|
State says
it will reject beach access plan
By Jerry Urban
The Daily News
Published June 28, 2003
GALVESTON — The state’s General
Land Office has told city officials that the draft beach access plan
approved by the planning commission earlier this week likely will need
revisions to meet state open beach laws.
The land office, which must certify the plan, essentially rejected it
in correspondence sent on Thursday to city planning director Wendy
O’Donohoe.
“In particular, the treatment of vehicular access to the beaches in
the plan should be reviewed by the city before it submits the plan to
the GLO,” wrote Bill Peacock, the GLO’s deputy commissioner for
coastal resources.
“While it is often a desirable objective to reduce vehicular traffic
on the beach, there are many instances where vehicular access is
desirable.
“Fishermen, surfers, kayakers and families on outings all have a need
to access the beach, and do not generally create the traffic or
nuisance issues that many have cited as a reason for closing the
public beaches to vehicles.”
On Tuesday, the planning commission approved the draft beach access
plan that was two years in the making. The 6-1 approval to send the
plan on to the city council for its consideration included the
provision that alternatives be sought to a proposal in the plan to
open vehicular traffic on a half-mile strip of beach just to the east
of Stewart Beach.
O’Donohoe said that opening the strip of beach was put in the plan
under the direction of the GLO, which has been working on the plan
with the city’s planning staff and the planning commission.
“I think that (leaving intact the proposal to allow vehicular traffic
on the strip of beach) would have made a significant difference,” said
Peacock when asked later if the draft plan would have been acceptable
with the proposal left as it specifically was in the plan.
Peacock also said he wishes the city would explore a “middle ground
more.” He said that could include vehicular access with permits,
seasonal restrictions and increased law enforcement presence.
John Dreiss, vice chairman of the planning commission, said he was
disappointed that the draft plan isn’t acceptable to the land office.
“I think that the plan we approved is both compliant and a diverse use
plan,” he said.
Dreiss said most commissioners did not want vehicular traffic on the
half-mile strip of beach. He emphasized that the intent of the
planning commission’s vote and resolution was to send the plan on to
the city council with the provision that acceptable access
alternatives be sought to allowing vehicular traffic on the strip of
beach.
O’Donohoe said she could not provide any timeline as to when the plan
would be revised and made acceptable to the city and the land office.
She also said the revised plan would not go back to the planning
commission, but be submitted directly to the city council for its
consideration.
O’Donohoe said there was no need to return the plan to the commission
because its action was in resolution format and the commission has
already demonstrated the direction that the plan should take.
Asked what she thought of the GLO’s response to the plan, O’Donohoe
said: “We appreciate the general land office’s suggestions and
assistance. We all want a plan that complies with the open beach
laws.”
Jerry Mohn, president of the West Galveston Island Property Owners
Association, said the GLO response “was a shocker.” Mohn said beach
access points designated in the plan were ample to meet open beach
laws.
O’Donohoe, along with City Manager Steve Le-Blanc, Mayor Roger “Bo”
Quiroga and City Attorney Susie Green, plan to meet with land office
officials next week in Austin to discuss the beach access plan. In
addition, at least some of the city officials will discuss with those
officials the sale of the Flagship Hotel.
The planning division was going to present the draft plan to the
council during it’s July 10 meeting. However, that presentation has
been postponed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Store owner named to planning commission
By Jerry Urban
The Daily News
Published July 26, 2003
GALVESTON — A retail-store owner
has been appointed to Galveston’s planning commission.
Archie F. Panfilli Jr. takes a position made available by the
departure of John Dreiss, who was one of the most vocal in the
commission’s work on the controversial beach access plan.
Dreiss, who served most recently as vice chairman of the commission,
had to step down because of term limitations, which are set at six
years of service.
Panfilli, 58, is the owner of Ranch and Home Products at 45th Street
and Broadway.
The city council on Thursday appointed Panfilli to the seven-member
commission.
“I think Galveston needs more business people (on such commissions),”
said Panfilli, who was born and reared on the island. “They need to
hear the small business point of view.”
When asked his position on beach access issues, Panfilli said the
state needs to find more funds to assist in beach replenishment.
At least at this time, Panfilli said he also favors keeping the San
Luis Pass area open to vehicular traffic. However, he emphasized he is
“open-minded” and will consider all sides of issues.
