TX-Sized Stupid: Sea Level In Galveston Up 8" Since 2010; New Condos Planned For Barrier Island Beyond Sea Wall

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Today, the island is booming. Galveston’s population has grown, home sale prices have more than doubled since 2011 and developers see more potential — even beyond the island’s existing fortifications. The sea wall protects only about a third of the island. Where it ends, two luxury condominium projects have been proposed along one of the fastest-eroding stretches of beach. At the same time, here as across much of the South, the threat from the sea is intensifying. Since 2010, Galveston has experienced a burst of sea level rise, which has added a staggering 8 inches to the ocean’s height here, according to federal data analyzed by The Washington Post — one of the most rapid changes across the Gulf of Mexico. The rise is being exacerbated by fast-sinking land, which is taking the island and all that’s on it ever lower.

The collision between the rising ocean and Americans’ desire to live near it is playing out from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas. Coastal communities throughout the American South have grown to accommodate an influx of residents, even as the region grapples with some of the planet’s fastest-rising seas — as well as the likelihood of stronger storms and more intense rains fueled by a warming atmosphere.

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Jeffrey Hill, a former member of the Galveston Planning Commission who opposed the Tiara development given erosion risks, argued that the allure of increased tax revenue is a key reason why the city has supported the condo development. “Somebody has to sound the alarm,” she said. “And it is a very unpopular stance to take, but somebody has to do it.” Representatives for Tiara and its developer could not be reached for comment. However, during one public hearing in 2021, a coastal land-use expert noted that a portion of the site does lie behind the sea wall’s protections. And that while that stretch of beach is subject to erosion, it also is in an area eligible for government-funded sand replenishments.

In addition, the project’s architect, Steven Biegel, told Galveston officials the building’s footprint was placed “as far away from the beach as possible. We did this for a number of reasons, but mostly it’s a restricted site.” City leaders ultimately approved the project in 2021 and last year voted to extend the deadline for its developer to acquire various permits.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/galveston-sea-level-rise-condo-development/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f005