Mckinley Thompson has raised a family in the Villas at Remington Point for six years and counting.
He says one of the appeals for his kids is easy and safe access to a local pool, playground and elementary school via a convenient gate near his townhouse.
"I've never had a problem," he said. "We pay into the HOA."
But last week, residents in the development on Old Decatur Road noticed a mysterious lock on the gate.
"It doesn't make any sense," said Thompson.
Victoria Herrera lives on the other side of the gate in the Remington Point subdivision. She says the local HOA started locking the gate to increase security.
But she said neighbors on both sides of the fence are now miffed and disappointed.
"From this side of the neighborhood, and then this side, all the kids kind of come together there," said Herrera. "A lot of people were upset, wondering why is there a lock in the first place?"
School kids are now forced to walk on a sidewalk on congested Old Decatur, which parents that spoke to WFAA insist is too dangerous.
"As an adult, you don't want your kid walking on that busy street," said Thompson.
Requests for comment from the HOA's neighborhood property management company went unanswered on Monday.
Herrera says no one received a warning or notice about the locks, only later seeing some unofficial comments on Facebook.
"If they really want to lock it so bad, why don't they just do it at night?" she says.
Other nearby parents, including a local firefighter and police officer, also said they received no notice about the gate suddenly being locked.
Thompson used a pair of bolt cutters late Monday to cut the lock. He says he's prepared for the consequences.