City of Galveston should help revitalize seawall
I love Galveston Island, mostly because it's not a polished, glitzy tourist attraction. It has a certain neglected, slightly run-down quality to it that seems genuine. Apparently, though, I'm in the minority on this one. Tilman Fertitta, the man behind the Landry's empire (they own Kemah) is looking to revitalize Galveston's Seawall Boulevard, with an eye towards changing the character of Galveston as most of us know it.
Fertitta’s projects – now under way and planned for the near future – include: the renovated San Luis Resort and Conference Center, a new Galveston Island Convention Center, the new Rainforest Café and associated attractions at 53rd Street and Seawall and expansion of the Island Hilton.
Fertitta’s company was the only bidder to buy the old Flagship hotel and pier. Landry’s plans a completely renovated hotel plus a family amusement park. Fertitta is examining other Seawall boulevard opportunities.
Fertitta, an island native, has said he is committed to revitalizing all of Seawall Boulevard as the community’s No. 1 tourist attraction. He will deliver quality family-oriented facilities that unquestionably will attract new visitors. That’s the record that has made him a multimillionaire.
The gathering momentum of these and other new attractions will bring benefits. Galveston will receive significant new property taxes. Like Kemah, where Fertitta has remade the old boardwalk, new sales taxes are likely to make a huge difference, easing Galveston’s chronic municipal budget problems.
Attractions and the tourists they generate also will be a boon to every non-Fertitta hotel, restaurant, gift and T-shirt shop on Galveston Island.
These changes, while generally tough to argue with, will require some foresight and action on infrastructure issues. Here are some of the things that need attention:
- Safety and law enforcement: The laws covering drinking, littering, parkin, and traffic control will need greater financial support. Increased enforcement efforts must be a part of any effort to increase tourism.
- Parking: There isn't enough parking along Seawall Blvd. during peak hours now. Paid parking won't be popular, but it will raise a ton of money to support efforts to deal with increased tourism.
- Traffic control: Anyone who has been stuck on Seawall Blvd. knows what a hassle this can be. An increase in tourism will not make this problem any easier to resolve.
- Beach erosion protection: Tourists aren't going to come to a beach that is no longer there. Galveston MUST come up with a viable plan to preserve and maintain it's heavily-trafficked beaches.
- Amenities: There are NO restroom facilities along the south side of Seawall Blvd. Speaking from experience, this can create a very uncomfortable situation.
- Beautification: Let's face it; no one is going to mistake Galveston for Miami's South Beach. That doesn't mean it couldn't do with a makeover. Does the beach need to resemble the Gulf's version of the Jersey Shore? I didn't think so.
Galveston has a lot to offer, and it IS close to home. It would be nice to see the city of Galveston take advantage of the jewel in their midst and devote some money into sprucing it up a bit.
