SPRING, Texas – Some residents in a Spring neighborhood are upset about the possibility of a 24-hour Waffle House going up near the entrance to their subdivision.
Debbie Cano lives in the Country Lake Estates neighborhood near Louetta and Sorrel Ridge.
She describes the neighborhood as a family-friendly place where kids often play outside together.
“On my street alone we have more than 20 kids that are outside playing on most days,” Canos said.
She fears the construction of a Waffle House at the entrance to the neighborhood will disrupt that sense of security.
“The fact of the matter is, I think most people do like Waffle Houses, but just not right behind your home where you have two kids,” Cano said.
She said the bedrooms of her two kids face right out to the plot of land where the Waffle House might be constructed.
She and many of her neighbors are concerned about the traffic and crime that a 24-hour establishment may bring to the neighborhood.
“Unfortunately, we've been seeing a string of robberies that have been taking place at IHOPs and we really don't want that coming into our neighborhood,” Cano said.
More than 100 residents have signed this petition to stop the construction of Waffle House.
Waffle House sent Channel 2 the following statement:
“We are interested in building in this area, however nothing is official yet. We have been in contact with community leaders including the neighborhood home owners association to try to address some concerns. Like other 24 hours businesses in the area, we feel like we will be a good fit and look forward to bringing additional jobs to the community.”
Cano just hopes if the company does decide to build a restaurant in that location, it will continue working with community members.
“If it’s something that has to be here certainly we want to be able to work with them and make sure there are some safety measures put in place,” Cano said.