RWReagen Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 If money, power, and red tape were no object I have a fantasy redevelopment plan for Galveston. My new Galveston would be a privately owned and operated island sized resort and destination. Think Disney World with all of their private roads, villages and destination areas. All brilliantly designed and arranged far better than government could. They have private fire, ems, police, utilities, quasi-governmental entities etc. And it runs like a charm. It would focus less on the beach attraction aspect and more on other attractions such as casinos and theme parks. I would completely buy out the current entire island (including Landry's and Fertita). Dissolve the local government. Bulldoze and remove every house, building, store, structure and street that is not of obvious saving value i.e. historical strand buildings, mansions, cemetaries, high rise condo towers etc. Locate all new uilities underground and out of sight. Connect everything with fiber optic lines and island wide high quality free wi-fi. Construct a new and improved sea wall and other needed new fortifications. The goal would be to make the island more hurricane proof and more recoverable after a storm.Create paths and trails connecting the attractions. Blanket the new developments with new trees and tropical foliage. To encourange visitors and make it easy for them to get there I would remove the exisiting airport and build a new one comfortably west of town to allow regular commercial airline traffic. Also, build high speed transit rail lines from somewhere in Houston to the island. Connect the entire island with water taxis and an efficient railed system similar to DW's monorail layout.Replace Seawall Blvd with a boardwalk. Construct massive concrete and heavily reinforced piers over the beach with attractions.Develop the lake and area around Moody Gardens with all of the Vegas casinos, hotels, and convention centers. Fully and correctly redevelop the downtown and Strand area into a lively entertainment, dining, shopping, and cruise destination. Remove all streets for pedestrians similar to Fremont St. in dt Las Vegas. Build new exciting modern cruise ship terminals. Remember, thinking Disney / Universal style concepts. Construct an underground service tunnel system a la Disney World.Build a high quality roller coaster theme park and water resort where the current Coast Guard station area is on the end of the island. Where would all the workers live? Build a nice affordable company village past the airport outside of town with separate highway access. Remember this is just my crazy Saturday afternoon fantasy. I'm sure it is full of holes and rediculousness. It's just for fun and to maybe start some ideas going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Well in your 'fantasy', can you rebuilt the causeway and make it more modern,creative etc.... Something like the Fred Hartman bridge but better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Deleted post due to RWReagen only wishing for shining cities on a hill type responses. PS - It's Reagan, not Reagen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWReagen Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 Please don't ruin my topic with a-hole replies. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Not trying to be an a-hole, but I don't think that you fully grasp the extent of the land area that you have to work with. For that matter, you underestimate the usefulness of Scholes Field; the problem isn't land area, it is marketability.I would strongly suggest that you shift your fantasy over to a land mass adjacent to Galveston, perhaps Pelican Island, Bolivar Peninsula, or Follet's Island. Not only is it more easily to comprehend and stomach, but it creates a situation where Galveston is a thriving residential resort town serving a massive entertainment destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Speaking of Niche's reply, I would imagine much of Bolivar Peninsula would be "vacant" because of the increased land costs and total destruction of the communities. I'm not sure how the storm proofing would work, but mass redevelopment of Bolivar is an idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Galveston without grunge, is like New Orleans without debauchery. This is what Galveston IS; palm trees, brown water, Mardi Gras, the mafia, Victorian mansions, small time criminals, t-shirt peddlers, and UTMB. For the most part, I love my home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppahop Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Galveston without grunge, is like New Orleans without debauchery. This is what Galveston IS; palm trees, brown water, Mardi Gras, the mafia, Victorian mansions, small time criminals, t-shirt peddlers, and UTMB. For the most part, I love my home. Preach on, brutha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWReagen Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yeah I like Galveston's unique culture myself. I don't live there but have visited a million times since I was a kid. I'm particularly pained about the loss of the piers over the beach especially the Balinese Room. But going back to the original intent of my topic, is what would I do with the island of Galveston to breathe new life into it. It's just for fun. I'm not making any commentary on anyone or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yeah I like Galveston's unique culture myself. I don't live there but have visited a million times since I was a kid. I'm particularly pained about the loss of the piers over the beach especially the Balinese Room. But going back to the original intent of my topic, is what