Corpus Christi Wants its Own River Walk — Only This One Will Have a Walt Disney Worthy Twist: Team Behind Project Has Ties to the Mouse

A prominent lawyer is looking to build a bonafide entertainment destination in Corpus Christi. He’s dreaming big — San Antonio River Walk, Pike Place, Ghirardelli Square — big.

Attorney Greg Perkes’ proposed venture, currently called SEAtown, is the first bid for a prime site in the city’s Sports, Entertainment, Arts District. Corpus Christi is demolishing the Harbor Bridge in 2020, making way for something new. The area consists of roughly 45 acres of publicly owned land.

The project has five phases, the first of which would be six months and begin this year. Construction on SEAtown would not commence until closer to 2022.

Perkes, a former justice of the 13th Court of Appeals in Texas, envisions a “vital new urban cultural and entertainment center in Corpus Christi,” with a developing mix of sports, retail, dining, entertainment, and art, according to the proposal. It’s fitting for the Sports, Entertainment, Arts district, he notes.

He and his business partners “are really after something unique.” His company, PerkesWorks! has teamed up with three others to bring their vision to life.

IDEAS Media & Experience Design, created in 2001 through a management buyout from the Walt Disney Company, is tackling “the storytelling.” Integrated Insight is handling the market analytics. And Exline Design is heading up the architecture.

The group is taking inspiration from the bevy of “entertainment destinations all over the world,” Perkes tells PaperCity. There’s a notable example in the state of Texas alone, “but we’re not trying to copy the River Walk in San Antonio,” he insists.

While the project will be the first of its kind in Corpus Christi, it will very much be tied to the coastal city’s past. “We want that nugget of history. We want the destination to tie into the port and natural history of the area,” Perkes says.

“When most people think ‘San Antonio River Walk,’ they think ‘Alamo.’ ” When — or if — people think SEAtown, Perkes wants them to think ‘Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda,’ who discovered and named the bay.

Corpus Christi’s River Walk Future

Perkes had been considering a project like this for years. The bridge’s removal is serendipitous. He remembers walking under it and thinking “What should be up there? What makes sense?”

SEAtown is certainly one option — but it’s only the first. “I think it’s a great idea for the city,” Corpus Christi City Council member Ben Molina tells PaperCity. But he’s not ready to sign off just yet. “I’m looking forward to seeing other proposals for the use of land once the bridge is gone. I don’t want to put limits on anyone,” he adds.

Council member Carolyn Vaughn is less keen on the project, for now. Her main concern is Perkes’ request of $100,000 to conduct a development planning process with the SEA District. The cost would be split evenly between three public agencies, the City, the County, and the Regional Transit Authority. The study would gauge public interest and determine how much funding is available of the project.

“It’s a private venture,” Vaughn tells PaperCity. “It’s taxpayer money. It’s not fair to the rest of the citizens. If you aren’t willing to put your own money into the project and have confidence in it, why should others invest in something you’re not willing to invest in?”

Perkes remains confident. Talking to locals, he’s found the response to be “100 percent positive, absolutely positive.”

Corpus Christi draws nine million visitors a year — and tourism is vital to the city. This project centers around the idea of making it even more of a destination.