Shady Acres residents successful in bid to prevent liquor license
HOUSTON - Local elected officials announced that a judge has ruled in favor of denying an alcohol permit to a restaurant seeking to locate in a residential community near Ella Blvd and Loop 610.
State Representative Dwayne Bohac Houston and City Councilman Adrian Garcia announced the victory today after an administrative law judge’s ruling was released saying the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) should not grant a mixed beverage permit to La Hacienda Escondido Mexican Restaurant.
“The problem with this particular situation was the restaurant wanted to locate in a residential neighborhood,” Bohac said. “There are numerous public safety issues to consider when placing a business selling mixed beverages on a narrow, two-lane street with children playing in the yard and residents strolling through the neighborhood.”
The judge took several arguments into account in his July 19 decision, including the neighborhood’s residential make-up, the narrow roadway’s lack of sidewalks, and the fact that there were no other restaurants, bars, convenience stores or other retail businesses on the block.
Bohac and Garcia agreed that residents should not have to share a narrow two-lane street with restaurant patrons who had been drinking.
”The residents were concerned about how this would affect their quality of life and rightly so,” Garcia said. “I am glad that the judge heard the concerns of the residents and found them to be fair and reasonable enough to support.”
Concerned Residents of Shady Acres, a neighborhood group, protested to the TABC that the neighborhood’s general welfare should be taken into account and more than 53 residents along with Bohac and Garcia were present at the hearing to protest the permit.
The judge said in his decision that the restaurant’s proposed parking lot, located at 1431 W. 26th Street between Ella Boulevard and North Durham, would only hold 48 vehicles for a 150-person restaurant resulting in increased traffic on W. 26th Street. This congestion, the judge said, would be “exacerbated by patrons leaving the restaurant after drinking alcoholic beverages.”
”It is amazing what can happen when citizens and their elected representatives work together to protect and enhance the quality of life of our neighborhoods,” Ashby Johnson, Shady Acres Civic Club president said. “Mayor White’s office, State Representative Dwayne Bohac and Council Member Adrian Garcia were instrumental in helping our neighborhood achieve this victory.”
Johnson went on to say that “the Shady Acres neighborhood welcomes this ruling and can now rest easy knowing that our families will not be endangered by drunk drivers barreling down our streets.”
The owners of La Hacienda have until August 2, to appeal the judge’s decision in state district court.