Corpus Christi council approves rezoning of old hotel for homeless shelter
The owner of a former Red Roof Inn received approval to become the new home of the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission from the Corpus Christi City Council at a June 8 meeting. To make the change from commercial business to homeless shelter, the council rezoned the 3.3-acre property to allow transient lodging. Plans for the move were first announced in April.
The Ed Rachal Foundation owns the 85-room hotel after paying $4.3 million for it in 2020. It has entered into a 60-year lease with the Good Samaritan for the shelter.
The foundation announced plans to build an 8,000-square-foot cafeteria and kitchen next door to the shelter. It would only serve those in the shelter and cannot be used as a soup kitchen for non-residents, according to the new zoning regulations.
The Good Samaritan has two years to obtain a building permit for the kitchen or the special rezoning permit will expire.
Requirements of the special permit as it relates to the hotel include the following:
the facility must be staffed 24 hours a day
the site must be fenced and gated
rolling security gates must include entry systems and security cameras
the number of beds is limited to 160 the first year but can expand to 207 after that
Minor renovations are all that’s needed to get the shelter up and running. All the work will be done by the Ed Rachal Foundation. Located at 3030 Buffalo St. in Corpus Christi, the new homeless shelter should be ready soon, foundation CEO Paul Atheide said. He did not give a firm date.
Currently, the Good Samaritan shelter at 210 S. Alameda St. has 130 beds in a building that is nearly 100 years old.
That property is also owned by the foundation, which plans to demolish the building for new development. The Ed Rachal Foundation is a nonprofit known for buying iconic properties for new developments, including Mount Carmel Assisted Living, the Castle House on Ocean Drive, and Hacienda Records.
