By JACQI LEYVA-HILL
Special to the PRESS
South Padre Island’s ongoing Marine Park project will need another month before its joint permit application is ready to be submitted, Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Vice President Gayle Hood told the EDC Board of Directors at its June 16 meeting.
The project, which has been in development for the causeway area, was expected to have its joint permit application submitted around June 19. But preliminary coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department pushed that timeline back.
Hood said the EDC’s environmental consultant, Bill Hanley, reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ahead of the filing, and the Corps recommended the EDC first meet with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which oversees mitigation requirements for mangroves and seagrass. That meeting, along with a separate session with the Corps, prompted the project team to hold off on formally submitting the application. Hood said the EDC postponed the application for another month but remains on target to apply in July.
According to Hood, mitigation rules for mangrove habitat vary across the state. In some parts of Texas, agencies discourage additional mangrove planting because existing stands are already abundant. Hood said the EDC was told Cameron County is not one of those areas, allowing the project to move forward with its original plan: replacing mangrove habitat on a one-to-one basis using the project’s habitat islands.
Hood also detailed additional water quality testing being conducted as part of the permitting process. She said drone technology is being used to track how water moves through the mangrove areas by releasing dye and observing its flow through small water channels, a reference to what hydrologists call “runnels,” shallow channels that carry tidal water through marsh and mangrove systems. When water stops moving through those channels, she said, the mangroves are cut off from the circulation needed to support healthier water quality, which is data the EDC is compiling to strengthen its permit application.
Hood framed the additional groundwork as a way to shorten what is typically a lengthy federal review process. “By having all of these reports and surveys and studies we’ve done, it’ll make it go faster,” she said. “Instead of two years, maybe we can cut it down to one.”
The June update follows an earlier progress report Hood gave the board at its May 19 meeting, when she said the EDC’s environmental consulting firm, Edgewater Resources, was preparing an alternative analysis for the Corps of Engineers permit and that the project was on track for a June submission. The additional agency meetings held since then account for the shift to a July filing target.
No board action was required on the Marine Park item, as it was presented as an informational update. Hood indicated the EDC will continue coordinating with the Corps of Engineers and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as the permit application is finalized over the coming weeks. The Marine Park project has been a multi-year initiative for the EDC, and Tuesday’s discussion indicated it remains in pre-application coordination with regulators as the EDC works to finalize additional environmental information before filing its permit application.
During the meeting, Ashley Montemayor, marketing director for the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA), introduced herself to the board and said she will begin attending EDC meetings monthly. Montemayor said she had no updates to provide at this time and noted that the Texas Department of Transportation is the sponsor and spokesperson for the second causeway project. She said her executive director, Pete Sepulveda, would be the point of contact for any future updates the CCRMA is able to share.
Also during the June 16 meeting, the EDC approved two façade grant applications. One was for 3812 Padre Boulevard, where the owners of Calypso are planning to purchase and renovate a building for an expansion of their business. The board approved a $25,000 façade grant contingent upon the proper closing and transfer of ownership. The second was for 4113 Padre Boulevard, the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce building. During the meeting, Jeanette Greider identified herself as president and CEO of the Chamber and said the project includes repairs to exterior handrails, improvements to the ADA ramp railing, repainting, and repairs to the skirting around the sign. The total project cost was presented as $8,855, with the Chamber providing a 50 percent match.