THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503210128
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
They were searching for abandoned cars, trashy yards and buildings in disrepair.
And they found what they were looking for.
For five days, city inspectors and police conducted a code enforcement sweep through the Hillside Avenue and Kingston Avenue areas of Ocean View and Bayview. They found 461 violations ranging from rusted-out vehicles, scattered debris, dilapidated buildings, zoning infractions and improper garbage disposal.
But it could have been worse.
``We expected more violations,'' said Sherman Edmondson, assistant director of codes administration. ``I think the notice we sent out got people busy cleaning up.''
A flier distributed by area civic leagues warned residents two weeks in advance of the sweep. The notice played a big part in keeping violations down, Edmondson said. The enforcement originally had been scheduled to last 10 days.
The results of the program have been hailed by both residents and city officials.
``This is a good thing,'' said Douglas Derring, head of the Ocean View Coordinating Committee, a coalition of civic, social, business and religious groups. ``If you don't have code enforcement, the area deteriorates and all kind of elements come in.''
Cottage Line resident Lee Atkinson also was impressed.
``From what I've heard and seen, the inspectors did a very good job of identifying problems,'' Atkinson said. ``It acts as a good education for people.''
Councilman W. Randy Wright said he was very pleased with the results.
``We really have gotten the attention we wanted on this,'' Wright said. ``It was a big success.''
The sweep, conducted March 6-10, was the second in Ocean View. The first, last November in East Ocean View, was smaller in scale and uncovered 149 violations. The City Council called for the sweeps to help attack community blight.
The areas of the most recent enforcement were bounded on the north by Chesapeake Bay, on the south by Parkview, Virgilina and Atlans Avenues, on the east by Capeview Avenue and on the west by Chesapeake Boulevard.
Inspectors are allowed to cite only those violations visible from the streets and sidewalks, Edmondson said. Property owners with violations are notified by mail. They have 30 days to remedy the problems or will be summoned to court and be subject to as much as $2,500 in fines. Health and safety infractions (abandoned cars, trash and debris) must be corrected within 72 hours or offenders also can be subject to a court date and $2,500 in penalties. Improper waste disposal can bring a $25 ticket on the spot.
Although the sweep was considered to be a big plus for the neighborhood, there were a few problems. Wright received several calls from residents who said that their cars had been wrongfully tagged because they were antiques or in a state of repair. A few citizens complained about harassment by inspectors.
``In anything you do, there's always going to be some innocent people that get hurt,'' Wright noted. ``It's unfortunate, but it's the price you have to pay.''
Although a few residents may have been inconvenienced, the vast majority were excited about the cleanup - so much so, that they want more.
``The people in the community welcomed this,'' Derring said. ``The only problem is that the rest of the city now wants it.''
Both Edmondson and Wright confirmed that they have had requests for sweeps by other communities.
``The support has been fabulous. People are asking me, `When us?' '' Edmondson said.
``We're thrilled with the spirit out there,'' Wright said. ``A few years ago no one wanted this.''
Wright said that the City Council will be getting briefings from codes administration in the upcoming weeks with the hope of conducting more sweeps in the future. He said he couldn't be specific about when or where. ILLUSTRATION: Chart
HILLSIDE-KINGSTON AVENUE SWEEP
Existing structures violations 205
Environmental health violations:
Illegal/abandoned cars 168
Trash and/or debris 69
Zoning violations 1
Waste management violations 18
TOTAL 461
by CNB