No action taken on ‘monster house’ issue

Township panel doesn’t address compliance of Woodlands site

Officials in The Woodlands did not take up the so-called monster house during a Wednesday night meeting, but an attorney for the township said he expects the renovations will be complete in the next few weeks.

The 18,000-square-foot home at 47 N. Longspur Drive has been under extensive renovation since a Spring couple purchased the property in 2013. The constant construction has drawn the ire of neighbors, who have filed numerous complaints about noise and traffic on the block.

The renovation project has been operating on a deadline since October, when the township sued owners Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez and Tanya Marquez Gutierrez. The lawsuit cited multiple construction delays and “continuous” violations of property covenants, which govern all physical changes made to the homes in this master-planned community.

The Woodlands Township’s compliance office has been monitoring the home’s progress on a regular basis, said Walter Lisiewski, head of the township’s Development Standards Committee.

After a May 1 deadline for completion, many expected the committee to take up the issue at its Wednesday night meeting, but the house was not discussed.

Still, the owners might be moving in soon. Bret Strong, legal counsel for both The Woodlands Township and its Development Standards Committee, said the final stamp of approval for exterior lighting and landscaping could happen by the first week in June. The couple can move into the home as long as the residence passes code inspections, Strong said after Wednesday night’s meeting.

“We don’t do that — we don’t do inspections, the county does that and the (Municipal Utility District) does that on plumbing,” he said.

Because of the township’s lawsuit against the two homeowners, Strong said he is limited in what he can discuss about the home and related issues.

He added there is nothing the township is doing to prevent the couple from moving into the home.

“We have an active piece of litigation in place for violating the (township) covenants,” Strong said. “This homeowner has a $100,000 deposit in place with the township. That money is to ensure compliance with his agreement to follow the covenants.”