Boeye Reservoir, McAllen
McAllen, TX
Project Context
The Boeye Reservoir or McAllen Central Park Project is an exciting new development project that focuses McAllen’s long-publicized plans to build a central park complex loosely modeled on San Antonio’s River Walk. Envisioned as a mix of high-end boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs, department stores and condominiums, the retail complex would surround a 10-acre central park where residents could meet and congregate, hear street musicians or watch a theater production in the planned amphitheater.
The Boeye Reservoir, one of McAllen’s two reservoirs, presently occupies most of the 67-acre site, immediately south of Expressway 83 between 19th and 23rd streets. Too small for McAllen’s needs and occupying some of the city’s most valuable real estate, the reservoir has been targeted for closure for some time.
The cost of McAllen’s end of the project is estimated at a little less than $50 million. The city’s portion would involve building a new reservoir in South McAllen, constructing a park with an amphitheater and canals, laying the infrastructure for the retail and residential development, and possibly building a new home for the International Museum of Art & Science (Source The Monitor).
NSI Project Contributions
NSI was selected to participate in the integrated master planning team that included firms such as the Trust for Sustainable Development, H.S. Miller Sustainable Partners, Jeff Speck, Shubin + Donaldson Architects, DPZ Latin America, Regenisis, Bayside Mechanical Ltd., and The Ocean Foundation. NSI was asked to address the design issues that concerned water, wastewater and storm water.
Working with the energy consultant Bayside Mechanical Ltd., NSI developed methods to use storm water, wastewater and irrigation water as heat sinks. This greatly improved the overall energy efficiency of the project. One of the major features of the project is a canal, which serves as a recreational resource, storm water management, and heat sink for building cooling systems. The McAllen project represents an important progression in integrated city planning that addresses sustainability on many levels.
