Beachfront camping is about to hit a whole new level.
Two popular Nueces County coastal parks are set to undergo a major expansion, nearly seven years after the county secured grant money from the BP oil spill settlement.
At I.B. Magee Park in Port Aransas and Padre Balli Park on Padre Island, plans are in motion to double the number of RV and tent camping sites. Nueces County commissioners on Wednesday gave Coastal Parks Director Scott Cross the green light to send out bids for construction work tied to the project.
“We are going to basically double the size of the RV park with additional RV and tent camp parking sites, along with an open-air pavilion to serve the park itself, new roads, infrastructure, stuff like that. Same at Padre,” Cross said.
The funding comes from a $7.5 million RESTORE Act grant the county was awarded following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But Cross said the process to access that money has been slow and frustrating.
“In my opinion, I’m very grateful for the award, but it’s a broken program. I wish they would’ve just block-granted that money down to the state agency or to the county like they do in Florida,” he said.
Despite the delays, county leaders are relieved to see the project finally moving forward.
“It’s going to bring additional revenue for the county, and it’s not going to cost us anything because it’s a grant,” Commissioner Brent Chesney said. “So yeah, it’s taken a long time.”
Upgrades to both parks will include expanded RV spaces, updated utility connections, and improved beach access aimed at drawing in more visitors and encouraging longer stays.
County officials say construction has to be completed by February of 2027.
