Northside property owners who've been offered buyouts to move away from the new Harbor Bridge project are running out of time.
A portion of the new Harbor Bridge runs right through the Hillcrest and Washington Coles subdivisions on the city's northside. For the past four years, Del Richardson and Associates has been helping residents in that area relocate to other parts of the city.
Today, the group's program manager Del Richardson announced the program will make final offers on properties in December. They plan to enter escrow in January 2020 on all properties and wrap up the entire buyout program in July 2020.
Del Richardson said they've found 391 property owners are eligible for the buyout. They've also helped about 275 property owners but many others have decided not to move.
"Some had family disputes because there were several people entitled and couldn't come to a resolution with their family members. Others had liens against their property and weren't able to secure loans to pay off those liens that would allow them to take advantage of the program and some people were just happy in Hillcrest and did not want to move," Richardson said.
Meanwhile, the group is currently helping 71 other property owners relocate from.
The Voluntary Relocation and Acquisition program is the result of a settlement of a civil rights complaint filed by Hillcrest residents over the path of the new Harbor Bridge. TxDOT partnered with the Port of Corpus Christi and the city to design this program to help people in the area with relocation costs if they choose to move.
