b'One-of-a-Kind Successes on the IslandsLively Beach (above) is the new hotel prop-erty located off Zahn Road on Mustang Island that is built to survive a direct hit from a Cat 5 hurricane. The Palladium (left) is the new apartment complex in Port Aransas that is income-restricted and built to provide affordable housing for hourly workers.which has been completed. Boardwalk-style space will be provided on each side of the new canal to allow pedestrians and golf carts to travel between Whitecap Preserve and Lake Padre, under the new bridges. Similar to the arrangement of the Riverwalk in San Antonio, commercial space is planned along the canal that will serve as yet another center of activity for island residents and visitors. Most boat owners living in Padre Isles should not become over-excited about the new canal connection to Lake Padre, as the boating height limit looks to be less than 10 feet at low tide. Much like the opening of Packery Channel improved water quality in the Upper Laguna Madre by circulating cooler, cleaner gulf water into the bay sys-tem, the new canal connection will improve water quality in the Padre Isles canal systemand some deep-water species will migrate in as well.A new marina to be built in the southwest corner of Lake Padre could be the impe-tus for a large-scale, vacation resort development, as property owners and poten-tial investors see the kind of very high-end demand that exists for direct boating access to the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore, recreational marina facilities in the Coastal Bend have been reduced over the past year, despite growing demand. Woodys Sports Center, for example, one of the largest and busiest marinas in Port A, was sold at the end of last year to make room for luxury waterfront homes, leaving doz-ens of the areas biggest and most expensive fishing yachts without a home port.A projected spend of $800 million over 10 years will make Whitecap Preserve the biggest private investment in the history of Padre Island, and maybe all of Corpus Christi. Golf truly is the sport of kings, and those with king-like attitudes and budgets to match. For half a century, many of the most affluent subdivisions in the country were built on golf courses, but as the sport waned in popularity, many privately-owned courses and clubs closedactually, most in Corpus Christi, includ-ing the Pharaoh Valley, Kings Crossing and Padre Isles Country Clubs. The Corpus Christi Country Club is the only one that has survived. At over 100 acres each, this open space in the middle of otherwise prospering neighborhoods is prime proper-48THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'