Sinkhole forces tenants out, owner orders demolition home in Oakwood historic Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A homeowner in the Oakwood historic neighborhood in downtown Raleigh says his home is set to be torn down following a sinkhole underneath the house.
Nearby neighbors like Chris Crew say it's a problem with sewer lines and infrastructure they've seen for several years.
"I work on it about once a week at least it's cheaper than the gym," said Crew about his supplemental gym, aka a creek, right next to his home.
He has kept up with it for 23 years, but this hole once housed a pipe connected to a sewer line that runs all throughout his neighborhood
"It flows all the time it's a perennial stream on the USGS map. It's both part of the storm water system and just part of the natural watercourse," he described.
He has maintained this area while expressing his concerns about erosion leaks and infrastructure to the city, but nothing compares to the damage to a home 300ft away on East Lane Street.
"I knew something was going to cave in somewhere up there and unfortunately they got here to look at it 2 days after it actually fell in," he said.
A picture taken over the weekend compared to Thursday afternoon shows the hole is growing which is leaving the home hovering over it.
"It's part of the historic fabric and it's worth saving in my opinion," he said about the home considered to be in the historic district.
The homeowner Alan Jurkowski tells us the tenants have already moved out and he put up the fence to keep people safe.
He says he has talked with the city and right now it is a matter of getting different permits and right of ways to begin digging to fix the problem.
Crew also talked with the city as his property has seen damage over the years too.
"They estimate they'll be working on this actively they're working on it now, they'll be digging and trying to effect a solution within a year." he said when he asked about the home on E. Lane St.
The homeowner says they're working closely with the city to fix the problem, but ultimately they have already applied for the home to be demolished.
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