Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Weslaco commission orders demolitions, gives short compliance windows for dilapidated properties
Summary
After public hearings, the Weslaco City Commission approved demolition orders for multiple condemned properties and set 30- and 45-day compliance windows for select owners to either pull permits, secure structures or complete demolition, saying staff will proceed if owners do not comply.
The Weslaco City Commission on July 1 approved demolition orders for multiple dilapidated properties after a public hearing that included a written statement from the property manager of a cited building on South Bridge Avenue.
At the public-hearing segment, Gabriela Silva, who identified herself as a property manager for CFI (CF165 LLC), told the commission the rear portion of 2610 South Bridge Avenue had been burned and condemned but that the front portion of the building remained intact. Silva said the ownership group intends to board and fence the burned portion, secure the site and pursue demolition or restoration when funding is available: “We are committed to developing a timeline and plan for demolition in the near future,” she said.
Code-enforcement staff and the board of adjustments recommended demolition for a group of properties listed on the agenda. The commission voted to approve demolition for the properties grouped as items 2–7 and 10–11. For the remaining properties the commission split its action: it approved giving certain owners short compliance windows (30 days) to complete required work and ordered staff to proceed with demolition if owners failed to comply. On one property (item 12), the administration recommended and the commission approved a phased schedule: 30 days to pull a permit and 45 days to complete demolition of the burned portion and to install fencing and boarding.
City staff said the primary goal is to remove hazards that draw trespassers and create public-safety burdens on fire and police departments. A code-enforcement official explained that unsecured, burned buildings become “an attractive nuisance” that contributes to repeated calls to fire and police. Commissioners debated the appropriate number of days for compliance, with some urging stricter deadlines because of public-safety risk; the majority approved 30-day deadlines for a set of properties and 45 days for the phased item.
The commission’s action included motions and voice votes rather than roll-call tallies for the demolition measures. Staff said that if owners do not meet the deadlines the city will contract for demolition and pursue cost recovery through billing to the property owner per the city code.
Next steps: staff will notify affected property owners of the exact orders and time frames authorized by the commission and will report back if demolition work is scheduled or pursued by the city.
