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County Offers Little Help To Troubled Neighbors
If you live in a Fauquier County neighborhood where abandoned properties become unattractive ? and unsafe ? the chances are you're just out of luck.
The zoning department likely won't be much help. Neither, really, will the health department.
Kristen Slawter, a senior planner for Fauquier County, said the zoning staff isn't authorized under the county's current zoning ordinances to directly address building maintenance issues, such as broken shutters, or general maintenance issues such as unmowed grass.
Ted Bullard of the Department of Environomental Health said his office is fielding more and more complaints from over the county.
“We are a little inundated with these types of calls,” he said.
While the Health Department is authorized to investigate them, there isn't much the agency can actually do when the investigation ends.
In addition to unmowed grass, people are annoyed and concerned about unsecured swimming pools and failing drainfields on vacant properties.
All of those issues can be considered violations of county ordinances pertaining to nuisances, Bullard said.
In order for zoning officials to address such issues, the regulations would have to be changed.
That's probably what David and Mary Haynes, who live across from an empty home on Short Street in Remington, would like to see happen.
While it is unclear whether or not the home is in foreclosure, one thing is for sure ? no one has done any yard work since the owner left in November, David Haynes said.
The couple fears the overgrown, unkempt yard is a haven for snakes and ticks. They are especially concerned because all of the families that live on Short Street have children.
Until Friday, repeated phone calls to the county resulted only in frustration, however.
“Basically we've been trying to get ahold of [someone in] Fauquier County government. We've been calling Environmental Health and my wife finally got ahold of a [county] supervisor who said he would look into it,” Haynes said.
See the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story...
Here's a novel idea...
Instead of whining to government to do something, why don't the neighbors band together and mow the lawn? I mean, if they're really that concerned about the safety of the neighborhood children, you'd think those same people would be willing to actively do something instead of whining to the government.
Posted by ksh
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Just go mow the grass yourself. Do it for the neighborhood. Some day a nice family will buy it and take care of it, but for now it's up to all of us to maintain our neighborhoods. Don't expect the government to come along and fix everything.
Posted by BobSmith
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