CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When Nathan Kolenovsky decided to act on his lifelong dream of opening a butcher shop, he first looked to Downtown Corpus Christi.
Discouraged by the lack of available buildings there that met his business' needs within his price range, Kolenovsky didn't have to widen his search very far.
He found a building that was built in the 1930s on Staples Street in the Uptown neighborhood.
After renovations, Boarri Craft Butchery opened four months ago.
“We’ve been well received by the community and the neighborhood," Kolenovsky said. "And obviously things can always be better, but we’re excited to be here.”
City leaders want to make that neighborhood better, and they want to do it with a large amount of community input.
That's why they're creating the Uptown Corridors Revitalization Strategy using ideas residents recorded in an online survey.
The last day to take the survey is February 20, so residents have less than two weeks to let city leaders know which projects need to happen in Uptown and in what order.
“We want to hear from everybody," Corpus Christi Economic Development Manager Keren Costanzo said. "We want to get a cross section of the community."
Kolenovsky has already weighed in, and improved parking and walkability are at the top of his list.
But he has a vested interest in the future of Uptown being a business owner there, and Kolenovsky wonders whether people in other parts of town will pay attention to his neighborhood and the survey meant to improve it.
“I think the people in the area are excited about it," he said. "I don’t know how that trickles down to the rest of the city."
Which is why Costanzo is urging more people to take the survey.
She said you can't use, "I don't have enough time," as an excuse.
“I actually just timed a friend, and it took him five minutes," Costanzo said. "Another friend said it took about seven to ten. I feel like it’s really up to the level of depth that an individual wants to get to."
She said the city often takes public input and makes it a reality, and Costanzo says the Oso Bay Hike and Bike Trail in Flour Bluff is an example of that.
Whatever comes out of the Uptown Corridors Revitalization Strategy, Kolenovsky said the city will be starting on a good foundation.
“I’m sold on the location," he said. "I think it’s a — we’re in a great part of Corpus Christi.”
