Edgecliff Residents Trying To Get Area Cleaned Up

You’ll find one in almost every neighborhood.

That unkempt yard everyone points at. That pile of tires that keeps growing. The junk and garbage that ruins the view from your living room window.

Neighbors complain to county inspectors, take it to court, and fume.

Now, several Edgecliff neighbors are banding together to find an alternative - and, they hope, more effective - solution. By creating a united front, and sustained pressure, they hope to convince the owner of a nearby rental property to finally come clean.

They want him to remove the half-dozen cars that never move from the front yard. They want him to comply with the law.

“If we can get one or two of these messes in the neighborhood cleaned up, maybe word will get around,” said Edgecliff resident Larry Levitte. “It’s just a question of sticking together.”

For neighborhood prosecutor Sharon Hedlund, it’s an experiment in community policing, one that trains residents to get together to solve neighborhood problems instead of relying on law enforcement to do it for them.

She’s using the official channels - prosecuting the owner in court - but she’s also guiding neighbors on how to attack the problem themselves. She’s hoping to show that the latter can be effective - and quicker.

The problem, neighbors say, is obvious to anyone who drives past the 7000 block of East Sixth Avenue. One property is a collection of disabled cars, some filled with garbage. Tires and car parts sit here and there.

It looks ugly and makes it harder to sell or rent nearby homes, they say. It’s also a zoning violation, according to county inspectors.

Under the area’s UR-7 zoning, each lot can have no more than 2 inoperable or unlicensed vehicles. Inspectors notified Rex D. Burris, the property owner, of the violation three times last year, but the lot remains covered with cars. It’s a more difficult situation because the home is a rental and the owner doesn’t live there. In the past, neighbors have been hesitant to confront the renters or the owner.

Rudy Sanchez, who rents the home with his family, says most of the cars belong to Burris’ son. Burris admits it’s true. He said he’s been unable to contact his son, who is out of town. He said he’s trying to evict the current tenants, who he said haven’t kept the place clean.

Despite the finger pointing, Burris is legally responsible, and has been charged with the zoning violation, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, Hedlund said.

The 73-year-old will be arraigned in District Court next month.

Neighbors hope it won’t go that far.

If they rely on the court system alone, they know it could be fall before the cars are hauled out. They’ve challenged themselves to convince Burris to clean it up sooner.

They’re meeting next week to work out their strategy, and with Hedlund’s guidance, hope they can create a blueprint for other neighborhoods to use.

“A lot of people just give up,” Levitte said. “But it we can clean up one neighborhood, the rest of the neighborhoods will say ‘Hey, it can be done.”’