Revised South Padre Island convention center plan shifts theater away from old-growth habitat; residents press for finance and conservation safeguards

South Padre Island officials presented a revised plan for the Convention Center expansion on June 12, moving the proposed black‑box theater away from an area residents and birders call mature habitat and offering a phased, budget‑conscious approach while continuing to study costs and funding.

The revision, presented by Blake Henry, Executive Director of Visit South Padre Island, and Raymond Janak of Janak Architects, retains an enlarged exhibit hall, additional meeting rooms and a possible ballroom but relocates the theater to avoid the island’s southern native‑plant circle. Henry said the project remains a multi‑year effort and that public input will shape final design and phasing. “We are reassessing the scale, design, and timeline,” Henry said, adding that the goal is to “preserve our natural beauty of our island while building a facility that meets our community.”

The change comes after months of public concern that earlier concepts would damage mature vegetation used by migrating birds. Residents, birders and local event organizers called for formal input from ornithologists, stronger construction protections for habitat and clearer financial projections.

Blake Henry laid out the conventional‑tourism case for expansion, saying group business at the Convention Center generated “more than $30,000,000 in…