A new set of designs for the South Padre Island Convention Center were revealed on Friday during an open house.

The latest design showed there was no longer any change to the vegetation around the building that many birders were concerned about.

This is the third set of designs presented to the community so far.

"We adjusted, we heard from our community, and we will keep these old ghost trees and not touch them at all. We plan to protect all this for our birding community," Visit South Padre Island Executive Director Blake Henry said.

Many birders were upset because a previous design shown during a workshop in early July showed it no longer cut down the vegetation on the south side, but still affected parts of Orca Circle. 

The very first design revealed back in 2024 a black box theater that would have destroyed the vegetation.

The city says the new designs are not final, and the county has yet to see them.

"The county has not seen any updated designs to the point, we are just looking for community input. That's why we are having the open house right now," Henry said.

Before finalizing a design, the city has to get approval from Cameron County leaders because the convention center sits on the county's land.

In the future, the city plans to host more open houses.