‘Decrepit ‘ Building To Be Demolished After Two-Year Vacancy
“An immediate hazard to public safety” was how city inspectors describe a vacant structure structure on the 3500 block of Alameda Avenue to El Paso’s Building and Standards Commission on Wednesday.
Words like “decrepit” and “uninhabitable” were also used to describe the building in July 2010, when it was first set to be demolished. Walk past the structure today and you’ll find it’s still in bad shape.
The city’s chief building inspector, Bill Stern, said the property on Alameda was about to be demolished before a 2010 Texas Supreme Court ruling that took power away from Building Commissions state-wide.
But in 2012 the court decided to reverse its initial decision. As of Wednesday, El Paso’s Building and Standards Commission was back in session, and left with about 30 condemned buildings that had been put on hold, according to Sterns.
“We stopped as a result of the supreme court decision,” explained Sterns.”We’re backlogged.”
The commission ultimately voted to condemn the building on Alameda, for a second time, but property owners Deleyeto Saiz Jr. and Leonor Pacheco Hyder were more difficult to pin down.
City inspectors said there has been no response or corrective action taken by Saiz Jr. or Hyder to date.
Sterns said they are living in California, “We notified the owners that they’re ordered to demolish the building we notify them and give them 30 days.”
If the owners stay silent, Sterns said, “We’ll be out there on the 31st day taking care of it.”
The owners’ inaction could end up costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Inspectors said an estimated $100,000 will be dumped into the building demolition along with about $123,000 in unpaid property taxes.
When asked if the owners would be required to pay some of the $230,000 owed on their property Sterns said, “It’s very difficult to get a hold of them, because they’re out of town and outside our jurisdiction.”
According to Stern, the city will have to foot the bill until the property is leveled and sold, “It’ll be very expensive for someone to buy, (however) it’s a good location.”
