CLEVELAND — A property on Cleveland’s west side was giving neighbors plenty of problems. We are following through with an update and taking you to another area that needs the city’s attention.
RELATED: 'Tear it down': Abandoned property problems; our cameras may have caught an issue in action
“See, it’s growing on the tree next door? And it will keep growing,” said Alex Luka, who showed us some of the problems along 4122 Chester Avenue. “It’s not good for business,” he told us.
OWNER: PROBLEMS ON THE STREET
He’s selling a corner townhouse soon that he uses as an Air B&B rental, but said the buyers were immediately concerned with the other homes on the street with all the garbage, weeds, and disarray.
“I said I would take care of it, and I called the city, thinking it would be taken care of like it had been in the past. But it wasn’t,” said Luka. “So, I called [News 5 Investigators], and I’m really glad you came out.”
To give you an idea of just how bad the overgrowth is, some of it is well-above six feet tall.
“This is terrible and pretty much the worst that I’ve seen,” said Luka.
COUNCILWOMAN GETS INVOLVED
He said he also called his councilwoman’s office, which said it would take three weeks for the next steps.
“It really just breaks my heart,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Howse-Jones, who represents that area.
We invited her to come out and see the issues. She encouraged Clevelanders to use the 3-1-1 call system and get a reference number.
“As much as I absolutely hear the frustration,” said Howse-Jones. “I also want community members to understand these are the processes so that we can better hold the city of Cleveland accountable.”
WE FOLLOW THROUGH, MAKE PROGRESS
Meanwhile, here’s the update on that west side property that was a big concern with the homeless going in and out. Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer helped coordinate the police and building, and housing departments to get it boarded up quickly.
She said these abandoned homes are a real problem.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” said Maurer. “We need to do everything in our power to make sure this does not take place.”
She told us the back property on that same lot still needs some time to validate who’s living there and whether a search warrant and/or vacate notice is needed as they try to contact the company that owns it.
“I knocked one door out in the suburbs myself yesterday and we’re in touch with an attorney who has represented this LLC in the past,” she told us.
As for Luka, he’s hopeful Councilwoman Howse-Jones and the city will be able to make progress, too, after he’s watched the street get worse and worse over the years.
“I hope it gets cleaned up and it can stay cleaned up that the city would keep after them,” said Luka. “And fine them…clean it up and fine them.”
We reached out to the city of Cleveland about Luka’s concerns. It said: “On August 4, 2025, the Department of Building and Housing received a request for a property located at 4122 Chester Avenue. The request has been assigned to an inspector, and a property assessment is being conducted this week. As done in this case, we encourage community members to report their concerns by calling 3-1-1 or using our online portal — where they can file complaints directly with the City.”
