Jerome Karam Plans Townhomes at League City Marina

Local developer Jerome Karam cleared a hurdle for a townhome development at a Greater Houston marina recently.

League City, a suburb about 25 miles southeast of the city, recently approved Karam’s rezoning request for the former Marina del Sol off Twin Oaks Boulevard, which he purchased last year for about $2 million, the Houston Business Journal reported.

Karam renamed the 314-slip marina after his company, JMK5 Marina, the outlet reported. Plans call for 30 townhomes ranging from $650,000 to $700,000.

The developer would tear down two boat-storage lots to build six buildings on 2.7 acres. A parking lot on the south side of the marina will be replaced with a single-family home. The existing recreation area, including a pool and clubhouse, will remain, the outlet said. Karam already dredged the marina to accommodate larger boats, he told the city council.

The city council voted unanimously in approval of the rezoning. Landscaping work could begin as soon as next month, Karam told the city council.

Karam is at the helm of multiple development projects in the area, including Clear Lake, where the JMK5 Marina will be. He recently acquired two office buildings near Nasa’s Johnson Space Center — one that’s 365,000 square feet and another that’s 158,976 square feet — and is already leasing it out to major tenants such as aerospace company Axiom Space.

One of his largest developments thus far is also underway. Karam is turning the former Gulf Greyhound Park into an 11,000-seat concert venue with a hotel, apartments and retailers surrounding it, the outlet reported.

Other projects include a boutique hotel and wedding venue at the former site of Falstaff Brewery, a 27,000-square-foot property with two restaurants and short-term rentals at the former site of Balinese Room nightclub, and the 38,000-square-foot redevelopment of a YMCA.

—Quinn Donoghue