Residents in West Houston are worried about a damaged apartment building sitting right next to a school bus stop, and they want the city to do something about it. The Westhollow Place Apartments, located in the 13700 block of Richmond Avenue at Panagard Drive, have been through at least two fires since 2018, according to ABC13. Units on both sides of the building are visibly destroyed, but tenants keep paying to live in the ones that are still intact.
John Rouse, who lives in the area, reached out to ABC13 with concerns about the property. He showed the station images of Alief ISD students exiting a school bus just feet away from the damaged units along Richmond Avenue.
“It’s a pretty sketchy situation,” Rouse said.
What Rouse saw
Rouse described the scene near the bus stop as dangerous for children and anyone else nearby. He wants the city to condemn the building.
The fires have been covered by ABC13 since 2018. One of those fires sent a firefighter to the hospital after he fell from the second floor while responding to the apartment fire, according to HFD.
The city’s response
The City of Houston tells ABC13 that its public works department oversees building codes and is looking into whether this building has received any violations.
Neighbors worry about crime
Neighboring residents told ABC13 they are concerned the building could attract crime. Calls to the property involve current tenants.
Who owns the building
The company that says it manages the building told ABC13 it is trying to fix the damaged units. But the process is on hold because of a lawsuit with a construction company. ABC13 is working to find a copy of that lawsuit.
The repair work is not moving forward until that legal dispute is settled. Tenants are caught in the middle, paying rent on units that sit across from ruins.
Key facts
- Location: 13700 block of Richmond Avenue at Panagard Drive, West Houston
- Fires covered by ABC13: At least two since 2018
- Hospitalized firefighter: Fallen from the second floor during a response, per HFD
- Calls to the property: Involve current tenants
- Public works: City department overseeing building codes, investigating violations
- Lawsuit: Between the management company and a construction firm, currently holding up repairs
Why this matters
A condemned building would force the owner to address the damage. Until then, tenants keep paying rent on units that sit across from visible ruin. The bus stop adds urgency: children wait for their ride just feet away from visible damage.
The city’s public works department is investigating violations, and the calls to the property involve current tenants. That combination of facts does not settle the question of whether the danger is contained, but it does show what the city is currently looking into.
Rouse’s images of students exiting a bus near the damaged units show the scale of the concern. A school bus stop next to a burned-out apartment building is a situation that should not exist.
The management company says it is trying to fix the units, but the lawsuit with the construction firm has put that effort on hold. That is a legal dispute between the company and a builder, and it has nothing to do with the families living there now.
For the residents who contacted ABC13, the message is simple: they want action. They want the city to step in and condemn the building.
Source material: “'A sketchy situation:' West Houston residents want something done with damaged apartments,” ABC13 Houston.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.