livable center study project
A picturesque seaside town, Seabrook, Texas is a popular tourist destination facing existential challenges, by both man‐made and natural forces. Unlike its constant New England coastal counterparts, Seabrook has had to reinvent and rebuild itself with some regularity following episodic, epic hurricanes on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. The Town and its public and private institutions have had to respond and adapt as a standard operating procedure. The natural circumstances of its location have also meant that man‐made forces have brought significant changes to the Town, evidenced by loss of land from debilitating subsidence and erosion, in its downtown area, Old Town Seabrook (“the District”). More recently, major change has come in the form of rethinking SH146 as part of a superregional storm evacuation route. As planned, the new SH146, currently under construction, will bisect the town as a high‐speed, elevated freeway. These and other changes, including effects from climate change, will merely accelerate and compound the challenges ahead.
The overall goal is to leverage the “2035 Comprehensive Master Plan” and “Master Landscaping and City Branding Plan”, with a focused plan for Old Town Seabrook District that promotes walkable, mixed‐use destinations, expands multi‐modal travel choices, promotes economic development and place‐making, expands housing choices and greatly improves environmental quality and quality of life in the city and the region.
PROJECT SCHEDULE
The project will be broken down into several phases over a 10 month period. Stakeholders and public outreach will begin early in 2021 and the plan should be adopted by August 2021.
Meeting presentations
Below is a list of presentations from the Stakeholder’s Advisory Committee and City Council Meetings.
Adopted study by council
The Old Seabrook Livable Center Study is part of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s (H-GAC) Livable Centers Program, which works with local communities to encourage walkable, mixed-use development, provide opportunities for multi-modal transportation options, improve environmental quality, and promote economic development.
A Livable Center focuses on recommending context-sensitive solutions to create more places where people can live, work, and play with less reliance on their cars. The recommendations of this Study aim to both further the goals of the Livable Center Program and achieve the unique vision for Old Seabrook.
This Livable Center Study aims to leverage the 2035 Comprehensive Master Plan and other previous planning efforts, evaluate the market realities, and present practical recommendations to improve connectivity, encourage economic development, and enhance the overall quality of life in the Old Seabrook District.
