Overflow Crowd in Crystal Beach Protests Land Office Plan

Angry property owners in Crystal Beach turned out in full force Tuesday night to share their concerns about a state proposal that could change how close to the beach property could be developed.

Among the group was District Judge Bob Wortham, who says it's a case of the state trying to steal land from property owners. 

No one at the Tuesday afternoon meeting in Crystal Beach supports the proposal.

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson held public hearings in both Crystal Beach and Galveston on Tuesday to explain the proposed changes.

Land owners are concerned about a proposed beach erosion plan that could move the line of where property could be developed from 25 feet to 300 feet.

Many wondered what impact the rules could have on the value of their property if they decided to sell it.

The state says the rules are needed to prevent erosion, but property owners and some local officials believe the rules would give the Texas General Land Office too much authority over private property.

Even though compliance with the rules is voluntary, the state could withhold critical funding from local governments if they don't adopt the new rules.

The public has until August 15 to comment on the proposed changes.  You can offer a comment by going to the Texas General Land Office website.

Statement from Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson:

 During the past six years, the Texas Legislature spent more money than ever before to address coastal erosion.

As Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, I've spent those years working with lawmakers to increase their awareness of the coast's needs. I've lobbied hard for coastal funding. There is still much work to be done, but I am proud of what is being accomplished in Galveston and across the Texas coast thanks to the more than $55 million in taxpayer money over the past six years the Legislature has provided to tackle coastal needs.

Continued success in getting the Texas Legislature to invest in our coast will only come if legislators see we have been careful stewards of these precious tax dollars. The new beach and dune rules proposed by the Texas General Land Office will provide the tools local governments need to better protect the dunes and homeowners. They'll also show the Legislature the very same coastal communities asking for public funding to combat erosion are taking the issue seriously and planning for the future.

These proposed changes give the General Land Office more time to review large-scale construction projects. This allows better review of projects that may have a large-scale impact on the Texas coast for generations to come.

These proposed changes also suggest local coastal officials consider creating an erosion response plan. The proposed new rules give several options for local governments to consider when establishing a construction set back from the dunes of either 1) 60 times the annual erosion rate, measured from the line of vegetation, 2) or 25 feet landward of the landward toe of the dunes, or 3) 300 feet landward of the mean high water line. Or, local governments may even propose alternatives to these suggestions for what best fits their situation.

These erosion response plans are entirely voluntary. The proposed rules have been designed to allow local governments to tailor a plan best fit their community's needs, as no one-size-fits-all-plan from Austin could ever work everywhere on the Texas coast.

These proposed rules changes are now out for public comment, and I've extended that public comment period until July 17. General Land Office staff spent several weeks traveling the coast to make sure the comments from everyone concerned are heard.

I have made sure the rules are common sense, grandfather existing legal construction and are flexible enough to allow local governments the room to propose common sense solutions to their individual erosion issues.

Most everyone who lives in a coastal community would agree that local government officials should have an erosion response plan, I think. But some are upset I would even consider asking them to create such a plan, or worse yet, that I or any other Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office would consider their voluntary erosion control plan when handing out taxpayer dollars to address the erosion problems in their area.

The flexibility of these proposed rules - along with the many opportunities for exemptions - ensure that private property rights are respected. These proposed rules won't keep anyone from building on their property. They will, however, help to protect that private property.

Jerry Patterson,
Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office