Neighbors in the Greater Heights are fed up with large parking lot takeovers they say are putting their safety at risk.
People in Shady Acres and Timbergrove have been reaching out to the KPRC 2 helpdesk, saying they’ve had enough of the loud noise and chaotic activity that’s keeping them up at night.
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Videos show a parking lot full of cars and a large crowd near the Restaurant Depot parking lot at TC Jester and 20th Street, where these takeovers have been happening.
It’s not a new issue, but locals say it’s been getting worse. The parking lot, which can hold hundreds of cars, is often filled to the brim with vehicles on Thursday and Sunday nights.
“it’s lot of car mufflers, Revving of engines. Probably sounds like fireworks but we know they’re alluding to gunshots at some point,” said Crystal Murad.
Neighbors are seeing firecracker debris and tire marks left behind, and the whole scene feels more dangerous than ever.
“Often times when I’m walking, I’ll just see casings of gun shells the next morning. Just walking down TC Jester you’ll see the evidence of what happened the night before,” said Murad.
Councilwoman Abbie Kamin tells KPRC 2 she is providing funding for additional HPD patrols in the area.
“We need the weight of the city behind us as we continue to fight this,” said Kamin.
Kamin said she, HPD and the Restaurant Depot are meeting this week to discuss safety measures. Since the parking lot is private property, Kamin said Restaurant Depot has some responsibility. According to Kamin, in December, the property owners filed a permission for HPD to enforce trespassing on their property, but it has not been a preventable solution. Some of the solutions she is pushing for include security gates at the entrances of the parking lot and speed bumps.
“The heart of all of this is the critical need to secure the property from a public safety perspective. It’s too dangerous. It’s too much of a risk. And it’s a huge strain on law enforcement at a time when we need our resources,” said Kamin.
KPRC2 reached out to Restaurant Depot management who said they are aware of the issue but would not comment further.
Realtors tell KPRC 2 the takeovers are also having a negative impact on the housing market, with buyers not wanting to purchase homes in the area.
“We have a lot of brand-new developments down here. And we have multi-million-dollar properties that are being impacted by the loud street racing in the middle of the night. We also have a lot of local businesses where lots of families come and visit, and they see that and it kind of deters them from even wanting to look in this area,” said Ariel Villarreal who is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Heights.
Villarreal said she’s noticed people opting out of living in the area.
“I have had a few buyers that were looking at houses in this area, but because it was so close to the commercial and it seemed a little empty and kind of rundown, they decided against it. I mean, the tire marks are pretty clear,” said Villareal.