CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Ingleside’s long-abandoned refinery site is finally getting a second act and this time, it’s a major money-maker.
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Crews have begun clearing roughly 200 acres at Avenue B and Eighth Street, cutting decades-old brush to make way for a massive oil storage facility. The project, led by Ken Berry’s Port of Texas company, will include up to 20 million barrels of storage built in phases over the next five to seven years.
Berry tells 3NEWS the cleanup alone has taken seven years. When his company took over the land, they found shallow groundwater contamination left behind from the original Humble Oil refinery and tank farm, a site that dates back to 1928 and has been abandoned since 1945.
Despite its troubled past, the property is now considered one of the most valuable spots in the region. All major crude pipelines from the Permian Basin, West Texas, and the Eagle Ford run straight through the site, making it a prime location for modern energy infrastructure.
The new tanks will sit near Ingleside High School and nearby homes. Longtime resident Joyce Shaler says she’s not worried.
“No, I am not concerned. We need it, obviously. So why not?”
Berry says Ingleside is requiring 16-foot levees, landscaping buffers, and 400-foot setbacks from homes and the school. That after approving the project in a 7-0 vote on Tuesday night. And they point to the payoff:
• Tax revenue rising from $200,000 to roughly $1 million a year
• 20 to 40 new full-time jobs
• Lower property taxes for residents
With state approval secured, including the Railroad Commission’s green light for above-ground construction, Ingleside’s forgotten refinery is officially getting a multimillion-dollar revival.