Tyler

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

Flooding, traffic jams and backed-up sewage are problems the residents of the Idlewilde Subdivision say they deal with on a regular basis.

The subdivision is just behind Old Bullard Road and abuts several retail properties across from the Broadway Square Mall. Residents say constant growth along Old Bullard Road has meant constant headaches for them, so they're speaking out against a third phase of shopping strips in the works by Hooper Tyler Properties.

Harley Hooper owns two shopping strips along Old Bullard Road that contain a number of upscale retail shops. He's been before the Tyler Planning and Zoning Commission with plans for a third shopping strip, but residents have protested in full force.

Mark Lankford, who chairs a homeowner's club within the Idlewilde Subdivision, asked commissioners on July 1 to deny a site plan amendment request from Hooper Tyler Properties to start construction on the third phase. He complained that flooding from a nearby creek had become a major problem in his neighborhood with the addition of new retail shops and said a third shopping strip would only aggravate the issue.

City officials say they plan to address the flooding problem soon.

Robin Smart, operations manager for the Streets Department, said he's visited with residents about drainage and sewage issues, and said some of the residents' problems may be related to private work they've done on their properties.

But the Mud Creek tributary that runs near Timberwilde Drive and Richmond Road still poses a problem. At the July 1 Planning and Zoning Meeting, residents showed pictures of the swollen tributary creeping up to their properties. It caught the commissioners' attention, and they asked about a possible drainage study of the area. City officials say a study has been done, and they will be sending out crews to clean debris from the tributary as soon as water from recent rains clears up.

Lankford said Hooper's developments play a major role in the flooding situation, and he hopes the city prevents the third phase of developments from going forward. He said the concrete that was laid down to build the first two shopping centers have stripped the land of its ability to soak up water from the creek.

Hooper said in July that he wasn't experiencing any of the problems the residents talked about.

"We have not been having any drainage issues, because the drain that we put in was for a 100-year flood plain. The city engineers took care of all of that, and we spent $300,000 putting in that 4-by-8 culvert underneath our shopping center," he said.

Hooper said last month that he would meet with nearby residents to address their concerns, but Lankford said Hooper didn't show up to that meeting. He said Hooper sent a representative to answer residents' questions in his stead.

Lankford said he felt Hooper slighted the residents by not showing up. He added that many residents have tried, unsuccessfully, to talk with Hooper about their concerns.

"There was a meeting and 27 people showed up," Lankford said. "You can't contact Harley if he doesn't even show up to a meeting that he initiates."

Robert Means, the leasing agent for Hooper's retail centers, said Hooper is actually quite interested in the residents' opinions.

"We invite input from the residents," he said. "That's a necessary step, because we want to know what they think. We want to be good neighbors and make sure we answer any questions."

He said residents are more than welcome to call him at 903-654-8963 to personally discuss the new developments.

Means said the third phase is in its beginning stages right now.

"We don't know what the time frame for completion is at this point," he said. "You never know what you're going to find in doing planning and due diligence."

City officials said they issued a stop work citation to Hooper several weeks ago for work he was doing relating to his shopping centers.

Officials said work crews were clearing trees behind the shopping centers, adjacent to the subdivision, in order to build a fence between the properties.

According to city ordinance, Hooper was supposed to have a permit to clear the trees, but did not acquire one before beginning the work.

A representative with Harley's retail shop said Hooper was out of town on Tuesday and unavailable for comment. Hooper did not return calls to his home or cell phone on Tuesday. Tyler City Council members plan to discuss issues related to Hooper's developments in executive session during their regular council meeting today.

The council meeting begins at 9 a.m.

HEAVY TRAFFIC: Traffic backs up on Old Bullard Road and the intersection of Rice Road at 5 p.m on Friday afternoon.
(Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.)