Sluggish court system frustrates neighbors of White Oak Music Hall as the shows go on
Austin Quintanilla didn’t get much sleep Thursday night. Window-rattling bass and booming lyrics made their way into his family’s near northside home from White Oak Music Hall.
The 10-year-old and his mother Theresa Cavin, 34, live 400 feet south of the embattled outdoor music venue on North Main Street.
Cavin could hear every vulgar lyric from performers A$AP Mob. “Last night was probably the worst show we have experienced,” Teresa Cavin said. “This has to stop.”
White Oak Music Hall hosted the New York rap collective Thursday. The profanity-filled lyrics and thumping bass were just the latest incident in a long conflict with the venue.
More than 30 neighbors demanded Friday that the city either shut down the venue or take action to alleviate the noise level and logistical nightmare.
Residents filed a classaction lawsuit against White Oak Music Hall in December, months after it opened, saying the outdoor performances were disturbing their quality of life. In June, the lawsuit was expanded to include the city as a defendant, citing its inaction on controlling the performances and addressing noise complaints from residents.
Citation issued Thursday While HPD did take sound measurements and issued a citation to the venue Thursday, the delay in action has become a pattern both with the venue and the city, said Cris Feldman, the attorney representing the residents. “This failure on the part of city government has to stop,” Feldman said. “Citations aren’t doing a thing, that’s why we had to file a lawsuit.”
Outdoor performances at White Oak Music Hall are held on what managing partner Johnny So called a “truck stage,” a temporary structure meant to stand only for the duration of a show. This time, the stage has been up for three weeks, a resident said.
White Oak Music Hall had not yet been granted a permit for its outdoor stage when the complex hosted its first outdoor performance in April 2016, but credited it as a “special event” on private property.
City officials saying the practice was “unprecedented” and a “loophole,” the venue’s developers applied for and were granted a temporary permit — meant to allow businesses to run while final plans are approved.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the temporary permit would not be reissued after it expired on Oct. 5, 2016. The developers reapplied, however, and were granted a second 180-day permit that expired Feb. 15.
Theresa Cavin has lived in the house on Ideal Street since she was born. Initially, she said, she was excited to have a music venue nearby.
“I definitely invite change to come in, but this is insane,” Cavin said. “We’re further away from a resolution. (The lawsuit) really needs to be wrapped up so this stops being so abusive in our lives.”
Despite residents’ protests, court records show Harris County district court granted White Oak Music Hall a temporary injunction Wednesday, allowing the venue to host up to four outdoor performances before the trial begins Dec. 11. It was postponed from October due to Hurricane Harvey.
“It gets hung up in municipal court and nothing ever happens,” Feldman said. “We have ineffective laws and ineffective leadership.”
Inherited situation Feldman criticized District H councilmember Karla Cisneros, who represents the area, for remaining inactive on the issue. Residents complained to her, he said, and she forwarded the emails to White Oak Music Hall.
When Cisneros began her term in early 2016, permission already had been granted by nearby residents for the venue to begin development. Soon after, she said, conflicts between residents and White Oak Music Hall began escalating.
“I inherited an unhappy situation as things started to fall apart,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said her office was copied on a complaint from residents to the City Planner’s office and Public Works about parking issues on Oct. 2, but before that, the last complaint was received May 2.
The neighborhood’s rescinding of their memorandum of understanding with the city and the inclusion of the city as a plaintiff in the lawsuit has complicated the collaboration efforts, Cisneros said.
“It’s really in the judicial system now, our hands are tied,” Cisneros said. “I want to strongly maintain that our rules are followed. It’s an unfair allegation to say I’m not doing anything.”
Amid the litigation, the venue’s relationship with the neighborhood has soured, said neighbor Jeff Trevino.
Beside the noise issues, residents say audiences attending shows at the venue park on the narrow residential streets, presenting logistical issues that Feldman said prevented an ambulance being able to get to a baby Thursday.
Sarah Lankau, a mother of three, said she could hear Thursday night’s performance from her home in Woodland Heights, half a mile from White Oak Music Hall across Interstate 45.
“We love development in our neighborhood, we invite it,” Lankau said. “But we don’t invite this.”