A group of Third Ward residents is calling foul on a developer they say is engaged in unauthorized construction that violates the neighborhood’s deed restrictions.
Their fears run deeper than just one property.
Residents warn of the destruction of their neighborhood’s aesthetic, rising property taxes, a double standard that favors wealthy developers with no allegiance to the community and a blueprint for colonizing Houston’s Black neighborhoods.
The property in question
The flashpoint of residents’ anger is 3838 Southmore, near Scott Street. Behind an existing house, a second large home has been erected without city permits, according to records.
The City of Houston confirmed that the developer was told to stop construction four times in the last 60 days. Red tags were placed on the property, signifying code violations. However, construction was underway when the Defender visited the property in question.
The developer of record is TPC Endeavors, LLC, whose registered agent is Dr. Gregory Bancroft, a plastic surgeon based in Sugar Land. The company is also based in Sugar Land. The Defender reached out to Bancroft’s office for an interview with Bancroft but was directed to a man identified as his business partner, Shahab Hashemi. However, no public phone number exists for TPC Endeavors.
For residents, the matter goes beyond paperwork. They say it’s about respect—and survival.
Residents speak out
“The issue is that we have a predatory investor who’s decided to come into our community and build this structure here,” said Samantha Townsend, a Third Ward resident. “It is illegal. There are no permits. There are no codes that have been filed with the City of Houston. There is already an infringement that we see along the fence lines. It’s being done illegally.
“Although we’ve made efforts to escalate according to the policies and guidelines with the City of Houston, this predatory investor still is belligerently moving forward with the building process and we want it stopped.”
Marc Newsome, a longtime resident, award-winning director and photographer, echoed the sentiment.
“I’m a resident on this street and what I want to direct your attention to is what I call a predatory developer that’s created this big, monstrous structure in the back of the yard,” said Newsome, who is also a university professor. “They just purchased this home right here, recently. We have deed restrictions that prohibit this sort of thing. The problem that we’re having right now is city enforcement.
“Apparently, somebody can come into a Black neighborhood and just build any type of structure. And you can report it, but the issue that we’re having is no enforcement. When you call the cops, cops can’t do anything.”
Marc Newsome
“Apparently, somebody can come into a Black neighborhood and just build any type of structure. And you can report it, but the issue that we’re having is no enforcement. When you call the cops, cops can’t do anything.”
The neighborhood deed restrictions state: “All lots shall be used solely for single-family residential use… Only one unitary detached residential dwelling structure shall be erected on each lot.”
Newsome recalled how hard neighbors worked to protect those restrictions.
“We had a lawyer, we paid the expense of getting our deed restrictions updated because we didn’t want townhomes and lofts and that sort of thing on our street. We want people to have regular homes with yards, which is becoming a dying breed right now. So, we specifically spent money and implemented a lot of effort to get this done,” shared Newsome. “And then this guy comes in and he builds this horrific thing, and he builds it really quickly… Within a week, they had this big monstrosity in our backyard.”
“Belligerent” actions
To residents, the defiance of red tags and city orders makes the developer’s actions especially insulting.
“The reason it’s belligerent is because we know that if we are going to build anything on our properties, we have to file for permits and pay for permits with the City of Houston,” said Townsend. “According to the records that have currently been filed with the City of Houston, there are no records, no permits that have been filed regarding the construction at 3838 Southmore.”
“Each time that they’re red tagged, they remove the red tags. And the red tags are for code violations because there’s no code permits or anything for them to be building on this property,” said Harolyn Minix, who lives nearby with her husband, Roby.
She added, “When we had work done on our house, we had to have a permit. Without those permits, the city was going to come and shut us down. So, they have been shut down, but they continuously come back and continue working. On the window that they have now is some invalid mumbo jumbo that’s taped over the red tags, which lets us know that they’re doing this illegally.”
Townsend emphasized the pride residents take in their neighborhood.
“This is a historic community. This is Third Ward. It is deed-restricted. So, we take pride in our neighborhood. For someone to decide to just come in and disobey the laws for capital gain, it’s not right,” said Townsend. “They certainly would not want this same type of structure sitting next to them in Sugar Land or wherever it is that they live. So, we need to have it stopped.”
Frustration with city’s response
Residents say they’ve spoken at City Council and filed formal complaints. Still, little has changed.
“These people are blatantly breaking the law. Somebody should know something, but everybody wants to turn a deaf ear on us. I hope it’s not because I’m Black and beautiful. I just want to figure out who I need to talk to,” said Roby Minix, who said he reached out to Bancroft’s office directly. “I’ve contacted his office, sent emails to his office. I’ve never heard from anybody.”
After the Defender spoke with residents, the city stated that the 3838 Southmore site is considered unauthorized and remains under investigation.
What neighbors want
Residents say more decisive intervention is needed.
“We want a task force to be implemented that prohibits this, because what’s happening is, this is not the only thing, this is not the only structure. Look how huge this is. This is actually bigger than the house in front of it,” said Newsome.
Neighbor Roby Minix called for demolition.
“I think they need to tear the whole thing down because I watched them put it up and I couldn’t tell if they were filing any type of building codes. Right now, it’s a hazard to me and my family.”
Residents point out that TPC Endeavors owns roughly 12 homes in and around Third Ward.
“We’re very concerned as residents of Third Ward, and we would like the city to be as concerned as we are. Because this is going to become more and more pervasive,” said Newsome. “The more comfortable people like this get to casually build in our neighborhoods without any type of restriction, that’s going to be like the weeds that won’t stop spreading. So, the roots need to be dug up,” Newsome said.
