ANOTHER
ANOTHER NEW SUBDIVISION THAT MAY BE ILLEGAL. THIS TIME.IT'S ON A CHUNK OF
LAND IN EAST TRAVIS COUNTY.
IT HAS TIES TO THE SAME
DEVELOPER THE KVUE
DEFENDERS INVESTIGATED A YEAR
AGO.
KVUE'S ERICA PROFFER HAS THE
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. THIS IS THE THIRD PROPERTY WE
FOUND BEING SUED BY TRAVIS COUNTY BECAUSE
LOTS WERE SOLD TO
FAMILIES
FAMILIES WITHOUT AN APPROVED PLAT. AND
PLAT. AND
WITHOUT
WITHOUT BASIC INFRASTRUCTUR E LIKE WATER AND SEWER LINES.
THE COUNTY CALLS THESE ILLEGAL
SUBDIVISIONS,
OR "COLONIAS" WHERE DEVELOPERS
TARGET
TARGET THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TRADITIONAL MORTGAGES. TALKING
TALKING
"HOW
"HOW YOU
"HOW YOU DOING FRANK? GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
IF
IF THERE
IF THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS.. THEN IT ONLY TAKES A FEW.. "BECAUSE THEY GOT ENOUGH
COMPLAINTS"
TO MOVE MOUNTAINS.
"AND THE PUBLIC MEETING HAS BEEN
CANCELED.
YAY"
CANCELED. YAY" THE PARK SPRINGS NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION
FORMED THREE DECADES AGO.
AND BECAME A POWERFUL VOICE.
LIKE STOPPING A
LANDFILL FROM BEING BUILT.
"WE WERE ABLE TO NOW HAVE A
350-ACRE SOLAR FARM INSTEAD
OF A DUMP"
VICE-PRESIDENT TOM WEST JOINED
PARK
PARK SPRINGS 15 YEARS AGO. "WE'RE JUST NEIGHBORS THAT KEEP EACH OTHER IN TOUCH
WITH WHAT'S GOING ON,"
"WITHOUT US OUT HERE WATCHING,
BAD THINGS HAPPEN"
BUT THEIR NEXT FIGHT... IS
TOUGHER.
"IT CAME TO OUR ATTENTION, OR
HAS BEEN COMING TO OUR
ATTENTION OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
YEARS, THAT THERE
WAS AN UNCONTROLLED
SUBDIVISION,"
PROPERTY RECORDS SHOW THE
23-ACRES OFF OLD KIMBRO
ROAD IS CALLED "MUSTANG KIMBRO
ESTATES."
RECORDS SHOW URIEL CASTRO'S
COMPANY AND AJ SHIELD ARE
MANAGING MEMBERS.
CASTRO, ALSO A REAL ESTATE SALES
AGENT.
LAST SUMMER WE SHOWED YOU HOW
CASTRO AND
SHIELD SOLD PLOTS OF LAND IN
WHAT THE COUNTY CALLS "AN
ILLEGAL SUBDIVISION." . IT'S IN
NORTHWEST
TRAVIS COUNTY AND CALLED
"CHAPARRAL WOODS."
THE COUNTY FILED LAWSUIT AGAINST
SHIELD AND CASTRO.
EARLIER IN THE SPRING. WE SHOWED
YOU HOW THE DUO
SOLD PROPERTIES IN ANOTHER LOT
NEAR MCKINNEY
FALLS STATE PARK.
THE COUNTY SUED TO STOP THAT
DEVELOPMENT
AS WELL.
BACK TO THIS PROPERTY NEAR
MANOR. WE FOUND CASTRO
ADVERTISED TO A SPANISH-
SPEAKING TRADE GROUP
ON FACEBOOK.
TRANSLATED. IT READS "ONE ACRE
FOR SALE WITH ACCESS TO
WATER AND A LIGHT POLE. TWO
MINUTES FROM WALMART
IN MANOR.
CASH OR FINANCE 99- THOUSAND-900
DOLLARS."
FELIX AGUILAR RESPONDED TO THAT
AD.
AND NOW LIVES AT THE END OF THE
UNPAVED. UNFINISHED
ROAD.
