CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Last week, the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board was given two options on designs for the restaurant and front area of Bob Hall Pier.
Commissioners drew from memories from Bob Hall Pier to make decisions. It was a consensus among the board to go with Option A and it’s contemporary design. The mural was a big draw.
“I like option number one and the high structure artwork. I love the railing and seating on option two,” board member MK Walling said.
However, there were aspects of Option B that appealed to them, as well.
Board commissioners decided to use the kitchen and outdoor railing on the east side from Option B. That’ll be another place for people to sit and enjoy the view.
They also decided to expand the bar based on what is seen in the design. The board believed that would be the most popular area and wanted to give it more space.
“Now will be a nice air-conditioned space with a view that it will fill up with locals," Cody Bates said, a board member. "You will have your local regulars that start to frequent the pier just to go sit at the bar.”
They are also using the county-owned concession and ticketing area from Option B for security purposes. The only difference from the design is they will move the bathrooms to the secured side of the pier to accommodate those people fishing. Board member Troy Adler said there was a complaint from fisherman on the last pier that there was no access to a bathroom. There will be a locked gate between the restaurant area and the pier that will only be accessible after purchasing a ticket.
“If you move the door down to the corner and your window was just before the gate, where you pay to get in. And, you have another window on the other side of the gate, and then you have the window at the end, so you can see visually what’s going on down the pier,” Coastal Parks Director Scott Cross said.
Discussions took place over different features, such as open or closed windows and air conditioning. They landed on air conditioning throughout the restaurant, and windows will stay closed.
The board kept in mind the limitations brought on by the weather elements when making decisions.
After damage taken in two different hurricanes, the most recent being Hurricane Hanna in 2020, the pier was demolished. The new pier is estimated to cost $28.5 million. Construction began on Oct. 7, and it’s expected to finish sometime in 2026.
CLK Architects and Associates will combine all these aspects to create a final design. After seeing the final design, the board will need to get approval from Nueces County Commissioners in January.
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