b'o u rh i s t o r yRendering of North Beach CanalLOOKING FORWARDTHE COASTAL BENDS FUTURE HAS NEVER LOOKED BRIGHTERSparkling City by the Sea was the moniker created by Bob Conwell, known as Mr. Corpus Christi who founded the original Tourism Bureau in 1956, for our fair city. It was used for decades until after Mr. Conwells retirement in the mid-80s, but the promise it conveyed is on its way to again being fulfilled.North Beach is our famed and beloved peninsula that marks the northern boundary of the city, and of course is home to the U.S.S. Lexington Museum on the Bay and the Texas State Aquarium. Much of the rest of the beach is blighted and un- or poorly-developed, largely due to chronic flooding problems that go back half a century. In December 2019, however, the Corpus Christi City CouncilRending of new Harbor Bridgeapproved $41.2 million for the construction of a navigable canal that would al-leviate the flooding problem, but just as significantly, would create an entertain-ment and water recreation area akin to the San Antonio Riverwalk. The project is in the engineering stage, and is expected to be complete in 2025.The Harbor Bridge was opened in 1959 and is being replaced by a spectacular, new cable-stay bridge, the largest in North America. The new bridge will crossAruba Bay Resortthe ship channel several blocks north of the current bridge, and its driving sur- Comparative height of new bridgeface is some sixty feet higher. The new Harbor Bridge will be safer for motorists and its added height will allow larger ships to enter the Port of Corpus Christi.New waterfront residential projects have emerged related to new infrastructure development on North Beach, on Corpus Christi Bay, and on North Padre Island, on the Gulf of Mexico. Lighthouse Pointe is a transformative apartment and townhome project on the northernmost tip of North Beach, featuring Euro-pean-style stone construction and a private marina on Nueces Bay. Aruba Bay Resort is a new townhome development on Lake Padre on North Padre Island, and features a resort pool, club house with a huge waterfront deck, and a private marina on the saltwater lake, just 15 minutes offshore through Packery Channel. Aruba Bay Resort Lighthouse Pointe46 THE COASTAL BEND TOUR+RELO+BUILD GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'