"Abandon West End" well ain't that nice of them

[JFD94]

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Galveston-Island-gets-tough-advice-from-Rice-study-2238312.php#photo-1702438

Isn't that lovely. We looked at this in my economics class today. It's amazing how dumb some of those "genius" scientists are. People have been living along the coast and on barrier islands for centuries. But now, i guess we're supposed to drop what we're doing and abandon the west end or any other community that doesn't seem to be the most economically efficient. Unbelievable that professors get paid to do this.

[reeltime]

There paid by developers!

[Termo]

Global warming! Everyone should leave now, before it's too late!

[Funk Shoal Brutha]

Just get the "World's Most Interesting Man" to move down there and keep him in DosXX's.

[WestEndAngler]

If you abandon the West End you might as well abandon the whole Island... Check out the revenues generated by property taxes on the VERY expensive homes on the West End. Compare that to the East End...

[Oleander Kayaker]

How does one (the GLO or whoever) buy out all the West End property owners, then attract development to the east end? Sheer lunacy.

Oceanographers and architecture students/profs did most of the study.
I'm proud to say I'm an architecture school dropout (which doesn't say much, but that still means I'm smarter).

[GoldSpoonGeneral]

Let them leave more places for me to walk in and wade.

[Muddskipper]

Unless your living under a rock, we all know that the West end is the most vunarably. I think we were all amazed that Galveston let them build those huge condos in Point West. If anything, the study gave the city Govt a warning, that if you let people continue to build on the west end, it is not going to last. What surprised me was, why is no one considering building the sea wall further down. That is the best protection. Last if you buid on the beach, don't expect the public to bail you out to save your house if the beach erodes away. You simply say that was the risk.

[WestEndAngler]

Unless your living under a rock, we all know that the West end is the most vunarably. I think we were all amazed that Galveston let them build those huge condos in Point West. If anything, the study gave the city Govt a warning, that if you let people continue to build on the west end, it is not going to last. What surprised me was, why is no one considering building the sea wall further down. That is the best protection. Last if you buid on the beach, don't expect the public to bail you out to save your house if the beach erodes away. You simply say that was the risk.

After Ike there was plans to extend / replace the geotubes & cover them with sand that protect the front line homes (dunes). There was a lawsuit filed by a few people that didn't like having an obstructed view... So that plan to put back the geotubes was shot down. Idiots.

[Robalo]

I claim "Dibbs" on Jamail's Houses on Lake Como!!! Ha Ha-when they're abandoned, they be mine, all mine and keep your paws off em!! I hope Joe and Rob leave the artwork and their boats.

[Robalo]

If ya think about it, ya wanna say "Hey, give back that money you were paid Rice!", because unless you never went to Science Class in HS or failed Geology 101 in College, barrier islands move-they retreat inland-as waves wash over, sand moves into the lagoon side and washes away from the shore. And our Gummint paid for this study-what a farging waste of tax $$$. Someone farking take the gummint checkbook away from the GD idjits in power and tell them "No GD wasting our $ anymore ya fugging azzholes!".

Like Coe said-it's all about TAX REVENUE!!! Ya think the GLO woulda bought Marquette's lands to let it sit and return to its natural state? Nope, NFW-they bought it knowing it is a great investment for the "Schoolchilluns of Tejas".

Someone at Rice ate some Al Gore BS for lunch and spewed this fine piece of work out-prolly took 10 minutes to write-likely plagurized from Sedimentology of Barrier Islands by I.P. Freelyonyurshoes.

[Swells]

When you look at the long term viability of the West End, with erosion rates of 3-8 feet per year, you're going to see more and more houses on "the front line" ending up in the Gulf. So that will take those structures off the tax rolls unless somebody moves the structure to high ground. Alternatives, such as building a giant sea wall for a billion dollars or something, were not considered a wise investment.

