HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Homeowners in the Third Ward are upset because they say a developer without the proper permits is continuing to build while violating their deed restrictions and multiple city building codes.
“Me and my neighbors are very concerned about this structure that started appearing in this backyard the house was sold,” Marc Newsome, a long-time homeowner in the area, said. He and other neighbors contacted ABC13 specifically about a home at 3838 Southmore, which has a giant multi-bedroom structure protruding from the backyard. In the front, the existing home has four separate red tags on it. The tags state that the developer does not have proper permits. Yet, construction is ongoing.
On Friday morning, ABC13 found two men associated with the developer, TPC Endeavors LLC, at 3838 Southmore. We tried ask them why they built a structure over this summer without the proper permits.
“Everything’s been permitted with the city,” said one of the men, who held his hand up to our cameras to try to keep us from recording. The two did not answer additional questions and drove off.
“For this person to come in, to build this structure, you’re doing it unsafely, there’s mildew already on the panels that we witness, this is unacceptable,” Samantha Townsend, another long-time homeowner on the street, said.
The frustrated neighbors went to City Council recently to voice their frustrations, and have diligently reported the issues to 311.
They also point to specific language in their deed restrictions, which states that all lots shall be used solely for single-family residential use.
“It’s a slap in the face, this shouldn’t be happening and this is not the only property, and we found this happening throughout Third Ward other properties by the same developer,” said Newsome.
Real estate records show that TPC Endeavors LLC owns about a dozen homes in the Third Ward area.
ABC13 found a home on Charleston owned by the company that had two red tags on its windows. Despite clear building code violations, the home is actively listed on AirBNB. In fact, we found an entire men’s softball team renting out the home. The group from Louisiana is in Houston to play in the Gay Softball World Series. The players say they are not happy with what they found.
“No, that definitely was not on the Airbnb pictures,” player Jaguar Romero said, pointing to the red tags. “We got here and we’re like, we’re not even supposed to be in here! It’s a stop order on finishing this project. We kind of got stuck. They got our money.”
Eyewitness News contacted TPC Endeavors LLC. So far, nobody has returned our calls. However, the City of Houston does confirm there is an ongoing, open investigation on the case, and Third Ward neighbors are hoping for some concrete action.
“We live here. We love this community. We are going to fight because we want to leave something for our own children to enjoy,” Townsend said.
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