It’s Time to Compromise and Move On

We have bigger issues than the Coliseum.
The current Council has jumped into the middle of a Coliseum quagmire that is sapping energy from them, City staff and citizens when we have HUGE fiscal problems that must be solved. A sales tax short fall of six percent or more, a 75% drop in development and other fees that fund services, lower utility usage and a coming tsunami of decline in property tax revenues has the potential to plunge the city into a giant fiscal black hole that could hold us back for years to come. One realtor suggested that a possible 20% drop in valuations or more may be coming, a devastating fiscal blow to City, School and County revenues.

The Coliseum is an issue that just sucks all of the air out of the room. Ordinary citizens some of whom just don’t care about it one way or the other are screaming “tear it down,” just hoping for some resolution, they are absolutely sick of hearing about it. I sympathize, I don’t care whether it is saved or not, I don’t care whether the Swim Center comes or not, but I do care about our City government getting this resolved and paying attention to some other VERY BIG PROBLEMS. The question is how do we get beyond where we have been stuck for the last five years? The answer is compromise.

First of all let me state that none of the following ideas are mine, only a compilation of what people from all sides of this issue have proposed at one time or another, and that pile of ideas may be our solution.

1. Settle the Park Issue. Whether it is or isn’t a park is a subject that could be debated for years in courts, meanwhile the land behind the Coliseum sits undeveloped because of the lack of resolution over the issues. The solution is to treat it like a park. There is plenty of evidence (volumes actually) that says that large attractive parks in urban areas increase the value of property around them and stimulate growth for blocks, something private development can’t do.

2. Define what a Park is. A park can be much more than most folks think. The City’s own records enumerate numerous types of parks from pocket parks, to special use areas, regional parks and parkways (i.e. Brawner, Bayfront). In addition to that we have the Art and Science Park, Heritage Park and we can have destination parks like Mark Scott’s suggested Discovery Green model in Houston. A park in Corpus Christi can have pad sites for limited restaurant or other small retail development that would probably be limited to twenty year leases. Such lease income could be dedicated to maintain and improve the surrounding park area.

3. Get Mayor Adame back in the game. Deciding to treat the area as a park with its pluses and minuses would remove any argument against Adame being directly involved, as the public purpose of a park is not in question. Any development that happened within the park concept would not change the current status of his nearby property which is bordered by an obvious and agreed upon park area already.

The Council desperately needs him to step up to the plate and give direction. The current Council members are supporting a variety of agendas, either that of certain factions or their own political ones, with no strong executive presence the result is they are rudderless.

4. Compromise on tearing down the Coliseum. There is no clear majority on either side of this issue as two separate petition drives by Joe McComb to tear it down and Ray Madrigal to restore it have proven. Most folks seem to agree on certain things. A) we need shade, B) we need an area for festivals, C) we want it public but with amenities, D) we want easy access, E) we need to honor veterans.

The solution to all of these issues is again compromise, there are a couple of proposals to reroof the building and open it up as a pavilion that would offer shade for a variety of activities including some covered festival areas with adjoining open areas to the north and the south for larger events. Kiosk areas could be set up to be rented out on a long term or event basis.

5. The surrounding park area needs to be rethought. Much of the current parking could be covered with surfaces that would allow grass but facilitate better drainage, event layouts and additional event parking without damaging the landscape. Landscaping needs to be redone to make it a pleasant and safe place to walk, picnic, unwind, go to a festival etc.

The interior needs not only to include a new and improved veteran’s memorial but also historic and art monuments to commemorate the history and determination of Corpus Christi’s citizens, including those lost in the 1919 hurricane, and major figures from the City’s past, our battles against weather, disease, wars, and other evidence of our determination to build a prosperous and desirable place for ourselves. We desperately need the shared past and common future such a place could provide.

Destination park ideas like Scott’s suggestion of the Discovery Green model should be explored and if enough private donations and public money can be found, they should be incorporated. Added to the new development of park space currently under construction north of IH-37, one should be able to stay downtown and spend a week exploring experiences from Cole Park to the ship channel and on over to the traditional venues on North Beach.

6. Compromise on moving Shoreline. Some compromise to the moving of the northbound lanes of shoreline could be made and save millions in the process. Leaving the northbound lanes as a single lane with head in parking on both sides could increase available parking along the sea wall enough to eliminate some interior parking, creating more “park” space.

The area from Furman to Park Street with an exit out Park could be one lot with another from Cooper’s Alley to where either Broadway Court or Born Streets would intersect could be the other. Both would exit back out to what is now southbound Shoreline. The area in between the two ends of the parking lots from Born (?) to Park would be pedestrian only except for service vehicles. Along this route could be the limited number of pad sites the City could lease out to include some small scale development that citizens would view as amenities. A narrow parking lot along Shoreline could also be a big improvement over the large barren parking areas currently in the center of the area that limits many more attractive uses.

Right now, more than ever Corpus Christi needs a win. This is one we can give ourselves. We have already committed $2 million for demolition and $13 million in bond money for a total of $15 million dollars. The pavilion idea may be cheaper than tearing it down completely as the infrastructure and concrete of the building presents a formidable and costly effort. Certainly not ripping out of most of the Northbound lanes would represent a savings of millions of dollars. All of this money could be used to create something we could all be proud of without incurring additional costs.

Most of all, it’s time we all gave a little up of what we want for something we can all accept. In the end we might end up with something better than any of our individual ideas, be done with the problem, foster growth on the private development behind the area (for which we can offer incentives), rebuild downtown, save money, have an area we can proudly take the relatives to when they come to town and most of all get down to the very hard business of solving our bigger problems.