b'E c o n o m i c sThe Alexa on Ocean DriveCOASTAL BEND REAL ESTATE MARKET THE STRONGEST EVERFor those Coastal Benders who have been around for a minute, it seems these days that not only are there more occasions of San Antonio-like traffic, but that building activity is at an all-time high. Of course, the easiest indicator is when you make a call to a contractor of almost any variety, and youre told youll be put on the list.Less than a decade ago, The Cosmopolitan luxury apartment project downtown was big news for a neighborhood in decline. Lichtensteins Department Store, a Corpus Christi landmark for generations that closed in 1987, a decade after being sold to Frost Bros., sat empty and was left for dead for almost thirty years. While developers faced severe challenges getting it off the ground, today, the refurbished building, now The Cosmopolitan, is thriving at over 90% occupancy, at or near the regions highest rent. Most of all for the neighborhood, its success has given new life to a downtown district that has struggled for decades to grow and maintain growth.The success of The Cosmopolitan, along with recently preceding projects along Ocean Drive: Bay Vista, Bay Vista Pointe, and The Villas of Ocean Drive, all built by the late James Charnquist, have given confidence to investors that our market can fill and sustain multi-family communities on the higher end. The whale, however, looks to be on its way on Ocean Drive just north of Airline, where The Alexa is ascending the sight line on the bay side of the boulevard. After a months-long excavation and infrastructure building process, framing has revealed the significance of the commu-nity to come, which, without a doubt, will command the highest rent in the city.Another landmark in the making is Lighthouse Pointe apartments on North Beach, to be completed this summer on the northwest tip of the peninsula. A stone, mock The Cosmopolitan58 THE COASTAL BEND TOUR+RELO+BUILD GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'