Comment

Comment by Judi Baker on September 25, 2012 at 7:53am

Just for instance........today 7:46a and a toter remains curbside at rental property since last Thursday, contractor debris left curbside, and pickup day is Thursday. WHY??????? Less than a month i acted like a deranged photographer with the mayor, dept of environmental services, genesee st office and joe lake.......and still the problem exists........GONE FISHING!

Comment by Judi Baker on September 25, 2012 at 7:20am

All 5 neighborhoods in the SW need to be involved in this as well as the SW Common Council.

Comment by Judi Baker on September 25, 2012 at 7:11am

Believe me, you LOSE A LOT! Just take a look at the problem properties photos on the SW WALL OF SHAME. These properties were at one time homeowner occupied. But as owners moved away or passed away, the properties were sold 'investors'. Unfortunately we only have ONE (1) landlord who patrols his 2 properties on Elba St. and usually stops to see if his tenants are causing problems and affecting the quality of life here! CITY CODES, for the most part are not worth the paper they are written on. Enforcement hasn't made it to even a 0 yet. Still trying to figure out what the Code Inspectors get paid to do other than hide out in offices.

Comment by Marian Boutet on September 24, 2012 at 5:26pm

Wow, I can't seem to get these dates right the first time. 

The next meetings are Thursday,September 27 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, September 29 at 10:00 AM.  Then Wednesday, October 3 at 11:00 AM for those who can make weekdays.

Comment by Marian Boutet on September 24, 2012 at 11:21am

We have a structure in place - the 19th Ward Community Association's Housing Committee.  If it's at all possible for you, please attend the meeting on Thursday, September 29, at 7:00 PM, 216 Thurston Road.  There will also  be a Saturday morning meeting on October 3 at 10:00 PM, also at 216 Thurston Road. 

There have been 125 views of this thread -  maybe 10 of them have been me, either reading or posting.  It's time for the 100-odd lurkers to stand up!

Comment by Lawrence Floyd on September 24, 2012 at 10:48am

Margy, I have not approached the net office. They can't do anything anyway. In my opinion what we need is some sort of legal recourse that will stop investment property buying of this sort in the neighborhood. It's probably going to complicated and a fight; investors are talking with dollars$$$, but it's not impossible. One thing is certain. If we sit back and do nothing in a few years we will see the majority of housing in our area be rental income property and if we choose to stay we will bemoan the fact that we did not fight this thing tooth and nail. It's past time to hold a 19th ward meeting and or SWAC meeting to address this as a body and quickly bring our concerns to city officials along with our promise to vote for someone else if they can't get the job done. Any realtor knows this is not good for a neighbor but it's commissions to them so don't expect them to be on our side. They will of course begin to steer people away from the 19th ward in a few years because of the percentage of rental property. It's a loose loose for us if we don't do something now!

Comment by Margy Meath on September 24, 2012 at 8:56am

Lawrence - I am interested in knowing if you have attempted to involve the NET/NSC office in this?? I'm asking as it is my experience that the common response is that they cannot do anything - or - that they say they're doing something only to find out at a later time that they have not followed through. I have YEARS of correspondence that I have saved on these types of issues related to our street... on occasion, I have pulled out that same correspondence in an attempt to move things along with getting the city to respond to issues. I hope that the housing committee is doing the same thing.  I also think you are correct in saying that this would NOT be tolerated in other parts of the city.....I don't know if that's a function of where officials live or whether we have just been too tolerant in our community or some other issue. certainly, it can only help to have the neighborhood association be vocal and persistent about our concerns and I am thankful for all the volunteers on the housing committee who are working to address these important issues!

Comment by Lawrence Floyd on September 24, 2012 at 7:49am

I'm glad to see my original post is beginning to gain some traction. We have now lost one more house on Evangeline St. (my street) and I'm pretty certain the gorgeous house across from Evangeline on Brooks is also gone. Folks we are watching a disaster in the making. The only people concerned about our neighborhoods are US in the final analysis. At the very least, we are going to have to descend on city hall with a vengeance and make our elected officials know we will not allow our neighborhoods to be turned into whole blocks of rental property. Let's make our move now before we are in "salvage" mode. Oh, and by the way, let's not allow our elected officials to say they can't do anything. We all know there are communities in the Rochester area where this simply would not happen because the town leaders would feel the wrath of their constituents. 

Comment by Kathleen Connelly on September 21, 2012 at 4:00pm

I agree that speaking as a group is essential. Code enforcement, the mayor and council members are all aware now that there are problems so it would be a good time to present evidence, strategies and a neighborhood position on what is taking place before we reach a point of no return. I understand that the Mt. Hope area is having some similar issues (though not identical) and touching base with them and joining causes where we can seems as though it would be a good step to take by those concerned. I have been on a long journey with this in my area (and have experienced this in other towns as well) and have information about the abilities and limitations of code enforcement in dealing with this here and examples of how some other communities have tackled these issues. I am happy to share what resources I have and what I've learned with others. I know last year the Housing Committee's emphasis was on beautification efforts but if the committee, or a subcommittee, would be interested in this I would be happy to participate. I'm continuing to work on it anyway, and I know of a few affected people who would be interested as well. Time is of the essence here and I'm concerned that by the time these issues affect enough people personally to spark a collective action and strategy the neighborhood will be affected to a point that it will be a salvaging effort. Better to prevent what has yet to be done than try to undo the damage, I think.

Marian, if you know of anyone interested or who we should be in contact with as far as individuals or organizations, I will certainly make the effort to put something together. I already have quite a bit of material that can be shared. There are some serious problems with what's going on and it would be great if it could become something the larger neighborhood would be willing to organize around. There are a lot of pieces to it but I can see many possible solutions as well.

Comment by Marian Boutet on September 20, 2012 at 7:48pm

A couple of corrections to the schedule:  Saturday October 3, not 13th.  Wednesday meetings are at 11:00 AM, not 10:00 AM

And yes, I know violations are rampant.  That is my point.  If we as a neighborhood do nothing, it will escalate.  The answer is to  make enough noise that the City enforces its own code.  In my mind, the best way to do that is to speak out as a  group and continue to speak until the situation is corrected.  No one said it would be easy.

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