The vision behind “Vision Galveston”

The vision behind “Vision Galveston”

Christine Bryant, Vision Galveston’s chief executive, recently spoke to Keath Jacoby about her tenure as Vision Galveston’s first chief executive and the power of short sentences and strong verbs for effecting real change

Born and raised in Galveston, Keath Jacoby is a marketing executive, community developer, and entrepreneur with a passion and enthusiasm for startups. After graduating from Tulane University, she worked with for-profit and nonprofit ventures across multiple consumer industries for more than 15 years—starting in New York, then Las Vegas, and then returning to the island. She led the startup and Phase 1 of Vision Galveston, helping to establish a defining model for effecting sustainable change in Galveston. She is now fully vested as a partner in Hotel Lucine, a revitalized 61-room seaside boutique hotel slated to open in summer 2022. She continues to be active in Better Parks for Galveston, Family Service Center, and the George Ball Charitable Association.

Christine Bryant

Q: I wanted to start from the beginning. Tell me about the early days and your involvement with the evolution of Vision Galveston.  What was that like?

Keath Jacoby         

A: When I moved back to Galveston, a group of people were looking for individuals to get involved with the City Council.  I wasn’t interested in at that time, but there was also an effort brewing what would become Vision Galveston. It started to come together and coalesce around the need for more comprehensive philanthropic funding around big systemic changes for the community.

The city was about to embark on its comprehensive plan, and Vision Galveston could aid in that process.  When a group of local philanthropists took a site visit to Detroit, the ideas around what could be accomplished with a planning effort became much more extensive.

When I came in, the group had just begun the conversation about what public engagement could look like and how we could go about things differently than previous planning efforts in Galveston.

They had a need for project manager at that time. The juxtaposition of me being a BOI while also having lived away from the island for so many years really brought a balanced lens to the mission. I had a background in strategic alignment work that included facilitation, engagement, and branding, so it really was serendipitous.

Christine Bryant

Q: The brilliant work of engagement that Vision Galveston undertook was stellar.  Particularly the determination to perform engagement focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The intentionality by which you all did that in Phase 1 is still prevalent in everything we’re doing in Phase 2.  It has been very inspiring for me.  How did you reach folks that aren't traditionally asked their opinion or to get involved?

Keath Jacoby

A: First, we started with a much more ecumenical steering committee and a group of ambassadors willing to stick their neck out for the project. There were folks at the table who represented various communities, but they were much more expanded than the traditional planning efforts in Galveston.

I'll also credit the group of consultants that worked on these activities, as they brought a ton of creativity and expertise to the process. They created this meeting in a box concept, which had been used in some form before, but we took it to a new level. We made it very simple to use.

We empowered folks to facilitate in an organic and natural way. And we provided training and some guidance. It allowed people to take conversations to their kitchen table, their local haunts, their church or youth group or school.  That was a huge piece of it because we didn't try to do it independently. We enlisted the help of diverse community members, which allowed the elicited responses to be much more powerful and, importantly, much more honest.

The reality is that people felt like this really was a new era of planning. I think a lot of people that were exhausted from planning got excited again, and those who weren't typically engaged thought, “… well, I can engage in this. I've got five minutes!”

Things started to come together. We met people where they were. We came to them. We put them in very neutral locations. I don't think that's anything new. I think it was more that we helped empower advocates for the project, giving them permission to do the work in their respective neighborhoods for us. That's what made it work.

Christine Bryant

Q: Well, it's a brilliant methodology that I so admire. I take to heart all the efforts by you and the many Vision Galveston volunteers.  I want to make sure that, going forward, we implement the community’s exact wishes that were expressed in Vision Galveston’s plan. With that in mind, as Vision Galveston transitions from Phase 1 to Phase 2, having served in the same seat that I now occupy, what do you see as my biggest obstacle or challenge?

Keath Jacoby         

A: You must keep people informed and excited. I think something that we always struggle with—not just with this project, but when we talk about civic engagement—is contextualizing, “why does this matter to me?” Why does the park matter to me—from the 4-year-old to the octogenarian or the dog lover or the conservationist? I think that’s the biggest challenge: producing information and eliciting participation around why it matters to the specific individual and how that merges with why it matters to the community. Why should people give a shit? That's really the crux of it.

When we did Phase 1, that's why it was effective. People stuck with it the whole way because we could really say to them that this will affect you in these various ways, therefore you should care about it.

That's going to be a challenge as well as the task of informing people. Even me being out of the sphere for a bit, you get behind on what's going on. I think making sure you deliver information from a barrage of mediums—everything from the flyer to the Instagram post to the Twitter to the news. And creating moments for folks to be in a room together so collisions of information and perspectives can happen is invaluable. It’s a lot of work and totally worth it!

Christine Bryant

Q: My every waking moment seems to be focused on Vision Galveston. Because I believe in it, I must focus on it. The gravity, potential, and the possibility of this project is transformative in so many ways. I know that you feel the same and that's why you were involved with it.  In those moments, knowing how deep and passionate this can be, give me one piece of advice to be mindful of when there is so much to do. What should be my takeaway?

Keath Jacoby         

A: I agree. It's an exhilarating and exhausting job, and I do think it's all consuming. Especially being out of it, looking backward. But I think the answer is short sentences, strong verbs, right? You know, I think that's the game. For you, you have the energy and the passion and the know-how. I would just try to remember that if someone isn’t mad at you, then you're probably not doing your job.

I know it took me awhile to get there. I had to draw on my husband's tough Philadelphia-type demeanor to get me through because I used to get really upset. Then I realized you can respectfully disagree with folks. Our ideas can conflict without us being in conflict— it’s still achievable, even in this climate of political discord.

I think you have to remember you're pushing boundaries so of course you're going to upset some people. It’s natural.

At the end of the day, Vision Galveston is fighting for the future of what this island can be instead of what it will be. I think we should constantly strive for a higher bar, and I know that's what you are pursuing.

Fighting inertia is hard—it's hard, but it's doable. I really think short sentences, strong verbs is the right answer. I always tried to live by that. Pushing the messaging—how powerful that can be—and then living the messaging.

