Imagine Brownsville Website: Proposed Banco District Project

With the temporary border fence now in place and hopes of creating a binational riverwalk dashed for the foreseeable future, it appears that DHS has won and dowtown will continue to suffer neglect and the Brownsville Crossings project off the market (as per Loopnet). But there maybe a sliver of hope if implementing a "riverwalk" carefully.

The Banco District, located in the area what was once the Amigoland mall (now ITECC owned by UTB/TSC), maybe that sliver of hope. Currently there are two medium sized resacas in this district. One that is behind the ITECC and the other next to the border fence. By connecting the two resacas together into one very large river-looking resaca, the first "riverwalk" can be formed. In order to connect the two resacas, a channel will need to be built to bridge the two and an overpass created on Mexico Blvd. Something very similar as to the drawing above. No need to bother DHS with removing the fence (until sometime in the future when the conditions are right).

All the right conditions exist to make such a project happen. UTB/TSC can be a magnet to the area, the district is very large and mostly undeveloped, access to the Expressway via Palm Blvd, and Sam Pearl Blvd (though the West Parkway project would be the ideal highway connector), and proximity to the downtown district via 6th/7th street (an overpass or connection still remains an issue until the West Railroad Bridge is built and removal of the currect track is complete).

Once the resacas are formed into one continuous loop, then a boardwalk can be created along with restaurants, condos, hotels, etc creating a nice entertainment district while the city negotiates or comes up with money for the removal of the temporary fence than can then lead to the development of the Rio Grande binational riverwalk. The Banco District can be that kickoff that can spur developement and be a catalyst to the binational riverwalk.

It is unfortunate that the developer(s) that were suppose to develope the Banco District as proposed in the Imagine Brownsville master plan flew the coup due to the border fence but if the Banco District were to be marketed without the Rio Grande riverwalk and use the existing resacas instead, it is possible to attract other developers to the district.

Until such an idea or one similar to it is created, the fate of the Banco District will remain in its current state.

BND Paradise

Picture from BND website.

What happens when you mix hotels, restaurants, condos, hotels, pools, an entertainment district and a 17 mile long channel? BND paradise! The port of Brownsville has an opportunity to not only service commercial cargo ships but provide a getaway paradise along its long channel lined with condos and hotels.

What an opportunity Brownsville has with a ship channel that can provide a fantastic view of the channel and the island with easy access to Brownsville, Port Isabel and South Padre Island. With the new HW 550 being built that will make the existing FM 511 into an interstate ready highway that will connect the BND with the Highway 77/83 and then in the near future connect the BND with the airport, this would provide the perfect opportuniy to line the ship channel with mid and high rise condos and hotels. South Padre Island would only be a mere 15 minutes travel as well to the airport and the Sunrise mall.

A portion of the ship channel can be zoned for construction of condos and residences along with restaurants and hotels and a boardwalk that could rival the binational riverwalk along the Rio Grande. Until the city can find money to remove the existing temporary border fence and build the riverwalk the city and BND can join forces and begin talks on creating a boardwalk and an entertainment district along the channel. The entertainment district can be located right next to docks where cruise ships such as Carnival would arrive providing entertainment for those visitors to our area.

At this time, such a venture would not be possible without utilities and road infrastructer in place. A lot of money would be needed to upgrade parts of the ship channel to make this a viable project and both the BND and the city would have to join forces and even add this to the Imagine Brownsville master plan. Then developers would need to be convinced that this project is worth their investment. But I believe that such a project is viable and finally place Brownsville square on the map as a true tourist destination.

With the curent violence in Mexico along our border, and the weir project still a dream, a binational riverwalk could be years off. With this project, there would be no worries of violence spilling onto the port, no weir to wait for before developers are willing to invest, no other country to deal with to convince them to build their side of the river, and no issues with DHS and their fence removal.

The channel already exists that can easily bring in cruise ships, build smaller channels can be built alongside the main channel to provide beaches to swim in and bring more developments, provide fantastic views of the channel and ships going to the main part of the port, and both sides of the channel can be upgraded to provide a boardwalk and major developments. The economic boom would help Brownsville's budget and the BND's, put Brownsville on the tourist map, lure a cruise ship to the BND, and maybe be a precursor to the binational riverwalk that would also add more attraction to our city. Now, where do I sign up for a new condo with a ship channel view?!