Description
This decrepit property is attracting on-going dumping and illegal behavior across 14th street at the laundromat. The fence is in shambles, the building is unpainted and disheveled and instead of clearing the property of waste, it is all spread out so the property is a foot higher than the sidewalk.
Please do not treat this as a request to remove illegal dumping. In this case, the dumping is a symptom not the cause. The cause is a property owner who is attempting to avoid the reasonable cost of responsible property ownership by making everyone else pay through lower property values, higher rates of crime, drain on City services and a lowered quality of life.
9 Comments
Acknowledged City of Oakland (Verified Official)
Taylor Lightfoot (Registered User)
City of Oakland (Verified Official)
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/Connect/ReportaProblem/index.htm
Thank you.
Lantz Street Block Club (Registered User)
There is now organized drug sales operating out of the laundromat across the street.
Petty crimes like blight breed more serious crimes like drug sales, which is going to bring gun fire.
Lantz Street Block Club (Registered User)
Lantz Street Block Club (Registered User)
This is still a chronic dumping area. Since this item was first listed, the City has picked up trash at this location 3-times. It would be more cost effective if the City contacted the property owner and required the owner to conform to the City blight ordinances. One or 2 phone calls and a threatening letter seem far less expensive than paying for a truck, employees and landfill costs again and again and again.
This property is on the market for sale. If property maintenance is too expensive for he owner, then he/she should lower the selling price! Why should the neighborhood be the one to pay?
Eileen (Registered User)
Lantz Street Block Club (Registered User)
The City has done nothing to address this issue. The problem is NOT the dumped trash but an absent land owner who is not maintaining his/her property.
The reason for this inaction is that Oakland is a corrupt city where officials fear holding others accountable because such action might involve the expenditure of political capital. When maintaining political capital become the primary objective of City officials, the bureaucracy ceases to serve the public.
Eileen (Registered User)
I completely agree that blight and illegal dumping lower property values and attract crime.
I think part of the problem is that the Code Enforcement dept is very understaffed. Plus, even after owners are cited, the process is slow. If it's a foreclosed property, the bank is legally responsible for securing and maintaining it. An ordinance to that effect went into effect a couple of years ago, but there has been little or no oversight.
The other problem is that some of these properties have been bought up by real estate developers who plan to build offices and lofts. Meanwhile, they don't maintain the properties and buildings that are scheduled to be torn down at some point. The old Coast Sausage property is a case in point.
Please report the illegal drug activity at the laundromat.
Can I Report Illegal Drug Activity Anonymously?
Yes, you may leave a confidential, anonymous message on our recorded hotline. The information you provide will be used for police investigative purposes and will not generate an immediate police response.
Call 238-DRUG = (510) 238-3784