Roller coaster roils its Kemah neighbors Residents less than thrilled with coaster neighbor

A house owned by the Killion family is being encroached on by a new roller coaster being built on the Kemah Boardwak. A house owned by the Killion family is being encroached on by a new roller coaster being built on the Kemah Boardwak. Photo: Steve Campbell, Chronicle Photo: Steve Campbell, Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Roller coaster roils its Kemah neighbors 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

KEMAH — The tranquil view of Galveston Bay that Tim and Hahn Tran enjoy from their front porch is the perfect antidote to the ups and downs of life. But there's apparently not much they can do about the roller coaster in their backyard.

Only 200 feet from their back door, nine stories high when completed, is the Boardwalk Bullet. And there are only a couple of weeks left before the Bullet comes to life with thundering cars and screaming riders.

The Trans and other neighbors near the town's entertainment district said they had no idea it was coming until they figured that the heaps of lumber being brought to the site were for a roller coaster.

"They kept adding lumber and lumber," Tim Tran said. "It's so huge. It's a monster."

The coaster — clearly visible to motorists traveling on the Kemah-Seabrook bridge — takes up about an acre on the southern end of the Kemah Boardwalk near Bay Avenue and Fourth Street.

The newest attraction to the boardwalk also dwarfs the home of Coy and Carol Killion, which is adjacent to the coaster on the south side. On the north side, the coaster reaches up against the Salt Grass Steakhouse restaurant.

The Kemah Boardwalk attracts millions of tourists each year and consists of a series of restaurants operated by Landry's Seafood Restaurants Inc. and shops amid an amusement park setting. The boardwalk along the Clear Creek channel and Galveston Bay also features a miniature train, boat rides, a Ferris wheel, other rides and games.

Despite its closeness to the brightly lit Kemah Boardwalk, homeowners have seen their property appraisals increase over the past several years.

Tim Anderson, general manager of the boardwalk, said the proximity of the coaster to the steakhouse and the Killion home was studied before construction began. "It's not been a concern," he said.

Bad vibrations

It is, however, a concern to neighbors — not just for the anticipated noise, but also for vibrations from the ride.

"When we bought this house, we knew about the surroundings," Tran said of the home he purchased about two years ago. "The noise is bad. Every time they go upside down on the 'Inverter' (a ride) the kids scream. It's loud, but I'm more concerned about the vibrations (from the roller coaster)."

Another neighbor, Geoff Giering, said the vibrations from workers dropping nearby trash containers — much less a roller coaster — have caused problems at his home.

Anderson said the coaster and noise should not be an issue. "A lot of people think that wooden coasters are real, real loud. A lot of that is perception," he said.

"There are a number of other establishments within a block of us that have outdoor entertainment that is fairly loud. I certainly don't see us being any louder than that."

Building the roller coaster did not require any special permits from the city of Kemah, City Administrator Bill Kerber said. Since all setback requirements were met and the city has no zoning, a building permit for the coaster was issued without any variances. No public hearing was required to inform area residents.

"There's really not much we can do," said Giering, whose weekend home sits near the coaster. Giering said he asked city officials why nearby homeowners were not informed about the coaster before construction started.

"The response was, 'We just didn't,' " he said. "You would think if you were living somewhere and there was a residential house, whether it's unrestricted or not, commercial or residential, you'd have to file a variance or notify the people of what he was going to do there."

Fighting Fertitta

Giering, whose family has owned the Kemah home for about 15 years, said he and others considered getting legal counsel but decided against it because battling Landry's Restaurants and Tilman Fertitta , its president and chief executive officer, would be like fighting energy giant Exxon.

"We could go hire a lawyer but Tilman probably has 50 lawyers," Giering said.

The only recourse for residents to quash a roller coaster is a city noise ordinance. The ordinance, which Kemah Boardwalk establishments must abide, forbids any loud or raucous noise clearly audible 50 feet or more from its source. It carries a fine of $500.

"We have some people who have invested in noise monitors and will more than likely bring the noise level to our attention," Kerber said.

The Killions said the noise at the boardwalk has been tolerable because the rides were several lots away from their home. That, however, will not be the case with the roller coaster, which stands about 10 feet from the property the family has owned since 1958.

The Boardwalk Bullet will be the Houston area's only roller coaster. The closure of the Six Flags AstroWorld amusement park in 2005 meant the end of coasters in Houston.

ruth.rendon@chron.com