Residents in the Hidden Valley neighborhood of far southern Dallas celebrated the long-awaited demolition Wednesday of a burned-out home.
They said the property near the University of North Texas at Dallas has been a nuisance for years.
“It’s been over three years, and so this is like Christmas being able to finally see something done,” resident Gail Terrell said.
Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins, who represents the neighborhood, said there are dozens more in Dallas, waiting for demolition, though code enforcement officials Wednesday could not provide an exact number.
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“Before it caught on fire, it was a time it should have been demolished then, but it was not torn down,” Atkins said.
Before the wrecking crew began work Wednesday morning, the fire-damaged structure could still be seen on Firebird Lane.
Terrell said animals and criminals went inside despite the terrible appearance of the structure.
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“People came in and they took metal and whatever they could get out of it. And sometimes you see people coming from the back because they couldn’t get in the front after the city boarded it up. But even after the city boarded up from time to time you’d see a window open. They found a way to get it,” she said.
Councilman Atkins said neighbors suffer for too long through the long city demolition process.
“If I live over here and I still got to look at this eyesore here, and my property value is going down, not going up, what do I do? Do I move from the neighborhood? Do I stay here until the city decides to demolish the property,” Atkins said.
He was there with residents to see the demolition day finally arrive.
Atkins said multiple city departments have a role in getting results.
Code enforcement writes citations and must give the property owner time to take action. If the owner fails, lawyers are involved in getting authority for city action.
The whole time, the city is responsible for high weeds and securing the property, and then demolition, all at taxpayer expense.
“We would have liked to see it not happen, but it did. We would like to have seen it taken care of earlier. But we’re glad that today it’s happening,” Resident Allen McGill said.
Atkins said he wants to see the city work faster for other nuisance properties.
“It’s something that we’ve got to clean up,” Atkins said.
Liens on the property may repay the taxpayer money if a new owner buys the land.
