Galveston leaders visit Babcock Ranch to study its storm-resilient design ahead of hurricane season

Babcock Ranch, Florida—Ahead of the start of the 2025 hurricane season, Babcock Ranch welcomed more than two dozen community leaders from Galveston, Texas as part of a Learning Journey organized by the Texas-based Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation.

The group visited Babcock Ranch with a keen interest to learn about the town’s storm resilience and sustainability efforts, which have proved successful in major recent storm events impacting Southwest Florida. A barrier island located on the coast of Texas and one hour south of Houston, Galveston is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes.

“Galveston has had a lot of exposure to hurricanes, so we are very much interested in resiliency and sustainability practices,” said Grant Mitchell, board chair of the Austin-based Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation (CGMF). “The key interest for our Learning Journey participants is resiliency and thinking through the process of where the water goes during a storm.”

Babcock Ranch’s essential features for storm resilience include its location and elevation at nearly 30 feet above sea level, landscaping and vegetation comprised of native plants to reduce storm runoff and flooding, storm-hardened utilities, an innovative storm water management system and Florida Green Building Coalition standards to ensure homes are built to withstand winds up to 160 mph. The town is also home to the Southwest Florida Regional Emergency Shelter, located in the Babcock Ranch Field House, the only shelter in the region designed and built to ICC 500 standards, rated to withstand winds up to 180 mph and equipped with a 350KW generator.

“We’re seeing more cities, counties and builders alike beginning to take the progressive steps to adopt a new standard for climate resilience in development,” said Syd Kitson, founder and visionary of Babcock Ranch. “We’re proud to be an example for what is possible and to inspire communities around the world to seek innovative adaptations to mitigate the impact of weather-related events while working in harmony with the environment.”

Among the group were members from various Galveston organizations including Vision Galveston, Build Galveston, Galveston City Council, Galveston Housing Authority, the Galveston Economic Development Partnership, and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation.

The Mitchell Foundation is a grantmaking foundation that seeks innovative, sustainable solutions at the nexus of environmental protection and economic vibrancy. Each year, it organizes a 'Learning Journey' for Galveston leaders to learn about initiatives and efforts implemented by other cities to enhance the quality of life for their residents. Galveston native George Mitchell was the developer of The Woodlands, a new town north of Houston, Texas, established in 1974 and recognized internationally as the first master-planned sustainable community.

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