HOUSTON – An emergency community meeting in Houston’s Third Ward brought together residents, civic leaders and elected officials — all united in opposition to a proposed gas station that neighbors say would sit just feet from their homes.
The development, planned near the corner of Live Oak and Southmore, has sparked outrage not only in the Third Ward, but also in the Sixth Ward, where residents say they are already facing a similar situation.
State Representative Jolanda Jones opened the meeting with visible frustration.
“I’m real irritated,” Jones told the crowd. “And even if I didn’t live in this neighborhood I would fight because they’re wrong for what they’re doing.”
Jones, who lives in Riverside Terrace, said she and other community leaders only learned about the project days ago and have since been working quickly to organize neighbors and explore options to block it.
Newly elected Congressman Christian Menafee also addressed the packed room, pledging his support.
“I fully support blocking this gas station from being in our community,” Menafee said. “I will be on the ground working alongside our fantastic public servants to stop this from happening.”
‘A Miniature Sun’ Outside the Bedroom Window
For Jason Poland, who lives across from the proposed 3rd Ward site, the fight is personal.
“I can see this property from my bedroom window. There is going to be like a miniature sun just blaring into my house 24 hours a day in addition to everything else it’s going to bring,” Poland said.
He worries not just about bright lights, but about safety.
“Gas stations are crime magnets. We have a few just around the block and I’ve heard from a lot of my neighbors, like they have gunshots, there’s bullet holes in their windows.”
Poland says residents want development — but not one that brings noise, traffic and potential danger so close to where families live.
Sixth Ward Residents Face Similar Concerns
Just miles away, Tatiana Rypinski says her Sixth Ward neighborhood is already dealing with a gas station under development near Washington Avenue.
“There are people who could just reach over their fence and touch the gas station building that is how close it is being developed to residences,” Rypinski said.
She says many neighbors didn’t find out about the project until permits were already in process.
Now, she’s calling for a long-term solution instead of neighborhood-by-neighborhood battles.
“We’re advocating for a new ordinance that would put a requirement for a minimum distance between any gas station that’s built and sensitive land uses like residences and schools,” she said.
Push for Deed Restrictions and Citywide Regulations
Residents in both wards say the controversy highlights the need for stronger deed restrictions and clearer city regulations governing how close certain developments can be to homes.
City Council Member Mario Castillo says he is working on a proposal that would regulate how close future gas stations can be built to residential properties.
Meanwhile, neighbors say they plan to pack upcoming City Council and Planning Commission meetings to make their voices heard.
They stress they are not anti-development — but they want development that respects existing communities.
As Poland put it during the meeting, residents simply want neighborhoods built for families.
“We still want people to live here. We want families. We want a community.”
Statistics on gas station issues
HEALTH
One study finds contaminant levels in convenience store-gas station runoff were 5 to 30 times higher compared to residential runoff.
Leaks are a persistent problem - one study found a typical gas station can spill 100 gallons of gasoline a year and contamination from leaking tanks can get into the soil and groundwater for decades.
Gas station vent pipes emit benzene vapors. Multiple scientific studies have documented an increased risk of cancer and other adverse health effects among people living, learning or working within 500 to 1,000 feet of a gas station.
CRIME
According to the FBI, 4.5% of all reported violent crimes in 2022 took place at a gas station or convenience store. Gas stations/convenience stores were the site of 13.8% of robberies that year.
EQUITY
Multiple studies found a higher proportion of convenience stores in minority and low-income neighborhoods compared to white and wealthier neighborhoods.