Description
There are (2) abandoned houses at the end of this dirt road off Larkey LN. The windows are boarded up, trash all around the property, the property is not maintained and all overgrown (eye sore for the community right off Iron Horse Trail), etc. Both these homes are falling apart and now recently we've seen some shady looking people along with young school kids hanging around the back of these homes and look up no good (drugs, alcohol, etc). These need to be torn down and cannot be meeting the current city codes in many areas. This is a safety issue that needs immediate attention before someone is hurt on the property.
20 Comments
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Acknowledged Matthew W (Verified Official)
Thank you for the inquiry, we'll have someone check on the location. The property owner only needs to keep the structures secured, clear the weeds, and keep debris to a minimum. In of itself, the property being vacant is not a violation of any City code.
If you observe people behaving in a manner described by your inquiry, you could contact the Walnut Creek Police Department non-emergency line at 925-935-6400. The owner may have authorization to arrest paperwork on file with the Police. Absent this paperwork, the owner or a responsible for the property would have to authorize citations for trespassing.
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Matthew W (Verified Official)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Matthew W (Verified Official)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Matthew W (Verified Official)
As a whole, there is a not a large accumulation of debris on the property. I have seen far far worse than this location. The owner will be contacted and asked to remove it. There was no large concentration of rotting food stuffs, piles of household waste, etc. The items present, scattered across the front of the property, will be removed by the owner following their noticing of the documented issues.
The landing at the door is not an issue at a vacant property which is not going to be inhabited or leased for habitation.
Absent an interior inspection by the Building Department detailing grave building code violations following the owner consenting to their entry or from an Inspection Warrant signed by a Superior Court Judge, the City would not be in a legal position to force the demolition of a structure. The Chief Building Official would be hard pressed to prove to a Judge that the structures require demolition based on a cursory inspection of the exterior from the public right of way no closer than 17 feet away from said structure.
There is no local or state regulation forcing a property owner to place a tenant in a vacant residence. Some of the issues you have referenced would be required to be repaired if the property were being inhabited.
If you feel that the property is not being kept to your standards, you would be within your right to contact a group such as Bay Area Legal Aid if you already do not have an attorney on retainer. They can review what is needed for a demand letter to be sent to the property owner and the steps necessary to start a private nuisance lawsuit against the owner for what you feel are their deficiencies concerning property maintenance. City regulations do not force owners to match the standards set by neighbors, rather only a minimum standard.
The property owner has looked into redeveloping the property in the past which included the removal of these two structures, but the then plan has not moved forward. The City does not determine when a property is redeveloped, that is the domain of the property owner.
Avery (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Avery - I believe the parcel number for the main lot is 171-150-001. I've also attached a photo of the tax map and pasted a link here;
https://ccmap.cccounty.us/Html5/index.html?viewer=CCMAP
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Registered User)
Matthew W (Verified Official)
Thank you for the inquiry. The owner's son has already performed removal of the items left behind by a transient.
Absent a warrant signed by a Superior Court Judge, the City would not be able to remove items from the property.