Throughout this week, the City of Bedford has been working to demolish the unpermitted structures and rectify the health and safety issues at the home in the 3000 block of Glenwood Court, with the support of the Tarrant County 67th District Court.
In February, the homeowner Chandra Gupta, was ordered to remove the unpermitted structures on his property within 30 days. The homeowner did not comply, so the City moved forward with resolving the longstanding issues. The City will send Mr. Gupta an invoice for the work and if he fails to reimburse the City, a lien will be placed on his property.
“We will continue to work with all property owners on necessary code enforcement matters and if we reach an impasse then I hope this demonstrates the City will do whatever it takes to reach compliance,” said City Manager Jimmy Stathatos
The property’s current violations included open sewage collection, dangerous electrical wiring, unpermitted structures, trash, and debris. Prior to the demolition and the subsequent court order, the City made numerous attempts with the homeowner over the years to address these code issues without success. As a result, the City Council elected to take this additional step out of concern for the safety of those on and around the property.
The work began on Monday, when the City obtained a search warrant to enter the Glenwood Court property to begin remediation. The City’s contractors started to demolish and remove the illegal structures in the backyard of the property on Tuesday. The contractors will complete the work next week by spreading a layer of topsoil and installing a six-foot pine fence around the backyard.
“It’s nice to see the case reach a final conclusion,” said Bedford Mayor Michael Boyter. “When I was visiting the property this week, I was surprised by the number of people who came by and gave us a thumbs-up or waved. I appreciate everyone’s interest in this case, their support for the City doing this work, and helping us real our goal.”