RICHMOND, Va. -- A few years ago, a home in South Richmond was condemned and the city said it should also be torn down.
To the disdain of neighbors, this house is still standing.
"It's disgusting to me. It's really terrible. It looks like we are in a jungle somewhere and we are right here in Richmond," Josephine Ogburn, one frustrated neighbor, said.
Ogburn lives next door to the property condemned by the city. CBS 6 cameras spotted faded paperwork taped to a window of the house, showing in February 2018, the city deemed the house an imminent safety danger that required demolition.
Ogburn is beyond frustrated that today, the overgrown brush is so tall that it covers the house and has grown through a chain link fence, spilling out onto the sidewalk. She added that the animals that have taken up residence in the home keep her on edge.
"Possum and raccoons and I'm scared of rats and everything from over there. Two raccoons play on top of the roof at night and wonder why we are talking on the porch if we sit on the porch and I'm scared of those things because they might have rabies. Then we have those big brown bugs coming in the house. I have to spray for them and it's just nerve-racking, really," Ogburn said.
Ogburn said that for years, she, her daughter and her late husband pushed to get something done about the blighted property by faithfully attending community meetings.
"About 20 years. It's been a long time. And I kept talking about it at the Oak Grove meeting and they didn't do nothing about it so I just got tired of talking. They said she paid her taxes, there wasn't nothing they could do," Ogburn said.
Ogburn said there's positive growth in her neighborhood, pointing out brand-new homes listed well above $300,000.
The CBS 6 Problem Solvers is asking Richmond's code enforcement team what has to happen to get the property cleaned up.
"Because I want something done about this house so I can live in peace and so I can sleep good at night," Ogburn said.
City representative Petula Burks said “Currently, the property is in the City of Richmond (COR) Derelict Building Program and moving through the court system. The City of Richmond is in contact with the owner, and the owner is aware of what needs to be done to the property.
Additionally, the City of Richmond has issued a notice of violation and civil penalty to the owner for overgrowth on the property.
The City is working with a contractor to perform the abatement if not corrected in the coming weeks. Any work performed by the contractor on the property will be billed to the owner.”
CBS 6 Problem Solvers will continue to follow this story and update the community.