Christine Bryant      

Short sentences and strong verbs. That's the first I've heard that phrase and I'm stealing it now.  Thank you, Keath for your tremendous work, your passion for Galveston, and you continued support for Vision Galveston’s ongoing work.

Editor’s Note: Christine and Keath’s conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

The rise of short-term rentals in Galveston

Tourism has long been an important part of Galveston’s economy. Each year, millions of people from all over Texas and the nation flock to Galveston to enjoy our beaches and historical charm, especially during the summer months. Although traffic along Broadway and crowds along the Seawall are perennial complaints among residents of the island, tourists and their arrival are generally seen as a net positive for our community.

In recent years, however, short-term rentals in Galveston have complicated that picture. Not only has the number of short-term rentals increased dramatically, but they are now popping up in neighborhoods that have traditionally been home to long-term residents. The increase in short-term rentals has led to an uptick in complaints among residents. In response, Galveston City Council recently considered a proposal from the City Marshal’s office to add 18 new deputies to enforce short-term rental regulations at a startup cost of $2.3 million.

The rise of short-term rentals in Galveston is also occurring at a time when housing and rental prices are increasing rapidly on the island. And there’s reason to think the two trends might be connected, based on research of other cities. 

As these discussions about short-term rentals in the community continue, we wanted to provide hard numbers to the conversation for better context. In this post, we look at the growth of short-term rentals in Galveston and explore where that growth has been concentrated. We also look at the impact on the housing market and outline potential policies that might help mitigate the harmful impacts associated with unfettered growth of short-term rentals on the island.

Growth of short-term rentals

Five years ago, there were around 2,300 short-term rental units in Galveston. While the number of short-term rentals fluctuated up and down in the following years, it held steady at around 2,000-2,700 housing units. (These data come from point-in-time observations of all online short-term rental listings by Granicus.)

Things began to change, however, between April 2019 and February 2020. During this period, the number of short-term rentals nearly doubled from 2,200 units to 4,000 units. 

But it didn’t stop there. Over the Spring and Summer of last year, the number of short-term rental units on the island continued to increase to over 5,200 units. As of August 2021, that number held steady.

So if it suddenly feels like short-term rentals are everywhere, it’s because they are. In a little over a year, the number of short-term rentals increased by 125%.

Geography of short-term rentals

The chart below shows where these short-term rentals are concentrated based on city council district. Unsurprisingly, District 6, which comprises the western half of the island and has traditionally been filled with beachside vacation properties, has the largest number of short-term rental units listed (~2,400 in 2021). That’s roughly a quarter of all housing units. 

More surprising is that STRs have also taken off in District 5 and District 2. In District 5, there are over 1,100 short-term rental units, or 18% of housing units. In District 2, there are over 800 but they make up a similar share of housing units (18%).

What do short-term rentals look like and who owns them?

The typical image we have of an Airbnb owner is someone who is renting out a garage apartment or a room in their house to make money on the side. That’s not what short-term rentals look like in Galveston. According to the data from Granicus, 98% of short-term rental listings on the island are of the entire home. The majority, 61%, are single-family homes. 

What’s more, many short-term rentals are run by people who do not live on the property or even in Galveston. Data on property ownership is harder to come by for short-term rentals. For this part of the analysis, we used data from the Park Board on registered short-term rentals (as of 7/31/2021) and cross-referenced it with data on land parcel ownership from the Galveston County Appraisal District (GCAD). 

According to these data, only 7% of registered short-rentals are owner-occupied, i.e. the homeowner lives on the property. This reflects the share of short-term rentals on parcels where the owner claimed a residence homestead exemption in 2021 on their property taxes.

The data also show that only 30% of registered short-term rentals are owned by residents or businesses located in Galveston. While the majority of non-Galveston short-term rental property owners are in and around the Houston area, around 5% are from outside of Texas.

In addition, many short-term rentals are owned by businesses, not residents looking to make extra cash. More than 1-in-5 of registered STR owners (22%) are businesses (LLCs, etc.). 

These data, moreover, only give us a partial picture of short-term rentals and their owners. The data from Granicus, which is compiled from listings on websites like Airbnb and VRBO, include more than 1,000 additional properties than are currently registered with the city. 

Impact on housing market

The influx of short-term rentals is occurring at a time of rising housing prices in Galveston. In a previous blog post we found that housing prices have increased by over 80% in the past decade, far outpacing growth in nearby cities and, most importantly, wage increases among residents.

There’s emerging research on the impact of short-term rentals on the housing market from across the country. In places where short-term rentals increase, housing available for long-term residents tends to shrink and housing and rental prices increase. 

As sites like Airbnb and VRBO continue to lower the barriers to entry, short-term renting has become a more lucrative enterprise for homeowners, especially in markets like Galveston that see a lot of demand from tourists. As a result, single-family and multi-family homes that used to house long-term residents – both homeowners and renters – are being bought up and transformed into short-term rental units. 

But the increase in prices also reflects a shift in the short-term rental market towards bigger investment firms. Residents who are interested in buying a home in Galveston aren’t just competing with other residents, now they’re competing with big investment firms that have large amounts of capital.

We can see the impact of short-term rentals on housing prices in Galveston. The chart below shows the results from an analysis of changes in appraised home values (Galveston County Appraisal District, 2015-2021) and reported monthly rents (American Community Survey, 2010-2015 & 2015-2019) at the census tract/neighborhood level based on the concentration of short-term rentals. 

What we find is that in the top 25% of neighborhoods with the most short-term rentals saw the largest percent increases in home values and rents. In the neighborhoods with the most short-term rentals, appraised home values have increased by 250% since 2015. By contrast, home values in neighborhoods with the fewest number of short-term rentals increased by just 150%. Rents increased by a lesser amount but the same pattern holds.

What can be done?

As the recent calls for increased funding for short-term rental regulation enforcement indicate, there’s more to concerns about short-term rentals than just housing prices. 

We’ve spoken with many long-term residents who have seen the character of their neighborhoods transform overnight. Streets that used to be home to long-term homeowners and renters  are now filled more and more with short-term rentals and scores of tourists coming in and out each week. And with that influx has come complaints about trash, parking, and noise.

