and 1930, largely due to new job opportunities related to the construction and expansion of the 22 port. In 1923, natural gas offered new opportunities for growth in the region, followed by the discovery 23 of oil in the early 1930s. When Southern Alkali Corporation developed the first major industrial plant in 24 Corpus Christi, the Port dredged a canal and new turning basin at Avery Point which was completed in 25 1934 (Givens and Moloney 2011, 239). Other industrial development and refineries were located along 26 the channel, and petroleum and related products became the primary exports for the Corpus Christi 27 port. Despite the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the population of Corpus Christi again 28 doubled between 1930 and 1940 due to the growth of the petroleum industry (Long 2012a). In 1941 29 the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was established in Flour Bluff just south of Corpus Christi, which also 30 promoted growth in the area during World War II and the post‐war years. 31 32 Throughout the twentieth century, Corpus Christi continued to expand to the west and south, and the 33 city almost doubled in size with the annexation of the naval air station and the communities of 34 Clarkwood, Annaville, and Calallen in 1962 (Givens and Moloney 2011, 259). With population growth 35 came new neighborhoods and the development of recreational resources, particularly beaches. This 36 growth, combined with the increase in automobile ownership in the post‐war years, spurred a period of 37 infrastructure expansion throughout the 1950s and 60s. During this time the bascule bridge had 38 become a bottleneck for ships as well as beachgoers trying to get to the North Beach area for 39 recreation. In 1956, construction began on a new high‐clearance bridge (the Harbor Bridge), during 40 which time the bascule bridge was kept in operation (Givens 2010). On October 23, 1959, the Harbor Draft Environmental Impact Statement – US 181 Harbor Bridge – December 2013 3-1 CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment 1 Bridge was opened to the traveling public; the bascule bridge was sold for scrap and removed in 1960 2 (Givens 2010; Port of Corpus Christi 1998). At the same time of the construction of the Harbor Bridge, 3 US 181 was widened and extended along Broadway Street to a junction near the original Nueces County 4 Courthouse. Construction of I‐37 in Corpus Christi began in 1961, following a route between Antelope 5 and Buffalo Streets and connecting to US 181 near Broadway Street. In 1963, the construction of the 6 Crosstown Expressway re‐routed State Highway (SH) 286 further east from a previous alignment 7 following Port Avenue and Ayers Street. Neither the Crosstown Expressway nor I‐37 followed existing 8 transportation corridors; they were constructed through established residential neighborhoods, 9 requiring demolition of homes, churches, and businesses, and changing travel patterns throughout the 10 city and for the surrounding area. The result of construction of I‐37 left isolated pockets of 11 neighborhood areas to the north of the interstate, bounded by oil refineries and the Port on the north 12 and west and the highway itself on the south. 13 14 3.1.2 Current Land Use Patterns 15 Land use in the vicinity of the proposed project is mixed and includes commercial properties, single and 16 multi‐family residences, oil and gas production facilities, industrial facilities, public facilities, parks, 17 recreational facilities, religious facilities, museums and undeveloped land (see Land Use Plates G1–G6, 18 R1–R7, O1–O7, and W1–W7 in Appendix E for a depiction of land uses). Land use in North Beach, the 19 northern limit of the proposed project, consists of commercial uses (primarily hotels and restaurants) 20 and parks along the beachfront blocks, with the area west of Surfside Boulevard primarily characterized 21 by residential uses. The Texas State Aquarium, the U.S.S. Lexington Museum and Corpus Christi Beach 22 are the most prominent land use features in the North Beach area. West of US 181 in the North Beach 23 area, the land use is almost entirely industrial or undeveloped, with a small waterfront residential 24 development located at the northern extent of the proposed project area. The Port of Corpus Christi 25 Authority (the Port) owns and operates cargo facilities in this area as well, including a large U.S. Army 26 Corps of Engineers (USACE) disposal site (called the Upland Confined Placement Area) used to store 27 material dredged from the bottom of the ship channel including the Port’s inner harbor. The Port 28 properties are outside the city limits of Corpus Christi. 29 30 South of the Inner Harbor, the area west of US 181 between Industrial Canal and Broadway Street is 31 dominated by Port industrial uses, with the exceptions of Whataburger Field (a professional baseball 32 stadium owned by the City) and the Hurricane Alley Waterpark, which are part of the Sports, 33 Entertainment & Arts (SEA) District. The area west of US 181, south of Broadway Street and north of I‐ 34 37 is characterized by a mix of uses, including residential, commercial, and industrial. The Broadway 35 Wastewater Treatment Plant is located west of US 181 and south of Whataburger Field. South of this 36 plant and across the Union Pacific railroad is the Old Bayview Cemetery, established in 1845. Several 37 public facilities, including the Oveal Williams Senior Center and T.C. Ayers Park (see Section 3.5.2.1) are 38 located on the north side of I‐37 west of its intersection with US 181. North of I‐37, between Lexington 39 Avenue and Nueces Bay Boulevard, the area is almost entirely residential, shifting to petroleum refinery 40 uses west of Nueces Bay Boulevard. 41 Draft Environmental Impact Statement – US 181 Harbor Bridge – December 2013 3-2 CSJ 0101-06-095 Affected Environment 1 East of US 181 and south of the Harbor Bridge is the downtown area of Corpus Christi. This area is 2 primarily characterized by commercial uses. In the northern downtown area (north of I‐37), there is a 3 concentration of community and government facilities, including Bayfront Science Park, the Convention 4 Center (American Bank Center), and the Federal Courthouse. There are also many downtown blocks 5 which are undeveloped or serve as surface parking lots. The SEA District encompasses much of the 6 northern downtown area. This district encompasses the Convention Center, the Corpus Christi Museum 7 of Science and History, the South Texas Institute for the Arts, Harbor Playhouse, Heritage Park, Asiatic 8 Cultural Center, and the Corpus Christi Visitor Center. South of I‐37 and west of N. Staples Street, the 9 development is a mix of residential, commercial and municipal land uses, including City Hall and the 10 Nueces County Courthouse. The land uses flanking the Crosstown Expressway (SH 286) are primarily 11 residential, with commercial concentrations at its intersections with Laredo Street and Morgan Avenue, 12 the southern limit of the proposed project. 13 14 3.1.3 Local Land Use Plans and Policies 15 Applicable land use plans and policies adopted by local governments in the vicinity of the proposed 16 project are described in this section. For information regarding the Area Development Plans 17 representing the citywide planning efforts divided into 11 major planning areas throughout the city, see 18 the specific community discussions included in Section 3.5.3. 19 20 3.1.3.1 City of Corpus Christi 21 Integrated Community Sustainability Plan 22 The City of Corpus Christi’s Integrated Community Sustainability Plan is in the process of development 23 and will eventually serve as the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan will rely on the concepts 24 represented in the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan published in August 2011 by HDR, Inc., 25 which was funded by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds from the Department of 26 Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.