TEMPLE, Texas — The ruins of the Wind Crest Apartment Complex have become what surrounding residents say is an eye sore and safety hazard.
The complex burned down in February of 2022. It was later deemed uninhabitable by the city of Temple and fenced off.
The structure sits on a privately-owned lot in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Neighbors said they're ready to see it get fixed up or demolished because they've witnessed squatters going in and out, as well as possible drug deals taking place in the parking lot.
"My property manager calls me and said, the building across the street, it stinks, it's awful," Cynthia Rainville, who owns a property across from the complex said.
Rainville said she's lost multiple potential renters because of what they see is across from the home, what used to be the Wind Crest Apartments.
She said people think it's a safety risk and an unpleasant sight.
"When we bought the property, we thought the complex would be taken care of quickly," she added.
Her neighbor, Susie Mings, said she feels the property could be unsafe.
It's been over a year since the structure caught fire, so who is responsible for taking care of it?
I spoke with the city of Temple, who answered a few questions regarding the situation. The questions and answers are listed below.
August 15, 2023
Q: Are the Wind Crest Apartments taken care of by the City of Temple or is it up to the property managers what happens to them?
A: The Windcrest Apartments are privately owned and are the responsibility of the owners. However, the city's Code Compliance has cordoned off the structures with fencing, has “Red Tagged” the structure as being substandard, and are currently working with the owner to bring it into compliance.
August 25, 2023
Q: Why is the structure still up over a year after it became uninhabitable?
A: The City of Temple is not allowed to demolish properties that it doesn’t own without going through our Building and Standards Commission for approval. We have been working with the owner to bring the property into compliance. We now believe that the owner is unwilling or unable to fix up or demolish the property, so we are in the process of securing funding and taking it to the Building and Standards commission for permission to demolish.
Q: What does it mean for the structure to “be in compliance?”
A: In general, “in compliance” means in compliance with Municipal Code and State Statute.
Q: Neighbors say there are squatter and drug deals happening on the premises, so who deals with that?
A: The police department deals with all criminal complaints.
Q: Has the city of Temple ever dealt with a case like this, where a building or complex was left uninhabitable and remained up by the private owner? If so, how long did it take to take it down/rebuild and what did the process look like?
A: We have had similar cases. Each situation is different and the larger the project the longer it takes.
Q: A home owner right across the street says she reached out to the city and even the mayor about getting the Wind Crest property fixed/demolished. She said she wasn’t given much of an answer as to when or how it would be taken care of. How does the city work with community interest and complaints about a situation like this one?
A: We answer their questions to the best of our ability.
RELATED: 'You could see the smoke and flames' | Temple resident helps neighbors escape apartment complex fire
Who is the owner?
I was able to track down the LLC that owns the property.
According to the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County, GREENSTONE72 LLC owns the lot located at 1310 South 23rd St., Temple, Texas.
I was able to find a name, number and email associated with this LLC, reached out, but have not heard back yet.
According to the city of Temple, the owner will not pay to have the complex rebuilt or demolished, so the future of the property is in the city's hands.
Expert opinions on the situation:
"This is not something that needs to be in the community or around families, "a realtor out of Waco, Ricky Gates, said.
Gates added that most likely the surrounding properties are going to take a hit on appreciation.
He also mentioned that he's gone into homes and properties like this many times. Many times, he finds squatters, gets law enforcement involved, flips the property and tries to make a profit off of it.
When that happens, the appreciation of the homes around the area goes up.
As for why the owners have taken so long to make a decision on what to do with the property, Gates said there's a chance the owners collected the insurance and left, or they don't have the money to pay for what needs to be done to fix the property.
"If I were the property manager I would be concerned because at some point you face condemnation from local government," real estate investor and broker Jeremy Fay said.
Fay agrees that a reason this property has been up for so long could be because the owner might not have the money to take care of it.
Moving forward, Fay wants people to recognize the local government is most likely trying to work with the owner to meet a resolution, without having to use government funds.
Since this is now in the hands of the city, as the owner has decided to not pay for the rebuilding or demolishing of the complex, leaders will have to find funds to do so themselves.
"The tax burden will lay on the same people the government is trying to protect in this situation," he added.
One other solution in this case could be from the same expert used in this piece.
Gates said he is highly interested in buying the property from its current owner, for the right price.
"I've been looking for a multi-family unit for a client," he said.
As for the future of South 23rd St., Gates said the property will most likely continue to impact the area negatively until there's a resolution.