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While the Buttrams were upsetting neighbors by leasing to college kids, other wars were being waged in other, less exclusive neighborhoods surrounding the campus. For years, developers have been buying old but solid homes, razing them, and building multi-story houses designed for five tenants. Many students enjoy living off campus but want to remain within walking distance of school. The students rushed to lease these five-bedroom units, prompting the development of even more. Single-family houses end up demolished or left side-by-side with de facto student housing. It’s easy to see the potential for problems.

Five TCU students live in this house on Alton Road. Photo by Jeff Prince.

The phenomenon prompted Historic Fort Worth Inc. to include TCU-area neighborhoods on its list of most endangered places in 2014. That same year, city officials created a task force to develop an overlay district and redefine housing rules. The overlay district includes all of TCU’s bordering single-family neighborhoods: Bluebonnet Hills, Bluebonnet Place, Park Hill, Tanglewood, University Place, Westcliff, and Eppstein’s neighborhood, Colonial Hills.

Fort Worth was following the lead of Austin, Dallas, and other cities that have created overlays to preserve single-family homes and prevent congestion, nuisances, and safety issues. Task force recommendations prompted the city to limit rentals to three tenants. However, existing houses already occupied by five tenants would be grandfathered.

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Early on, Eppstein tried to convince the task force to disallow grandfathering and enforce the new rules on all housing. This would have helped his problem on Alton Road. But property owners and developers who had spent money building five-tenant houses under existing rules were outraged. Eppstein’s attempt to block grandfathering failed.

Next, he pushed for draconian rental rules. Some residents said Eppstein came uncomfortably close to pushing those rules through before dissenters sprung into action. Now those rules changes appear to be floundering as well.

Eppstein moved to Plan C or D or whatever it was and began pushing the city to redefine housing categories to better suit his needs on Alton Road. Through it all, he’s been uncharacteristically public. Do an online search for “Bryan Eppstein,” and you’ll be lucky to find more than a couple of photos of the longtime political guru. He has no Wikipedia or Facebook page. He’s a guy who nourishes and maintains relationships at city hall. But in this case, he’s sparred endlessly with residents, city officials, and city staff over the unwanted rental house.

Eppstein and the neighbors he’s representing, Stephen said, “have filed numerous complaints. I would say 100 complaints [in total] with the city, with the zoning commission, the city council, Fort Worth police, TCU police, and fraternities.”

Fort Worth Weekly approached Eppstein in the parking lot at city hall after the Board of Adjustment meeting. A man was already bending Eppstein’s ear, saying something that, based on his angry face, wasn’t pleasant. Eppstein, however, was poised as could be.

Eppstein told the Weekly that he and the man were acquaintances who often agreed to disagree on issues but remained friendly. Except the other man didn’t look agreeable or friendly at all. He was lighting into Eppstein.

“What you are doing is wrong,” the man said, exasperated, and then turned and strode away.

Eppstein smiled, faced the Weekly reporter, and, speaking in his cool, borderline robotic manner, explained that he is merely trying to determine the city’s rules. Accusations that he’s harassing the Buttrams are “blatantly false,” he said. The disagreement, he continued, is based on a simple question of land use.

He turned to leave but stopped.

“I appreciate you covering this,” he said.

What? This coming from a guy who, as far as anyone can recall, has never returned a phone call from a Weekly reporter in 20 years?

 

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15 COMMENTS

  1. Parents know their children have ever mean, and illiterate they are; will graduate from Texas Christian University. That is shame on Fort Worth.

    • Nah, you’re being to hard on the brats Billy. They are just Peckerwood Repug’s kids, entitled, intolerent, and spoiled. All of ’em caught that cheap shit from their families and environment at the Country Club….and so it goes.

      • Benny, you’re a stark raving lune. There’s no way you know the political prefernces and socio-economic backgrounds of every TCU student. In other columns you’ve argued that dark-skinned people are so down-trodden in this country that they don’t have a fair chance. Well, what about the dark-skinned students of TCU? How do they fit into your characterization of spoiled, entitled Repug peckerwoods?

        • The way to bet Stouty, is that ever brat at TCU is offspring of hammer-head Repugs. Sure, it’s not 100 %, but it’s the way to wager, 100% of the time, and you’ll end up with all the money. My bird-dog is smart enough to figure that out, take your meds. Get a life, take a deep breath, don’t comment on here when you’re smoking that sweet stuff. Fool.

  2. Bill and Benny,

    These “illiterate, entitled, ill-mannered thugs and brats” have now defeated the most powerful lobbyist in Texas, Bryan Eppstein, twice over housing issues. Considering Eppstein has far more money and direct influence in Fort Worth than TCU students, I find it ironic that you call us the intolerant and spoiled ones for standing up for ourselves. We love this city as much as you do, and we will not cease to protect our right to live in it. Once again, I direct you to our record on zoning issues with the city.

    • Hey kid, I’m on your side….what gives? I hope and pray you cause each snot-rag, entitled, Bagger bastard within Fort Worth city limits to haul their stinking, whining, ass out of TCU and Foat Wuff! I’m slam certain God will reward you if you can pull it off. Let me know if I can assist you in any form or fashion. You’re in my prayers.

      • WATCH your backs kiddos, you’re fooling with a true-blue rattle-snake with many, many shyster tricks and connections. No fooling. You need to be walking backwards, every step you take. I got you on my Prayer List.

  3. Eppstein wrote the book on the ‘Foat Wuff Way’, he’s more slick than snot on a door-knob. The thought that you will prevail over the creep is slim. You’ve got the same problem here as the young Latino guy who was shot down like a coyote by a Fort Worth Pig out in Diamond Hill recently….the smart money will bet on Eppstein. Right and wrong is for children and squares, and so it goes. Nothing new to see here.

  4. When my husband and I attended TCU the rental housing situation wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now. There were some rental houses but not nearly as many as now. The ones I visited though were were kept in poor shape by the owners. Currently my husband and I are planning to move back the Fort Worth with our family. We are planning to rent a home while we build a home that suits our 3 generation family. During our rental home search we’ve looked at many Fort Worth neighborhoods including the TCU area. Every single TCU area rental home we found available was a flop house that was in such bad shape I wouldn’t let my dog live there. I can completely understand why the residents of the neighborhood mentioned don’t want college students there. I find it disingenuous that the homeowners don’t understand why. Perhaps their former neighbors should invite them to stay with them during a football weekend so that they’d understand why their former neighbors don’t want to live next to college students.

  5. When my husband and I attended TCU the rental housing situation wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now. There were some rental houses but not nearly as many as now. The ones I visited though were kept in poor shape by the owners. Currently my husband and I are planning to move back the Fort Worth with our family. We are planning to rent a home while we build a home that suits our 3 generation family. During our rental home search we’ve looked at many Fort Worth neighborhoods including the TCU area. Every single TCU area rental home we found available was a flop house that was in such bad shape I wouldn’t let my dog live there. I can completely understand why the residents of the neighborhood mentioned don’t want college students there. I find it disingenuous that the homeowners don’t understand why. Perhaps their former neighbors should invite them to stay with them during a football weekend so that they’d understand why their former neighbors don’t want to live next to college students.

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