A Texas building destroyed by fire is still waiting for Housing and Urban Development funds to redevelop the property nearly two years after the fire, a local TV station reported.
The building, deemed a total loss, looks very similar to how it did in the aftermath of a November 2014 blaze.
“It’s the responsibility of the owner to secure the property,” El Paso Fire Department spokesman Carlos Briano said.
Sources spoke with the owners of the property, Project Vida, a community improvement group that bought the property shortly before the fire. Co-director Bill Schlesinger said his group’s hands were tied when it came to renovating the property.
“What we’ve done is to secure the building and to keep working with the city to respond to Housing and Urban Development,” Schlesinger said. “HUD made it clear that any action on the property prior to the release of funds would invalidate the entire agreement.”
The group plans to transform the property into 10 three-bedroom units as affordable housing for low and moderate-income families.