Bella Vista Town Watch

Open Issues: 39 • Closed Issues: 129 • Acknowledged Issues: 15
Watching issues created after: 2010-01-21

For ALL issues in Bella Vista; safety, crime, trash, potholes; blight, abandoned vehicles; short dumping and illegal signs

Notified About

  • 612 Washington Ave Philadelphia, PA - Queen Village
    The yard behind Saigon Maxim, a restaurant located at 612 Washington Avenue, is abused as an open-air trash pit. The refuse from the restaurant is left to putrify on the ground in half-open garbage bags, carelessly tossed on the ground or into the open bed of a beat up trash truck. The residents of the 600 block of Federal St are most affected as their windows face the yard and the rodents come and go via the gate on Federal St.
  • 801 Catharine St. Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista
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  • Illegal Curb Cut Acknowledged
    622 Bainbridge Sreet Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista
    A house (624-28 Bainbridge) that already has 4 interior parking spaces built an addition (622 Bainbridge) and added a fifth. The Streets Department granted a curb cut, but #622 was never re-zoned to authorize the changed use. The owner has pursued his curb cut despite clearly articulated neighborhood opposition and the reality of the need for public parking so close to South Street. It is a case of public good versus private entitlement. When the property owner tried to get the curb cut in 2009, it was stopped and neighbors unanimously petitioned Councilman DiCicco to have a public hearing. That never happened, nor has there been a zoning hearing or notice. We have petitioned again, this time with more anger on our block than even before.
  • 1101 Washington Ave Philadelphia, PA 19147 - Bella Vista
    Cars parked in bike lane. Orange traffic cones in lane, presumably the property of adjacent condominium building.
  • 815 S Mildred St Philadelphia, PA 19147, USA - Bella Vista
  • 1030 S. 9th Street Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista

    The owners of this land (Carl's Poultry, who also operate a low-cost poultry shop across the street) have let this vacant property (in the heart of the Italian Markets) turn into an open dump. There is a graffiti covered dumpster sitting in this lot and it is surrounded by trash piling up. When asked to remove the trash a few years ago, they simply put tarps over it.

    Now others are dumping here. The "green" fence is often covered with graffiti, and it's been this way for years.

    Efforts from neighbors a few years ago halted a zoning variance to allow yet more construction by property owner. Why? Because the property owner, owns other abandoned/blighted properties on the 800 block of League Street. The fork lifts from his "warehouses" on League are constantly blocking traffic, not to mention the stench from the "cleaning" of kitchen equipment in the street. (But that's an entirely different topic. Health code violations?)

    Be a good neighbor - CLEAN IT UP.

  • S 8th St Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista
    Because this is a very busy stretch with two bus stops close together as well as two convenience stores, there is a small river of litter that flows down the west-side sidewalk and in the gutters. Many of the residences are apartment buildings, there are a couple of restaurants, and many elderly. No one picks up the litter. It's disgusting.
  • Washington Ave Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista

    Washington Avenue is a mess between front and Broad. There are NO lane lines painted (literally none.) The avenue has become a "Wild West" for drivers who weave in and out of lanes, run red lights and double park along the Italian Markets.

    In March a young girl was killed while crossing the road in an intersection where no pedestrian crossings were painted by a driver running a red light. Are we surprised that this is happening? It feels as if the city has completely forgot about one of it's busiest corridors.

    On 9th Street specifically, thousands of people cross Washington Ave on a daily basis while they shop at the markets. About a year ago it appeared that the city started to re-do the crossing lines, but never finished. The entire length of Washington from Front to Broad is just one big cement corridor. As a biker, pedestrian and driver, I have seen some of the most dangerous driving on this road. What does the city expect to happen?

    We've called the police on folks double parked on Washington more times then we can count. Folks are never ticketed and you can actually watch cop cars drive right past the double parked cars. Drivers are constantly forced to dodge parked cars...

    Let's take back Washington Ave! It could be a great corridor...

  • 815 S Darien St Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista
    This large new construction has a garage and a curb cut. There is a space between it's garage and the neighbor's garage that is large enough to park a car in. Recently, they left a note on my neighbor's car saying that it is inconvenient for them to turn into their garage when a car is parked between the garages. He knocked on their door several times to talk about this, but they have not answered. After he moved his car, they took it upon themselves to spraypaint a large no parking X on this space. This is another co-opting of public space for private use, and they should at the very least be made to remove it. The rest of the nighborhood parallel parks their cars on the street, a very small inconvenience we happily put up with. For this house to pull a three point turn around a parked car into their garage is a small thing to ask.
  • 1039 S 6th Street Philadelphia, PA - Queen Village

    The owners of 1039 S 6th St have been placing "food stations" in the front of their house as well as on League St (500 block between 5th & 6th) for a number of months now, many of which had been constructed from cereal boxes which did not last through a rain storm. In an effort to continue feeding the neighborhood strays (and whatever else decides to wander in), they installed a makeshift shelter. This "shelter" is chained to the side of their house, but sits on League St. It seems that these people are making NO attempt at catching and spay/neutering these cats, rather just feeding them. To date, there are approximately 7-9 different cats (2 new kittens) that frequent this small street. I have walked out of my front door on many occasions and noticed that my sidewalk had been used as a litter box. The shelter that these people have installed has done nothing but fostered the stray cat problem in the neighborhood, not to mention the potential to attract other less desirable creatures (i.e. rats, possums - both of which have made visits to the street in the past). This neighbor is known to be aggressive and abrasive and has not responded well in the past to similar concessions.

    I will be taking and uploading pictures in the coming days.

  • 1000 S.10th Street Philadelphia, PA - Bella Vista
    There is a tow truck for Alex's Auto Body routinely parking overnight, starting around 4pm on the SW corner of 10th and Carpenter, in a No Parking zone. It is never ticketed, and frustrates others who park legally. To add, it is becoming an eyesore to the otherwise nice block along the park.
  • 539 Washington Avenue Philadelphia, PA - Queen Village
    The plans approved for this site by the ZBA require a north face of the main building to be even with the north face of the buildings on either side. This particular structural detail was asked for by QVNA and agreed to by the builder, who presented the plans at the final QVNA meeting. The second we saw that construction was not following the plan, we contacted the owner and notified the on-site construction manager. Nothing came of it.