Aloft Galveston At 14th St. & Seawall Blvd.

[asubrt]

The city council voted at its meeting Thursday to allow the construction of a nine-story hotel on the seawall.

The hotel will be located at 1328 Seawall Blvd. and will be part of the W. Hotel chain Aloft.

Chief architect Michael Gaertner described the design concept as one that would be of a high style he said was appealing to the millennial generation.

http://galvestondail...om/story/354142

This should be a good addition to the East End, especially considering that the building that is currently on that lot is a huge eyesore. I've never stayed at an Aloft hotel before, but it sounds like it is a bit nicer than most of the other Seawall hotels (excepting San Luis/Galvez/etc...).

[OkieEric]

Kind of torn about this one. Nice to see some new development, but not sure I like the precedent this might set. Sort of a weird location to me since the beach is pretty nonexistent on that particular stretch. Rendering at least looks OK at least

[plumber2]

Yeah, I am mixed about this also. The previous city council and city manager fought hard to get the height ordinances in place to set some sort of cohesion on Seawll development. Basiclly one is unrestricted on height beyound 2nd street to the east and 103rd st. to the west. This variance now gives each project a chance to present their proposal to the planning commision and then to city council. Just the kind of micro managing the previous administrations were trying to avoid. Galveston already has a bad reputation as a difficult place for builders. This doesn't help.

[TheNiche]

Yeah, I am mixed about this also. The previous city council and city manager fought hard to get the height ordinances in place to set some sort of cohesion on Seawll development. Basiclly one is unrestricted on height beyound 2nd street to the east and 103rd st. to the west. This variance now gives each project a chance to present their proposal to the planning commision and then to city council. Just the kind of micro managing the previous administrations were trying to avoid. Galveston already has a bad reputation as a difficult place for builders. This doesn't help.

Developers can cope with the City giving them unexpected leeway. All they have to do is delay closing on the site until after the variance has been granted. It was when the City attempted to apply restrictions that didn't exist, or to apply them ex post facto, that pissed off the business community.

This sort of approach, where a City has restrictive zoning but a fairly permissive approach to variances is what most large cities tend to do. It keeps things very streamlined for conforming development, but requires permission for anything that might be contentious. There is some logic to that approach to zoning; properly executed, a City can settle on a variance and also get something that they want from the developer...for instance streetscape improvements or other aesthetic embellishments. On the other hand, it does occasionally create motives for cronyism and corruption (like in Dallas), "political consulting" that results in the City becoming an investor (like in Austin), or circumstances whereby the developer has to hire someone's worthless nephew (like in San Antonio).

[plumber2]

Exactly!

[arche_757]

I'm pretty sure this isn't going to happen - at least not as an aloft.  Let me ask around down here and find out with my connected sources.