What can we do about the rise of short-term rentals in Galveston? 

As a community, Vision Galveston wants to see all the stakeholders come together to figure out solutions. We need short-term rental owners, HOAs, community members, vacation rental owners, and city government to work together to come up with a set of workable regulations that ensure our island remains a home where families live and not just a place that tourists visit.

For instance, one of the findings from this analysis is that there are at least 1,000 short-term rentals on the island that are not registered with the city. If the public is going to be on the hook for funding enforcement of short-term regulations and addressing STR-related complaints, owners of short-term rentals should be required to register with the city and pay their fair share. 

Neighborhoods also have tools to push back against short-term rentals taking over their blocks and keep the character of their community intact. Ten neighborhoods in Galveston, including Cedar Lawn, Adler Circle, and Lafitte’s Cove (full list and map here) are now short-term rental restricted subdivisions (R0 status).

We can all reach out to our city council members to let them know how important this issue is to us. You can find contact information for your city council member here.

To stay engaged with what Vision Galveston is up to, sign up for our mailing list here.

Build Galveston Wants You!

Build Galveston is open for Board nominations! Join our dynamic effort to develop workforce housing and bring families back to Galveston. We are currently seeking motivated candidates to join the Build Galveston Board of Directors.

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BUILD Galveston is an initiative of Vision Galveston, the community-building nonprofit that connects the vision that we share for our Island to the resources that make it happen. BUILD Galveston is a Supporting Organization of Vision Galveston launched to help meet the housing needs of Galveston's teachers, public servants, and the people who make our economy run. We are aiming to attract more people to live on the Island who already work here. We know that cost-attainable housing is part of making that a reality.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Pierre Banks (banks1pw@gmail.com) or Megan Jones (megansjones@gmail.com) with the BUILD Galveston Board.

The Next Vision Galveston CEO - Christine Bryant

Dear Vision Galveston Community,

Over the past few months at Vision Galveston, we have engaged in a search for our new CEO. On behalf of the board, I am excited to share a little bit about Christine, and her professional accomplishments, with our Vision Galveston Community.

Christine joins Vision Galveston and the Galveston community as a highly qualified servant leader and expert in public relations, economic development, and community building. As a successful executive with over ten years of experience in the non-profit, public, and public/private sectors, Christine is a deeply passionate, driven, and innovative community advocate. Most recently, at the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, Christine served as Vice President, Existing Industry and Regional Development. In this role, she formed a multi-county collaboration of economic development organizations, governments, non-profits, and higher education institutions to spearhead assistance for businesses facing COVID-19 disruption. 

Christine has worked with elected officials from local, state, and federal offices and strongly believes in building a community that residents are proud to call home. She is also an expert on opportunity zones, having established a direct dialogue with federal leadership to promote investment in her region’s opportunity zones as well as created the Coastal Bend Opportunity Zones Summit with The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.  

Christine has a reputation for building strong business relationships and applying her forward-thinking attitude to serving her community in more resilient ways. She has leveraged her expertise and relationships to develop cross-sector collaborations, initiatives that resulted in job retention and creation, and events that recognize local business and industry contributions.

Prior to making Texas her home, Christine spearheaded significant public engagement work redeveloping Joplin, Missouri after it was devastated by an EF 5 tornado. This experience uniquely qualifies her to lead Vision Galveston through a lens of embedding resilience and promoting collaboration among diverse stakeholder groups and civic leaders. 

We believe the range of Christine’s experiences and expertise position her to succeed in advancing Vision Galveston’s mission in the next phase of its organizational journey. Her passion for relationship and community building will provide direction for how the BUILD, GREEN, MEASURE, and INCUBATE initiatives continue to include and promote diverse voices, collaborative growth, and an exceptional way of life in Galveston. 

“I am honored to continue the transformative efforts of Vision Galveston,” shared Christine Bryant. “Through the outstanding work of Keath Jacoby, the passion of the Vision Galveston board of directors and the voices of thousands of Galveston residents, the path forward has been set in motion. I am thrilled to call Galveston home.”

On behalf of the board of Vision Galveston, we are also thrilled to welcome Christine to the team. Stay tuned as we announce our Fall events, which will provide a chance for you to meet Christine. Most of all, let’s continue to MOBILIZE OPTIMISM as Vision Galveston starts the next phase of its journey. 

Fistbumps and gratitude, 

Lauren E. Scott

President of the Board

Vision Galveston Board of Directors

Who are the families Galveston has lost?

Vision Galveston is committed to the idea that everyone who works on Galveston Island and serves this community should be able to live here if they choose. Yet, for many workers and families living on the island, owning or renting a home is increasingly out of reach.

Rising home prices appear to be driving many families off the island. In a previous post, we showed how Galveston has lost a net total of 775 young families over the past ten years. Over that same time period, home sale prices increased by 80% – a far higher rate than people’s wages. 

In this post, we dig deeper into the data to paint a fuller picture of who these families and children are. 

Who have we lost?

Despite a steady increase in Galveston’s population over the past ten years, the number of families with children living on the island has been in decline. Between 2010 and 2019, Galveston lost an estimated 775 families, a 16% decline over ten years. 

Who are the families and children Galveston has lost? Data from the American Community Survey can shed some light on who these families are. 

For this analysis, we compared the demographic and social characteristics of children under 18 living in family households in 2012 vs. 2019. (Data on the characteristics of children in 2010 and 2011 is not available for Galveston.) During this period, the number of children living on Galveston Island dropped by 10% from 9,500 in 2012 to 8,500 in 2019.

The chart below shows the net change in the number of children in Galveston who fall into different groups based on race-ethnicity, school attendance, and housing. These data reflect families leaving the island (out-migration) as well as new families moving onto the island (in-migration). Negative numbers indicate that more children of that group have left than have moved to the island.

The data does not tell us exactly who moved in and who moved out. By comparing these two time points, though, we can gain a better sense of the changes that Galveston’s child population has undergone.

