Developer Mohamed Eldawy is pushing ahead with a $540 million project on Galveston’s west end, betting big on the island’s growth as a tourism and residential hub.
Eldawy’s Friendswood-based Royal Crown Enterprise is planning a 15-acre development called Sachs on the Seawall, slated for a site where Seawall Boulevard meets Termini-San Luis Pass Road. A preliminary zoning approval this week paved the way for two condo towers, a hotel and commercial space on the site, Chron reported.
The first phase calls for a 216-room Marriott Renaissance hotel, 150 condo units and 70,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space, according to project filings. Four acres would be dedicated to green space and a nature preserve. A second phase would add two apartment buildings with 236 units, including workforce housing and rentals for J-1 visa students tied to the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Eldawy told city officials the plan could generate 2,300 jobs across construction, hospitality and retail. He’s also eyeing restaurant tenants, including a Floyds Cajun Seafood outpost and a franchise of La Madeleine that he plans to operate himself.
The project has already cleared one regulatory hurdle: FAA approval for towers up to 145 feet, or about 11 stories, given the site’s proximity to Scholes International Airport. Even so, the airport has raised concerns about possible impacts on air traffic.
The design comes from Steven Biegel of Round Rock-based Place Designers, whose portfolio includes the nearby Diamond Beach and Tiara on the Beach condos, as well as projects in Padre Island. Eldawy said the development is aimed at luring more permanent and international residents to Galveston, alongside tourists.
The project now heads to Galveston City Council, and Eldawy hopes to start construction late next year and deliver the first phase by 2029. That timeline would make Sachs on the Seawall one of the island’s most ambitious developments in decades, positioned across from the luxury Diamond Beach condos and next to the longtime Seahorse Grill. The 236-unit second phase could be completed by 2031, Biegel said. — Eric Weilbacher
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