HOUSTON – The City of Pasadena hopes a lawsuit will succeed in forcing two entities to obey a city commission’s order in relation to an abandoned skyscraper.
Pasadena is suing Pasadena Southmore, L.P. and Green Bank, National Assoc. on claims the defendants repeatedly failed to comply with valid orders – including a few issued earlier this year, from the city’s Building and Standards Commission – requiring action over real property located at 1001 E. Southmore Ave.
The structure in question, which was built in 1963, formerly housed the First Pasadena State Bank. Succeeding financial institutions called the office building home until it ended up in foreclosure in 1990.
The suit, which was filed on June 29 in the Harris County 333rd District Court, lists Southmore as the property owner and Green Bank its lienholder. Both companies “have failed to comply with the City of Pasadena ordinances” for nearly a decade, the original petition says.
Last Feb. 21, the first of two final orders was issued calling on the respondents to demolish the structure within a 30-day period, to which the plaintiff asserts was ignored. The respondents did not heed the second order, which was dated Apr. 23, 2018, as well, the suit says.
Court papers show that the defendants reportedly owe Pasadena more than $60,000, stating the amount continues to grow each day the property fails to obey the complainant’s orders.
The city seeks a declaratory judgment to enforce the orders in addition to unspecified monetary damages.
W. Earl Touchstone of the law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard and Smith in Houston serve as the plaintiff’s lead counsel.
Harris County 333rd District Court Case No. 2018-43863