Most of the children Galveston has lost during this period are Black and Hispanic children. By 2019, there were an estimated 400 fewer Black/African-American children living on the island and 500 fewer Hispanic/Latino children compared with 2012. By contrast, there were roughly similar numbers of non-Hispanic white children and children identified with other race-ethnic groups in 2019 as in 2012.

Children attending public schools saw the largest net drop in population. In 2019, there were nearly 900 fewer children attending public schools in Galveston than in 2012. 

There was also a large shift in children’s housing arrangements in Galveston. Between 2019 and 2012, Galveston experienced a net loss of 1,700 children living in homes owned by their parent(s) or caregiver(s). At the same time, this loss was offset by a net gain in the number of children living in rental units.

What does this mean? Well, the change in children’s housing reflects a combination of factors. For one, it suggests that homeowner families have been leaving at higher rates than renters and, likewise, that renter families have been coming in greater numbers. 

But this change also stems from shifts in the housing market. During this period, home prices soared and made homeownership much harder for new families moving to the island. With fewer affordable homes for sale, many working families opted to rent when moving to Galveston.

The result is fewer children overall and a greater share of children on the island living in rental units.

The cost of losing families and children

There are real costs to having fewer families and children live on Galveston Island. In our previous post, we outlined many of the economic and financial costs, including the loss of revenue for local schools.

Another important cost is the increase in the commuter rate. The loss of young families does not appear to be due to a lack of economic opportunities on the island. Instead, workers who would otherwise live here are opting to commute to work each day. In fact,  over two-thirds of firefighters, police officers, and UTMB employees who work here live off the island.

More broadly, the disappearance of children and families on the island represents a threat to the character and future of Galveston. For most of its history, Galveston has been a growing city of economic opportunity that has made room for businesses and families alike. Rising housing prices are crowding out many working families who serve this community, like healthcare workers, police officers, and firefighters. Addressing affordable housing will ensure that Galveston continues to be a place where families can and want to live.

If keeping Galveston affordable and family-friendly is important to you, Vision Galveston asks you to engage with your civic leaders and city council members and ask them to support attainable housing policies and sustainable neighborhood development. You can find contact information for your city council member here.

To stay engaged with what Vision Galveston is up to, sign up for our mailing list here.

The Search for the Next Vision Galveston CEO

The Vision Galveston (VG) Board is officially kicking off the search for the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VG. If you missed our recent blog on the transition of leadership, you can CLICK HERE to learn more. The search will be lead by VG board member, Dr. Patrick Louchouarn and a committee of six other VG board members.

“In my experience strong leaders serve their organization by building momentum that is not about them but about the sustainability and perenniality of the organization itself. Great leaders set their organization for success and support leadership succession. They see situations as infinite possibilities, and not limitations of finite resources. I personally think that VG is at this juncture of sustainable continuity because it has been set for succession and can attract a creative leader who will see the possibilities and the value that has been created (and those that have yet to be created). Vision Galveston and its Board bring together the most diverse and inclusive set of individuals that represent the multiplicity of voices and experiences that characterize our community. We are value-driven and committed to supporting quality and sustainable change on our island. This is an exciting time and we are thankful for the foundation Keath has built.”

 - Patrick Louchouarn, Ph.D., | Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Interdisciplinary Initiatives TAMU

We are seeking a dynamic and community-driven leader with an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset for the role of CEO of VG. This leader will build on the strong foundation established by the outgoing Executive Director and the completion of VG’s Strategic Framework, which positions VG for even greater impact as it relates to its mission as well as its connection to the community. As we look toward the rest of 2021, and beyond, VG is spearheading innovation and accelerating exciting momentum on several key initiatives.

Anticipated Search Timeline:

• May 4th: Kicking off the Search 

• May to Mid-June: Accepting Applications

• Mid-June: Interviews of Candidates

• August: Onboarding of New CEO

To view the full job description, salary range and additional information on each of our key initiatives, please click on the button below:

Leadership Transition and GRATITUDE

Dear Vision Galveston Community,

After her three years of service as Vision Galveston’s Executive Director, leading transformational change and establishing a strong community and regional presence for Vision Galveston, Keath Jacoby has announced her departure from her role as Executive Director to the Vision Galveston Board on April 27. The Board is deeply grateful for Keath’s leadership over the inaugural years of Vision Galveston and recognizes that she has been a force for collective action, amplifying the voices of Vision Galveston stakeholders, and uniting efforts around Vision Galveston’s core initiatives.  

Keath’s vision-oriented stewardship of the community-building work of Vision Galveston, and its stakeholder voices and its initiative partners, has positioned Vision Galveston strongly as a voice of the Galveston community. During Keath’s tenure, she has lead individuals and teams to:

1. Aggregate and amplify community voices by speaking with 8,500 individuals, representing a diverse range of people and 15% of Galveston, over a 10-month period 

2. Produce the VG Strategic Framework from these conversations. The VG Strategic Framework is a culmination of countless feedback sessions, community events large and small, and the collective power of diverse voices. It is a comprehensive guide to recommendations and collaborative goals for the future of Galveston.

3. Launched and scaled four significant initiatives across the community: BUILD, ENGAGE, GREEN, and INCUBATE Galveston, collaborating with numerous stakeholders, partners, and subject matter experts

4. Secured a significant base of operating funds to jump-start these initiatives, providing the capital to ensure Vision Galveston and its initiatives are financially stable for the foreseeable future

We are grateful for Keath’s leadership, proud of her accomplishments, and excited for the direction of Vision Galveston as it builds from the strong foundation she has created with all of us. We have deep gratitude for the incredible individuals, teams, and organizations that have enabled Vision Galveston to accomplish its ambitious goals in service of our community. And, we share a great pride for the sense of community, commitment, and collaboration that these organizations have created and demonstrated in accomplishing our goals. We are enthusiastic for what the future holds for Vision Galveston as it continues to enable the citizens of Galveston to define a vision for its own future. 

