City inspectors issued warnings to several mobile home residents along Holfords Prairie Road last week saying they needed to get code violations fixed or penalties could begin.
Several neighbors along Holfords Prairie Road in Lewisville are worried their homes could be at risk if they can't make some fast repairs.
Residents in the South Lewisville neighborhood said building inspectors approached them earlier in the year about repairs that needed to be done on many of their aging mobile homes, and then last weekend, certified letters arrived from the city warning them to make repairs by May 23 or else daily fines could begin.
The mostly low-income neighborhood is known for having a lot of cluttered yards and mobile homes with visible issues.
Lauren Neal's parents have lived on the stretch for 20 years and she said they are very aware their home needs serious work, including flood repairs and fixes to the structure, but they worry the warning given by the city isn't giving them the information they need to get things in line.
"We can make it happen, but we need clarification of what needs to be done," said Neal.
As rumors swirl in the neighborhood about land grabs for development though, city leaders are trying to calm some of the backlash from the warnings.
"We're not looking to take their property, we're not trying to rezone them out of that area. Our goal is to help and keep them safe," said city representative Matt Martucci.
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Martucci said the area simply came up on the city inspector's regular rounds and is a spot in need of serious health and safety repairs.
However, he stressed that no one is losing their homes at this point. Martucci said they aren't looking for the properties to be 100-percent repaired by the end of the month. They just need to see that residents are starting to make an effort in order to avoid problems.
"Show a good faith effort to the city that they're trying to make the repairs," he said.
Martucci added that condemning properties would require months of process including approval by the city council, and that's the last option for them if things aren't getting better in the neighborhood.
The City of Lewisville's Neighborhood Director is also looking into options to get some extra help for residents to get that work done, Martucci said.
The Holfords Prairie neighborhood is currently the site of a new drive-in movie theater being built as well as several light industrial businesses. Martucci stressed that none of that development is in any way a motivator for the inspections. He said the repairs just need to get done.
