South Dallas residents celebrated the demolition of a home last Wednesday that was burned in a fire more than three years ago, highlighting the City’s inefficiency when it comes to demolishing nuisance properties.

“It’s been over three years, and so this is like Christmas being able to finally see something done,” Hidden Valley neighborhood resident Gail Terrell told NBC 5 DFW, adding that the dilapidated structure attracted animals and criminal activity.

“People came in, and they took metal and whatever they could get out of it,” she said. “Sometimes you see people coming from the back because they couldn’t get in the front after the city boarded it up. But even after the city boarded up from time to time, you’d see a window open. They found a way to get it.”

Other residents in the neighborhood also said the burned home has been bothersome to their community.

“We would like to have seen it taken care of earlier,” said Allen McGill, per NBC 5. “But we’re glad that today it’s happening.”

The neighborhood is represented by Council Member Tennell Atkins (District 8). He said the building should have been demolished even before it was burned.

Atkins added that dozens more buildings throughout Dallas are awaiting demolition. The Dallas Express reached out to the City and asked how many buildings there might be but did not receive a response by press time.

“If I live over here and I still got to look at this eyesore here, and my property value is going down, not going up, what do I do?” Atkins said, according to NBC 5. “Do I move from the neighborhood? Do I stay here until the city decides to demolish the property?”

The cost of maintaining such delinquent properties falls to Dallas taxpayers. This includes taking care of weeds, boarding and securing the building, and finally, the demolition itself. Liens can help recoup some of these costs if a new owner purchases the property.

Atkins told NBC 5 that the City must improve the efficiency of the demolition process for nuisance properties.

“It’s something that we’ve got to clean up,” he said.