Lawn parking now prohibited in Tanglewilde neighborhood – Houston Public Media

Courtesy of James Schafer

Residents in the Tanglewilde neighborhood will no longer be able to park their cars on unpaved sections of lawn.

Houston City Council approved the ordinance Wednesday after receiving a petition from the Tanglewilde Civic Club. At a public hearing in July, three residents filed protests against the proposed rule.

Lan Ha and Rene Dequir said they “do not want to give up our rights to use our property as we must for whatever is needed as long as we are not causing harm to anyone.”

James Schafer also protested the new rule. He parked a trailer, used by him and his son for a live-action role-play hobby, on a section of his front lawn.

Schafer told Houston Public Media he’ll have to spend $3,000 to $4,000 to pave the section of his yard where the trailer currently sits. City code prohibits unhitched trailer parking on public streets.

“The trailer’s going to sit in the exact same spot,” Schafer said. “The ordinance is gonna cost me $4,000 so that I can do the same thing that I used to do. And as far as aesthetics, I’m not sure that having concrete there versus not is really any different.”

Kevin Whited, president of the Tanglewilde Civic Club, said residents “argue (lawn parking) looks ugly, hurts property values, ruins the charm of the neighborhood, and the like.”

“We think it will be a big win for the neighborhood,” he said.

The ordinance applies to 624 lots of property in the West Houston neighborhood, represented by Council Member Tiffany Thomas. Violations are classified as a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $150 a day.