A
A LOT
A LOT OF
A LOT OF QUESTIONS SURROUND A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHWEST TRAVIS
COUNTY.
FAMILIES LIVE IN THE NEW
COMMUNITY WITHOUT WATER
OR SEWER LINES.
NEIGHBORS CONTACTED THE KVUE
DEFENDERS
WHEN IT IMPACTED THEIR
PROPERTIES.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERICA
PROFFER TELLS US WHY
IT'S NOW THE COUNTY'S
RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY FAMILIES WHO BOUGHT INTO THIS
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT.
SAY
SAY THEY
SAY THEY DIDN'T FULLY REALIZE WHAT THEY WERE SOLD AND A LOOPHOLE IN THE LAW COULD
LEAVE THEM IN LIMBO. UNLESS
THE COUNTY TAKES ACTION.
PULL YOUR TRUCK OVER HERE"..
THE INVISIBLE BOUNDARY BETWEEN
OUR LAND AND OUR
NEIGHBOR'S IS A LINE OF TRUST.
"TRUST" VIOLATED FOR ROB
FACCONE.
WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON THIS SIDE
OF THE PROPERTY LINE.
FACCONE SAYS A DEVELOPER CUT
THROUGH HIS LAND.
THEY CAME THROUGH HERE AND
PUSHED OVER TREES.
AND SET FIRE ALONG THE
PERIMETER.
YOU SEE WHERE MY DRIVEWAY IS?
ALL OF THIS WAS ON FIRE AROUND
MY CHICKEN COUPS
KVUE'S DRONEVUE COULD SEE MORE
THAN THE
ENCROACHMENT.
PORTABLE TOILETS SIT OUTSIDE
MANUFACTURED
HOMES. ALONG WITH LARGE WATER
TANKS
IT'S JUST TERRIBLE.
CHAD MOSS LIVES ACROSS THE
STREET.
IT WAS SOME TIME LAST YEAR THAT
WE STARTED NOTICING SIGNS
GOING
GOING UP
GOING UP AND LOTS FOR SALE. IT WASN'T OUR SAY TO DO WITH THEIR PROPERTY.
BUT BEING NEIGHBORLY DOESN'T
MEAN LOOKING THE OTHER WAY.
WE ASSUMED THEY WERE GOING
THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS
MOSS CALLED THE COUNTY WHEN WORK
CREWS
DAMAGED HIS PROPERTY.
THEN, HE CALLED THE KVUE
DEFENDERS.
WHAT ARE THESE GUYS GOING TO DO?
DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE TRAVIS
COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE
SHOW THIS AREA IS "CHAPARRAL
WOODS CONDOMINIUMS."
THE DECLARATION SHOWS CHAPARRAL
WOODS IS TWO 10-ACRE SECTIONS.
WITH 9 ONE
ACRE
ACRE "UNITS" EACH. .. LAND ONLY. .NOT YOUR TYPICAL "CONDOMINIUM"
COMPLEX.
COUNTY RECORDS SHOW 14 SOLD
ALREADY.
SOME FOR MORE THAN $60,000.
NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD
WE CONSIDER TO BUY UP THIS
PROPERTY,
STRIP IT UP AND SELL IT OFF TO
OTHER PEOPLE
SEVERAL HOMEOWNERS TOLD US
OFF-CAMERA THEY
OFF-CAMERA THEY
BOUGHT
BOUGHT THEIR LOTS. THINKING THEY'D HAVE WATER AND SEWER LINES.
TOO AFRAID TO SPEAK PUBLICLY.
THEY SAID THEY HOPE
THE DEVELOPER WILL FIX THE
PROBLEM. SOME OF THE BUYERS
RETAINED
RETAINED ATTORNEY DANIEL SMITH. THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS MADE SOME MISREPRESENTATIO
NS THAT INDUCED THEM INTO BUYING
THE LAND
THESE PEOPLE HAVE PROBABLY BEEN
HERE MAYBE 4-5 MONTHS
COUNTY OFFICIALS. WHO DIDN'T
WANT TO
COMMENT ON CAMERA. SAID IN A
STATEMENT THEY ARE
"AWARE OF THE CHAPARRAL DRIVE
SUBDIVISION."
