Planning Commission recommends PUD for Seawall project after airport safety debate, adds noise disclosure and housing conditions

The Galveston Planning Commission on Sept. 16 recommended approval of a Planned Unit Development application for 10302 Seawall Boulevard, a multi‑building mixed‑use proposal that would include two condominium towers, a 216‑key hotel and retail, subject to added conditions requiring a full buyer disclosure about airport noise and a developer commitment for workforce and J‑1 student housing.

The project, presented by architect Steven Beagle and developer Mohammed Aldaway of Royal Crown Enterprise LLC, proposes three buildings along Seawall Boulevard and two residential buildings behind them on a 15.2‑acre site. The applicant said phase 1 would include two condominium towers (about 150 condominium units total), a 216‑key Renaissance Marriott hotel, roughly 70,000 square feet of retail and parking mostly under podium decks. The applicant said phase 1 construction cost is estimated at about $400 million, with phase 2 at $140 million, for a combined $540 million development.

City staff and the applicant told commissioners the development team reduced the proposed maximum building height from an earlier 155 feet to 145 feet after consultations with federal aviation authorities. Tim Tejans of the City’s Development Services Department summarized project studies including a traffic impact analysis and a stormwater/drainage analysis and noted the site is within the HDDZ (height and density) overlay and AE‑12 FEMA flood zone; base finished floor elevations for habitable structures…