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing the details of the search process for Vision Galveston’s next Chief Executive Officer. We will be seeking a dynamic and community-building leader with a strong entrepreneurial and innovative mindset for this role. Over the summer, Keath will work closely with Vision Galveston’s staff, Board, and Search Committee to ensure a smooth transition and onboarding process. The Search Committee will be chaired by Patrick Louchouarn, whose experience working with search committees and passion for the work of Vision Galveston will be invaluable to our process. 

As we approach this transition and accelerate the next phase of our work, we are confident that together the Vision Galveston team and stakeholder groups will continue to build upon our accomplishments over these past three years. We cannot thank Keath enough for her service, dedication, passion, and leadership, delivering significant results and positioning Vision Galveston for incredible success as we continue our mission. Stay tuned as we launch our search for the next CEO and most of all continue to MOBILIZE OPTIMISM!

Fistbumps and gratitude,

Lauren E. Scott

President of the Board

Vision Galveston Board of Directors

Making Galveston Affordable for Young Families

Since 2010, Galveston has lost an estimated net total of 775 families with children. For most of its history, Galveston has been a growing city of economic opportunity for businesses and families alike. Between 1960 and 2010, however, Galveston lost over 20,000 residents. The last ten years have seen a slight uptick of new residents but, notably, the number of families with children on the island has continued to decline.

The disappearance of young families on the island has been driven in part by the loss of cost attainable housing. For sure, Hurricane Ike and the threat of future storms have made island living less appealing for some families. But many who have left continue to work on the island and commute to work each day. For many of these families–who would otherwise live on the island–renting or buying a home in Galveston is increasingly difficult as the stock of low- and middle-income housing shrinks and prices continue to climb.

Left unaddressed, the affordable housing crisis in Galveston has the potential to transform the character of Galveston and exact a high economic cost on the city. 

Vision Galveston is committed to the idea that everyone who works on Galveston Island and serves this community should be able to live here if they choose. In this blog post, we dive into the data to explore some of the trends in Galveston’s housing stock and its economic consequences for our community. We close by outlining some of Vision Galveston’s plans to increase the stock of affordable housing and bring more young families back to the island.

Young families and workers are moving off the island

Over the past ten years, the overall population of Galveston has been steadily increasing. The number of families with children on the island, however, has gone in the opposite direction. Between 2010 and 2019, Galveston lost an estimated 775 families, a 16% decline over ten years. That corresponds to a net loss of 1,500 children under 18 living on the island.

While Galveston has been losing children and families, many nearby cities and communities on the mainland have seen gains. The chart below compares the percent change in the number of families between 2010 and 2019 in Galveston to neighboring communities on the mainland. Higher-income communities like Pearland, League City, and Friendswood have seen large gains in their family populations. More families are also living in nearby communities like Alvin and La Marque. 

Galveston, meanwhile, ranks near the bottom – only Santa Fe and La Porte have seen larger percentage losses in their family populations.

This exodus of families off the island does not appear to be due to a loss of job opportunities in Galveston. Instead, more people are living off the island and crossing the Causeway each day for work. As of 2017, approximately 65% of Galveston’s workers commuted onto the island. This represents more than a 17% increase in the commuter rate in the past fifteen years (54% commuters in 2002). 

Many of Galveston’s largest employers have seen similar increases in the share of their employees who commute to work each day. For instance, the share of UTMB Galveston employees who work on the island but live off the island increased by six percentage points from 64% in 2010 to 70% in 2020. That amounts to an additional 689 UTMB employees commuting to the island. 

Moreover, this shift is driven by UTMB employees leaving the island, not newer employees choosing to live off island at the start of their employment. Of the nearly 9,300 UTMB employees who started their employment living on the island during this period, more than 13% moved off the island and became commuters.

Other major public employers on the island are facing similarly high commuter rates. More than 7-in-10 Galveston Police Department employees and two-thirds of Galveston Fire Department employees do not live on the island, including 75% of police officers and 62% of firefighters. The City of Galveston and Galveston ISD have lower rates of commuting. Still, 46% of City employees and 36% of Galveston ISD employees live off the island. 

Importantly, it is not the lower-income employees who are doing the most commuting. Overall, among these employers, around 60% of employees who made below $50,000/year commuted onto the island for work compared with 68%-70% of middle ($50,000-$149,999 per year) and high income ($150,000+) earners.

Where are these commuters living instead? The map below shows the concentration of employees who work on the island (as of January 2021) based on the zip code of their current residence. You can toggle between employers to see the different concentrations of workers. While there are slightly different patterns across employers, the zip codes around League City and Dickinson tend to have the highest concentrations of off-island commuters.

Priced out of Galveston

Why are families and workers leaving? In 2019, Vision Galveston asked dozens of former Galvestonians about the reasons they no longer live on the island as part of a larger study on housing affordability. 37% of respondents said one of their top three reasons for no longer living in Galveston was that their current area offered better housing prices. 

This is born out in the housing market data. For too many families, rising rents and skyrocketing home prices are making island living unaffordable. Since 2010, home values and rents have increased at a faster pace than people’s wages. According to data from the American Community Survey, the median home value in Galveston has increased by 50% and median rent has increased by 30%. Meanwhile, median earnings have only increased by 19%.

Trends in home sales prices – that is, how much people have been willing to pay for homes – paint an even starker portrait: between 2011 and 2020, the median sale price in Galveston increased by 80%, from $149,900 in 2011 to $270,500 in 2020.

Moreover, Galveston’s housing market is changing more rapidly than many of its neighbors. Galveston’s 50% increase in median home values is the one of the highest increases in the region, second only to Webster. Similarly, Galveston is among the top cities in rent growth.

For many low- and middle-income families with jobs on the island, renting in Galveston is tough and owning a home is nearly impossible. 

To illustrate this point, consider two different families – a police officer making $63,050 a year with a spouse and two children (80% of Area Median Income), and a waiter and home health care aide with two children making $47,280 a year (60% of Area Median Income). Taking into account their incomes (30% towards housing), interest rates (4.5%), wind & flood insurance and taxes, and a 2.01% downpayment, these two families should be able to afford homes that cost up to $200,000 and $150,000, respectively.

