Commission adopts amended order for 6700 Branchwood Drive after neighbors cite public‑safety incidents

The Building and Standards Commission adopted an amended staff order Thursday for 6700 Branchwood Drive after neighbors presented a sustained record of nuisance and safety problems and staff described serious interior and exterior code violations.

Inspector Trey Kleinert told the commission the case began with a November 2024 complaint. Kleinert said follow‑up inspections found hoarding, evidence of habitation in an accessory shed, missing life‑safety devices and a main electrical panel with an exposed live faceplate that presents an immediate shock hazard.

Neighbors described a pattern of calls for service. Private investigator Miles Williams told the commission his review of public records showed more than 220 police calls to the address over roughly two years, including arrests and high‑acuity EMS responses. Neighbors reported open drug use, violent episodes and safety problems that have affected daily life in the block.

Staff and witnesses said the property's ownership history is complicated: title records, trust instruments and defaulted payments raise questions about who can be served. Staff said they had attempted certified mail and phone outreach and had contact attempts with some parties, and social‑services staff had engaged with the occupant, who reportedly declined services.

After extended discussion about the commission’s authority to vacate an owner‑occupied structure and the practical difficulties of vacating a medically vulnerable owner, Commissioner Rivera moved to adopt staff's findings and a modified order adding: a 60‑day vacate provision, authorization for the code official to vacate and assess expenses and a prohibition on reoccupation until repairs are verified. The motion was seconded and later adopted by the commission.

What the order does: it directs the owner to obtain permits and complete repairs within the stated timelines, requires the property be vacated under a specified schedule if the vacate provision is triggered, authorizes the code official to take action if compliance fails, and allows the city to assess expenses as a lien if permitted by Texas law.

Why it matters: residents and staff described extended public‑safety impacts to neighbors and repeated emergency responses. Commissioners balanced the need to protect the public with legal limits on vacating an owner and the city’s obligation to provide due process.