would I do with the island of Galveston to breathe new life into it. It's just for fun. I'm not making any commentary on anyone or anything.Fill the island itself with helium! Then it can just rise above the next hurricane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yeah I like Galveston's unique culture myself. I don't live there but have visited a million times since I was a kid. I'm particularly pained about the loss of the piers over the beach especially the Balinese Room. But going back to the original intent of my topic, is what would I do with the island of Galveston to breathe new life into it. It's just for fun. I'm not making any commentary on anyone or anything.Since much of Bolivar was wiped out, I suppose Bolivar, next door to Galveston, could be a spot for a theme parkish development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 My problem with Reagan's fanatasy is that he had to make a point that all the workers would be housed in a segregated community west of towm. What's up with that? Don't want us worker types being seen around your fantasy town? I'm thinking Seweto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWReagen Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 My problem with Reagan's fanatasy is that he had to make a point that all the workers would be housed in a segregated community west of towm. What's up with that? Don't want us worker types being seen around your fantasy town? I'm thinking Seweto!That's funny. Well like I said if money were no object I would build a very nice company town which would be an incentive. Also there would be no rule saying you had to work there if you didn't want to live in the worker's village. I believe they have whole apartment complexes nearby at Disney World for some of their workers. Also I still like the idea of the self contained island instead of Bolivar. It would be easier to manage an island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Trouble with this fantasy is there are tons of stubborn people on Galveston that would refuse to sell for nearly any price regardless of the sort of utopia you were promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Trouble with this fantasy is there are tons of stubborn people on Galveston that would refuse to sell for nearly any price regardless of the sort of utopia you were promising.You can pull off a lot of things when money is no object. Just buy off all the politicians and get eminent domain worked out.Also I still like the idea of the self contained island instead of Bolivar. It would be easier to manage an island.If money is no object, then the ease of management of whatever concept you have in mind doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You can pull off a lot of things when money is no object. Just buy off all the politicians and get eminent domain worked out.Texas has pretty tight controls on eminent domain. Its not nearly as easy as it is in, say, Connecticut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Texas has pretty tight controls on eminent domain. Its not nearly as easy as it is in, say, Connecticut. Yeah, and who put them there? Legislators. You're telling me that legislators can't be bought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Turning Galveston into a tourist trap would be beyond terrible. Right, as if the world needs another sanitized, expensive, "resort". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWReagen Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 Turning Galveston into a tourist trap would be beyond terrible. Right, as if the world needs another sanitized, expensive, "resort".Well you don't have to come. You can stay on the mainland and look at us folks on the island enjoying the beautiful surroundings and activities while we provide good jobs and contribute millions of dollars into the local economy.(Everyone remember it's just a silly day dream. You internet guys need to lighten up already...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citykid09 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I think it should be a tourist destination. Make it one of the only places in Texas that allows casinos and I'll be down there every weekend. Before the hurricane even hit, I always thought of Galveston as a dirty place. Yes it has a nice downtown and some nice touristy spots, but the water is dirty, the beaches are nasty and many of the neighborhoods look like any other southern rural areas. In other words it doesn't really have an island feel. But I think if they let developers come in and build it up into a true tourist town I think Galveston would be better off.And don't give me that crap about development would cause Galveston to lose its charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Citykid, Galveston would lose a certain feeling. I can't tell you how much of historic downtown Bryan was lost before they "revitalized" it. But no need to bare teeth! This is just someone's fantasy. Dream on, but I like the way it is now...at least pre-Ike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citykid09 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Citykid, Galveston would lose a certain feeling. I can't tell you how much of historic downtown Bryan was lost before they "revitalized" it. But no need to bare teeth! This is just someone's fantasy. Dream on, but I like the way it is now...at least pre-Ike. Downtown Bryan was trashy before the redo. It would be a dead area if they didn't do it. Casinos would be good for Galveston. It would also keep the people that travel to neighbor states in the state for gambling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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