Architects touching up Harlingen transit center

Jul. 7—HARLINGEN — The clock is ticking fast for residents who want to help pick the design of the city's $5.6 million transit center.

Residents have until Friday to pick between two canopy designs as part of an online survey posted on the city's website and Facebook page.

"This project was identified by the community as a priority so it makes sense for the community to have input," Ana Hernandez, the city's mobility and special projects director, said Wednesday, noting residents called for a mass transit center while updating the city's comprehensive plan in 2016.

As of noon Wednesday, she said, about 292 residents had completed the survey.

"It's a way of involving the community," she said.

Picking between designs

For more than six years, officials have been planning the transit center to serve as Valley Metro's northern Cameron County mass transportation hub at 201 N. T St.

At the site of Valley Metro's make-shift Harlingen terminal, the transit center will stand as a gateway to the city, Hernandez said.

"This will make a better first impression of Harlingen, especially for people traveling by bus," City Commissioner Rene Perez said. "It gives it a more vibrant modern feel."

Last year, city commissioners hired Corpus Christi-based Gignac Architects for $340,000 to design the transit center funded through a $5.6 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

"It's a modern feel," Juan Mujica, the firm's senior project manager, said of the center's design. "We're trying to establish a municipal look and feel. We want it to be open and airy. There's a lot of natural daylight."

The 10,000-square-foot transit center's design features seven bus bays, passenger boarding and waiting areas, Valley Metro offices along with suites earmarked for restaurants and shops.

Now, officials are giving residents a chance to pick the transit center's canopy from two designs.

"The basic difference is the shape of the canopy," Mujica said. "One is a single slope and one is a butterfly roof. Both serve the same purpose. They're the same material — same finish. It's very objective.

We're hoping to get feedback from the community."

Architect's presentation

On June 28, Perez and Commissioner Frank Morales helped Mujica present the two designs to a group of residents at a meeting which launched the selection process.

On Wednesday, Perez said most of the group seemed to favor the design featuring a sloping canopy, or the survey's Option 1.

"I thought that was more aesthetically pleasing," he said, describing the second design as resembling "a butterfly."

Overall, Perez said the transit center will spark up the city's landscape.

"For the money we're using and the space we have, it's going to give a modern look to Harlingen," he said.

Transit center development

During about five years of planning, officials picked the project site based on its access to the highway system and the city's main streets.

In 2016, Harlingen's updated 10-year master plan ranked the transit center as No. 13 on the city's priority list.

Three years later, city officials paid $291,000 to buy the 1.8-acre site on which the old Cameron County Precinct 4 warehouse formerly stood, fulfilling the federal grant's requirement for local money to help fund the project.

While the city's first public transit center will boast tall canopies looming over its open docking areas, including seven bus bays, its terminal will likely feature bus lines' ticket counters, a fast-food restaurant, a shop and office space, officials said.

Inside, customers might buy tickets to board buses operated by Valley Metro and such companies as Valley Transit Co. and Greyhound.

Other companies such as Adame, Tornado and El Expreso might offer service into Mexico.

Background

With its central regional location, the transit center will serve as Valley Metro's northern Cameron County hub.

Officials are counting on the center to help transform the area's public transportation.

For decades, Valley Transit Co.'s station has served as the city's bus center at 215 East Monroe Ave.

But the city has lacked a station to serve as a hub for bus lines bound for stops in the United States and Mexico.

So residents have boarded buses bound for those destinations outside a Stripes convenience store on Tyler Avenue near the Interstate 69 interchange.

Now, the transit center's construction is set to begin in about six months, with completion planned for about the end of 2023, Mujica said.