Abilene’s condemned million-dollar home could be demolished. . .for real this time

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – Abilene’s condemned million-dollar home is once again slated for demolition after the property remained neglected with no progress over the past month, and the owners are still nowhere to be found.

4474 La Hacienda Drive appeared before the Board of Building Standards during their monthly meeting in September, where board members had to decide once again if they should give the property owners more time to complete construction on the property, which has been partially finished and vacant since building first began in 2021.

Over the past month, board members, as well as the Homeowner’s Association president and attorney, have made numerous attempts to find and contact the property’s owner – all of which have led to dead ends, while the property still remains unmowed with numerous hazards, such as an unsecured pool. The inside is also now exposed to the elements and trespassers because the garage door installers removed the doors after they did not receive payment.

Here is a timeline of what has happened with the property since the August Board of Building Standards meeting:

• August 20 – Invoice issued to general contractor to reinstate building permit.
• September 5 – General contractor made contact and said mowing and cleanup would be completed soon and the pool would be secured.
• September 10 – Notice of October hearing posted on structure.
• September 11 – Notice of October hearing sent to property owner, LLC, and lienholder.
• September 16 – Reached out to property owner by email but no response received. General contractor said she is waiting to hear from owner regarding cleanup and permit fee.
• September 24 – Garage door installers reported they had not been paid for the property’s doors, so they removed them. They say the general contractor has not been taking their calls.
• September 25 – Property inspection shows the yard was still unmowed and full of debris. The pool was obscured by the grass, posing a fall hazard, and was filling with water, attracting mosquitoes. The missing garage doors also make the inside of the house accessible.
• September 30 – Property needs to pass an additional 6 inspections before a certificate of occupancy can be issued and property is released from condemnation. No payment for reinstatement of building permit has been received.

Staff initially recommended to wait until the next meeting to take action, but HOA attorney Tom Choate got up and spoke, claiming they were just “kicking the can down the road.”

He cited all the safety hazards, specifically the pool, and expressed frustration at the past 4 years of dealing with the home.

Choate says he has been unable to find the owner of the property. He has been investigating all of the LLCs, liens, and deeds associated with 4474 La Hacienda Drive.

In one of the documents, he did find the name of a potential borrower in Porter, Texas.

9 LLCs are operated out of this same address in Porter, all of which have nothing to do with La Hacienda Drive.

Choate has also identified the trustee of the trust that is listed on the deed, but he has not yet tried to make contact with her.

“Things are going downhill – they’re getting worse, not better,” Choate says.

He pleaded with the Board of Building Standards to take action, saying the owners have been given the past 9 months to finish the structure.

Residents and HOA members spoke with their frustrations as well, one saying the house is like a car that’s been abandoned on his lawn and is now leaking transmission fluid.

“I’d like to have that car towed,” the HOA president stated.

By the end of the meeting, board members decided they have given the owners “ample time” to solve the problem and admitted the owners have been ignoring them.

They also acknowledged the threat of the unsecured swimming pool.

Board members briefly talked about issuing civil penalties but determined that was not an actual solution, ultimately deciding to take “more serious” action with a unanimous vote to declare the property a public nuisance, meaning it could be demolished in 30 days if the owners don’t come forward to appeal the ruling.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.