PROJECT APPROVALS AND DUNE RESTORATION STARTS

The Tortuga Dunes neighborhood has obtained all necessary approvals from Nueces County and the City of Corpus Christi and has begun site activities that are required to be completed before Phase I of the neighborhood is started later this spring. Dune Permits and Beachfront Construction permits and approved plats have been issued to the Owners.

The present work is a requirement of the Nueces County Dune Committee Permit, approved in May, and it will re-create new 15 - 20ft high dunes on several acres north of Zahn Road in an area in which large dunes were destroyed by hurricanes and impacted by oil well drilling activity on that spot some years ago.

This work will be done in several steps -- removal of existing vegetation; excavation of sand in the area where the former dunes will be restored; replacement of excavated and new dune sand where directed by the Dune Permit, and revegetation of the newly sculpted dunes. The owner must complete this dune restoration work before work begins on the rest of the site. The Owner must replant native or endemic dune vegetation and obtain similar levels of coverage as existed on the damaged dune area and the County has a guarantee from the Owner such that upon completion of the work the County will be provided with a bond sufficient to re-do the entire restoration and mitigation work and may hold this bond for up to three years while the owner re-establishes the plants that were removed in this present work.

An independent biologist is monitoring this work, as is the County, the Dune Committee, the owner and the public.

TO CLEAR UP SOME MIS-INFORMATION

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit is not required for this restoration work as it does not involve work in waters of the U.S., nor is one required for future Phase 1 of the neighborhood. However, a USACE permit application for future Phase II is in progress. A permit application has been submitted, Public Notice has been posted, public and regulatory agency comments on the permit have been received and are being addressed with USACE.

The new beachfront neighborhood will have 134 single family homes, several low-rise condominium buildings, and various open space and greens areas and amenity areas.

Only 29 acres of the total 137 acres will be disturbed, the rest will be left in its natural state.

About 70 acres of wetlands will be preserved and protected along with protection of 20 acres of dune grasslands including all of the land being protected and the dunes being enhanced by current restoration activities.

Public beach access will be unchanged along all 11 acres of beach adjacent to this neighborhood.

Dune sand and vegetation restoration issues will be moderated using supplemental watering, mulch and hay bales, native grass revegetation, dune creation, use of dune top soil for dune revegetation and restoration.

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