HOUSTON – A boarded-up home with no water and no electricity sits still in Houston’s Third Ward, where longtime property owner Dr. Willie Mae Lewis says her family’s land has been at the center of a dispute for more than a decade.
“Little white houses with picket fence and people sitting on the front porch and they knew your name,” Lewis said, describing what the neighborhood looked like years ago.
Asked about her ties to the property, Lewis said, “Oh yes, this used to be a beautiful area,” and added she has owned the property for “78 years.”
Lewis said the house was once the heart of her family, but she recently had it boarded up. She said the core issue is “a transfer of property that was agreed on in 2014.”
Lewis alleges the neighboring school, Yellowstone Schools, knowingly built its gymnasium on one of her lots.
“They have recognized it, they understand it, they agreed to it, and they put it in writing that they know that they have built on that lot,” Lewis said.
In an email response to KPRC 2, Yellowstone Schools’ chief of staff said the gym was built in 2006, before the current administration. The chief of staff also said Lewis “has been a good neighbor,” and the school and Lewis “have worked together amicably several times to thoughtfully support our community and preserve the unique character of Houston’s Third Ward.”
Lewis said she has spent more than a decade trying to resolve the dispute through Midtown Redevelopment Authority, a tax increment reinvestment zone tied to the City of Houston.
“We have not made the resolution or transfer of properties at this time,” Lewis said.
She also pointed to another property she says was part of past discussions, saying, “They agreed to do that (move the home to) with 3002 McElhenney, which is across the street.”
After KPRC 2 contacted Midtown with questions, the authority’s attorney said the inquiry prompted a review. In a statement, Midtown said, “In our review to date, we have no indication of any binding legal documents that would support a land swap or relocation of improvements upon the land.”
Midtown said it plans to meet with Lewis later this month and said it is committed to addressing concerns with all parties involved “to clarify past conversations.”
Asked what she wants to happen next, Lewis said, “Move the house as they promised, place it on the land, everything that they agreed on, or they can give me the money for that.”
Lewis said the long delay has come with a financial cost as the vacant home deteriorated.
“I have incurred a lot of expenses by allowing my house, the house, to sit here,” she said.
Lewis said she wants “a clear plan, a deadline, and accountability.”