My understanding from neighborhood meetings about the abandoned car repair shop at the corner of Blake and Osborne is that it is a brownfield - lots of toxic chemicals from car repair have been put into the ground. Leaving it paved at least seals up the chemicals. So, it couldn't be turned into a park in the usual sense without a considerable expense for remediation. However, I agree with others that it shouldn't continue in the current deteriorating state. It would be a great site for community solar - fill that sunny space with solar panels, and people with big trees in their yards could invest in solar electricity to be generated in the city - right near where the electricity would be used.

This place has a long history. It was a small repair place for many, many years. The area is residential zoning but the garage had been grandfathered. The repair operation was closed for a while and the grandfathered use was determined in a court case to have been abandoned so it's now back to residential. The last person I know to have bought it was foreign born, ignorant of U.S. law and either didn't have an attorney or used a bad one who never investigated zoning. He proposed a 24 hour store which was defeated by neighborhood opposition. There have been a number of proposals over the years to have it reopen as a garage, as a used care lot and as a 24 hour store etc all of which have been defeated in the face of neighborhood opposition. Does anyone know who owns it now? The neighborhood has to be vigilant against another proposal to get a variance for a commercial use.

LCI should be working on getting the place cleaned up; especially that new graffiti.

Issue 5265808 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.

I cut the poison ivy on the side of the bldg along with the overgrown vegetation on the fence and the treebelt. I bagged my clippings and cleaned the street of my mess. I left a bag for the leaves if anyone else wants to chip in.

I cut some of the overgrown vegetation tonight and bagged some of the leaves, I will return early next week when I have some more free time

The seasonal maintenance was addressed. The property is being fined for Blight violations. Currently, there is a For Sale / For Lease sign at the property.

How does the owner of this property being fined help this disastrous situation? The place is a mess and fining does not change the look of this entrance to the Beaver Hills neighborhood. It has been up for sale or lease for a long time but so what? Closing the issue, LCI, does not improve the eyesore. What else can be done?