CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As excitement builds over the long-awaited opening of the new Harbor Bridge, some residents in Corpus Christi’s Hillcrest neighborhood said their community has paid the price for progress.
Madeline Chapman has lived in Hillcrest for 70 years. Her family once owned businesses in the area, and she remembers when the neighborhood was a vibrant hub for the city's Black community. But today, she describes the once bustling streets as quiet, vacant, and overlooked.
“Do it look like they’ve made our neighborhood beautiful or destroyed our neighborhood?” Chapman asked.
Hillcrest has been at the center of controversy for years as state and local officials moved forward with plans to build the new bridge and expand industrial infrastructure on the Northside. Many residents were relocated through a voluntary buyout program, while others said they were pressured to leave.
Chapman believes the project stripped the community of more than just buildings, but its history and heritage.
“We were pretty much guided to this neighborhood,” Chapman added. "Unbeknownst to the aristocratic people who lived here were already planning and moving out because of the refineries.”
As part of an agreement with state, local officials, and Hillcrest residents, neighbors were promised redevelopment efforts, including improved parks and a new aquatic center where the old T.C. Ayer Pool used to sit. But with the bridge now opening, progress on those commitments have not be fulfilled.
“They started out with nothing but lies,” Chapman said. “Do you hear me?”
Ashia Williams, another Hillcrest resident, said the change in the neighborhood is heartbreaking.
“I feel so sad about it,” Williams said. “It just doesn’t feel like how it used to feel. I feel like a lot of people didn’t want to move, but they were forced in a way.”
Despite the changes, both Williams and Chapman said they still takes pride in their neighborhood.
“I am Hillcrest, and I still love my neighborhood,” Chapman said.
Members of the Hillcrest Resident Association said they're continuing to meet with city, state, and Harbor Bridge officials in hopes of preserving what remains of the Hillcrest legacy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
