Abilene’s condemned ‘million dollar home’ remains unfinished, owners nowhere to be found

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene’s condemned million dollar home that’s been an eyesore in a secluded, private neighborhood for years is back before the Board of Building Standards after the most recent set of building permits expired with the current owners nowhere to be found.

4474 La Hacienda Drive, an 11,000sq ft. property located in south Abilene’s Vaquero Ranch neighborhood, remains unfinished one year after it was saved from demolition and sold to a new owner.

In September 2023, the new owners were given a chance to come up with a plan to bring the property up to code, and within the next several months, they began to pull building permits and started construction on several unfinished areas and also partially installed an in-ground pool.

Work on the property stopped sometime in 2024, maybe even as early as May, according to some residents in the neighborhood.

The new building and pool permits expired in July, prompting the Board of Building Standards to issue a notice of a public meeting in September because the house still has inadequate sanitation, hazardous electrical wire, and is considered a nuisance.

During the meeting, both Board of Building Standards members and Tom Choate, an attorney representing the homeowner’s association at Vaquero Ranch, stated they were unable to contact or even identify the new owners of the property.

Taylor County Central Appraisal District records show the owner is a trust called “4474 La Hacienda Trust”, and the only address on file for the trust is the home in Vaquero Ranch.

The homeowner’s association has also attempted to make contact with the General Contractor for the property, who they say is based out of Houston, but have not received any replies.

Choate says the neighborhood is growing tired of the uphill battle to have the home, which they fear is dragging down nearby property battles, finished or demolished.

“This is such an eyesore to a gated community where the homes are impeccably manicured,” Choate says. “They’re well-built, nice homes.”

Both Choate and the Homeowner’s Association President Dr. Harry Hurt are concerned about not only the visual appeal of the property, but the safety, largely due to the unfinished pool.

It has been collecting stagnant water, and since there is no fence or perimeter to keep people out, they’re afraid someone could accidentally fall in and hurt themselves or drown.

Dr. Hurt has also been treating for mosquitoes around the property, which have been getting worse because of the stagnant water from the pool.

They also say that no one has been working on the property since May, and the work that has been completed is shoddy and cheap.

“It looks like the front of a prison. It’s ugly. It’s awful,” Dr. Hurt explains.

He says that the bricks were not put up in the carefully laid pattern as intended, and that the roof and siding were so cheap, they are not up to HOA standards and will have to be redone.

The property still needs to pass the final 6 of 15 city inspections to be deemed inhabitable and have the condemnation lifted.

Board of Building Standards members voted to give the new owners 30 days to secure the pool, mow the grass, clean up trash around the property, and to start renewing building permits.

4474 La Hacienda Drive will be back on their agenda next month and likely every 30 days for the near future so they can monitor the progress and make decisions on how to proceed.

The following is an in-depth timeline of the Board of Building Standard’s history with 4474 La Hacidena Drive, which started as a new family build in 2020 and was first condemned in September 2022 due to lack of progress:

• May 21, 2020 – Building Permit issued for new single family residence.
• June 9, 2020 – Plumbing rough-in inspection passed
• June 19, 2020 – Building Foundation inspection passed
• June 25, 2020 – Electrical grounding under slab rough-in passed
• January 28, 2022 – Building Permit expired. No further progress on residence
• September 29, 2022 – Structure condemned.
• October 3, 2022 – Condemnation notices and 30/60 letters sent to property owners.
• October 7, 2022 – Received notice to appeal of condemnation.
• October 11, 2022 – Notice of Board of Building Standards hearing sent to property owners.
• November 2, 2022 – Board voted to uphold condemnation.
• March 6, 2023 – Inspected property. Structure is still accessible and incomplete.
• April 5, 2023 – Board issued a 30/60 order.
• May 25, 2023 – No contact from potential buyer. No complete plan of action received. No
• permit has been applied for.
• June 7, 2023 – Board ordered case tabled until next hearing.
• July 5, 2023 – Case ordered tabled until next hearing.
• July 6, 2023 – Received redacted sale contract from previous owner’s attorney.
• August 2, 2023 – Board ordered case tabled until next hearing.
• September 14, 2023 – Property purchased.
• September 29, 2023 – Permit issued under new owner’s GC.
• January 11, 2024 – In-ground pool permit issued.
• January 24, 2024 – Last passed building inspection.
• February 20, 2024 – Pool failed electrical inspection. No further pool inspections scheduled.
• Pool remains incomplete.
• July 20, 2024 – Pool permit expired.
• July 21, 2024 – Building Permit expired. No contact from owner or GC to explain delay.
• August 8, 2024 – Notice of September hearing posted on structure.
• August 14, 2024 – Notice of September hearing sent to owner, owner’s LLC, and lienholder.
• August 20, 2024 – Invoice issued to general contractor to reinstate building permit.
• August 23, 2024 – Building permit invoice remains unpaid.

BigCountryHomepage.com will continue to follow the progress of 4474 La Hacienda Drive. Check back for the latest information.

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