Commissioners approve Coastal Parks Board's Bob Hall Pier restaurant design

The Nueces County Commissioners Court voted Wednesday to accept the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board's recommendation for the Bob Hall Pier restaurant building design, following a presentation by CLK Architects and project partners.

County staff and architects said the design preserves part of the existing pier structure while adding a climate-hardened restaurant with expanded viewing and dining areas. Javier Huerta, project architect with CLK Architects, told the court the firm merged two concept proposals and refined them with input from the parks board and LAN, the project's site engineer. "What you see here is the latest and greatest rendition incorporating all the feedback that we received from the parks board and also from LAN," Huerta said.

The design preserves existing roof trusses and the foundation of the restaurant portion of the structure while adding conditioned dining for an estimated 140'145 patrons and a shaded exterior canopy. Huerta said mechanical equipment will be located on a mezzanine to minimize exposure to salt air and reduce maintenance. The concept also includes a large mural wall intended to become a visible landmark at the pier, with the mural artwork to be commissioned later. Scott Harris of LAN, who introduced the CLK presentation, said pier construction and trestle work are already underway and that the project is moving forward "very well." "The project's going very well out there," Harris said.

Several commissioners raised concerns about ensuring the finished design supports tenant flexibility and does not preclude future restaurant operators from fitting the space to their needs. Commissioner Matos and others urged the court and parks board to accelerate the procurement process for a lease or request for proposals so an operator'whose specific equipment needs could shape interior details'can be identified early in the design process. Huerta told the court the exterior design needs approval to allow construction to proceed, while interiors retain enough flexibility to be adapted to a future tenant.

County staff also clarified how the restaurant work relates to an adjacent concession area the county had previously had Jacobs design and included as part of the pier contract. Scott Cross, parks director, said Cowan Marine's contract includes the concession area as a separate line item and that CLK's team will design the restaurant while coordinating on exterior materials so both sides of the…