The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) will open its doors to the new Staples Street Center and Station on Friday, May 20, at 9:30 a.m. The newly renovated Staples Street Station is expected to begin operations on Monday, May 23.
The Staples Street Center is located adjacent to City Hall and the Nueces County Courthouse, near the CCISD building, forming a corridor of governmental entities.
Board Chairman, Curtis Rock said, "It is an exciting time to serve the public on the CCRTA Board of Directors with this major investment becoming a reality. The undeniable impact of the RTA Staples Street Center is the economic enhancement to an area once blighted and disregarded in Uptown Corpus Christi. Through the governance of the past and current Board of Directors, the CCRTA has created a hub for government, commerce, and transportation that should positively impact the entire Coastal Bend Community."
Preparations for the design of the Staples Street Center date back to 2009 where the building was originally designated to be used for customer service and accessibility purposes. The design of the building gradually changed until it became apparent that the CCRTA needed to change to accommodate the diverse needs of the population it serves. The Staples Street Center is CCRTA’s new administration building. Their current building, located at 5658 Bear Lane, will become the organization’s operational headquarters.
“The Staples Street Center will provide the community with equal access to services that people need. The whole design and implementation of this building was to accommodate the diverse needs of the people and that is what we do in transportation,” said Jorge G. Cruz-Aedo, CEO. “We have a little saying in transportation, ‘Where transportation goes, community will follow.’”
The building exceeds the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards’ minimum requirements: provides three additional van accessible parking spaces above the five minimum required, barrier-free paved access around the entire perimeter of the building, provides push button or automatic sliding glass doors to all public meeting areas and restrooms, provides an additional elevator with larger dimensions for wheelchairs, and provides additional accessible ramp to the raised board platform which is beyond the model for ADA compliance.
The tenants thus far in the building are: the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Valley Transit South Texas Substance Abuse Recovery Services (STSARS), Nueces County Social and Veterans Services, and the CCRTA is expecting to lease out more space upon completion of the final construction.
“As the CCRTA drives forward into the future this building represents our growing future as an agency. We are very excited for the opening of the Staples Street Station and we invite the public to join us in this time of celebration,” said Spokesperson Kelly Coughlin.
The event is free and open to the public.
