New Mid-Rise Coming To Seawall

Galveston County Daily News, December 21, 2006
by Leigh Jones

The Planning Commission has approved a specific-use permit for a mid-rise building on the seawall, the first since city council imposed interim building height restrictions in October.

Commissioners unanimously granted Houston developer Scott Breimeister permission to build a six-story condominium at the site of the former Mayflower Inn, 802 Seawall Blvd.

“I’m totally shocked,” Breimeister said after Tuesday’s meeting. “This was unexpected.”

Breimeister struggled to get his project off the ground for 16 months, facing opposition from neighbors who feared the building would negatively affect their residential area. After listening to hours of concerns voiced during neighborhood meetings, Breimeister and his team downsized their plans from the originally proposed 14 stories to eight and then finally four habitable stories.

Although he said he was comfortable with the scope of the project, the developer was unsure it would pass the commission’s scrutiny. He even postponed his appearance by two weeks to get more lobbying time.

But on Tuesday, his fears seemed completely unfounded.

“This project is a poster child for development on the island,” said commissioner Willie Gonzales. “It proves projects can be taken on a case-by-case basis.”

As commissioners piled on the praise, Breimeister sat speechless in the front row of the council chamber benches.

“The developer’s management team took the initiative to meet with us,” said Brenda Lee, San Jacinto Neighborhood Association representative. “That was a first, and I commend them for it.

“We hope future team managers will follow the same process.”

No one spoke in opposition to the project, which seemed to have such an uncertain future just three months ago.

Breimeister said he hoped to repeat his success in January when he asks city council for its approval of the project. If he gets the final thumbs up, construction crews will begin work in late spring or early summer, he said.

Breimeister expects construction to last 12 to 14 months.

The building will have four habitable stories over two stories of parking. Breimeister expects most future buyers will be people looking for second homes, although he said he anticipated some interest from University of Texas Medical Branch staffers.

Breimeister is just one of several developers who are faced with seeking specific-use permits for projects they could have built without special permission before October’s crack-down.

Each project now must be considered on its own merits until the city’s planning department finalizes the height master plan, a document that will set new rules and regulations for mid- and high-rise development.

City staff told commissioners Tuesday they were ready to send out a request for proposals to private companies, universities and research organizations that might be interested in participating in the plan development.

Once participants are selected, city staffers estimate the work will take at least five or six months to complete.