¶1ON REHEARING
¶2The plaintiffs appeal a judgment denying their request for a preliminary injunction to prohibit the defendants from using a subdivision lot as a roadway to access tracts of land located outside of the subdivision. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand.
¶3FACTS
¶4The plaintiffs, Pat Wright, Jerry Bros-sett, James Jones, Johnny H. Williams, and John L. Gathright, are lot owners in the Northwood Estates Subdivision located in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. The residential subdivision is subject to the building restrictions contained in the declaration of restrictions filed in the conveyance records of Ouachita Parish. In October 2000, the defendants, Charlie and Buffy Griggs and Ord and Martha Sullivan, purchased Lot 12 in the subdivision. They began using the lot as a means to access their property located outside of the subdivision. The Griggs own approximately 56 acres behind Northwood Estates and the Sullivans own a 17-acre tract behind the subdivision.
¶5On December 20, 2000, the plaintiffs filed a petition seeking an injunction to prohibit defendants from constructing a roadway across Lot 12 for the purpose of using the lot as a means to access their property behind the subdivision. After a hearing, the trial court found that the defendants’ use of Lot 12 for the sole purpose of gaining access to their other properties was not in contravention of the subdivision’s restrictions and covenants. The trial court rendered judgment denying plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs appealed the judgment. This court’s |2original opinion affirmed the trial court’s judgment. Wright v. Griggs, 35,509 (La.App.2d Cir.2/8/02). Subsequently, we granted the plaintiffs’ application for rehearing.
¶6DISCUSSION
¶7The plaintiffs contend the trial court erred in refusing to issue an injunction prohibiting the defendants from using the lot as a means to access property outside of the subdivision. The plaintiffs assert that such a use is not for residential purposes and violates the building restrictions.
¶8Building restrictions -are charges imposed by the owner of an immovable in pursuance of a feasible.general plan governing building standards, specified uses, and improvements. LSA-C.C. art. 775. Such restrictions are real rights running with the land and may be enforced by mandatory and prohibitory injunctions. LSA-C.C. art. 779. Once a plaintiff seeking an injunction, has established a violation of a restriction, the burden shifts to the defendant to prove a termination or abandonment of that restriction. Harrison v. Myers, 25,902 (La.App.2d Cir.6/22/94), 639 So.2d 402. Building re*789striction clauses are to be understood in their common and usual meaning, in accord with their general and popular use. Oakbrook Civic Association v. Sonnier, 481 So.2d 1008 (La.1986).
¶9We will therefore examine the language used in the “Northwood Estates Declaration of Restrictions and Covenents [sic]” to determine whether the trial court erred in its interpretation of the instrument as allowing defendants’ use of their lot, considering the document in its entirety. Article One of the covenants provides that “[n]o lot shall be used [-¡except for residential purposes.” This article further states that “[n]o building shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any lot other than one single-family dwelling not to exceed two stories in height.” The restrictions thereafter refer to buildings, dwellings, fences, parking, signs, animals, vegetable gardens, dumping, individual water supply, plumbing, sewerage disposal systems, electrical power, use of guns and use of the lake.
¶10Here, both Charlie Griggs and Ord Sullivan acknowledged that they purchased Lot 12 solely for use as an access road to their tracts of land located outside of the subdivision and that they did not intend to build a residence on the lot. The trial court opined that the present activity of the defendants did not violate the building restrictions.
¶11However, in Beyt v. Woodvale Place Apts., 297 So.2d 448 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1974), the court found that the use of subdivision lots for a surfaced road to provide ingress and egress to apartments on adjacent land was a use other than for residential purposes and was a violation of the building restrictions. The court in Beytdetermined that equity favored the home owners, who had relied on the restrictions when building their homes in the subdivision.
¶12In the present case, the testimony established that Lot 12 will be used for access to the houses of the Griggs and the Sullivans and at least one other house. Thus, it is clear- that defendants intend to use the lot as access to multiple houses located outside the subdivision, rather than to accommodate a single-family dwelling consistent with the general scheme |4of the subdivision as reflected by the covenants. Although this situation does not involve apartments as in Beyt, the use of Lot 12 to facilitate the traffic to multiple homes would surely violate the spirit of the covenants. The record does not support the defendants’ attempt to distinguish the Beytcase from the present case by asserting that they are not creating a new roadway, but merely using an existing easement road. The evidence shows that defendants have significantly changed the nature of the servitude from an intermittently used utility easement serving the subdivision to a regularly traversed thoroughfare serving large tracts of property outside of the subdivision.
¶13Multiple dwellings may not exist now, but as previously noted, the defendants have unequivocally stated that such construction is planned. In Guyton v. Yancey, 240 La. 794, 125 So.2d 365 (1960), the supreme court affirmed an injunction issued to prohibit a threatened violation of building restrictions by an owner who admitted that the house he planned to build would be in violation. Thus, the plaintiffs are not required to wait until a future date to exercise their right to enforce the restrictions. Based upon the defendants’ intended use of Lot 12, the plaintiffs have shown a violation of the building restrictions.
¶14The defendants also contend that the prior use of the easement by other subdivision residents violated the restrictions such that the plaintiffs’ enforcement action *790has prescribed. Contrary to the defendants’ contention, the evidence presented of infrequent uses of the easement to access other land does not demonstrate an abandonment of the restrictions or that the [Splaintiffs’ action is barred by prescription. Consequently, this court is of the opinion that the fact of a preexisting servitude does not support the defendants’ acknowledged intent to use the lot as a roadway to access two large tracts of land outside of the subdivision. After reviewing the record and considering the circumstances of this case, we conclude that the preliminary injunction should have been granted.
