Planning Commission recommends denial of partial abandonment near 30330 First Street after fire marshal and staff raise safety and access concerns

The City of Galveston Planning Commission on a contested item recommended denial to City Council of an application to abandon three portions of right-of-way adjacent to 30330 First Street.

City planning staff told commissioners the applicant requested abandonment of three tracts: a portion of Mechanic Street (Tract 1), a portion of 30 First Street (Tract 2), and a portion of the northwest alley (Tract 3). Staff said 9 public notices were mailed and reported no objections from the majority of city departments and from private utilities; the Fire Marshal, however, opposed the abandonment and Public Works raised concerns about the loss of on-street parking and utility impacts. Staff recommended denial because the request would adversely affect the transportation system, did not conform to the city27s criteria for permanent street closures, and would create a dead-end roadway without a required turnaround under Appendix D of the fire code.

Fire Marshal Chris Harrison told commissioners that the site had previously been accessible on three sides but that current conditions—fencing and partial closures—limit access. He said abandoning half of the right-of-way would produce a dead end longer than the code allows and make it difficult to turn apparatus: "If we were to abandon half of that property, it would create a greater than 150 foot long dead end. It27s kinda hard to turn a fire truck around without a turnaround." Harrison said he could accept certain limited configurations if an adequate access corridor (roughly 150 feet of access into adjacent businesses and the welding shop) were preserved, but he opposed blanket abandonment that removed critical egress and turnaround space.

Mark Hill, representing the landowner, said a mistaken deed recorded years earlier had been corrected earlier this year and that the Port of Galveston had erected unpermitted fencing that currently blocks parts of the right-of-way. Hill asked the commission to recommend approval so the owner could proceed, or at minimum to approve Tracts 2 and 3 while working with the fire marshal on access measures. Hill said the owner could operate a parking business on the property even without the abandoned tracts but that acquiring the rights-of-way would make operations more valuable.

Commission discussion focused on existing encroachments, the history of a mistaken deed and a port fence, safety concerns raised by the fire marshal, and the practical effect of approving only portions of the request. Commissioners noted the port has the option to apply for abandonment of the other halves of the right-of-way but had not done so. Several commissioners said they were open to a piecemeal recommendation that preserved necessary access for emergency response (in particular protecting access near the welding shop and the strip center) but concluded the application as submitted did not meet the closure criteria. The commission then voted to recommend denial of the abandonment to City Council, while encouraging the applicant and city staff to continue working with the fire marshal and the port on a solution that could be brought back to the council.

The record and staff slides identified the tract sizes cited by staff: Tract 1 (portion of Mechanic Street) ~6,650 square feet; Tract 2 (portion of 30 First Street) ~4,910 square feet; Tract 3 (portion of the northwest alley) ~1,230 square feet. Staff also noted the applicant sought only half-width abandonments; the port owns adjacent parcels and could seek its own abandonment for the remaining halves. City Council will take the final decision; staff said the case would be heard at City Council on June 26, 2025.