b'Coastal Bend CommunityA few of the new breakwater islands will be accessible to the public, offering a most unique and attractive place for fishing, kayaking, camping, beach parties, and any number of waterborne, recreational opportunities. Such a setting is unseen in virtually any place in the United States, especially within view of a major downtown district, and promises to create a visitor experience that will establish Corpus Chris-ti and North Beach as the most exciting waterfront destination on the Gulf Coast.The redevelopment plan was unveiled in the form of a 35-minute video presen-tation that premiered to an audience of North Beach property owners in early April, followed by presentations to the news media, elected officials and the general pub-lic, virtually all of whom voiced their support with but a few naysayers. Those who criticized the plan did so based on their natural cynicism of anything big proposed in Corpus Christi; some questioned why North Beach for an investment of tens of millions of dollars that should be otherwise directed to Padre Island or downtown; J eff Blackard has been in the business of large-scale development since the others wanted to know about the viability of the developer, Blackard Global, and; still others could not bring themselves to envision something so grandhere.early 1980s when he relocated to Dallas from Chicago, where he graduat-ed from Northwestern University after playing NCAA Division I basketball against greats like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. A player in the Metro-plex building boom of the era, Blackard made his name suc-cessfullydevelopingamillionsquare foot commercial and medical complex in Plano, high-end subdivisions in Fort Worth and North Dallas, the Svpertvs resort village in Croatia, and the Adri-atica village project in McKinney, vot-ed by Time Magazine as the best place in the U.S. to live. Blackard is also the driving force behind the proposed re-development of the Pharaoh Valley golf course in Corpus Christi, to be known as Barisi Village.Left, UpperDallas-based developer Jeff Blackard interviewed after the North Beach Redevelopment Plan presentation at the Texas State Aquarium in April; LowerSvpertvs, Blackards waterfront village resort in Croatia; Right, UpperCanal entrance from the North Beach plan 3-D model; MiddleProposed North Beach entertainment district includes an amusement park and amphitheater; LowerNew North Beach with 2020 Harbor Bridge.54 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEFall 2019 TheCoastalBend.com'