An architect’s rendering of a corner of the proposed Southside campus for Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Courtesy Illustration
A master plan for building a new Del Mar College campus on the Southside of Corpus Christi was approved by the board of regents this week. Now all they need is the money to build it. The money used to develop the plan, which calls for three stages of construction on the 96-acre plot, came from voter approval of a $157 million bond package in 2014.
The site at the corner of Rodd Field Road and Yorktown Blvd. is expected to become home to the college’s signature programs in architecture, engineering, biotechnology and culinary arts. Facilities will also be used to teach basic core courses for transfer students as well as developmental education, dual credit, workforce and continuing education programs.
More than 39 percent of Del Mar’s students currently live on the Southside, according to officials. That population is expected to grow, as are the demands for Del Mar’s services.
"Growth in population equals growth in need for educational opportunities and job training,” said Lenora Keas, Del Mar interim provost and vice president of instruction and student services. "The demand for a Southside campus is there like never before.”
Developed with input from students and the public at large, the master plan includes physical fitness facilities and a community center. After the three stages of build-out are complete, the campus should be able to serve up to 20,000 students.
So far the project is only a plan, with no budget or timetable attached.
“This master plan is the starting point,” said board chairman Trey McCampbell. “It’s a roadmap that gives us direction forward.”
College president Mark Escamilla said the master plan will prevent the site from becoming a “hodgepodge down the road.” The plan was developed by Gensler Architects in San Francisco and cost $1.8 million.
