SW Wall of Shame

This is what many of us homeowners wake up to every morning on Elba St. A few of us seniors are up around 6a picking up the messes in front of and on yards belonging to tenants. Sure wish these SW landlords would either better screen their tenants or the City Inspectors would better do their jobs! I have decided to turn my eyes away. No pay, no benefits, NO work, NOT me!! ~~jussayin

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 22, 2012 at 10:27am

I actually know how to do this (former real estate attorney) but hadn't had a reason until now.

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 22, 2012 at 4:28pm

Looks like 106 may be trying to set up a drive thru pharmacy. 3 pull ups and they r DONE ! Landlord is known to this poster!

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 22, 2012 at 5:15pm

How about I come over with a camera and take pictures of license plates?

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 22, 2012 at 7:26pm

he seems to b making deliveries every 15-30 minutes. gurl u know i have a camera, tripod, and remote AND great cover ie. bean vines :o) But ur welcome to come over for tea! Porch/Window Watch in effect again!!

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 22, 2012 at 9:21pm

I'm out of town for the next 4 days. I'm thinking I'll call the city and Joe when I get back and see what they can tell me about 95 and 21. Then if necessary (I'm thinking it will be) I will show up at city hall. I will mention 106 at the next We Care meeting as well. Tea sounds good. How about early next week?

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 23, 2012 at 2:14pm

Landlord was informed today about the possibility and he has said it will be dealt with immediately. Current tenants are slated to move within the next 2 weeks or so. He has a copy of the 'HOW TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR' brochure to go over with the next prospective tenant. I also have his contact # to notify him immediately of any problems. Landlord at 90 Elba also given brochures and i have his contact info also. He was also informed that this street is closely monitored and that WE prefer to handle problems with landlords FIRST, but if ignored, WE will take action......

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 23, 2012 at 6:08am

Thursday Aug 23 and now we have 'front yard parking' at 55 Elba. That generally happens when folks are allowed to convert a single family unit into a double. Parking issues will increase as conversions and rooming houses continue to pop up.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 23, 2012 at 9:05am

If it looks like it's more than a one-time thing we can call the net office. It's afainst the City code to park on the front lawn:

§ 120-173. Off-street parking.

Secton F, Subsection C

Parking for single-family, two-family and attached dwellings in all districts shall be limited to no more than three vehicles for each dwelling unit. No parking for such residential uses shall be located in the side or front yard except in a legal driveway that provides access to the rear yard, a detached or attached garage.

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Permalink Reply by Margy Meath on August 23, 2012 at 10:33am

Good luck with the parking issues..... it's a nightmare to try and get the city to respond to these things. Code issues are under one jurisdiction and parking is under another. We had a home that had BIG issues with both code AND parking. 5 years of almost constant advocacy finally resulted in the city following through with some fines re: the "code" issues. Parking was another story completely - despite numerous calls to 911 and 311 the parking was NEVER addressed. Neighbors would call in the complaint and literally watch to see if anyone responded - there was never a response. When we finally made a huge stink by going up the 'chain of command' we started seeing parking violation vehicles on the street but NEVER when we called.

Cars are also not supposed to park on sidewalks however every single time i drive down Thurston there is at least one (usually 3-5) vehicles parked on sidewalks. Can you even imagine that being tolerated on Park Ave, Winton Road, East Avenue, South Avenue, etc!?!

Advocacy around these types of thing just in our neighborhood could be a FULL TIME job!

I wonder if citizens could sue the city for "pain and suffering" re: some of these things??

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 23, 2012 at 5:23pm

I would like to suggest that anyone who can show up at the next We Care meeting. David Hawke is always there, as are the 2 Southwest police liaisons. There are also representatives from City Hall They really do listen and are good with suggestions about how to get things accomplished. I plan to bring up these issues next meeting, but the more the merrier!! In any event, let's get a list of concerns on Elba St, and I will present them.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Warren on August 23, 2012 at 11:50pm

I have had a lot of experience in the south wedge with this sort of thing, and yes, it can be discouraging. But we had tremendous success eventually, and it was mainly because we continually made pests of ourselves. Eventually we got the drug dealers out, the houses bought by good landlords and owner occupants, and the rents eventually went up so high that I had to move. There are a lot of caring people on Elba St who take the time to pick up trash, talk to their neighbors, and keep their properties nice. I found the city very supportive in the South Wedge, and so far every time I've called they have shown up within 24 hours.

As for suggestions, they are things that residents can do in conjunction with the city and the police. And the first is exactly what we are doing--call every time we see a problem.

As for the drug dealers, I have been battling them for 15 years. I chased them out of Comfort St, and I closed down the open air drug market in front of my business when it was on Main St. I'm not afraid of drug dealers.

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 24, 2012 at 6:06am

The landlord is aware of the problem at 106 and he will handle it quickly. He usually stops by after new tenants move in to check to see if there are any problems. He's one landlord i see regularily on this street! He also owns 6 and 8, and 121. So far he might b n line for 'landlord of the year'!