Ground In Local Neighborhood Giving Residents A Sinking Feeling

STALLINGS, N.C. – The ground looks like swiss cheese in a Stallings neighborhood. “I actually stepped on a spot where I fell through the ground,” says Stallings resident Anna Gaddy. Her doorbell video captured her fall. She and her neighbors say since they moved into the new Stone Creek Townhome development in March, sink holes open up in their yards all the time. Gaddy says, “I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m worried about my safety, for one.”

Homeowner Roman Osipov has a toddler. He says, “I’ve got a two-year-old son that can’t even step outside.” The problems aren’t just in their yards. Osipov says, “We’ve got sidewalks cracking, we’ve got hollow spaces underneath the sidewalks.”

This week, crews came out to dig around. They lifted up some sidewalk squares that revealed more holes and hollow spaces. Gaddy says, “We don’t know how far this goes. I don’t think any of us are really safe.”

After, the neighbors say, crews left with no communication. Stallings resident Khrystyna Yurchenko says, “I don’t feel at peace to sleep at night and know that I don’t know what’s going on to the foundation of our house.”

Michael Terestre says, “I’m a first-time home buyer. I feel naive for trusting the process.” He says, “There’s a clear and utter safety issue going on.”

On Friday, homeowners say engineers were on site and told them they’ll do more ground testing, but that there’s no guarantee. They can’t help but think about worst case scenarios. Osipov says, “We’re trying to uncover the truth and get down to the bottom of this to make sure, God forbid, one day our houses don’t crumble on top of us.” He continues, “Who’s going to be accountable for all this?”

That is the big question. WCCB has contacted Ryan Homes, the town of Stallings planning director and the code enforcement officer, the Union County code enforcement director, and the developer. No one has responded. We will keep digging.