Dumpsters at the Parkway House

**eobrien** · 02-15-2012, 07:10 PM

Just wondering if anyone is as annoyed as I am by the dumpsters on the 22nd street side of the Parkway House (2201 Pennsylvania Avenue). Not only are they horrible to look at, but on my drive home I regularly see them overflowing with trash (which inevitably blows all over the street). I am going to be crafting an email to the property manager shortly, but has anyone ever submitted a formal complaint to the Dept. of Streets? What is their reputation pertaining to enforcement? I am going to give the property manager due diligence to rectify the problem, but I also do not want my email to be comprised solely of empty threats.

Per the Dept. of Streets website:
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SCREENING

Dumpsters located on private property should be screened from public view by shrubbery, an opaque fence, a shed or other such device.
----

I try my best to keep my neighborhood looking beautiful and it drives me nuts when my efforts are negated by one gust of wind.

**Titus** · 02-16-2012, 01:32 PM

They are disgusting and unsightly and have been there for 40 years - enough is enough.

**funk** · 02-16-2012, 04:37 PM

just demolish that entire bed bugs infested sorry excuse for and art-deco apartment building in it's entirety!

**b_fairmount** · 02-16-2012, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by funk

just demolish that entire bed bugs infested sorry excuse for and art-deco apartment building in it's entirety!

If one building is going to get demolished in this area its the divine Lorraine

**funk** · 02-17-2012, 08:40 AM

down with the city views too!

**eobrien** · 02-17-2012, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by funk

just demolish that entire bed bugs infested sorry excuse for and art-deco apartment building in it's entirety!

Originally Posted by funk

down with the city views too!

Haha, I don't disagree with either sentiment. But since these aren't coming down anytime soon, the least they can do is shield their funk from the streetscape. I shot off an email the other night and have yet to get a response. I'm not going away on this one though. I used to live in a Philadelphia Management building and they do not offer their residents recycling services either. I am no longer willing to live with the ramifications of their laziness. More to come...

**BarryG** · 02-17-2012, 09:21 AM

Has anyone contacted 311?

**eobrien** · 02-17-2012, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by BarryG

Has anyone contacted 311?

That will be a next step. Wanted to give the property manager a chance to respond first. I'll give her a week.

**DocAwesome** · 02-17-2012, 10:04 AM

I didn't rent there 5 years ago just because of the dumpsters.

**funk** · 02-18-2012, 08:18 AM

...my comment was about 95% sarcasm.

**citygirl** · 02-21-2012, 12:52 PM

Perhaps it would make sense to contact the Civic association the building is in? They may be willing to submit their complaint along with yours. Unkempt property is always an issue on Civic association radar, and associations have tremendous political and zoning clout. They may also have inside contacts that will make the building management sit up and listen. I am not sure if this building lies within the Logan Square Neighbors Association or Fairmount Assn. boundaries.

Thanks for taking the initiative - I've noticed their perpetual mess of dumpsters and trash in the past and somehow never geared up to do anything about it.

**Titus** · 02-21-2012, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by citygirl

Perhaps it would make sense to contact the Civic association the building is in? They may be willing to submit their complaint along with yours. Unkempt property is always an issue on Civic association radar, and associations have tremendous political and zoning clout. They may also have inside contacts that will make the building management sit up and listen. I am not sure if this building lies within the Logan Square Neighbors Association or Fairmount Assn. boundaries.

Thanks for taking the initiative - I've noticed their perpetual mess of dumpsters and trash in the past and somehow never geared up to do anything about it.

I know it falls within the Spring Garden Civic Assn catchment area, possibly Fairmount Civic as well.

**eobrien** · 02-21-2012, 01:22 PM

I plan on attending the Fairmount Civic Association meeting this Thursday, so I will see if they can help.

Not surprisingly, I have yet to receive a reply from the property manager. Just sent a follow-up and am giving her until Thursday (1 week from my original note). After that, I will be kicking the wheels of bureaucracy into gear. Hopefully, when all is said and done, I can map out the fastest way to the finish line for those with the same issue in other parts of the city.

**b_fairmount** · 02-22-2012, 12:32 PM

That property is within SG boundry. Also what is FCA going to do? Issue a letter? Why waste their time? Its not like that building is looking to expand where they would need approval.

