Hurst City Council schedules April 22 public hearings on two dilapidated homes

The Hurst City Council voted unanimously to set public hearings for 6:30 p.m. April 22, 2025, to consider orders for the repair, removal or demolition of buildings at 916 Zelda Drive and 1016 Mountain Terrace.

Tanya Wilson, Hurst City building official, told the council that 916 Zelda Drive is a vacant, dilapidated structure that has remained unoccupied for more than a year. "It's currently a vacant structure and has been a vacant structure for over a year," Wilson said. She described cracked and split vertical studs, buckled exterior walls, boarded windows and repeated break-ins that have created a nuisance for neighbors and required repeated visits from police and code enforcement.

Wilson said staff requested the hearings because of nuisance and life-safety concerns. The council moved to schedule the hearing at the first available meeting on April 22; the motion passed on a voice vote after a second.

Wilson also described 1016 Mountain Terrace as vacant since October 2024 and not maintained since May 2024. She told the council the city has been maintaining the property, has filed multiple liens to recoup maintenance costs, and has had to pump out a standing swimming pool several times a month. Wilson said a roof leak caused portions of the roof to cave in and that the foundation is pulling up at the rear, producing wall and ceiling cracks; staff placed a placard on the property and asked the council to set a hearing for the April 22 meeting because of the unsanitary conditions and the life-safety risk.

Council members moved and seconded the staff requests to set hearings for both properties; each motion was approved by voice vote. The motions did not record individual roll-call votes in the meeting record.

Discussion vs. action: Wilson's remarks constituted staff presentation and factual description of property conditions. The council's subsequent actions were limited to scheduling public hearings; no orders to repair, remove or demolish were enacted at the meeting. Outcomes will depend on evidence and possible owner responses at the scheduled hearings.

Clarifying details: 916 Zelda Drive is located in the Glenview Addition (block references given by staff); 1016 Mountain Terrace has been vacant since October 2024 and not maintained since May 2024, according to staff remarks. The scheduled hearings are set for April 22, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in Hurst City Council chambers. Staff said liens have been filed on 1016 Mountain Terrace to recover maintenance expenses; the exact lien amounts were not specified.

Next steps: Each property will come before the council at the April 22 public hearing, where council members may take formal action after hearing testimony and staff recommendations.