GALVESTON, Texas – On the west end of Galveston Island, a stretch of open land has become the center of a heated debate.
A developer wants to build a sprawling coastal village near Jamaica Beach, but neighbors worry the project could fundamentally change their community, and create more traffic on the only road out during a storm.
The proposal is headed to Galveston City Council for discussion and a possible vote on May 28.
Brandon McDermott has lived in Jamaica Beach his entire life. For him, the open land and wildlife in Jamaica Beach isn’t just scenery, but a way of life.
“I think there’s something to be said for being able to see the horizon every single day,” McDermott said. “We have shorebirds, pelicans, great blue herons, and seagulls.”
Now, McDermott, who serves on Jamaica Beach’s City Council, worries a proposed development could put all of that at risk.
“It’s just depressing honestly,” he said.
The project is called Discovery Sands. The developer, Blackard Companies, is marketing it as a 350-acre, European-style coastal village that would include hundreds of housing units, a lagoon, a lazy river and commercial spaces.
According to Blackard Companies, about half the land would be preserved. For the other half, they are requesting a Planned Unit Development, or PUD, a designation that allows part of a project to follow a custom set of rules rather than standard zoning code. A PUD can override typical regulations governing the number of units allowed, how close buildings can sit to the street and how much parking is required, all under a single ordinance.
The proposal received a recommendation for approval from the planning commission and is now moving to Galveston City Council.
But for residents like McDermott, the Discovery Sands development is personal. It would sit just steps from Jamaica Beach, but because the land falls within Galveston’s city limits, it’s Galveston City Council, not Jamaica Beach, that gets the final say.
“It makes us feel powerless,” McDermott said.
McDermott says he’s worried about the wetlands, the wildlife and traffic on the highway, which serves as the only evacuation route for residents during storms.
KPRC 2 reached out to Blackard Companies, who said the wetlands would not be disturbed, and the project would build on uplands. They also said about half of the 350 acres would go undisturbed.
“What draws people to the West End is the bay itself—the marsh, the shoreline, the quiet. The plan is built to protect that,” a spokesperson said in part.
The company also said a traffic study is included as part of the project’s review process.
“The West End will change. The question is what kind. We’re proposing the version of change that protects what people moved out here for,” they continued.
McDermott says he isn’t opposed to development altogether; he just wants it to be more compatible with the existing character of the area.
“This particular development just doesn’t seem to fit out here,” he said. “We don’t have European architecture,” he continued. “It’s a tourist attraction, basically.”
He plans to attend the May 28 City Council meeting and is encouraging other residents to show up and speak during public comment.
“It’s an uphill battle, but we got to try,” McDermott said.