Demolition Pending for Dangerous Dilapidated Property: Illicit Activities and Public Safety Concerns

Dilapidated property shown after June 12 city clean up

Known nuisance property, located on the corner of East 1st Steet and the 300 block of Avenue J, has been linked to documented illicit activity for years. Without active trash or sewer service, garbage and waste repeatedly pile up. The city has cleaned up the lot quite a few times already, covering all associated costs. The most recent clean-up that took place on June 12, 2025, is a temporary fix. Due to increased public health and safety concerns, matters have now escalated to the state legal level.

On June 12, Neighborhood Services and Public Works teamed up to tackle the mess. Operations & Compliance Manager Scot Carcasi reported that 46,860 pounds of garbage was removed from the property exterior, including an old junk boat full of household garbage. Due to the public health and safety concerns, the city could supersede a warrant in order to remove the waste, but only outside of the dwelling. Carcasi said, “with the amount of garbage that was out around the property, we don’t want kids running around. There is spreading of disease potential in the unclean situation.”

The police department and fire department were on standby, Carcasi said: “Just because of the number of criminal complaints that have come out of there, reports of drug use, so we didn’t want any city employees doing anything by hand, so we used heavy equipment… The Fire Department there in case there was any exposure to sharps or narcotics.”

Photo by City of Del Rio of June 12 clean up

Dilapidated property ownership often comes with complexities. For this case, Carcasi said: “The problem is the person on record that is the owner is deceased and we did a search for heirs and in doing that we uncovered there was no deed of sale, all we have is a sale contract that was never signed by all the parties, so we reached out to the selling side and they’re also deceased, so we are kind of stuck.”

After thorough investigation, Carcasi said his team found a path forward, “our outside legal counsel and property tax attorney are filing a lawsuit for the back taxes.” The case is due for the San Antonio docket in coming months. Carcasi added, “we searched all legal avenues.” He explained simply declaring the property “condemned” or labeling it “dilapidated” would not solve the root issue of public health and safety.

Reportedly, there are numerous other properties around the city or county under similar conditions. Oftentimes the owner of a dilapidated building is deceased, which leaves the property in unsafe conditions and leaves the city with limited options. Carcasi said an opportunity lies within the property’s unpaid taxes. Taxing entities, such as the city, county, and school district, can file a suit for unpaid taxes and in return gain ownership of the property.

Their plan is to demolish the structures and resell the empty lot back into the hands of the community. Carcasi said, if all goes well, the property will be “deeded over to all the taxing entities, go up for tax sale, and the sale of those properties is divvied up between the taxing entities.” The case will likely close in the New Year, with demolition penciled in for 2026.

Property as seen by Google Maps Street View in October 2024

Demolishing the residence is believed to be the best course of action, after years of recurring drug-related incidents involving various “squatters” on site. “Squatters” are individuals who occupy a property without the owner’s permission, they also complicate the legal process. For example, the demolition will likely face a delay once the property is deeded over, because they will have to provide the squatters with proper notice.

In the meantime, Neighborhood Services has been directed to “check that property frequently to make sure it doesn’t get that far out of hand again,” Carcasi said, “the problem is it’s all at the city’s expense.” They are working towards a permanent solution. Now that the legal process has been established, and a Building and Standards Board has been reactivated, the city hopes to continue moving forward on fixing up more properties around town.

The Building and Standards Board is an important board for the community. Carcasi said, “it helps us get rid of the dangerous buildings, but it also protects the property owners from an overzealous city just trying to knock down houses.” Carcasi clarified, “our goal isn’t to knock down or take somebody’s property away, our goal is compliance, public health and safety...” The Board had their introductory meeting in June and plan to review potential action on additional dilapidated properties during their upcoming meeting this July.

Photo by City of Del Rio of June 12 clean up