CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Ruben Butler told KRIS 6 News access to his home has been limited for weeks and he’s worried this could be a sign of more changes coming to the historic neighborhood.
Butler told Neighborhood News Reporter, Alexis Scott, he's lived at his home on West Broadway Street near Lexington for more than 20 years. He inherited the house from his late mother and says lately, he’s had trouble simply getting to it.
“Several times, I've tried to get here and I couldn't because I didn't want to drive around the barricades,” Butler said. “I did talk to two other neighbors, but they said they've never been notified that any of the roads are going to be closed.”
Butler said the road closure isn’t new. Orange barricades have been in place for a while, but he never received an official notice from the city or construction crews. When Scott met with him Tuesday morning, the road was completely blocked.
Within hours, the barricades were moved, allowing for partial access, but Butler still has concerns, especially if an emergency were to arise.
“You might have an emergency at home, you want to get there as soon as you can,” Butler added. “The people are the ones that suffer.”
His concerns were compounded after Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where leaders approved the first reading of a controversial rezoning plan that would shift parts of Hillcrest to both light and heavy industrial designations. The Port of Corpus Christi wanted to rezone various properties along the following streets: sections of Washington Street, Williams Avenue, Hatch Street, Summers Street, John Street, Dempsey Street, Priour Avenue, Nueces Street, Coke Street and Lexington Street. Many residents, including Bulter, said the the proposed changes reflect yet another wave of industrial encroachment in a historically Black community already feeling overwhelmed by development pressures.
“It feels like the entire neighborhood is deteriorating and not necessarily by the people who live here," Butler told Scott.
KRIS 6 News reached out to get answers regarding the possible road closures imposing on the accessibility to Butler's home. Flatiron Dragadaos issued this statement to our newsroom:
"Flatiron/Dragados has closed the portion of W Broadway St from N Port Ave to Sam Rankin St. For public safety, access to the area along the red below is limited to construction vehicles and equipment only. The roadway will reopen next spring once we have removed all materials from the laydown area beneath the South Approach bridge and completed final drainage work along the Salt Flat Channel. There are no residential or otherwise occupied structures within this Harbor Bridge Project construction zone."
As far as rezoning parts of the Hillcrest-Washington Coles neighborhood, KRIS 6 News also reached out to the Port of Corpus Christi, but did not receive a response.
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