The number of homes selling for those prices in Galveston, however, is dwindling. Back in 2011, nearly two-thirds of all homes on the island sold for less than $200,000. By 2020, that share had been cut in half – just 32% of homes sold in that price range. 

But what are these homes like that sell for less than $200,000? A recent survey of the local housing stock, commissioned by Vision Galveston, discovered that the supply at the bottom of the housing market consists mostly of homes that are in dire need of repairs and would require significant repairs to house a family. For families with young children looking to move to the island, the costs and time associated with these types of home repairs would be challenging.

What’s going on?

Why has Galveston gotten so expensive? Some of the factors behind this trend are national. Across the US, the cost of building new homes and renovating older ones has increased as land, labor, and materials have gotten more expensive.  Shortages of raw materials like lumber and bricks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are set to exacerbate this problem.

Nationwide, the pandemic has also drastically shrunk the inventory of available housing, as many homebuyers, especially older adults who might normally decide to downsize, remain reluctant to leave their homes during the health crisis. Lack of supply can drive up prices. At the same time, places like Galveston are seeing greater demand from prospective homebuyers who are now working remotely and hoping to escape the crowds and congestion of larger urban centers.

Local factors are also at play. In the wake of Hurricane Ike, flood and wind insurance costs have increased, making homes that might otherwise be affordable out of reach. Stricter flood-protection regulations have also contributed to rising housing costs.

Dr. Julia Ramirez, current principal for grades 7-12 at Galveston ISD’s SAIL remote learning program summed up her experience with Galveston’s housing market like this:

We looked for a home in Galveston for about 6 months. We ended up having to make a choice: a home on the island that needed extensive repair due to age, or the insurance costs were as much as the mortgage—or—a brand new home with warranties and cheaper insurance up the road. We chose to live up the road.

In addition, the growth of short-term rentals and influx of investment capital has also contributed to booming housing prices. While Galveston has always been a tourist town with vacation rentals, the rise of short-term rental sites like Airbnb have made them much more ubiquitous. Since 2016, Galveston has seen a 120% increase in the number of short-term rental listings (2,938 in Nov 2016 to 6,534 in Sept 2020), the overwhelming majority of which are entire homes or housing units. As a result there are fewer homes and rentals available for current and prospective residents, and greater competition for what’s left. 

Why it matters

Regardless of the reasons, there are costs to working families getting priced out of Galveston’s housing market. One set of costs has to do with the character of Galveston as a community. Does Galveston want to be a playground for tourists where only the rich and retired can afford to live? Or does it want to continue to be a diverse, civically engaged, future-oriented city that makes room for the people who serve the community as firefighters, teachers, and health care workers? Moreover, if Galveston loses its authenticity and character, will tourists still want to come? The stock of cost attainable housing will determine the answers to these questions.

There are also real economic and financial costs to losing young families. As one example, fewer families means fewer students in Galveston ISD, which means less school funding rom the state. The Texas Education Agency’s Basic Allotment to school districts (based on average daily attendance) is currently set at $6,160 per student. The loss of 1,500 children from the island, then, represents over $9.24 million in lost revenue for Galveston ISD.

Fewer housing options and rising prices will also make it harder to recruit and retain a talented workforce on the island. A 2019 survey by Randstat US and Apartment Guide, 57% of US employees surveyed said they would quit working for a great employer if their commute was significantly increased and remote work was not an option, including 69% of younger adults. If Galveston becomes a more and more unaffordable place to live and raise a family, key island employers like UTMB and Galveston ISD may find it harder and harder to find and hold onto great workers.

The Executive Vice President and CEO for the UTMB Health System, Dr. Tim Harlin, put the challenging facing Galveston businesses like UTMB this way:

UTMB has called Galveston island home for 130 years.  Our future success depends on our employees being able to do the same.  We need to ensure for them affordable and desirable housing and quality of life options so that we can continue to attract and retain the best and brightest here in Galveston/UTMB.

More broadly, fewer families on the island and more workers commuting to Galveston also means that more of the money generated by business on the island is being spent elsewhere. To estimate the scale of these economic losses we used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey (methodology here) on the total consumer spending by category and income group and applied it to the income profile of Galveston from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey. 

The data suggests that Galveston is potentially missing out on up to $50 million in consumer spending each year from having 775 fewer families living on the island. That breaks down to almost $16 million in housing-related spending (mortgage, rent, utilities, repairs), $8.6 million in transportation-related spending, $6 million in food spending. 

Of course, not all the money spent by families who live in Galveston is spent on the island, but these numbers are a rough estimate of how much consumer spending Galveston is missing out on due to fewer families living here. 

BUILD Galveston’s vision for the future

How do we get those families back and continue to be a city where families want to live? How can we ensure that our teachers, firefighters, public servants, and health care workers can afford to live on the island?

Visions Galveston has started an initiative – Build Galveston – tasked with addressing the lack of cost attainable housing in Galveston. Build Galveston exists as a newly established Community Development Corporation that is seeking to construct or renovate affordable homes in vibrant neighborhoods for a diverse and civically engaged population of workers. 

Build Galveston has a goal of increasing the supply of workforce housing by developing and preserving more than 196 apartments and houses over 5 years. These new housing options will include rental units and ownership properties.

To be clear, these units will not be public housing. After Hurricane Ike, Galveston lost some 500 public housing units on the island and is only now in the process of rebuilding them in the years since. That hole at the bottom of the housing market not only drove many families to leave the island but it has also been a factor behind increased competition and rising rents in the middle of the market. Although Build Galveston’s plan does not address this issue directly, increasing the supply of cost attainable housing in the middle of the market should relieve pressure on the housing market overall and help stem the tide of rising rental rates.

The ultimate goal of Build Galveston’s housing plan is to bring back more young families with children to the island. The loss of hundreds more families and children in the coming years to more affordable nearby cities is not inevitable. Galveston stands to benefit from a workforce that is able to live on the island and fully engage in its community and contribute to its economy.

If keeping Galveston affordable and family-friendly is important to you, Vision Galveston asks you to engage with your civic leaders and city council members and ask them to support attainable housing policies and sustainable neighborhood development. You can find contact information for your city council member here.

