Several Montrose neighbors are concerned over a property that appears to have been unattended for more than a year.
Nearby residents of the property said there is growing concern over health and safety issues for the surrounding neighbors and the unknown residents who started to utilize the seemingly abandoned home.
“It needs to be torn down. It’s a health hazard,” said Jake Mase, a neighbor who lives next to the property in question.
On the 1500 block of Westheimer in Montrose sits a home whose front door is visibly plastered with violation notices.
“It’s not healthy for the neighborhood. It’s not healthy for the people living there,” said Larry Carbo, another neighbor.
The seemingly unattended property caught the attention of surrounding neighbors more than a year ago. It’s become a sore sight and subject.
“I think the main issue is that it’s been going on for about a year now, and it’s just been progressively worse,” Mase said.
Carbo said at his home, he has a front seat to the dilapidated property.
“There’s no plumbing there’s no power,” Carbo said. “I literally wake up in the morning and watch people come outside in the backyard to use the backyard as a bathroom.”
Mase captured video of multiple rats entering and leaving the home through various openings. The rats left in groups. Both said these conditions are not safe for anybody to live in.
“Fecal matter, urine, leftover food, rats and roaches--and people are in there all together. That’s untenable. That isn’t the answer to the housing problem,” Mase said.
Turning to 311 and the city council, neighbors have tried to have their voices heard. However, they said they feel that they are getting the runaround considering this was first reported a while back.
“It’s a safety issue, it’s a health hazard issue and the city says they’re doing stuff about it but nothing seems to be happening,” Carbo said.
KPRC reached out to city officials who stated they had been trying to bring accountability to the situation. On April 30th, city officials with the Department of Neighborhoods stated:
The Department of Neighborhoods attempted to reach the property owner to get him/her to abate the property. We were not able to reach [the] property owner. Therefore, we are in the process of obtaining an abatement warrant so that a City crew can enter the property to secure the building and abate the nuisances. We expect to carry out the abatement as soon as possible next week.
Neighbors said they are looking forward to seeing the situation taken care of.
“It’s been a year now, and something needs to be done,” Mase said.
“At the very least, the place needs to be boarded up and fenced off,” Carbo said.