'Noisiest club in the city on record': Judge issues order to quiet loud bar in Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Before he even steps outside his front door, Chris Pratt, a Houstonian resident, said he can hear music blaring from a club a few streets over.
"It's just been an absolute nightmare to live over here because every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, they're going till 3:00 a.m. a lot of times," Pratt said. "They just do not care."
The club, called El Poblado, has been cited more than 100 times by the city for violating Houston's noise ordinance.
RELATED: The Standard Bar loses noise permit, continues playing loud music in Fourth Ward neighborhood
Earlier this year, El Poblado had its commercial establishment permit revoked for 702 block of West Dallas Street. The permit is required for businesses to play outdoor amplified sound within 300 feet of residences.
SEE ALSO: Houston's noise ordinance 'not working,' say residents, bars
13 Investigates found that even after the permit was revoked, the club tried to apply for a new permit under a different owner.
The city says Standard Bar applied for a new permit under the new name, El Poblado, in June.
ABC13 spoke with the owner off-camera on Friday, and he says they took over in October.
The city ultimately denied the request for El Poblado's sound permit, but residents say the establishment continued to play sound at volumes that exceed the local noise ordinance.
Now, a state district judge has recently granted the City of Houston's application for an agreed temporary injunction.
"HPD officers believe the noise violations raise substantial danger of adverse health impact on those residents. This location is one of the worst, if not the worst, violators of the city noise ordinances," according to the city's petition. "Despite the complaints and citations, District One continues to use sound amplification equipment in violation of city ordinances and to the detriment of the health and safety of the public."
The city said the injunction requires District One, Inc., which oversees El Poblado, to remove or disconnect all outdoor amplification equipment until they get a permit allowing it. They also will be required to keep a record of their noise levels and provide that data to the Houston Police Department on a weekly basis.
The city says there will be a trial on July 22 regarding a permanent injunction and El Poblado is not eligible to re-apply for a new commercial establishment permit to play noise outdoors until May 10, 2024.
In a court filing earlier this month, the attorney representing El Poblado, said the "defendant generally denies each and every, all and singular, claims alleged by Plaintiff and its material allegations, and demands strict proof thereof."
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