|
Business
Groups Back Disputed Developments
Galveston County
Daily News, June 20, 2007
by Laura Elder
GALVESTON
— Two business
advocacy groups are endorsing real-estate developments
that have been the targets of organized opposition.
Members of
the Galveston Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday voted
in favor of Marquette Land Investments’ master
plan for 1,058 acres on the city’s West End.
The 700-member
chamber also voted to endorse developer Lamson Nguyen’s
plans for 96 condominiums and a 40-slip marina on
English Bayou.
Last week,
Galveston Friends of Business, also a business advocacy
group, endorsed both projects.
The Marquette
project calls for a 16-story hotel, 18-hole golf
course, five mid-rise condominium towers and about
4,000 homes on the former Chapoton Ranch.
The tract,
described as one of the island’s most ecologically
sensitive because it includes an extensive amount
of wetlands and uplands, is between 8 Mile and 11
Mile roads.
Opponents
say Marquette’s project would harm the environment
and pose traffic problems on the West End.
The island’s
planning commission on Tuesday was considering approving
the master plan.
Nguyen’s
plans include 96 condominiums and a 40-slip marina
on English Bayou. That project has met with some
outcry because it would require changes to a connector
road linking 61st Street to eastbound Broadway.
Opponents
say Nguyen’s project would cause traffic congestion.
State officials
say city council members lack the authority to halt
changes to the road.
The Texas
Department of Transportation told the city council
that the state has complete control of access to
the highway.
City council
members’ only recourse would be to deny a
special-use permit to Nguyen.
The council
is requiring developers to obtain special-use permits
for mid- and high-rise buildings as it considers
imposing permanent height restrictions in certain
parts of the city.
The planning
commission has recommended the project, but city
council has final say.
“We
believe the developers of these projects have done
due diligence,” said Greg Harrington, chairman-elect
of the chamber board.
“They
both create jobs and tax base and that’s good
for the island.”
|
