HOUSTON \u2013 People living near the corner of Waugh Drive and Drew Street in Houston\u2019s Montrose area say an abandoned property has become a growing safety hazard after years of complaints, repeated 311 reports, and little visible action.<\/p>\n
Neighbors describe the property as overgrown, unsafe, and filled with debris, conditions they say have attracted rats and illegal dumping while creating constant concerns for families living nearby.<\/p>\n
According to previous 311 inspection notes, city investigators documented multiple issues at the site, including:<\/p>\n
\u201cProperty remains with high weed and grass over 9 inches. Trash rubbish and debris throughout the property. Structure has severe damage to roof with parts not properly attached and hanging down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kind of just never know like when when\u2019s the next rat going to come over,\u201d said Vijay Kalvakuntla who lives directly next to the property.<\/p>\n
A City of Houston spokesperson confirmed that Houston Public Works currently has an active investigation open at the location.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe noted violations relate to high weeds, open storage, and dangerous building conditions,\u201d the spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cStaff has provided notice to the property owner, indicating the identified violations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city later added that the case had been approved for legal review and would next be scheduled for an administrative hearing that could lead to demolition or repair orders.<\/p>\n
For nearby homeowners, the updates are welcome but long overdue.<\/p>\n
\u201cDangerous, risky, gross, disgusting,\u201d Kalvakuntla said while describing the property next door.<\/p>\n
The City of Houston is preparing to schedule a hearing with the property owner to figure out next steps. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
He said he recently moved into their Waugh Drive home after being told the neighboring property was expected to be redeveloped soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were told that it was actively being marketed for a new commercial development and this would all be cleaned up,\u201d Kalvakuntla said.<\/p>\n
Instead, they say conditions have only worsened.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally what we\u2019ve seen is that they\u2019re just delaying,\u201d Kalvakuntla said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they have any intention to actually do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors say the abandoned structure has become more than just an eyesore. <\/p>\n
Residents also say the lot has become a dumping ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther people are using it just as a dumping ground for other trash,\u201d homeowner Rhuju Vasavada said.<\/p>\n
Vasavada said they first reported the property to 311 on Sept. 19, 2025. According to records they shared, an investigator visited the next day and confirmed the reported violations.<\/p>\n
But despite a scheduled follow-up date of Dec. 7, 2025, Vasavada says little happened afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat date passed,\u201d Vasavada said.<\/p>\n
The ongoing conditions have limited how often some neighbors feel comfortable using their own yards, especially families with small children.<\/p>\n
Residents say they are encouraged the city\u2019s legal department is now involved, but many remain skeptical after years of complaints.<\/p>\n
Kalvakuntla believes stronger enforcement may be necessary to finally force action from the property owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there has to be some sort of financial push for the owner of this land to really get on their feet and do something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Houston officials encourage residents dealing with abandoned or dangerous properties to report issues through the city\u2019s 311 app so complaints and updates can be tracked.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 People living near the corner of Waugh Drive and Drew Street in Houston\u2019s Montrose area say…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[108646,56,58,57,108644,50088,108645,108643],"class_list":["post-298739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-311-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-houston-public-works-investigation","tag-illegal-dumping-houston","tag-property-neglect-houston","tag-property-owner-enforcement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}