Bay Area Edition | July 2025

Development

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

Galveston Bay Park development to boost Gulf Coast protection plans

Road closed for drainage project in Heritage Park

Mixed use project awaits permits from League City A mixed-use development on League City’s east side has yet to see work start as ocials await permitting from the city. Long story short The project, being carried out by Alex- ander Grene Development, will sit near the border of Kemah and League City. It is a 25-acre development that will feature mixed use and retail space, Community Impact previously reported. Developer A.G. Gupt said in a June 16 email the project is still in the permitting phase. The project was originally announced in January with plans to break ground in the rst or second quarter of this year.

Looking ahead

The cost of the project is expected to be around $7 billion, which will come from various public and private sources. The project could be built within a decade of when construction starts, the release notes. SSPEED co-director Jim Blackburn said June 16 the next step is for the project to be accepted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to see how it could work as part of the larger Coastal Texas Project. A timeline on when that could be completed was not provided. Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said in the release it was “long past time to protect the Gulf Coast.” “Harris County needs this project to protect people and our economy,” Garcia said in the release.

League City is working on drainage improve- ments in the city’s Historic District, which ocials expect to be ongoing until 2026. The overview The work, which is taking place near Wisconsin Avenue and Coryell Street in Heritage Park, has been going on for around a month, Senior Project Manager Marcos Garcia said in a June 18 video posted by the city. As part of the city’s Capital Improvement Program, the project stems from a 2023 study that found an underground stormwater system was needed along Wisconsin Avenue. That work will consist of installing inlets, pipes and stormboxes underneath roadside ditches on Wisconsin Avenue, Third and Fourth streets, according to a June 18 news release. The impact Ocials said Wisconsin Avenue between Coryell

Lane closure

Drainage work

HERITAGE PARK

• Marina • Observation tower • Camping • Gate house • Fishing • Event/dining • Outdoor recreation • Events SOURCE: SSPEED CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT Amenities include:

To address future hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region, ocials at Rice University unveiled a plan that will add to several ongoing projects in the area and help protect against more severe storms. Titled the Galveston Bay Park, the plan oers a number of protective structures meant to lessen the impact of storm surge, according to a May 27 news release from the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center, or SSPEED, out of Rice University. Among those improvements is 10,000 acres of park land and what ocials call the plan’s centerpiece: a midbay levee system that can extend up to 25 feet above sea level, according to the release.

Galveston Bay Park

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GULF OF MEXICO

“This plan addresses both immediate and long- term needs, providing ood reduction, enhancing navigation and boosting economic vitality—all while embracing the cultural and environmental value of the bay.”

Street and Fourth Street is closed. The project in its totality will wrap up in spring 2026, ocials said. A bid posting from the city dated in February shows Lucas Construction Inc., which is carrying out the project, submitted a total bid for a little less than $1.8 million.

Jim Blackburn, co-director of SSPEED Center

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