ATLANTA — Neighbors in southwest Atlanta say a long-vacant property has become a dumping ground for trash and furniture, despite years of complaints to the city.
Along Deckner Avenue, manicured lawns line the street, until they give way to a debris-filled lot where a home once stood.
“It’s definitely a hazard,” homeowner Shawn O’Neil told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln.
Neighbors say the property has deteriorated into an eyesore that attracts illegal dumping and other unwanted activity.
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“Just think, this is such an adorable neighborhood, and this is one of the biggest eyesores,” said homeowner Berneta Haynes.
Haynes said she has reported the property to the city for years with little response. The situation escalated when she witnessed people dumping furniture at the site.
“I looked out the window and saw a U-Haul truck,” Haynes said. “They dumped huge amounts of furniture…living room sets and all, right here and took off.”
Neighbors say the lack of action has left them frustrated.
“We feel really neglected, not only by the property owner, but also by the city,” O’Neil said.
City officials say they are now taking action. A spokesperson said the city is aware of the property and has an active case against the owner.
Court records show the city filed code enforcement violations in November. Several hearings have been held, with the most recent in March.
The property is owned by an Atlanta-based LLC.
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Neighbors say they understand the legal process can take time but want the city to move faster.
“There definitely needs to be some urgency with houses like this,” O’Neil said.
The city sent Lincoln emails from the Neighborhood Planning Unit to homeowners stating the City must go through the court process and effort all attempts to notify the property owner before demolishing the home.
One email stated, “We here at code enforcement are going threw the necessary process that this case needs to go threw in order to be clean up and or demolish. We had to go through the first process because this case has never went through the process of trying to notify the owner. Now the next steps in the process may take some time. But we are moving forward with that process as quick as we can. We truly appreciate you as concern citizens and look forward to taking care of this matter as soon as possible.”
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