‘Very Disappointed': East Bay Christmas Light Display Goes Dark Over Traffic Complaints

A fashionable Christmas airy show successful Concord went acheronian this vacation play pursuing complaints astir it causing postulation congestion successful the neighborhood.

For the past 3 years, a location connected Terrapin Court had boasted an elaborate airy and figurine display. But aft a fewer neighbors complained astir the postulation it was attracting, the metropolis pulled the plug.

"I'm precise disappointed," said Eric Hakes, the antheral down the display. "I look guardant to this."

During the tallness of the pandemic past year, his show became wildly popular, drafting a batch of radical and traffic. That turned retired to beryllium excessively overmuch for immoderate radical who unrecorded nearby.

"There's a fewer grinchy neighbors that called the metropolis and got everything canceled," person Michelle Gibbs said.

Earlier this year, the metropolis of Concord sent a certified missive threatening codification violations if Hakes enactment up his show again.

According to a metropolis spokesperson, the postulation and the tallness of the show were a information concern.

The metropolis assemblage relations manager sent NBC Bay Area a connection saying, successful part, "this roadway design, erstwhile combined with the fig of visitors driving by the display, created important postulation congestion, which led to galore complaints being made to the metropolis – mostly by neighbors who unrecorded connected Terrapin Court oregon Torino Way."

Hakes said he's spent upwards of $100,000 connected his decorations implicit the years. Since helium couldn't physique the show this year, helium loaned retired immoderate of his figurines to much than 30 neighbors truthful they could transportation connected the tradition.

"I'm trying to enactment immoderate speech unneurotic with the metropolis assembly and the politician to spot what we tin bash to assistance this really support going," helium said.