Neighborhood forum will focus on blighted properties in Mason District
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| This eyesore is in the Belvedere neighborhood. |
If there are homes like these in your neighborhood, and you want to do something about it but don’t know how, the Mason District Council’s Roundtable Discussion on Property Maintenance is for you.
This session, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mason District Government Center (6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale), will bring together community leaders and county officials to discuss what can be done about derelict and blighted properties.
Property maintenance was cited as the number-one issue among the leaders of community associations in a survey by the Mason District Council. “We would like to pack the house on this subject to send a message to the county and other leadership that this is a top concern among neighborhoods in the Mason District,” says Mollie Loeffler, president of the Parklawn Community Association. “So, please feel free to bring some neighbors who share an interest in this topic.”
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| This house in Parklawn has a doghouse on the front deck. |
Presenters include Debby McMahon, manager of the permits branch in the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services; Susan Epstein and Victoria Dzierzek of the county’s Department of Code Compliance; and Bob Noe, chair of the Broyhill Crest Neighbor 2 Neighbor program.
Neighborhood leaders will share questions, ideas, and ways they’ve dealt with trash and junk in people’s yards, inoperable cars, construction projects that never seem to be completed, and other eyesores that could bring down property values.
In a related issue, the Mason District Council is planning a Mason District Clean Up Day for Saturday, April 30, reports chair Roger Hoskins. Community and homeowner associations are encouraged to plan activities—on that day or whenever it’s more convenient—to clean up public areas, such as parks, common areas in townhouse developments, VDOT right of way areas, or any vacant land that has become overrun with trash.
3 responses to “Neighborhood forum will focus on blighted properties in Mason District”
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What is wrong with the dog house on the front porch? It blends in some. I would not consider it an eyesore. FYI, I am not a dog owner so I am not biased.
It is more customary to keep dog houses away from the street sight line. That said, it's not an example of blight so much as unattractive.
Eyesores are often a matter of taste. I object to year round Christmas decorations, too many lawn ornaments, and DIY additions, but everything cannot be regulated. It is nice not to have some of the more restrictive covenants found in parts of the county. However, Martha Stewart and I often have to look away.