The United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce moved into its new headquarters at 602 N. Staples St. in the RTA Staples Street Center the first week of January. Courtesy photo
A major new tenant has moved into the Regional Transit Authority headquarters in uptown Corpus Christi as three other significant organizations prepare to follow.
The United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce recently moved from its historic site in Heritage Park to the RTA’s new state-of-the-art transportation center at 602 N. Staples St. Also coming are a Texas driver’s license office, a Family Endeavors office and the Nueces River Authority.
The chamber move is the latest in a transition that began in December 2015 when the Corpus Christi and Hispanic chambers voted to merge their organizations. That was followed by the hiring of a new chamber president, Annette Medlin, who helped facilitate the merger, which became official Sept. 1, 2016.
The RTA moved into its new $34 million building in May 2016.
“The undeniable impact of the RTA Staples Street Center is the economic enhancement to an area once blighted and disregarded in Uptown Corpus Christi,” RTA spokesperson Kelly Coughlin said.
Complete with terminal space for the RTA and Greyhound buses, the building provides a comfortable waiting room for up to 80 people that, for the first time, includes free public restrooms. Another first: a break room for drivers who before had no place to relax, eat lunch or use the restroom.
Also new in the upscale waiting area is an interactive touch-screen information board that provides updates on the weather and routes. Funded by a grant from a veterans organization, the giant computer screen lists all veterans services in the area along with bus route information for how to get there.
With new commercial tenants moving in, the RTA Staples Street Center has become a vibrant part of a governmental corridor in the uptown area that includes city hall, the Nueces County Courthouse and the Corpus Christi Independent School District office.
