Dirt wall in Lowell community is a nuisance but how will it be fixed?

A sloping dirt wall towering over a portion of a Lowell retirement community has been deemed a public nuisance by a city code enforcement officer.

But months after the topic was first broached by town officials and years after the developer went out of business, questions still remain. How much will it cost to fix? And will the town foot the bill?

Magnolia Place on Owens Court in Lowell was built in 2001 by Evergreen Development Group of Lowell Inc. The first townhomes went up without a problem. But after a second phase began in 2010 the developer went out of business, according to town officials, and work stopped at the development.

This year, the N.C. Department of Revenue suspended the corporation.

Wall worries

The dirt wall has long has residents worried

Its nerve-wracking, said David Turner, whose home borders the wall. If we get a few more storms like we had the other night, then were really in danger.

Concerned residents approached Lowell officials early this year to see what could be done. Lowell City Manager Al Greene called the situation sticky, considering the problem was on private property.

City Council voted in July to change a rule to allow the city to step in and deem the wall a public nuisance. Since then, the city of Lowell has hired an engineer to assess the danger of the wall.

According to an engineer with Terracon Consultants, the wall could be considered dangerous to the residents closest to it, including Turner. The engineer recommended immediate repairs.

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Dirt wall in Lowell community is a nuisance but how will it be fixed?