CORPUS CHRISTI — The City of Corpus Christi took a first step Thursday towards a new and improved Westside.
The current Westside plan is like a blank canvas; and officials want input before drawing up a new vision for the Westside's future.
La Mala Taquitos is relatively new to the Westside. The family owned business opened eight months ago, and so far, so good.
“We've had a lot of new customers,” said April Martinez. “We promote a lot on Facebook.”
Not only do Martinez and her family own a Westside business, they're also Westside residents. For the most part, Martinez is happy with her neighborhood, though it could use some improvements.
“Maybe fix the streets a little bit,” said Martinez. “Besides that, it's not that bad over here.”
It's feedback like that the city wants as it moves towards a new Westside.
“This is the very first step of the planning process,” said Annika Yankee, Senior Planner for the City of Corpus Christi. “We're going to root the plan in what the community decides, or gives us input on what their vision is.”
A big part of that vision includes the West Oso Independent School District. A redeveloped Westside is a potential gold mine for West Oso ISD, and district officials there are excited by that prospect.
“It's a win/win proposition,” said Dr. Conrado Garcia, West Oso ISD Superintendent.
Like many on the Westside, Garcia believes redevelopment there is long overdue. He thinks that the key to growing both the Westside, and West Oso, starts with getting people to move there.
“We want to grow, but we can't grow if we don't start building some rooftops,” said Garcia. “But with rooftops, you need the infrastructure.”
Thursday’s open house is just the first the city has planned for the Westside. Others will be scheduled as plans and projects advance to keep residents up to date.
For more information on the city’s Westside plans, and to sign up for alerts, visit www.cctexas.com/westside.
