"They told me I needed a permit and I had to wait," said Simon Moreno. "Because they wouldn't let me rebuild."
When his lifelong home burnt to the ground just over two months ago, Simon Moreno says he had no choice but to rebuild.
What he didn't know at the time, was that a zoning law had been changed more than three decades ago, to light industrial.
That meant he'd have to get the city to change it back.
"There used to be a lot of houses here," Moreno said. "But then the city knocked them down."
Moreno and his wife put together a petition, that all of the neighbors signed.
The tight knit community made it clear the Moreno family wasn't going anywhere.
"They all talked to me and said, rebuild it! We want you to live here. We want you to stay."
After weeks of waiting Abilene city council agreed with Moreno and his neighbors. A home that has stood for this long, doesn't deserve to go down just yet.
When his lifelong home burnt to the ground just over two months ago, Simon Moreno says he had no choice but to rebuild.
What he didn't know at the time, was that a zoning law had been changed more than three decades ago, to light industrial.
That meant he'd have to get the city to change it back.
"There used to be a lot of houses here," Moreno said. "But then the city knocked them down."
Moreno and his wife put together a petition, that all of the neighbors signed.
The tight knit community made it clear the Moreno family wasn't going anywhere.
"They all talked to me and said, rebuild it! We want you to live here. We want you to stay."
After weeks of waiting Abilene city council agreed with Moreno and his neighbors. A home that has stood for this long, doesn't deserve to go down just yet.
