The Briercroft Shopping Center is in dire financial straits and may soon be abandoned, according to the current manager of the property.

The property is owned by the Waco-based Dwyer Group and is managed by Cameron South, who manages 20 shopping centers in eight states for the group including Briercroft.

South spoke to the council urging them to approve a zone change that would allow self-contained, environmentally controlled storage units.

The problem with the units, citizens living near Briercroft told councilmembers, is the potential for the city’s homeless to treat the cheap units as flophouses. Other citizens worried that any changes to the property would push floodwaters farther into their neighborhood during the rainy season.

South said all changes would take place inside of an already existing building and not affect flood zones, but was not able to allay councilmembers’ concerns with vagrancy in the area. He admitted the property has many problems with graffiti, vagrancy and crime due to 50,000 square-feet of vacancy on the property.

He also admitted to being unable to attract tenants to the property and said building the storage units was the Dwyer Group's "last shot" in managing the property.

When asked by Councilman Victor Hernandez if the company was considering abandoning the property, South said the owner is considering it.

The council rejected the zone change request unanimously.

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