Go here and get it over with: Philadelphia Streets Department or here http://www.philadelphiastreets.com/ or call 311

Originally Posted by eobrien

I plan on attending the Fairmount Civic Association meeting this Thursday, so I will see if they can help.

Not surprisingly, I have yet to receive a reply from the property manager. Just sent a follow-up and am giving her until Thursday (1 week from my original note). After that, I will be kicking the wheels of bureaucracy into gear. Hopefully, when all is said and done, I can map out the fastest way to the finish line for those with the same issue in other parts of the city.

**eobrien** · 02-22-2012, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by b_fairmount

That property is within SG boundry. Also what is FCA going to do? Issue a letter? Why waste their time? Its not like that building is looking to expand where they would need approval.

Go here and get it over with: Philadelphia Streets Department or here Philly Streets Department: Home or call 311

Thanks for enlightening me with your abundance of knowledge.

**Dave L** · 02-22-2012, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by eobrien

Just wondering if anyone is as annoyed as I am by the dumpsters on the 22nd street side of the Parkway House (2201 Pennsylvania Avenue). Not only are they horrible to look at, but on my drive home I regularly see them overflowing with trash (which inevitably blows all over the street). I am going to be crafting an email to the property manager shortly, but has anyone ever submitted a formal complaint to the Dept. of Streets? What is their reputation pertaining to enforcement? I am going to give the property manager due diligence to rectify the problem, but I also do not want my email to be comprised solely of empty threats.

Per the Dept. of Streets website:
----
SCREENING

Dumpsters located on private property should be screened from public view by shrubbery, an opaque fence, a shed or other such device.
----

I try my best to keep my neighborhood looking beautiful and it drives me nuts when my efforts are negated by one gust of wind.

I entered a formal complaint regarding the dumpster in my building; I expect to hear something by the time I've moved out.

**BenDee** · 02-23-2012, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Titus

I know it falls within the Spring Garden Civic Assn catchment area, possibly Fairmount Civic as well.

Actually, it officially falls within LSNA (source), although being right across the street from the SGCDC boundary, it couldn't hurt to engage them as well.

LSNA contact page: http://www.lsnaphilly.org/display/EXT/Contact+Us

lsnahs@gmail.com is the email for the health and safety committee, whose webpage says they cover "crime, trash, street lighting, homeless-related issues, among other concerns." I'd email them.

**Titus** · 02-23-2012, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by BenDee

Actually, it officially falls within LSNA (source), although being right across the street from the SGCDC boundary, it couldn't hurt to engage them as well.

LSNA contact page: Contact Us - External Website - Logan Square Neighborhood Association

lsnahs@gmail.com is the email for the health and safety committee, whose webpage says they cover "crime, trash, street lighting, homeless-related issues, among other concerns." I'd email them.

thanks for the correction I thought they did both sides of SG.

**b_fairmount** · 02-24-2012, 02:29 PM

Walked by there the other day. I will say it does look cleaner and more organized. However you still have the issue of it not being screened which I think is a requirement.

**eobrien** · 02-24-2012, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by b_fairmount

Walked by there the other day. I will say it does look cleaner and more organized. However you still have the issue of it not being screened which I think is a requirement.

Ha, very predictable. I sent the property owner a follow up email and instead of responding, I'm sure she told her staff to avoid overfilling their dumpsters. While I appreciate less trash on the street in the near term, they will inevitably regress at some point. Screening these things would have the dual benefit of improving appearance and preventing trash (at least somewhat) from blowing on the street when they return to their old ways.

So with no response from the property manager, I called the Street Department's Streets & Walkways Education & Enforcement Program (SWEEP). Their line fluctuated between busy signals and incessant ringing (no voicemail). After that, it was on to 311. I must say, I have a VERY positive impression of the 311 service so far. Hopefully I am not disappointed by the City in execution. I simply provided an address and stated what I believed to be the compliance issues: screening and overflowing. The operator said a Streets Dept employee will make a visit within 3 business days. There are then two possible scenarios: issues are found and citations are issued OR no issues are found. In the case of the latter, they will make up to 2 additional trips to observe. While I am confident they will issue violations due to the lack of screening, this is worth noting for situations only dealing with overflow.

Now, with case number in hand, I'll anxiously await their determination. If this works, maybe I'll refer all of Philadelphia Management's Buildings for not offering recycling services to its residents.

One thing at a time...