Homeowners upset with
“Little Sixth Street” nuisances

By Clay Reddick

It’s hard to find a parking space at the Village Boulevard scene on any given weekend night. The site is home to some of the most popular bars and nightclubs in town.
The party-friendly development in north Laredo isn’t so popular with area homeowners, who targeted a new establishment that has yet to open its doors at the May 5 City Council meeting.
The homeowners asked the city to strictly enforce the zoning ordinance in the case of Stingray’s Alley, which is under construction at the corner of Village and Springfield. Stingray’s investor Hector Benavides said he plans to open a family-friendly restaurant in compliance with the law, but the local residents suspect that the purported restaurant will be a cover for yet another bar. They want to protect their homes from noise, traffic, and drunk drivers.
Fred Santos, head of the Regency Homeowners Association, told the council, surrounding homes suffer from unruly bar patrons and crime. The homeowners believe the cluster of businesses look too much like Austin’s Sixth Street bar and nightclub district.
“We don’t want that to be a little Sixth Street, that’s how it’s being referred to,” said resident Chuck Owen.
The spot falls in the district of Council member Gene Belmares, who said the Stingray’s site is zoned for restaurants only, meaning the kitchen would have to open all the time.
Dan Ryan, who lives in the Village Del Mar condominiums, said bar owners have figured out that they don’t have to comply with the zoning ordinance. Investors tell the city they’re going to open a restaurant and serve a couple of beers to patrons, then a week later they open a full bar with live music, and the doors open at 5 p.m., Ryan said.
“They can’t create a nightclub, so they’re calling it a restaurant,” Ryan said.
The homeowners don’t have a grudge against people who want to have a good time, but they want people to know the cost to their neighborhood, such as multiple car crashes and difficult parking. The situation is out of hand, and residents want the city to enforce the zoning ordinance. Benavides said investors like him are taking a big risk and are creating jobs. The growth of the city cannot be stopped, he said.
There’s certainly a problem in the Springfield and Village neighborhood, Benavides said, but he is willing to work with homeowners to solve it. He said he could work with other business owners to get security guards to direct traffic not to park on the street, for example.
Benavides also said he felt discriminated against, because his business hasn’t opened yet, and it’s already being criticized as being a part of the problem. Stingray’s won’t be a disco, he said, but a family-friendly restaurant with a classic car theme and arcades. He plans to host car shows, art shows, and jazz nights.
Pati Guajardo, president of the Village at Del Mar Condo Association, said she has seen bar furnishings shipped to the Tesoro medical building, where Stingray’s Alley is under construction. She said the owners plan to sell beer out of “troughs” on a balcony.
Belmares said the site’s zoning designation allows for a restaurant, but not a restaurant and bar. To relieve traffic and problems, the city could put no parking signs on Village Blvd. and start towing cars. The city could also perform a taskforce code inspection, he said, with everyone from the fire department to the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission, to bust businesses for multiple violations at once. Businesses that do not comply with city ordinance could eventually get shut down.