‘You wonder what in the world that is’: West El Pasoans unhappy about unfinished construction

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An unfinished, three-story property in west El Paso has been collecting dust for more than a year.

It's located on the 200 block of Amelia Drive, just off of Mesa Hills - and it can be seen for miles.

"It pops out and you wonder what in the world that is," neighbor Anne Hallmark said. "We're very concerned about it."

ABC-7 contacted the City of El Paso to see if it had inspected the property and deemed it safe, as is. A spokeswoman for the city declined to comment, saying the property is the subject of on-going litigation.

City records indicate city employees have gone out to the property multiple times over the past year, thought it's not clear what exactly they were there for. ABC-7 filed an open records request on April 7 with the city to obtain any inspection reports that have been filed for the property. As of Tuesday, the city had yet to fulfill the request.

ABC-7 learned construction on the home began in 2019. The property is owned by Oscar Hernandez, who said it was going to be his dream home.

"It's been a living nightmare," Hernandez said. "It's an eyesore. I've had complaints. I empathize with the people, the community, the neighborhood."

Hernandez filed a lawsuit against Limelight Contracting. In the lawsuit, Hernandez accuses Limelight Contracting of fraud. He said they originally promised him the home would be completed by Nov. 2019.

The lawsuit he filed was in April 2020. He claims the contractor walked out on the job.

"This is fraud," Hernandez said. "To be making contracts and say that they're going to get a job done, and then take money and do whatever they want with it. They left a half-built project and they took off."

When ABC-7 reached out to Limelight Contracting over the phone, a woman who answered refused to answer any questions, and said all questions should go to her lawyer.

Attorney Stephen Nickey also would not comment on the situation, but added that his clients are considering filing a countersuit.

The litigation is currently at a stand still due to the pandemic.

Hernandez said he hopes to put the whole ordeal behind him, and is now looking to sell the property.