To stay engaged with what Vision Galveston is up to, sign up for our mailing list here.

References:

1. Unless otherwise noted, demographic data come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2015-2019.

2. These income groupings come from Pew Research Center’s 2018 report on the Middle Class (here: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/06/the-american-middle-class-is-stable-in-size-but-losing-ground-financially-to-upper-income-families/).

3. Data come from the Texas Real Estate Research Center.

4.  https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2018/march/housing.php; 

5.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/commodities-boom-hits-home-11615973404; 

6.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/upshot/where-have-all-the-houses-gone.html 

7. https://www.galvnews.com/news/specialreports/free/article_291ded3f-cd7f-597b-ac10-610e0c9d74d8.html

8. https://www.forbes.com/sites/garybarker/2020/02/21/the-airbnb-effect-on-housing-and-rent/?sh=283719d82226

Measure Galveston Report

Before you start a journey, you have to figure out where you are and where you want to go. As the City of Galveston looks ahead to the next 20 years and decides its priorities and goals, Vision Galveston has brought together a “master dataset” of key metrics that can help us understand where things stand today, set goals for the future, and track our progress in the months and years ahead. Measure Galveston is designed to be a community data tool that follows the most essential indicators of community well-being and allows everyone to be on the same page. 

Measure Galveston : The Approach 

Multi year initiative:

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Table of Contents

The full report displays data from 10 important categories that help tell a full story of our city.

The full report is organized and color-coded by topic area, e.g., Housing in red. Under each section, we have visualized up to eight different metrics that capture the important aspects of the topic area. We have also prioritized data points that can easily and readily tracked over time.

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We talked to a lot of people!

AND WE won some awards for all of those community conversations!

More specifically, Vision Galveston was awarded 2 awards for our planning efforts during Phase 1, list below:

• American Planning Association Planning Achievement Award - Gold for Public Outreach

  • This award honors an individual, project, or program that uses information and education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens or specific segments of the public. The award celebrates how planning improves a community’s quality of life.

• Galveston Planning Commission Award in the Participation category

  • The Galveston Planning Commission’s Planning & Design Awards program is open to all planners, residents, developers, builders, architects, community groups, design professionals, local governments, students, or other interested parties.

the beginning (aka Phase 1):

Phase 1 began as a project to empower the community members of Galveston to define a vision for the future of our city. We started by asking the people of Galveston what matters to them: what kind of city we want to be and what we need to do to get there.

Over 9 months, we held a series of outreach events and spoke to over 8,500 community members, to look at specific issues and solutions. This work allowed us to create an inclusive framework to guide the city into the future.

Vision Galveston will work to put these recommendations into action through both direct implementation strategies and catalyst work with partner agencies in the coming years.

Thank you to all who were involved:

The Galveston Community

Vision Galveston Steering Committee

United Way of Galveston

The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation, The Moody Foundation, Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund , Ippolito Foundation, and The Moody Permanent Endowment Fund

City of Galveston

American Planning Association

Asakura Robinson, Huitt-Zollars, Stoss Landscape Urbanism, Mass Economics

Green Galveston Feedback Event Recap

Thank you to everyone that attended the Green Galveston Community Feedback Event at Shield Park on Saturday, Nov. 14th.

As we work towards integrating more “green” into Galveston – including parks, open space, right of way, new development, and redevelopment, we first want to hear from our community!

All event attendees were given color coded flags, and asked to mark what they want to see at the park and where they would like it!

We had a day packed with activities including morning Yoga with Jen Pearson, a native tree give away from Tom Thumb Nursery, amazing food from El Nopalito Mexican Restaurant, Soul 2 Soul Cafe & Allen’s Kitchen and Grill, live music by Robert Kuhn Music and kids activities provided by the Galveston Parks & Rec team.

We would also like to thank our consultants from Asakura Robinson, the City of Galveston and Better Parks Galveston for helping us make the event seamless.

If you missed the event, don't worry! You can still give us your individual feedback by completing the Green Galveston online survey from the comfort of your home. Complete the online survey here.

Green Galveston Feedback Event

Help us shape the future of Galveston’s green spaces by participating in our Green Galveston event! We’re working to integrate more “green” into Galveston – including parks, open space, right of way, new development, and redevelopment.

Voice your opinion about public parks in Galveston and Shield Park, specifically. Let us know what would make local parks more comfortable, more fun, easier to access, healthier, and provide more benefits for the neighborhoods they serve. We’ll have activities for all - adults, families, and children that allow you to speak-up about what you like and what you would like to see at Shield Park.

Event Schedule: 

10 AM - 11 AM
Yoga & Mindfulness for All Ages

11 AM- 12PM
Native Plant Giveaway

12 PM- 2PM
Live Music & Lunch

* In order to allow for proper social distancing precautions, we ask that you sign up for the activities that you plan on attending. 

The event will be outdoors and will follow the CDC Considerations and Guidelines for Events and Gatherings. Best practices will be strictly followed. Masks will be mandatory for all staff and event attendees.

Unable to attend?

You can still give us your individual feedback by completing the Green Galveston online survey from the comfort of your home.

Green Galveston Parks Tour Survey - Click Here to Start.

We want to hear from you! Let us know what would make local parks more comfortable, more fun, easier to access, healthier, and provide more benefits for the neighborhoods they serve.

Let’s Talk Voting: Time to make a Voting plan!

Vision Galveston strives to increase and diversify existing community outreach to grow civic engagement and make voter registration, turnout, and access for Galveston eligible voters fair and equitable.

We want to ensure ALL Galvestonian’s have the ability to exercise their voice.

Artist Credit: Zackery Stover

Have you made your voting plan yet?

Making a voting plan is exactly what it sounds like: figuring out where and how you're going to vote ahead of time!

This year it’s more important than ever to understand all of your options, make a plan, and follow through or have a back-up plan if you need it.

Step 1- Make Sure You're Registered

The deadline in Texas has passed to register to vote, but you can still check to see if you are already register.

Step 2- Request a Mail-In Ballot

Whether you want the peace of mind that comes from getting your vote in well ahead of Election Day, or are concerned about potential health risks of in-person voting, voting by mail is a great way to avoid a last-minute rush.

