Ahora rentando apartamentos de 2 habitaciones • Excelente ubicación • Vida asequible
People living in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood say dumping on empty lots is causing problems.
ATLANTA — Residents in an Atlanta neighborhood say illegal dumping and overgrown vegetation are becoming more than just an eyesore — they’re affecting people’s quality of life.
“There’s mice, there’s rodents. There have been litters of kittens that have been born back there,” said Kevin Gardiner, who lives across the street from a vacant lot he says has turned into an unofficial dumping ground.
Gardiner says people regularly discard items on the lot on Hope Street in the Pittsburgh neighborhood, including tires, paint cans and furniture. A Google Street View image from last year even shows a mattress left behind.
According to Gardiner, the ongoing problem has made it difficult to sell his home.
“The home has actually been on the market three different times, and I’ve been under contract twice, and two times during due diligence, we’ve received feedback just around the general area and lack of upkeep,” Gardiner said.
Just around the corner on Rockwell Street, residents point to another dumping site overrun with trash and out-of-control vegetation.
People living nearby say the issue has persisted for months, despite repeated complaints to code enforcement and to their city council member, Antonio Lewis.
Neighbors say they rarely see lasting results.
“I think more frustrating for me is I see code enforcement out here all the time, and they have no problem writing stop work orders for building permits that drive revenue, but when it comes to actually keeping things clean that are already here, there doesn’t seem to be much movement,” Gardiner said.
Lewis was not available for an on-camera interview. In a phone conversation with 11Alive’s Chase Houle, he said he has paid organizations to help clean up parts of his district and has repeatedly pushed for stronger code enforcement efforts. Lewis also acknowledged the department is short-staffed, which he says contributes to delays in addressing complaints.
Houle also reached out to code enforcement about the illegal dumping and to see if the owners of the lots are being fined for not keeping their properties up to code, but never heard back from the department.
💌 Mantente al Día con lo Último del Entretenimiento Latino
Recibe noticias exclusivas de celebridades latinas, chismes virales, belleza, moda y entretenimiento — directo en tu correo.
Sin spam. Solo lo mejor de Atlanta Latinos Magazine.
