Residents in Houston’s Homestead neighborhood are tired of looking at what they call a 30-year eyesore.
Back in the 1960s, it was a thriving shopping center, and Kmart was its biggest attraction.
On Wednesday, a Houston city council member brought the issue to Mayor John Whitmire’s attention and called on the developer to take action.
“On Saturday, we used to shop with my aunt. It was Kmart,” Tonya Murphy, a longtime Homestead resident, said.
Murphy is all grown up now, but she remembers the good old days when the vacant building and empty lot were full of retailers.
“I hate to see it look like that now, but it was great,” Murphy said.
The shopping center is on Homestead and Parker roads and is part of Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson’s District B.
“There was a demolition order on that Homestead shopping center back in 2011, but it was never demolished,” Jackson said.
The demolition didn’t occur then because a different owner allegedly purchased the property that same year.
Jackson told ABC13 that her efforts to find a use for the property started three years ago. Her office said several plans to rejuvenate the site have never come to fruition, but there is renewed interest in creating something to help the community.