Testify or submit comments to the Galveston Planning Commission
Against Approval of PUD #26P-009 (Discovery Sands)

Background

A 351-acre real estate development, known as “Discovery Sands”, has been proposed next
to Jamaica Beach in Galveston’s West End. The project will place 733 new lots, 213 condos,
and a tourist attraction immediately next to the beach in an ecologically sensitive area.
The developer is requesting approval of Planned Urban Development (PUD) #26P-009,
along with exemptions that would allow them to bypass standard safety and
environmental rules, including:

• Elimination of minimum lot size and setback requirements;
• Increase to allowable building heights,
• Reduction of maximum density, lighting, and parking requirements, and
• Creation of private streets

These changes would allow high-density development in an area that has received decades of public investment in marsh restoration and storm protection.

Why This Matters

• Threatens Public Investments: The development will potentially put at risk millions of
  dollars of approximately 100 acres of marsh restoration efforts that happened over a
  20-year time period using public funding.
• Weakens Storm Protection and Flood Risk: The development will destroy wetlands and other
  natural features that would otherwise serve as protection from storm surge,
  increasing the risks and costs associated with coastal hurricanes.
• Endangers Wildlife & Protected Habitat: The development will destroy federally protected wetlands,
  interrupt the migration and habitat of sea turtles, and the habitat of federally
  protected black rail birds.
• Strains Infrastructure Capacity: The project lifts limits on density and removes key protections
  without providing evidence that Galveston’s water, sewage systems, drainage,
  transportation, and emergency services can handle the full development and
  increased tourism in this area.
• Weakens Community Integrity: The development could alter the identity of Galveston’s west
  end by undermining the coastal characteristics and set a precedent for more high
  density projects in the Galveston region.

Take Action: Testify or Submit a Comment to Galveston’s Planning Commission

• Submit Written Comments (5-Minute Option)  before the March 3 Planning Commission Meeting
  •  Submit a comment online here (use the drop-down menu to select PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, AND REFERENCE CASE 26P-009); OR
  • Email your comment to planningcounter@galvestontx.gov with the subject line “Comments to Case 26P-009.” Use the talking points below.
• Testify In Person
  • Show up and speak for 3 minutes on Tuesday, March 3 at 3:30pm at the Planning Commission’s meeting at City Hall, 823 Rosenberg St, 2nd floor, Galveston, Texas 77554. Use the talking points below to highlight the issues most important to you.

Check out our ACTION GUIDE for talking points and more information