"A YEAR AND 7 MONTHS BUT I LIKE
IT HERE A LOT."
AGUILAR SAYS THIS HOME BRINGS
SAFETY TO HIS WIFE AND
10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
BUT HE AND HIS NEIGHBOR HAS TO
USE PORT-A-POTTIES.
"BUT WITH TIME, I'LL HAVE THE
DRAINAGE" "I LOVE IT HERE A LOT
BECAUSE IT'S VERY QUIET. PEOPLE
GO
OUTSIDE IN THE AFTERNOON AND YOU
SEE THE BIRDS, AND
EVERYTHING IS VERY PRETTY,"
HIS NEIGHBORS DISAGREE.
INSIDE THE MEETING, SANITARY
CONCERNS
TOPPED THE AGENDA.
"WOULD EVERYONE
PLEASE WELCOME OUR COMMISSIONER
JEFF
TRAVILLION"
JEFF TRAVILLION" "THEY HAVE RAW SEWER LAYING ALL
ON THE GROUND"
HAS IT TAKEN TOO LONG? IT'S
TAKEN WAY TOO LONG.
"IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS. TWO YEARS
TO GET TO THIS POINT.
THAT'S WHAT SAD. "
MARA PHALAN IS THE ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT.
RECORDS SHOW CASTRO SOLD 13 LOTS
OVER THE LAST TWO
YEARS.
FAMILIES PAID ANYWHERE FROM
70-THOUSAND
DOLLARS
70-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO NEARLY 110-THOUSAND
.
OWNER-FINANCED AT A 12% INTEREST
RATE.
"THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
FOLLOW-THROUGH."
"THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOME
CONSEQUENCES"
THE CONSEQUENCE, FOR NOW, IS
THIS. ANOTHER
CIVIL LAWSUIT BY TRAVIS COUNTY.
IT SHOWS . THE PROPERTY WAS
"ILLEGALLY SUBDIVIDED" . .AND CASTRO SOLD THE LAND AS "AN ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD."
CASTRO REPLIED TO THE
ALLEGATIONS. WITH A
"GENERAL DENIAL."
BUT IN YET ANOTHER LAWSUIT.
CASTRO AND
SHIELDS PUT THE BLAME ON SOMEONE
ELSE.
THEY'RE SUING THEIR OWN TITLE
COMPANY. A
REAL ESTATE BROKER AND AN
ATTORNEY. STATING IN THAT
LAWSUIT CASTRO'S COMPANY AND
SHIELDS WERE "AN UNSOPHISTICATED
PURCHASER
AND DEVELOPER."
AND THE TITLE COMPANY. REAL
ESTATE BROKER AND
ATTORNEY WERE NEGLIGENT.
WE TRIED REACHING OUT TO CASTRO
AND SHIELD.
CASTRO SAID HIS ATTORNEY WOULD
CONTACT US.
SHIELD SAID HE'S WORKING TO MAKE
IT RIGHT. BUT.
WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT WHAT THAT
MEANS.
"ARE YOU PUTTING IN SEWER?" THE
PHONE
PHONE WENT DEAD. TWICE.. "THE FOLLOW-THROUGH IS GOING TO BE THE TELLING
STORY HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THESE
PEOPLE WHOLE."
A JUDGE GRANTED TRAVIS COUNTY AN
INJUNCTION
AGAINST CASTRO. IT PREVENTS
SUBDIVING
SUBDIVING OR SELLING ANY MORE LAND HERE. AS FOR FELIX. HE IS UNAWARE OF
THE PROBLEM. HE
SAYS
SAYS HE
SAYS HE ONLY SEES THE POTENTIAL OF OWNING HIS
OWN
OWN LAND.
OWN LAND. "IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT BECAUSE YOU GET TO OWN THE PROPERTY.
RIGHT NOW, I'M PLANTING TREES SO
WE CAN
HAVE SHADE, ALL PRETTY"
WE REACHED OUT TO THE TITLE
COMPANY, ATTORNEY AND
BROKER IN CASTRO AND SHIELD'S
LAWSUIT. THE
LAWSUIT. THE
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SAID THEY HAVEN'T BEEN