“My overall interest is: if in 20 years it’s going to hurt Galveston,”
said Panfilli. “I take the long-range view.”
Dreiss said Friday that he would like to see the city council approve
the beach access plan before the General Land Office considers it
further. The planning commission contributed to and recently approved
the plan.
However, GLO officials, subsequently and in informal communications
with city officials, indicated they would reject the plan, in part
because of a lack of vehicular access to the beaches.
City officials now say they will work with the GLO and work out any
problems before formally submitting it to the city council.
Dreiss said the plan was adequate and conforms to the Open Beaches
Act.
He added the GLO should make a formal response in legal terms that
outline any objections to the plan.
The city council also recently appointed John Listowski to the
planning commission. He replaced Robert Campos who moved to New
Braunfels.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patterson: Can't please all on beach issue
By
Carter Thompson
The Daily News
Published August 06, 2003
GALVESTON — Land Commissioner Jerry
Patterson on Tuesday said both points of view regarding whether cars should be
on beaches would be unhappy with any access plan his office would approve for
Galveston.
He said his comments did not amount to a position statement on whether the
city could restrict traffic on the last 3.2 miles of beach on the West End.
Instead, with the number of people going to the state’s beach increasing and
popular spots such as Galveston eroding, Patterson said everyone would have to
give a little.
“No one is going to be very happy with the plan approved by the GLO, because I
think both sides are going to have to give something up,” he said. “People who
want unlimited vehicular access won’t get their way. People who want no
vehicular access will not get way either.”
The West End proposal has proved to be the most controversial in the city’s
plan, with open beach advocates fighting those who own land along the beach or
want to see it developed. It is the last long stretch of beach on the island
where cars can drive uninterrupted.
The plan, now being tweaked by the city, will dictate where the public can
drive and park on the beach and where it must venture only on foot. The land
office’s role will be to approve it or send it back to the city for more work.
Patterson met with open beach advocates on Monday in Kemah.
Former members of the city’s planning commission backed a plan to close
beaches to vehicular traffic as adjacent areas developed.
Patterson said he would not accept that.
“Just to arbitrarily say ‘as development occurs we close the beach to
vehicles,’ is not a position the land office under its current management can
support,” he said.
But those on the other side of the issue would have to also bend, said the
land commissioner. Although the ability to drive to the water’s edge was vital
in some areas, it was not a right as some advocates argued, he said.
“I don’t support that statement,” Patterson said.
The planning commission earlier this year backed a plan that the land office
responded that it would reject for its lack of vehicular access. City
officials now say they will work with the land office and work out any
problems before formally submitting it to the city council.
Private property owners and some city officials have argued that allowing cars
to drive up and down the beach was dangerous to pedestrians and contributed to
erosion.
Patterson said that in some areas, it may be prudent to create pedestrian-only
beaches or lower the speed of traffic, either by enforcing existing laws or
reducing the length of access areas. But he was not swayed to back a concrete
link between development and access.
“The safety argument to me is a little bit of a red herring,” he said. “If
your kids are running on the street, there’s a chance they will get hit. If
your kids are running on beach with vehicular access, there’s a chance they
will get hit. It’s an enforcement issue.
“If we want to be absolutely safe, we would take all cars off beach and make
people wear life preservers before going to the water,” Patterson said.
The link between cars and erosion was also an enforcement issue, he said.
Driving responsibly did not threaten the beach but cars trampling dunes and
vegetation lines did cause erosion, he said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$50
million development planned for West End
By Jerry Urban
The Daily News
Published August 08, 2003
GALVESTON — Groundbreaking for
Beachside Village, a residential and commercial development on the
West End, is expected by mid-September.
Galveston’s planning commission on Tuesday approved the final plat for
the 60-acre development, which includes lots for 155 homes.
Located south of FM 3005 between 8-Mile Road and 9-Mile Road, it’s the
first development in Galveston in a so-called Traditional Neighborhood
District to gain final-plat approval.
The homes and retail spaces will be designed to reflect traditional
neighborhoods and historic areas of Galveston, said George Liberato,
who is marketing the development with his wife, Rhondelle, through
Beachside Village Realty. Liberato said tight building restrictions
include a requirement that all the homes have the same type of roof.
The roofs will be unpainted metal and have a shiny tin look. The homes
also must have white, wood picket fences.
The $50 million development will have parks, be pedestrian friendly
and have a community pool.
