State Rep. Jolanda \u201cJo\u201d Jones (D\u2013District 147) <\/a>made it clear where she stands.<\/p>\n\u201cWe have worked hard to make this neighborhood where people want to be,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIf you think we\u2019re about to let you come in here unchallenged, you\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The press conference, organized after neighbors say they discovered plans late last week, drew community leaders, law enforcement and homeowners who live directly behind the proposed site.<\/p>\n
Their message was repeated throughout the event: \u201cNo to the store.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s being proposed?<\/p>\n
According to Jones, the project would be a convenience store gas station. She said the developer has been described as \u201canonymous\u201d and that calls to the listed representative, Lisette Campos with Advance Surveying Inc., have not been returned.<\/p>\n
Jones said the proposal would require a replat through the City of Houston Planning Commission. She said the project had been expected to appear on the March 5 agenda, but after the public notice sign was taken down, it is no longer scheduled. She said it would have to be placed back on the agenda to move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to show up at full force,\u201d Jones said, adding that residents are closely monitoring the agenda.<\/p>\n
Safety concerns from law enforcement<\/p>\n
Harris County Precinct 7 Constable Smokie Phillips said deputies already spend a significant amount of time responding to issues at convenience stores along the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery weekend we are most likely on this street enforcing crime or trying to get these guys to move out the parking lot,\u201d Phillips said.\u201c Maybe 40% of our time is trying to get these guys to not shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phillips said his office has also launched what he called a \u201ccorner store initiative\u201d aimed at addressing drug activity around similar businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive stores within a two-block area,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cSo I join my colleagues and say no to the store.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilmember: \u201cWe don\u2019t see the need\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston City Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents District D and said she lives a few blocks away, also voiced opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t see the need for a gas station here when there are two right down the street,\u201d Evans-Shabazz said.<\/p>\n
She said she has contacted the mayor\u2019s office and planning officials to seek clarity about the proposal and potential environmental concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cA gas station can impact the environment of the entire community,\u201d she said, noting concerns about soil contamination.<\/p>\n
Evans-Shabazz said she would prefer to see the property redeveloped in a way that aligns with what residents want.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to develop into something that is desired by the community, we will embrace you,\u201d she said. \u201cBut if you don\u2019t engage the community, you don\u2019t know what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homeowner living behind the site speaks out<\/p>\n
Julia Saunders, who said she lives directly behind the property, said the proposal is especially alarming to nearby homeowners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposal for a replat and development of a convenience store and gas station threatens the safety and stability of our community,\u201d Saunders said.<\/p>\n
She said the neighborhood has already experienced serious crime in recent months and argued that gas stations can attract additional problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are real dangers that will land on our doorsteps and literally in my backyard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Saunders also raised concerns about property values.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor most of us, our largest investment is our retirement, our children\u2019s future,\u201d she said. \u201cWho wants to buy a home that backs up to a late-night convenience store?\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors cite nearby issues<\/p>\n
Scott Clements, who said he lives behind another convenience store at Southmore and Emancipation, described ongoing disturbances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were people there last night till two in the morning playing music so loud you can\u2019t sleep,\u201d Clements said. <\/p>\n
He also described prostitution, drug activity and said he has a bullet hole in his home that he attributes to violence near the store.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a bullet hole\u2026 in my back window,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t sleep in my bedroom anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community leaders repeatedly referenced concerns about crime, loitering and what they describe as overconcentration of similar businesses in Black and brown neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t see these stores in River Oaks. You don\u2019t see these stores by Rice University. You don\u2019t see these stores in West U,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
What happens next?<\/p>\n
Jones said residents are organizing two meetings at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church:<\/p>\n
Super Neighborhood meeting: Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Emergency town hall: Friday, Feb. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., focused specifically on the proposed gas station<\/p>\n
She said residents have contacted the City of Houston Planning Department and other agencies and are prepared to attend any Planning Commission meeting if the item is scheduled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not going anywhere,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe\u2019re paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday, organizers said they were seeking more information about the developer and timeline for the proposal.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 Elected officials and residents in Houston\u2019s Historic Riverside Terrace neighborhood are pushing back against a proposed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[13023,68442,447,294,4627,405,19021,56,58,57,68441,10440,7669],"class_list":["post-168885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-carolyn-evans-shabazz","tag-city-of-houston-planning-commission","tag-community","tag-crime","tag-gas-station","tag-harris-county","tag-harris-county-precinct-7","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-jolanda-jo-jones","tag-jolanda-jones","tag-third-ward"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}