Port Aransas exempt from 350-foot rule
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

It's official, and in writing. Nueces County commissioners on Wednesday, April 4, approved a recommendation from the county beach management advisory committee that leaves the process of issuing dune permits with the City of Port Aransas.

Included in the vote was a measure that allows owners of property that was previously platted to continue with development plans, as long as the plans conform to the original property plat.

The change in the county's amended dune management plan was sent overnight to the Texas General Land Office for certification, said Precinct 4 Commissioner Chuck Cazalas, whose precinct includes Padre and Mustang islands.

"It was a 5-0 (unanimous) vote," Cazalas said. "The beach management advisory committee held several meetings, and this recommendation was the result of the input they received."

Aside from Port Aransas, the amended plan sets the dune setback distance at 350 feet from the dune line. That will be the most stringent setback in Texas, once the General Land Office approves it.

Port Aransas, and all other Texas cities, call for building no closer than 200 feet from the dune lines.

The beach management committee had originally called for all building to be 350 feet from the dune line. However, Port Aransas officials protested, saying the city had been operating a dune permit program under an interlocal agreement with the county since the mid-1900s.

In Port Aransas, developers can get building permits and apply for dune permits at the same place, which makes it more convenient for them, city Planning and Projects Director David Parsons said.

Cazalas had said he expected Port Aransas to be excluded from the 350-foot rule, but city council members remained nervous about the amendment until commissioners put it in writing. Under Texas law, counties have the final say on dune management plans.

Cazalas said the grandfather clause for owners who had already platted their land had no time limit.

"As long as they build according to the plat, they can develop along the original plan," he said.