Public Input Helps Shape Port of Galveston Future

Public Input Helps Shape Port of Galveston Future

September 8, 2026

By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO -- As the Port of Galveston grows, community and stakeholder engagement have and will continue to be a priority. 

We’re a public entity, a tenant port, major regional economic driver, and one of the biggest cruise ports in the U.S. I make these points to emphasize the responsibilities and accountabilities we have to the Galveston community, our port partners and our cruise customers, to name a few.

We continuously share updates in columns like this, in press releases, on social media and at Wharves Board meetings. We also hold an annual open house and special public meetings as needed on topics like the updated master plan to solicit public comments.

We’ll hold our annual open house in early December to share updates on a wide range of projects, including a proposed fifth cruise terminal, a new commercial area, our Green Marine initiatives, mobility and much more. 

We usually have between 100 and 200 community members and port stakeholders attend. They appreciate the open house format because they can talk one-on-one with experts on the topics of interest to them to gain insights and share their thoughts. We also invite attendees to sign up for port eblasts and complete surveys and comment cards.

Putting Feedback Into Action

One example of putting public feedback into action is better connectivity between the port and downtown. People have commented in surveys that Harborside Drive hinders safe accessibility, so we’re working to restore the Harborside walkover at 25^th Street and adding other features to make crossing the 5-lane roadway safer for pedestrians.

Another example is a Pier 19 area redesign proposed and funded by non-port entities. When port tenants pushed back on the design because they would lose customer parking spaces, the port facilitated a compromise that would allow public improvements without the loss of parking for long-time fishing charter businesses.

As always, any final reconfigurations will be discussed with impacted tenants before plans are finalized. We’ve been meeting with tenants and project proponents throughout the process, listening to their concerns and collaborating with them to come up with solutions.

Our engineering staff has done the same with internal road improvements around Pier 21. Since the beginning of the project, we’ve invited stakeholders, including impacted businesses, to project meetings for regular updates and to give feedback to reduce impacts as work progresses.

We’ll do the same as we shift our focus to a proposed fifth cruise terminal and new commercial area between cruise terminals 10 and 16. The area, with board approval, could include the USS Texas, a hotel, retail, restaurants, public greenspace and housing. The port is also looking at the possibility of a Harborside walkover at 16^th Street to better connect the waterfront and the east side of Galveston.

As we plan for the future, we want to preserve our history and culture. Harborside markets and commercial fishing operations have been located at Pier 19-20 for 150 years. As we move forward, we’ll continue to work with our tenants to help protect these historically significant businesses. Galveston is our home and we want to continue to make it a place in which we are all proud.