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West End Developer Faces Angry Neighbors
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Developers of the 1,058-acre Chapoton Ranch property faced a hostile crowd Monday as they tried to present their plans to their neighbors.
 Facing down angry murmurs, derisive snickering and one accusation of being a professional spin-doctor, Marquette Land Investments partner Darren Sloniger tried to convince the audience his development was good for Galveston.
But they weren’t buying it.
Citing fears of traffic congestion on FM 3005, concern for the environment and abhorrence for the proposed 16-story beachfront hotel that one audience member called a monstrosity, the 200-strong crowd made it clear Marquette’s road to permit approval would not be a smooth one.
Sloniger and his team will ask the planning commission today to approve a master land-use plan, several zoning changes and four special-use permits associated with the project.
Once commissioners make their recommendation whether to approve or deny the requests, the case will go to city council, which has the final say.
Monday’s public information meeting was an attempt to forestall at least some of the criticism developers anticipated.
Marquette’s plans call for a four-star resort-style hotel, an 18-hole golf course, five mid-rise condominium towers and 4,000 residential lots. The development would stretch from beach to bay between 8 Mile and 11 Mile roads.
The homes will likely be sold to second-home buyers, Sloniger said. He said he had tried to include a section of affordable housing in the plan but was not able to make it economically viable.
When Chicago-based Marquette purchased the property from the Chapoton family last year, it was said to be the largest land deal in Galveston’s history. Sloniger and his partners paid a reported $33 million for the land.
Sloniger told his audience he was naive when he bought it, clueless about its environmental significance.
“But, after meeting with the city and local agencies, we came to understand the environmental sensibilities here pretty quickly,” he said.
“We decided right away to respect that. We are restraining ourselves from developing on certain pockets of the property.”
The property, named The Preserve at West Beach, includes 361 acres of set-aside land stretching for three miles down its center, along Stewart Road.
Sloniger said the natural area, which the company eventually wants to deed to conservation groups for preservation, is the largest any developer has ever set aside in Galveston.
But residents from Spanish Grant, Lafitte’s Cove and Pirate’s Beach who made up most of Monday’s public-meeting attendees, still expressed concern the West End could not handle such a large influx of people.
“I walk this beach every day and I don’t think it could possibly support a hotel that size,” said one man, whose comments were followed by loud applause from the audience.
Another member questioned whether the canal cut required to provide access for a planned marina would put the island at risk of being split in half during a major hurricane.
Sloniger said environmental studies that the company had commissioned indicated the development plans would not have a negative impact on the environment, but he did not have documentation on hand to show.
He also did not have traffic-count projections available but promised to present them during tonight’s planning-commission meeting.
Audience members assured him they would be on hand to hear the numbers and make sure commissioners know what they think of the project.
By Leigh Jones
The Daily News
Published June 5, 2007 |
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By
Ian McKee @
Saturday, June 09, 2007 5:41 PM | |
we don't want your fancy hotels! We want a nice place to go and get away from the busy city life of Houston. Leave the marshes! |
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