The Galveston Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny case 25PDash035, a request to establish a planned‑unit development (PUD) overlay to allow a 127‑space resort/recreation RV park on a 5.92‑acre parcel at 3203 Cove View Boulevard.

Staff described the application as an overlay request to permit an RV park in a parcel with a base zoning of multifamily high density (Height and Density Development Zone 5). The staff report said the site is currently undeveloped, has direct access to Cove View Boulevard, and is served by water and sanitary sewer lines in the street. Staff summarized department comments: the fire marshal said code compliance will be reviewed at permitting, public works requested a traffic impact analysis, required sidewalks along Cove View Boulevard, recommended shifting one entrance to align with opposite access, and said on‑site detention will be required (Campechee Lake provides some regional detention but was designed for a 2‑year event while city criteria use longer return intervals). Staff advised that limited‑use standards for RV parks generally apply and recommended that, if approved, specific conditions and standard conditions be attached and that enhanced setbacks be imposed along north and south property lines to protect adjacent residential uses.

The applicant, Matt Dilleck, president of Commerce Equities, said he has owned the property since 2006 and told the commission that current market conditions make multifamily development uneconomic. "This property has been owned since 02/2006. It does not make economic sense for multifamily," he said, and described an estimated total investment of about $4.5 million for the proposed project. Dilleck said the PUD request was intended to allow the applicant to proceed to the traffic, drainage and permitting steps that would be required if a PUD were approved.

Multiple residents opposed the PUD at the public hearing. Marie Rob said the proposal was "an inappropriate use for the land" and urged preservation of multifamily capacity for workforce housing. Nearby homeowners Eileen Vogel and her daughter Karen Greenan testified that the proposed park would abut and overlook their home, raise concerns about bright lighting and safety for an elderly homeowner, and alleged that a representative misled the homeowner when seeking a signature on paperwork. Vogel said she had paid $699,000 for her house and had invested further funds in renovations; Greenan described a direct line of sight from the proposed site into her mother's dining room.

Commissioners raised multiple objections: the site's base multifamily zoning and the city's comprehensive plan housing goals; the density of 127 RV pads on roughly six acres; the absence of a traffic impact analysis and detailed drainage/detention plans; fire and emergency access given the internal lane widths shown on the conceptual site plan; and the risk of establishing a precedent that would remove limited multifamily inventory through PUD overlays. One commissioner summarized: the submittal was incomplete with respect to traffic, drainage and limited‑use standards, and several members said those missing elements made approval inappropriate at this time.

After public comment and discussion, a motion to deny the PUD passed unanimously. Commissioners and staff reiterated that the planning commission's action is a recommendation and that ultimate approval authority rests with Galveston City Council. The record will be forwarded accordingly.