Lot sizes vary, but Liberato said 40-by-90 lots will sell for $39,000,
and 85-by-230 beachfront lots can be purchased for $265,000.
Several builders have signed on to construct the homes.
Bruce Reinhart, who, along with his wife, Debbie, is the developer,
said the homes would range from $200,000 to $600,000 and be from
approximately 1,000 square feet to 4,000 square feet.
Reinhart, an Austin resident with a home in Galveston, said 88
residential lots have been reserved. Of those, he said 50 percent are
expected to be sold to permanent residents.
Only four of the 24 beachfront lots remain unreserved.
The project also will include commercial development on four acres. A
fine dining restaurant, a grocery store and retail stores are
expected; a wedding chapel is also planned.
The Reinharts previously developed the beachfront subdivisions Kahala
Beach, Kahala Estates and Sands of Kahala, as well as Bridgeport on
Teichman Point.
Also this week the planning commission approved the general-land-use
plan for the Beachtown development on the East End.
The commission also approved the preliminary plat for development of
the first 25 acres of the 125-acre project, which also is in a
Traditional Neighborhood District. Construction could begin in six
months.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patterson warns of ‘evolutionary specter’
By Nathan Smith
The Daily News
Published August 08, 2003
GALVESTON — Galveston could be
on three islands within 50 years if erosion continues unchecked, Land
Commissioner Jerry Patterson said during a speech before the city
council Thursday.
“This is an evolutionary specter that we’re facing,” said Patterson,
whose office oversees more than 20 million acres of state land.
“Absent a response, in 50 years Galveston Island will be not one, but
three islands.”
The problem, said Patterson, is serious beach erosion caused by severe
weather, a trend that became an issue in the late 1990s when Tropical
Storm Frances slammed into the upper coast. Today, Galveston County
has one of the worst erosion rates on the Gulf Coast, he said.
“Since Tropical Storm Frances, we haven’t been very lucky, because
we’ve lost a substantial amount of land along the beachfront,”
Patterson said. “These catastrophic events have made what used to be a
minor concern into a large problem.”
The commissioner compared the severity of the looming erosion problem
to the historic hurricane of 1900.
“We’re facing the same amount of damage in modern dollar amounts over
a longer period of time,” he said.
The erosion situation also further compounds another delicate issue
Patterson’s office is grappling with – restricting vehicular traffic
on beaches, a fight which sees open beach advocates opposing those who
own beachfront property or want to see the land developed.
“No one has a constitutional right to drive on Texas beaches, but some
beach land is inaccessible unless you drive on to it,” Patterson said.
“This is a situation where everyone is going to have to give something
up,” he said. “It’s not something that everyone is going to be happy
with.”
To solve the problems facing the coast, communities would have to
convince the rest of the state that Texas’ beaches were a resource not
only for the cities and towns dotting the Gulf, but for everyone,
Patterson said.
The state would need to invest in coastal communities much as it
invests in the economic production of the inner cities of Houston and
Dallas.
“The Texas coast is an asset for everybody,” said Patterson. “We need
to look at this asset as something that needs occasional investment.
“We have to convince folks that if you can do it for a stadium, you
can do it for the Texas coast,” he said.
In an effort to combat erosion, Patterson announced the formation of a
new group called Coastal Texas 2020, an organization dedicated to
petitioning the state government for investment in Texas’ oceanfront
areas.
“This is not just about beachfront property owners,” said Patterson.
“We’re doing it for the tax base, the infrastructure and the community
of Galveston.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOBA
sponsors fishing tourney
From staff reports
The Daily News
Published August 22, 2003
GALVESTON — Texas Open Beaches Advocates
will hold a fishing tournament Saturday to raise funds in its efforts to
ensure beach access along the Gulf Coast.
The fishing tournament will begin at 5 a.m. The official weigh-in will end at
5 p.m. at the Bayshore Park Pavilion in Bacliff at 5437 West Bayshore Drive.
A barbecue will be held at 4 p.m. in conjunction with the fishing tournament.
A raffle and auction will be held to raise money.
“We are raising funds in anticipation of possible court actions to ensure that
the Texas Open Beaches Act is enforced on Galveston Island,” said TOBA
President Tim Lopas. “TOBA’s mission is to see that fair, diversified access
is available to all Texans.”