THE DEPARTMENT IN CHARGE OF
PERMITTING
"INVESTIGATED . AND SENT THEIR
CASE TO THE TRAVIS
COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE."
POINTING TO VIDEO.. SHOWING
LAPTOP
ARE THEY REALLY ONLY USING THE
PORTA POTTIES? SO WE ASKED
FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE BILL
ALESHIRE
TO WEIGH IN. HE'S AN ATTORNEY
WHO FOCUSES ON
GOVERNMENT ISSUES.
THIS LOOKS LIKE AN INSTANT
RECEIPE FOR A COLONIA
COLONIAS ARE SUBSTANDARD HOUSING
DEVELOPMENTS
WHICH LACK BASIC SERVICES.
THEY'RE ILLEGAL IN TEXAS.
THIS DECLARATION FILED BY
CHAPARRAL
WOODS, LLC, CLAIMS "ALTHOUGH A
UNIT
RESEMBLES A PLATTED LOT," IT
".DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A
SUBDIVISION OF LAND."
PLUS. A PERMIT REQUEST FILED
WITH TRAVIS COUNTY SHOWS
THE
THE DEVELOPMENT LISTED AS "NON- RESIDENTIAL." IN OTHER WORDS, THE DEVELOPER
SAYS THESE
EMPTY LOTS ARE ACTUALLY CONDO
UNITS. IT APPEARS THAT THEY
THINK THAT BY DECLARING A
CONDOMINIUM AS
OPPOSED TO GOING TO THE NORMAL
SUBDIVISION PLAT
THAT THEY MIGHT THINK THEY CAN
GET BY WITHOUT THE SUBDIVISION
RULES AND REGULATIONS BUT I
THINK THEY'RE WRONG ABOUT
THAT.
THAT. DOOR FOR A WEEK, WE REPEATEDLY TRIED
CONTACTING
THE COMPANY'S MANAGERS.
ALAN SHIELD, JR. AND STACY
HOWARD SIGNED THE DECLARATION.
NO WORD BACK.
A 2004 TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL
OPINION SAYS A
COUNTY IS AUTHORIZED "TO
DETERMINE THAT A CONDOMINIUM
COMPLEX IS A SUBDIVISION."
SO THE RESPONSIBILITY NOW FALLS
ON TRAVIS COUNTY..
IF NOTHING IS EVER DONE, AND
THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT PUT
IN
PLACE, WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM
HISTORY IS THAT THE REST OF THE
TAXPAYERS END UP BEING ASKED TO
COME BACK IN AN FIX IT LIKE IT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE HAD THEY
COMPLIED WIHT THE SUBDIVISON IN
THE FIRST PLACE
FACCONE AND MOSS WANT TO BE GOOD
NEIGHBORS.
KNOWING FAMILIES. SOME WITH
NEWBORNS.
LIVE NEXT DOOR.
JUST DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME.
FOR
FOR PERSPECTIVE.. RECORDS SHOW THE DEVELOPER BOUGHT THE LAND FOR 330-
THOUSAND DOLLARS. AND
SOLD THOSE 14 LOTS FOR A TOTAL
OF 942-THOUSAND
OF 942-THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
DOLLARS. FOUR LOTS ARE STILL EMPTY. THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
OFFICE
CONFIRMED IT'S AWARE OF THE
DEVELOPMENT. BUT ALSO COULD
NOT COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
SO, HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF
FROM BUYING INTO
SOMETHING LIKE THIS? THAT
INFORMATION IS WITH THIS
STORY ON KVUE DOT COM.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS. ERICA
PROFFER.