Dec 19, 2007 9:45 pm US/Central
Dallas Residents Get Holiday Eviction Notices
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
An unwelcome holiday surprise recently landed on the doorstep of every tenant in a local apartment complex - it was an eviction notice.
For the residents of the Timbercreek Apartments, in Northeast Dallas, it was a message delivered by the Grinch.
Some 1,200 tenants received the eviction notices on December 5th. From that date, they have 40 days to find a new home.
Everyone says they knew the day would come. A local developer had long ago envisioned a large retail development where the Timbercreek Apartments stand.
In May of 2006 the Dallas City Council approved rezoning for the area and the clock toward eviction began to tick. "Things kind of went on and one, and we got no new," says tenant Richard Harrison.
Residents say they never expected that news about vacating would come just before the holidays. "I went in about a month and a half ago and specifically had asked if I needed to go ahead and start finding a place to live, or if there was a tentative schedule, because we had no definite dates," explains tenant Brandon McQueen. "They were like, 'probably not'. They were like, 'sometime next year'."
So tenants such as Harrison, who has lived in the complex for 22 years, are putting holiday plans on hold. "I'm still going to be able to spend a few days with my mother at Christmastime, but everything else pretty much I've had to cancel so I can worry about packing and moving and finding a place," he said.
A spokesperson for the developing company Trammell Crow says they did everything possible to ensure a smooth transition.
A statement to CBS 11 News read in part, "Timbercreek residents will receive moving allowances... as well as assistance with relocation. In addition, we are working with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 'Mi Casa Program' that offers assistance to first-time homebuyers."
Trammell Crow officials say they chose the holidays to send out notices so families could move without interrupting school schedules.
To residents, the timing was everything. "It's a hard time to kick all these families out," McQueen said.
Two weeks after residents vacate the premises, demolition will begin to make room for a new shopping center.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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