A makeshift urban dump site in the middle of a busy shopping complex has angered some homeowners in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood.
A decrepit, broken down boat sits idly by in a parking spot. Next to the rusted vessel are two torn and rain-soaked sofas. Loose items of trash dot the fences and cracked concrete lot.
It's almost hard to believe this is in the middle of the busy Fulton Rd. shopping complex near the intersection of Memphis Ave.
“This isn’t the Old Brooklyn that I know and moved into,” said neighbor Kim O’hare. “Old Brooklyn is an excellent area to live in.”
The boat and couches are a relatively new addition, he said.
“I think [the boat] came in August or September. It’s been here that long,” O’hare said. “I’d like to see it taken away. I don’t care where it goes. It could go to someone who wants it or thinks they could do something with it. I think it is too far gone though.”
O’hare moved to his 56th street home, which is adjacent to the shopping complex, more than a decade ago. For years, trash from the complex’s dumpsters has been routinely picked up by the wind, which carries the refuse into his backyard.
“I like to keep my yard nice, so I’m constantly out there raking up Doritos bags, chip bags and things that have blown through the fence or over the fence,” O’hare said.
Dollar Tree staff told O’hare that the removal of the boat and couches is the responsibility of the landlord, he said. According to property records, Phylos Investments LLC owns the complex. Calls to the company’s registered agent and its members were not returned.
O’hare worries the presence of the blighted boat and couches will spur more people to illegally dump in the area.
“I’m worried people are going to say, ‘oh, it’s okay to dump here. This is a common practice,’” O’hare said. “I don’t want to see that happen in Old Brooklyn. It wouldn't be fair to us.”
