County Asks $4.7M For Property

Galveston County Daily News, July 18, 2007,
by Ben Tinsley

GALVESTON — If all goes as planned, island residents could soon experience the hustle and bustle of restaurants, businesses and powerhouse stores between 54th and 57th streets.

County commissioners are meeting today to consider selling 15 acres of land next to the Galveston County Justice Center to Houston-based Shops at Broadway for $4.7 million.

If the sale goes through, WCF Development of Houston would develop the property, which runs from 54th to 57th Streets and from Avenue H to Broadway.

Instead of rundown warehouses that once marked the area, there could be stores such as Best Buy and PetSmart and maybe a bank, county officials said.

“This is high dollar and will be very good for the island economically,” said Galveston County Commissioner Bryan Lamb.

The mixed-use development project is still in the planning stages, and construction probably won’t begin until the first or second quarter of next year, said Wayne Fox, chairman of WCF Development.

If approved today, the sale will be completed in September, County Judge Jim Yarbrough said.

The land is part of a 67-acre parcel purchased by the county in 2002 for about $6.4 million, said Cliff Billingsley, county auditor.

Of the 67 acres, 50 were used to build the new courthouse and jail complex. With the sale of the 15 acres, only two, directly behind the post office, would remain undeveloped.

Yarbrough said the county would hold on to them, hoping development would increase their value.