The city of Galveston and the General Land Office are currently working on a
beach access plan for the city. For more information on the fund-raiser and
other information, contact Lorraine Brown at (409) 737-5524, or visit the TOBA
Web Site at www.texasopenbeaches.org.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Park board expecting
budget deficit
By Jerry Urban
The Daily News
Published September 19, 2003
GALVESTON — The Galveston Park
Board of Trustees is expecting to end the fiscal year $500,000 to
$600,000 in the red.
Gil Langley, president and CEO of the park board, emphasized the
deficit during a Thursday meeting of the trustees, who continue to
work on the proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The deficit spending this current fiscal year set the stage for what
Langley described as a “lean operating budget” for the next fiscal
year.
The deficit spending in the ongoing current year, Langley said, was
primarily due to additional beach cleaning costs attributed to storms
and some $400,000 in advertising and marketing for the new convention
center.
He said the deficit spending was mostly planned and adopted in the
budget for the current fiscal year.
Langley, however, wants to avoid deficit spending next fiscal year and
at the same time maintain a similar level of service.
The money was taken from the board’s cash reserves, which are expected
to be about $3 million at the end of the fiscal year, said Langley.
About two-thirds of the reserve funds are restricted by law to debt
service and beach-related services.
The proposed $15.8 million budget calls for the elimination of three
to six full-time park board staff positions, and more layoffs among
part-time employees are possible. There are more than 50 full-time
park board employees, meaning up to roughly 10 percent of the
full-time work force could be laid off.
The proposed budget also includes scaling back beach cleanup on the
West End, which contributes fewer dollars to the park board’s
operations than do areas in front of the Seawall where hotel-motel
taxes are generated.
The proposed budget includes two spending plans.
One spending plan, which Langley recommends, was presented about three
weeks ago with the inclusion of net revenues of about $300,000 if the
park board administers the proposed paid parking along the Seawall.
Langley has recommended the placement of those revenues in the budget
even though the city has not determined what type of paid parking
collection system will be used.
The city council also hasn’t yet agreed to authorize the park board to
administer the funds.
Langley, however, says the anticipated revenues and expenses should be
in the budget so the board can benefit from the revenues if paid
parking moves ahead this fiscal year as expected.
At least a few of the council members have indicated informally that
they would look favorably on the park board administering paid parking
on the Seawall. A city committee also has recommended that the park
board administer paid parking on the Seawall.
However, Langley, based on a request from park board members, prepared
a second spending plan without the Seawall parking revenues and
expenditures.
Though the end of the budget year is just ahead, board Chairman Gerry
Del Prete said he wanted to hold another meeting to work on the
budget.
That meeting has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday. The board is
scheduled to adopt the budget on Sept. 30.
Board members Sheila Lidstone and Johnny Smecca expressed particular
concern during Thursday’s meeting about reductions in services such as
beach cleaning.
However, Lou Muller, the board’s executive vice president, indicated
the reductions in service would not be severe; indeed, he said the
public probably would not notice the difference.
The beach patrol will not get all it requested, but Maj. Vic Maceo,
the director of the beach patrol, said he was satisfied with the
proposed budget.
Langley said the beach patrol, which has a $1.23 million budget for
the current fiscal year, will get about $75,000 more during the
upcoming fiscal year without the parking revenues included. The beach
patrol would get about $160,000 more with the parking revenues
included in the budget.
The proposed budget, without or with the parking revenues, will allow
the beach patrol to give raises to supervisors and senior lifeguards.
Maceo said $17,000 has been set aside in the proposed budget for the
merit raises.
If parking revenues are included, Langley said, beaching cleaning
would get approximately $140,000 more.
Langley said controversial measures in the proposed budget, again with
or without the Seawall parking revenues, include eliminating about
$35,000 in funding for local events such as Juneteenth and Cinco De
Mayo festivities that do not generate hotel-motel taxes for the
operation of the park board. Langley said another funding source is
available for those events through the dedicated hotel-motel tax for
arts and culture.
In addition, he has recommended the reduction of advertising for the
new convention center by $100,000. More than $350,000 was budgeted
this fiscal year to advertise the new convention center.
However, Langley said more staff time and direct sales dollars will be
dedicated to the sale of meetings in the new convention center.
Langley also emphasized that he has recommended spending double the
$125,000 budgeted this fiscal year for consumer advertising to
encourage people to visit Galveston’s beaches and attractions.
|