Step 3- Learn About the Candidates

Have you taken a look to see who is on the ballot? Take a little time before entering the polls to research who is on your local ballot. Below we have provided the link to the Galveston County Sample Ballot.

Step 4 - Locate Your Polling Place/Check Your Voting Deadline

If you choose to vote in person, find where your polling place is located right now. (It might have changed since the last time you voted.) If you’re voting absentee, check your ballot for a dropoff location or, if you intend to mail in your ballot, the address and the date by which it must be postmarked. We have the Galveston locations listed below, but you can see the full list of Galveston County locations by clicking the button below.

Step 5- Arrange Transportation

How do you plan to get to your polling place? If you’re driving, don’t assume street parking will be available, and be prepared to pay to park at a meter or garage. Better yet, scope out the parking options ahead of time. Last but not least, consider offering a ride to a friend or neighbor.

Step 6 -  Help Spread the Word!

Encourage your friends to make their own plan to vote! Below we have provided 2 links with shareable social media graphics.

• Graphics for sharing (with voting deadlines) - Click Here

• #GoVote graphics for sharing - Click Here

Important dates and deadlines:

-The deadline to self-respond to the 2020 Census, Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Visit 2020census.gov to complete.

- The deadline for registering by mail to vote is (postmarked by) Monday, October 5, 2020.

- The deadline to register in person to vote is Monday, October 5, 2020.

- The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Friday, October 23, 2020.

- The early voting period runs from Tuesday, October 13, 2020 to Friday, October 30, 2020, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live.

- Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

For Galveston County voter information, including voter registration and vote by mail application. - CLICK HERE.



Early Voting Locations in Galveston:

Galveston County Justice Center (1st floor vending area)

600 59th Street Galveston, TX

Galveston County Courthouse (Commissioner’s Court)

722 Moody Galveston, TX

Moody Methodist Church (Welcome Center)

2803 53rd Street Galveston, TX

GISD Admin. Building (Council Chambers)

3904 Ave. T Galveston, TX

For a full list of Galveston County early voting locations - CLICK HERE.

Election Day Voting Locations in Galveston:

Galveston County Justice Center (1st floor vending area)

600 59th Street Galveston, TX

Galveston County Courthouse (Commissioner’s Court)

722 Moody Galveston, TX

Moody Methodist Church (Welcome Center)

2803 53rd Street Galveston, TX

GISD Admin. Building (Council Chambers)

3904 Ave. T Galveston, TX

Texas A & M Campus (Bldg. 3205)

200 Seawolf Park Galveston, TX

Rebecca Sealy (1st floor classroom)

404 8th Street Galveston, TX

For a full list of Galveston County Election Day voting locations - CLICK HERE.

Voter registration and turnout by Galveston City Council District in 2018

The below map demonstrates voter registration and participation by Galveston City Council District. Use the interactive map to click on each city district for % of registered voters and turnout for the 2018 mid-term elections.

Build Galveston is Open for Board Nominations

Build Galveston is an initiative of Vision Galveston, the community-building nonprofit that connects the vision that we share for our Island to the resources that make them happen. Build Galveston is a Supporting Organization of Vision Galveston launched to help meet the housing needs of Galveston's teachers, public servants, and the people who make our economy run. We are aiming to attract more people to live on the Island who already work here. We know that cost-attainable housing is part of making that a reality. 

Vision Galveston has been working with an action team comprised of community members and agencies to set priorities and make key decisions related to the launch of Build Galveston. A first step towards making Build Galveston is to assemble a Board of Director to carry the work of our action team forward.

Click here to learn more about Build Galveston.

Build Galveston is accepting board nominations until Sunday, September 6, 2020. You can access the nominating form here:  BG Nominations Form 

You can also self-nominate for the board. All interested nominees will have to confirm his or her interest in serving on the Build Galveston board by completing a Candidate Interest Form and submitting materials for consideration for board service by Sunday, September 13, 2020. You can access the candidate interest form here:  BG Candidate Interest Form 

For questions or concerns, please contact info@visiongalveston.com

Commitment to an Equitable Community

From the beginning, Vision Galveston has been rooted in the IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accountability) core values and principles. We have spent the first half of the year building out our core initiatives, and we are looking forward to sharing those with you in detail over the coming months. Before sharing our next steps, we first want to reaffirm our organization’s support and commitment to our Black community.

We live in a diverse island community but all too often the voices of those who are heard do not reflect the diversity of our community, especially the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The murder of George Floyd and the following outcry of anger, loss, and uncertainty has shown us that our community and organization still have much work to do moving forward. The institution of structural racism and discrimination has deeply rooted causes and long-lasting consequences. Vision Galveston stands with those groups and individuals striving passionately for wholesale change and reform. As an organization we are committed to supporting community partners in initiatives that forward and support the quality of life for all who live in, work in, and visit Galveston.

The entire organization is reaffirming its commitment to build from the IDEA core values and will continue to elevate the voices of our community that created Vision Galveston. Although we have made strides in engaging a wide scope of community members who reflect our Island’s demographics, significant gaps still exist between where we are right now and our Island’s goals of a more equitable community.

As an organization we commit to:

• Continuing to have a diverse representation on all Vision Galveston boards and committees;

• Inclusive community engagement practices, meeting people where they are so everyone can participate;

• Evaluating each step of our process towards implementation of key recommendations with the lens of equity and inclusion

• Partnering with organizations that hold our core values of inclusion and equity;

• Hiring and collaborating with experts that hold the core values of equity and inclusion;

• Listening to our community and creating opportunities for feedback;

• Transparency in our process, data collection, and decision making.

We call on you as stakeholders of this vision to hold both Vision Galveston and our Galveston community accountable to the practice of equity and inclusion. Together we advance the vision for all our Island’s residents.

You can expect for our organization to be in touch on our growth and progress within the next few weeks and beyond. If you want to learn more about our initiatives and what we are working on in the meantime, please visit www.visiongalveston.com or send us an email at info@visiongalveston.com.

We are here for our community.

- Vision Galveston