LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The owner of a home that's become an eyesore for many in the Shawnee neighborhood, is going to be hauled to court.
Louisville Forward told WHAS11 Friday that Jordan Garza didn't meet code enforcement's deadline to clean up and now they're forced to take legal action.
Letha Owens has been living on North 44th Street for decades, but in recent years she said the area took a turn for the worst.
"When I come out and have to look at that. That's nothing I want to look at," Owens said.
She's referring to the home owned by her neighbor Jordan Garza, who was ordered to clear his property by March 31, 2023. Garza declined an interview, but Tuesday he said he was making progress.
"I'm trying to put some time in everyday to try to clean it up," he said.
"It took him eight years to gather all this. It's not going to take him a few days to get it together," Owens argued.
According to Metro 311, Garza was reported six times over the past eight years and failed several inspections.
Owens said more needs to be done. She said this situation has grown out of hand, and onto an abandoned garden owned by the city.
"If you look at it, you can see there's no way that one man power can do that. He needs help," she said.
Owens asked city officials to send an extra set of hands and a professional to speak with Garza. In the meantime, she said she'll continue to speak out on behalf of her neighbors and the area she loves.
"This is where I live and I want to take the initiative to keep it nice, neat and clean-looking," she said. " I don't want people to slow down and say 'Oh my God, look at that mess.' You know, I want people to say what they use to say. 'It's so nice and clean, and peaceful down here.'"
Owens says she reached out to Councilwoman Donna Purvis several times about Garza's property and the city-owned garden. WHAS11 has done the same over the past few days, but Purvis hasn't responded.
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