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After numerous community complaints, a lawsuit and formal notices of violation, a large pit that had sat exposed for years in a residential neighborhood of Mountain View has been backfilled.
The deep hole was created when a property owner demolished a home at the corner of Beatrice Street and Meridian Way in the Rex Manor neighborhood, an area north of Central Expressway that consists mostly of single-story residences.
The pit – which once covered much of the lot – is now mostly filled with dirt. A building permit for the backfill was issued in February and the work was completed in May, according to city spokesperson Brian Babcock.
“The city is currently waiting to receive a letter from the project’s licensed engineer verifying that the soil fill was completed per approved plans,” Babcock told the Voice in an email.
The owners, Kyle Kwong and his spouse Erdan Liu, had planned to build a two-story home on the site. But when the project stalled in 2023, a big hole was left behind. The situation drew the ire of surrounding residents who viewed the exposed pit as a public blight and safety hazard. The hole also spurred a lawsuit by a neighbor whose fence had partially collapsed into the pit.
Cynthia Schwarting and her daughter Meredith Clancy filed the lawsuit last year, claiming Kwong failed to obtain the required permits to excavate the site and didn’t pass the necessary inspections to carry out the project. The lawsuit also named the city of Mountain View as a defendant, alleging the city did not effectively enforce its building or safety codes despite knowing about the violations.
In late July, Santa Clara County Judge Rafael Sivilla-Jones dismissed the city as a defendant in the lawsuit. The judge did not rule on the allegations made against Kwong. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, according to court records.
Kwong told the Voice earlier this month that he hoped to construct a new single-family home on the property as soon as possible.
“I’d like to get started tomorrow,” he said. “But it depends on city approval.”
A history of complaints tied to the property
In April 2025, John Carr, a Mountain View building official, issued a letter of warning to Kwong and Liu, documenting code violations associated with the property.
“Due to the aggressive grading and over excavation conducted at the project site under your direction as the contractor, the soil has eroded extensively,” Carr wrote at the time. “The site has effectively been left abandoned in an unsafe condition that requires immediate corrective action.”
Carr documented other infractions as well, including expired demolition and excavation permits, a suspended contractor’s license and unsecured construction fencing. The letter also described deteriorating soil conditions that threatened the integrity of public sidewalks and included images of equipment and debris that had sunk into the hole.
Carr told Kwong and Liu that corrective actions needed to be taken; otherwise, the couple could face fines. It appears the corrective actions have now been implemented, although it is unclear when the work occurred.
According to Babcock, “there are no outstanding building code violations on the site at present.” However, he also noted the city has not received a permit application from the property owners to build a new structure on the site.
Still, the backfilled lot was a welcome sight for neighbors living near the property.
“It’s absolutely better than before,” said one Rex Manor resident who asked to remain anonymous.
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