Zoning board grants variances for proposed 88-room hotel at 8819 Stewart Road after FAA-driven site changes

GALVESTON, Texas — On April 9, 2025, the Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment approved two variances for a proposed three-story, 88-room InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) boutique hotel at 8819 Stewart Road. The board approved eliminating the Height and Density Development Zone (HDDZ) requirement that 30% of the building façade sit at the required build-to line, and later voted to grant relief from the HDDZ wall-plane articulation standards for the building’s Stewart Road frontage.

The variances stemmed from a design change the applicant said was needed to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety and approach requirements. “We are project managers on this project,” applicant Himanshu Makwana said, adding that the FAA would only approve a three‑story building if the structure was pushed farther back on the lot. Makwana said that working with the FAA for four months produced “all their blessings” but left the project unable to meet the build-to-line and wall articulation rules without significant redesign.

Why it matters: the HDDZ rules — intended to create active, pedestrian-friendly street frontages — require at least 30% of a building to meet the build-to line and require wall-plane changes of depth every 30 feet (with at least a five-foot shift for a minimum length) to break up long, flat facades. The applicant argued that standard hotel room module widths and franchise design standards for the IHG…