CITY & COUNTY
News from League City, Seabrook & Houston
QUOTE OF NOTE
City Council approves controversial book review committee
League City City Council will meet at 6 p.m. March 28 and April 11 and 25 at 200 W. Walker St., League City. Meetings are streamed at www.facebook.com/leaguecitytexas and http://leaguecitytx.swagit.com/ live-chambers. Houston City Council will meet at 1:30 p.m. March 28 and April 4, 11, 18 and 25 for public comment and 9 a.m. March 29 and April 5, 12, 19 and 26 for regular business at 901 Bagby St., Houston. Meetings are streamed at www.houstontx.gov/htv. MEETINGS WE COVER Restaurants—which has been at the airport for the last 20 years. The 10- year contract was awarded to HOU Areas, a subsidiary of international hospitality group Areas. The company recommended a series of 10 restaurants, including The Spot, Killen’s BBQ, SpindleTap Brewery, Starbucks and Yard House. HOU Areas’ bid included the company giving 22.2% of its monthly gross sales revenue to the city of Houston, to the tune of up to $104 million, compared to a bid of 15.5% or $71 million from Pappas. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS LEAGUE CITY On Feb. 28, League City City Council voted unanimously to approve rezoning about 18.5 acres of land from general commercial to residential to make way for a development of 30 townhomes. The land is located along the south and east sides of Twin Oaks Boulevard. Today, the 18.5 acres include recreational open space, a marina with a parking lot and a commercial boat storage facility, according to League City documents. Under the Marina Del Sol Planned Unit Development slated for the land, the existing commercial boat storage facility will be demolished to make room for a gated residential area of 30 townhomes, and the existing parking lot will be demolished and redeveloped with one single-family home. HOUSTON On March 8, Houston City Council approved new contracts for William P. Hobby Airport’s concessions, replacing Pappas “I CAN TELL YOU THIS: THIS FIGHT ISN’T OVER. THE GALVESTON COUNTY LIBRARY ALLIANCE AND LEAGUE CITY RESIDENTS WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES TO RIGHT THIS WRONG.” KATHERINE SWANSON, GALVESTON COUNTY LIBRARY ALLIANCE MEMBER, ON LEAGUE CITY CITY COUNCIL APPROVING THE CREATION OF A CONTROVERSIAL BOOK REVIEW COMMITTEE
BY JAKE MAGEE
COMMITTEE MAKEUP The new Community Standards Review Committee will be composed of seven members.
LEAGUE CITY On Feb. 28, League City City Council voted 5-3 in favor of the nal reading of an ordinance establish- ing the Community Standards Review Committee, a group of seven members responsible for reviewing public library books against which residents le a complaint. Under the ordinance, a resident may request the committee reconsider the classi cation or location of library materials. For instance, if a resident found a book about sex in the teenagers’ section, they could request it be reshelved elsewhere. The committee—made up of three Helen Hall Library board of trustees members, three residents with experience in child education and a chairperson who would vote only to break ties—would then review the book in question and the complainant’s request and decide by vote whether to reclassify or reshelve the book. The ordinance allows the complainant to appeal the committee’s decision to City Council. Before the ordinance passed, Council Member Tom Crews, who ultimately voted against the ordinance along with Council Members Chad Tressler and John Bowen, amended the ordinance to state that, should an appeal reach City Council, it would require a supermajority vote of at least six council members in favor to move a book. Tressler said the ordinance had undergone several revisions since it was rst proposed but still maintained its original intent of targeting the LGBT community. “That’s not right,” he said. “Taking that language out
7 committee members
1 chairperson who votes only to break ties 3 League City residents with experience with child education 3 Helen Hall Library board of trustees members
SOURCE: CITY OF LEAGUE CITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
doesn’t change the fact that that was the intent of it.” On Dec. 6, City Council voted 4-3 in favor of a resolution prohibiting the city from spending tax dollars on “obscene” material intended for minors to be available at the library. Topics considered obscene under the resolution include pedophilia; incest; rape; bondage; and sex, nudity and sexual preference in books with an intended audience of those less 10 years old. Dozens of residents spoke out against the ordinance and resolution across three meetings. Those who opposed the ordinance, including the newly formed Galveston County Library Alliance, said they would continue to ght. “I can tell you this: This ght isn’t over. The Galveston County Library Alliance and League City residents will do what it takes to right this wrong,” said Katherine Swanson, who helped establish the alliance.
Seabrook o cials tout Hwy. 146 completion, development projects during State of the City
BY JAKE MAGEE
got some great connectivity,” she said. Additionally, the development that will bring Margaritaville to Seabrook is still moving forward. The develop- ment will include four restaurants on Clear Lake, two hotels, a convention center, apartments and a 700-vehicle parking garage, all overlooking the water, Kolupski said. Likewise, o cials said they are excited for The Edge. The project near the roundabout at Repsdorph Road and Lakeside Drive will include 320 apartments, 10,000 square feet of retail space and a central lawn, Kolupski said. “That’ll be a huge project and very needed for the city,” he said. According to surveys of residents the city conducts, residents most desire a new grocery store. While the city has spoken to grocery store businesses and has not had much luck attracting one to Seabrook so far, it is still a focus for city o cials, Kolupski said.
SEABROOK During a luncheon March 8, City Manager Gayle Cook and Mayor Thom Kolupski spoke on sev- eral developments within Seabrook. For one, the expansion of Hwy. 146, which began four years ago, is nearing completion. The contractor has a planned substantial completion date of December, Kolupski said. “It looks like it’s coming to a close, thank God,” he said. The expansion project adds lanes to Hwy. 146 along with an additional expressway bridge for tra c to bypass Seabrook. The project aims to reduce congestion and make the road more viable as an emergency escape route during hurricanes. After the project is done, however, another Hwy. 146 expansion project will occur farther north, starting at Red Blu Road, Cook said. “It’s another construction projec- tion, but when this is all done, we’ve
Seabrook o cials shared updates on the city during a March 8 luncheon.
JAKE MAGEE COMMUNITY IMPACT
In addition, the city wants to install new signs around the city to guide residents due to how Hwy. 146’s construction has changed some of the city’s layout, Kolupski said. Additionally, city employees have outgrown City Hall, which today houses the police department and courts. The city will relocate the police department and courts to a piece of land the city owns near Repsdorph and Lakeside, after which City Hall will be expanded and remodeled, Kolupski said.
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2023
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