McAllen holds entertainment district code enforcement meeting

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — There are still questions about how the city of McAllen is dealing with its entertainment district. On Monday, City Manager Isaac Tawil invited community stakeholders to a meeting to discuss code enforcement actions happening in the downtown area and across the city.

In a letter from his office, inviting everyone interested in speaking at Monday's meeting, Tawil wrote that enforcement was important, but that it would not be enough on its own. He called for additional collaboration with the city, businesses, and property owners.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos kicked off the meeting, assuring everyone in attendance that he wanted them to be successful. Saying that was beneficial for themselves and the city as a whole.

“We want the operators to succeed but never, never risk public safety,” Villalobos said.

The crackdown in the entertainment district began after a viral video circulated of a McAllen police officer being assaulted. The officer was attempting to break up a fight between clubgoers.

Several of the business and property owners in attendance seemed blindsided by the enforcement actions. Some said they were not aware of what rules the city wanted them to follow until after establishments had been cited.

One property owner told city officials, “You’re problem is that you didn’t tell us until somebody got hurt. Until somebody got injured, and it embarrassed the city of McAllen.”

The issue of how many law enforcement officers patrol the entertainment district was brought up several times by various speakers. One man questioned Tawil, highlighting the contrast between McAllen and Austin and the heavy police presence that the city deploys to its own entertainment district on 6th Street.

Tawil said he wanted to strike a balance between a show of force like that and creating a welcoming environment.

“What I don’t want is an environment where it is the police out removing people, because nobody wants to be around that. So how can we operate in a way that is responsible and conducive to people wanting to be there?”

The City Manager asked bar owners to be more proactive when it comes to potential trouble in the district. Particularly when it comes to patrons who might have already had too much to drink.

One bar owner brought up the idea of forming a group with other area business owners in order to better vet potential investors and establishments. With the hopes of attracting a better clientele.

“We need real investors to come in there, you know, along with tenants and the landlords that exist right now, to set rules as to what type of entertainment you are going to invest in. How much are you going to invest? What is your target market? What is your service, what is your menu, you know?” he said.

Tawil said he supports that idea, but added the city can't force anyone to form an association, but said it could be a good way for businesses and the city to work better together.

The City Manager said the city is now really focusing on entertainment district improvements. He said crews began Monday morning to clean up the area. He added that, based on the discussion at the meeting, they could also look for quality of life improvements, such as missing benches and broken garbage cans. Tawil said the crews would be going out, perhaps daily, to keep up those efforts.