¶15CONCLUSION
¶16For the foregoing reasons, the trial court’s judgment is reversed and the case is remanded to the district court for the issuance of a preliminary injunction enjoining the defendants from using, or permitting others to use, Lot 12 of the North-wood Estates subdivision as a roadway for accessing property outside of the subdivision, and further that the status quo be maintained pending a final determination of the parties’ rights. Costs of this appeal are assessed to the appellees, Charlie and Buffy Griggs and Ord and Martha Sullivan.
¶17REVERSED AND REMANDED. '
¶18WILLIAMS, J., concurs with written reasons.
¶19BROWN, J., dissents with written reasons.
¶20KITCHENS, J., dissents with written reasons.
¶21dissenting.
¶22I respectfully dissent. I believe that the trial court was right to deny a preliminary injunction. There was no showing of any intended commercial use of Lot 12 or of any structure having been built on the lot. All that has been shown is that defendants have used an existing servitude running the length of Lot 12 to access properties they own behind the subdivision.
¶23Building restrictions are restraints on the use and disposition of immovable property. Accordingly, documents establishing building restrictions are subject to strict interpretation. Doubt as to the existence, validity, or extent of building restrictions must be resolved in favor of the free and unrestricted use of the immovable property. La.C.C.Code art. 783; Brier Lake, Inc. v. Jones, 97-2413 (La.04/14/98), 710 So.2d 1054.
¶24Entrance into the Northwood Estates subdivision is from Arkansas Road onto Northwood Drive. Northwood Drive goes through the subdivision and dead-ends between Lots 15 and 27. Griggs and Sullivan own separate 56 and 17 acre tracts behind the subdivision. Griggs purchased a right-of-way from his 56-acre tract to the rear of Lot 12. This right-of-way runs through Sullivan’s 17 acres. Griggs and Sullivan bought Lot 12. They have been using an existing utility easement road on Lot 12 and the right-of-way that Griggs purchased to get to their tracts.
¶25The restrictive covenants show that Northwood Estates subdivision was intended to be a residential community free of commercial intrusions or activities. Except for one cul-de-sac, Northwood Drive is the only street in |gthe subdivision. Northwood Drive is a public road maintained by the local governing body. The “single-family dwelling” clause in the covenants regulates only the type of structure that may be built on a particular subdivision lot, while the “residential purposes” provision restricts the use of the property in general. The word “residential” as used in the covenants is in contradistinction to “business” or “commerce.” See Concord Estates Homeowners Association, Inc., supra,(cited in the concurrence).
¶26It appears that we have not reached a majority view in this case. Two judges write to reverse the trial court, stating that “it is clear that defendants intend to use the lot as access to multiple houses located outside the subdivision, rather than to accommodate a single-family dwelling ...” and that “the use of Lot 12 to facilitate the traffic to multiple homes would surely violate the spirit of the covenants.” (Emphasis added). The “single-family dwelling” provision refers only to the type of building that can be constructed on the subdivision lot. How the acreage outside of the subdivision is used is not relevant to the provision governing the type of structure that can be built. It is relevant, however, to the general use restriction of subdivision lots, that is, whether the lot is being used to facilitate a commercial venture, such as, the apartment complex in Beyt v. Woodvale Place Apts., supra, an oil and gas well, another subdivision or mobile home development.
¶27The concurring judge writes that an access road can never be considered a residential purpose “regardless -of the number of houses planned for the property locat*792ed outside of the subdivision” and that “the 1 sdesignation of all lots as ‘residential’ effectually bars the use of subdivision property for any purpose other than to construct a residence (on the lot).” (Emphasis added). Yet, the only case cited in this concurrence defines residential use “as distinguished from buildings in which people conduct business or commerce.” Concord Estates, supra, at p. 1244.
¶28There is no requirement or obligation that lot owners actually build a single-family home. The trial court found that Mr. and Mrs. Griggs had built a home on their 56 acre tract and that Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan intend to build a home on their tract. The majority opinion refers to a third home. On rehearing, it was argued that Griggs’ son intends to build a home on his parents 56 acre tract. Defendants are not proposing to use or develop Lot 12 to facilitate any commercial purpose or venture, but only for ingress and egress to their homes.
¶29Defendants have not built any structure on Lot 12. A plat of the subdivision was approved by the Ouachita Parish Police Jury and recorded with the clerk of court. The plat established a 20-fooL-wide servitude across Lot 12 “for service lines for electrical power, gas, water, telephone, sewer & drainage.” The testimony and briefs of both parties, however, state that the passage was created for and used only by the Greater Ouachita Waterworks to access a water well at the rear of Lot 12. A road which has existed for almost 30 years was constructed on this easement from Northwood Drive to the water well.
¶30The majority opinion has now enjoined defendants from building any road or from any use of the easement on Lot 12. However, other residents |4of the subdivision may continue their use of this easement to access property in the rear of the subdivision. It is clear that this easement has been continuously used to access the property behind the subdivision for recreational purposes. Plaintiff, Patrick Wright, drives across Lot 12 on this existing road to get to his hunting lease which is a commercial rather than residential use. When the subdivision streets were flooded, homeowners used the utility road across Lot 12 for ingress and egress. It is incongruous that everyone may now use the easement across Lot 12 except the owners of Lot 12.
¶31I further note that two other owners of lots in the subdivision have built passages from the street to the rear of their lots for access to lands outside of the subdivision. One of these owners does not have a residence on the lot and put up a gate because of the number of trespassers who used this road to get to the property in back of the subdivision. They each have used these passages for more than 20 years without objections.
¶32Although the trial court did not reach the prescription issue, and the majority opinion gave it slight attention, the record supports a finding that it was well-known to homeowners in Northwood Estates that the utility easement road had been used for years to access property outside the subdivision.