By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
A homeless encampment started forming at a vacated restaurant site two months ago, raising concerns among local residents.
The site at 7409 RM 620 was home to Taco Cabana and then Las Palapas, which closed a year ago in July of 2023.
“We have recently been made aware of the situation of unhoused people camping at the property,” said Rebecca Sharp, treasurer of Fredrickson Enterprises Inc., the Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based company that owns the property. “We are the out-of-state owners. (The site) is managed by Taco Cabana still.”
Local residents noticed that the camp was growing over the past couple of months.
“It started as one abandoned truck, then another abandoned truck. There was severe overgrowth, and trash left over from the previous tenants,” shared Stephanie Kincheloe of Four Points’ Villa Montana.
There were people that would park in the parking lot and come and go mysteriously, she added. At other times, cars would pull in and “some sort of transaction” was going on.
“The site has grown to what appears to be more than one person, multiple stolen shopping carts, multiple pieces of clothing, furniture, and debris. There are multiple dogs, the trash bins are overflowing, and there is a large stack of used rubber tires as well as abandoned vehicles,” Kincheloe shared.
Another local resident voiced concern. Michelynn Woodard lives “right down the street” of the site at Versante Canyon emailed Four Points News concerned about the safety of the growing encampment.
“I would like to see a story about the growing homeless encampment at Las Palapas on the corner of 620 and Four Points Center drive by HEB. The restaurant has closed and there are dogs, people, beds, etc. It could be a very dangerous situation soon… Soon there will be school children boarding buses, people getting food at the McDonald’s next door or visiting Orangetheory early in the morning across the street. The homeless have at least 10 dogs over there and have been seen with no clothing.”
Another post on Neighbors App by Ring shared on July 27: “There has been a homeless camp growing in size and filth for over a month. 311 has been informed as well as (the) local homeless outreach officer. Nothing has been done to remedy this. They have 6 adult dogs that can be aggressive towards people walking nearby. This has also encouraged others to start dumping on the property and two big trucks seem to be abandoned. I’ve exhausted all legal means to get this removed including reaching out to (the) owner who’s contact info led to a dead end.”
The family-run Fredrickson Enterprises has “zero” responsibility for managing the property as Taco Cabana is the lessee and taking care of the property is spelled out in the lease, Sharp said. The encampment “was not our immediate burden to handle,” she added.
Although the encampment wasn’t their burden, Sharp did say they like to be hands-on owners and frequently stay in touch with their properties.
“We strive to have all of our properties maintained in a first-class manner for the neighborhoods,” said Sharp. “As of today (July 30), I was told the individuals have left the property.”
Austin Police Department shared that if there are concerns related to homelessness, residents can submit the 311 – Homelessness Matters service request by calling 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 or austin311@austintexas.gov.
If there is an immediate threat to life or property, residents should call 9-1-1.