'My grandkids can't (play)': Unkept land in Fort Bend Co. attracts unwanted critters, neighbor says

NEEDVILLE, Texas (KTRK) -- Needville, Texas, in Fort Bend County, is two square miles with roughly 3,000 residents.

But for Alvin Lott, all that concerns him is one homeowner and 9,246 square feet of land.

"This could be a mess here, and nobody has done nothing about it," Lott told ABC13. "You've got snakes. You've got skunks. You've got wild animals. You've got all this coming over here, and my grandkids can't come out here and play. They can't play in the back."

Lott said his next-door neighbor moved out five years ago, and no one has moved in. The house started falling apart, and the yard became more like a jungle.

"I want the city to come out here and do something about it," Lott said. "It's been reported a number of times. A number of years. For five years, nobody done nothing."

The city has come out to take photographs of the overgrowth, but he has seen no change to the property's condition. Lott said he sometimes mows the front but cannot tackle the back. He wants the city to clean it up and charge the homeowner.

"I told some of the people with the city, if this was by your house, it wouldn't be like this. It would have already been cleaned up," Lott said. "Sometimes I'll do it. Every now and then, I will cut the front. But I can't cut the back. Why not? For one thing, it's not mine. It's not mine, and don't nobody pay me to do it."

ABC13 checked property records, and while the owner may not keep up with the house or the land, she does pay her taxes.

Eyewitness News spoke with the city. They provided a copy of their lengthy ordinance dealing with what they call "dangerous buildings."

Needville officials sent ABC13 the following statement:

"Thank you for highlighting this issue. The City is aware of the problem and had been corresponding with the owner of the home to resolve these issues. The City makes every effort to work with homeowners to bring them into compliance prior to instigating more formal processes. However, over the past year there has been no response to our letters. The City has started the mitigation process to bring this home into compliance and will continue to work towards getting the issue resolved in the best interests of its citizens."

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