04/26/2018
ATTN: GARDEN OAKS SEC. 1 OWNERS
Gulf Coast Commercial (GCC), on behalf of itself and Garden Oaks Baptist Church (GOBC), would like to take this opportunity to update you on the progress of the project.
As many of you know GCC has contracted to purchase the GOBC parking lot on the west side of N. Shepherd Drive between Gabby’s BBQ and Chase Bank. GOBC no longer needs the west parking lot which is now a financial burden to them. GOBC would like to sell the parking lot and use proceeds from this sale to improve the church and church services on the primary church campus located on the east side of Shepherd.
GCC is planning to build a first-class retail shopping center of approximately 17,000 square feet and to populate the center with quality tenants targeted to the customer base in Garden Oaks. GOBC will continue to be GCC’s neighbor across the street and they too want to see a quality center built that is respectful of the church and the local community.
The commercial retail center does require approval from Section 1 Owners to release the current deed restrictions on the property which currently limit the property to a religious use. If approved by Section 1 Owners the old deed restrictions will be released and replaced with a new set of restrictions for the property which will run with the land and be enforceable by GOBC, all Section 1 Owners and the Garden Oaks Maintenance Organization (GOMO) or any future successor of GOMO.
GCC has worked diligently with GOMO to ensure that it is following the appropriate, legal process to obtain the release of the existing deed restrictions from Section 1 Owners. GOMO and the GOMO attorney were kind enough to recently hold a meeting for Section 1 Owners on April 18th, 2018 to answer questions and affirm that GCC has been working with GOMO to seek their input and guidance on how to properly proceed with the deed restriction release and replacement. GCC hopes that meeting was helpful in answering questions and dispelling any rumors or misunderstandings as to the proper process and GCC’s adherence to that process.
Since early April GCC has sought to reach out to Section 1 Owners to present information as to its plans to redevelop the current asphalt parking lot into a retail center. A brief chronology of GCC’s efforts is as follows:
• GCC mailed all Section 1 Owners residing in Section 1 a packet of information regarding the sale of the property, the deed restriction release agreement, an artist rendering of like kind projects, and a website reference listing all documents. Based on Facebook posts GCC can confirm they were received by the owners on or before April 5th.
• Invitations for small town hall type meetings were hand delivered April 6th through the 8th for meetings to be held on April 10th and April 12th for selected streets. The intention was to have series of small meetings so there could be more direct interaction with the owners and GCC.
• GCC authorized the hand delivery of more invitations on April 12th through 15th for meetings to be held on April 17th and April 19th. Further, per an agreement GCC made with some neighbors immediately behind the project, GCC authorized the hand delivery of an additional packet to all Section 1 Owners residing in Section 1 containing the deed restriction release agreement, the new set of restrictions for the property (to replace the current deed restrictions), and invitation for meetings scheduled on April 17th and 19th.
• GCC held the 4 meetings noted above at GOBC so that owners from each street could attend information meetings, ask questions and voice concerns.
GCC has also met individually with homeowners who own homes immediately adjacent to the west church parking lot.
Throughout the process, GCC has asked those with concerns to provide a list of issues to be addressed. Please note that with the large number of Section 1 Owners it is impractical to try and address all concerns of the owners on an individual basis as that becomes very chaotic. There are owners who have conflicting opinions on multiple subjects. It has recently been suggested that a committee of owners, with representatives from each side of Shepherd, come together to produce a concise list of items to be presented to GCC for review. GCC is supportive of this process and look forward to working with these owners to address remaining issues as best we can.
GCC looks forward to being your neighbor and to providing a new first-class retail center that is attractive, well landscaped with retail shop and restaurant tenants targeted to the majority of Garden Oaks residents.
If you are already supportive of the project and would like to sign the deed restriction release agreement or are interested in serving on the committee, please email Patrick Barry at [email protected]. If you have questions or if you see issues raised on social media that seem contradictory to what you have read here please also feel free to call.
You may view all relevant documents and correspondence on GCC’s website: http://www.gulfcoastcg.com/gardenoaks/
Thank you.
Documents & Information Declaration and Restrictions (Vol. 1061, Pg.113) Amendment to Declaration (D973263) Proposed Release of Restrictions Proposed Declaration of Restriction Conceptual Site Rendering Frequently Asked Questions April 2nd Letter to Garden Oaks Section One Property Owners