The whole thing was thrown into disarray by a California lady named Carol Severance, who bought a few houses on the West End and one was condemned by the GLO because it was in the surf - you could fish out the bedroom window. The Texas Open Beaches Act requires that the beach and the surf zone is public property. Severance sued. So far she has won the case but there are appeals.

So what is the entire beach at the West End is private property? That means that no public money can be spent to fix and widen the beach! No state funds can be used there (at least for now). GLO Commissioner Patterson had a BIG project to pump sand on the West End but pulled it, since it is illegal to spend state public funds on private property. This really made the residents and Galveston officials very mad - the 15 million in GLO money (or whatever) was instead spent on the older section of Galveston to the east end.

Now some pointy headed university professors come along, the Rice Study, saying that it might be cost effective to simply let the front line of property along the West End "go." Discussed was a giant "hurricane protector" dune system with surge gates and seawalls, a popular idea over the last two years. What they discovered was - well, what you're mad about today. Let's just say not everyone likes the Rice Study.

But wait - the story isn't over yet. There's no money! Federal budgets for beach restoration have been stopped due to fiscal austerity. Texas had a budget crisis and chopped off its entire beach and marsh restoration funding. Therefore the only way to "Save West End" is for the people of Galveston City and Galveston County to tax themselves to pay for it. Are the local taxpayers going to like that? If you live on perfectly safe, dry land do you want to pay for some rich folks who built too close to the surf?

[Robalo]

Swells-you are correct-Severance, the greedy POS she is, caused serious issues reagrding TOBA and the effects of her suit have been upheld to date and likely will be upheld at final resolution. The Rice Study although really targeting beachfront property extends to ALL property on the West End-even Kenny's place!! If you take it to heart, all property should be "Bye Bye" as to development-including existing ones, which is absurd to say the least. Like I said, there will be development so long as there are people and TAX REVENUE! No Tax Revenue = no gummint=NO OBAMA!!! Hey everyone, do not pay your taxes and tell the Gummint and IRS to stick it!! Then we got no one paying for the Peggy Joseph's of this world and she'll die from starvation-yippee, life can be good!

[ubermensch1324]

Let them leave more places for me to walk in and wade.

Yea, because people don't live in west end ya know.

[ubermensch1324]

When you look at the long term viability of the West End, with erosion rates of 3-8 feet per year, you're going to see more and more houses on "the front line" ending up in the Gulf. So that will take those structures off the tax rolls unless somebody moves the structure to high ground. Alternatives, such as building a giant sea wall for a billion dollars or something, were not considered a wise investment.

The whole thing was thrown into disarray by a California lady named Carol Severance, who bought a few houses on the West End and one was condemned by the GLO because it was in the surf - you could fish out the bedroom window. The Texas Open Beaches Act requires that the beach and the surf zone is public property. Severance sued. So far she has won the case but there are appeals.

So what is the entire beach at the West End is private property? That means that no public money can be spent to fix and widen the beach! No state funds can be used there (at least for now). GLO Commissioner Patterson had a BIG project to pump sand on the West End but pulled it, since it is illegal to spend state public funds on private property. This really made the residents and Galveston officials very mad - the 15 million in GLO money (or whatever) was instead spent on the older section of Galveston to the east end.

Now some pointy headed university professors come along, the Rice Study, saying that it might be cost effective to simply let the front line of property along the West End "go." Discussed was a giant "hurricane protector" dune system with surge gates and seawalls, a popular idea over the last two years. What they discovered was - well, what you're mad about today. Let's just say not everyone likes the Rice Study.

But wait - the story isn't over yet. There's no money! Federal budgets for beach restoration have been stopped due to fiscal austerity. Texas had a budget crisis and chopped off its entire beach and marsh restoration funding. Therefore the only way to "Save West End" is for the people of Galveston City and Galveston County to tax themselves to pay for it. Are the local taxpayers going to like that? If you live on perfectly safe, dry land do you want to pay for some rich folks who built too close to the surf?

Great post. Thank you!