I live on Downing, directly across the street from the posted address. Although I no longer work the overnight shift (thus being awakened by the roaring exhausts) I agree with the above comments. This has gone on long enough. I've often wondered why NHPD hasn't deployed motorcycle officers to the area. These dirt bike riders know they can easily outrun/outmaneuver a Crown Victoria or Charger. I'm not advocating reckless Hollywood chases. But motorcycle officers would greatly level the field and increase enforcement opportunities.

Vision Appraisal lists: DAMURI, FRANCESCO & DERENZI, ALLISON as the owners, of this address. A Google search for these names results in the Owners of L'Orcio restaurant, on State St. Can this be? Wouldn't having one's name associated with anti-social behaviour, in the extreme, be very bad for business? Why would anyone patronize a business, when the owners are, allegedly, ruining the city in which they operate a business. I don't get it? Kind of like people complaining about the lack of good jobs and then patronizing Walmart - oh wait...

It's ridiculous...they are clustered always in the same place with the same guys...it's time for action, this has gone on way too long. Please. thank you.

It's 9pm on Monday night, 1/13, and two bikes are at it again. I saw one red and white bike and only heard the second.

New haven police and Mayor Harp: is there any plan to address this structurally?

It's been 24 hours of the same, not a single officer in sight in that period as of 9:30PM Monday night. Sorry to say but it's the truth.

Even google street view has photos of these guys: https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-72.889173!3d41.315684!2m2!1f247.81!2f82.67!4f75!2m9!1e1!2m4!1sZ8KTjYd57euZsz8TfySuEw!2e0!9m1!6sDowning+Street!5m2!1sZ8KTjYd57euZsz8TfySuEw!2e0&fid=5

The noise level is awful, and after having to hear it all weekend they are going full force Monday night, too. They are riding around with no lights terrorizing our neighborhood.

Can others confirm that this house is the place where the dirt bikes are being housed and repaired? If so, I would invite others to look up the owners as the person above posted: http://data.visionappraisal.com/newhavenct/search.asp

It does appear that the owners of L'Orcio are the owners of 80 Downing: Francesco d’Amuri and Alison De Renzi.

Assuming they own the house and are renting it (which may be false; the info may be outdated), would anyone care to join in a little campaign to post on L'Orcio's public facebook page the question of whether they own the house at 80 downing, and if they're aware of the dirt bike activity there and the danger this reckless behavior poses to the neighborhood?

https://www.facebook.com/LOrcio

Again, assuming d'Amuri and De Renzi are still the owners listed in some public records, I would invite others to ask this question on twitter (https://twitter.com/L_Orcio), and CC-ing some of L'Orcio's more highly visible followers, such as @justinelicker, @doughausladen, and @cityofnewhaven.

I can confirm that dirt bikes and ATV's have been coming out of the location consistently for the last few years and especially yesterday (01/12/14) and today (01/13/14). However, this is only one of the several locations. There are areas around Limerick Street that do as well. The cops are well aware--I am just not sure that anything is being done about it. These young adults (and really "adults" as some of these brazen folks are in their 20's) did not get caught up in the roundup last year--so they feel immune and have been running the streets ever since. In fact, my feelings are that these guys are surely reading all of these posts and are having a laugh at their neighbors and the police; because nothing is being done. They have been riding for 48 hours as they please. They are above the NHPD in their minds--and at this point I'd say they may be right!

NHPD, for the record, we support you, however, we feel pretty abandoned on this one. The community--as in the "community policing" you so often beat the drum of--has contributed enough information/intelligence but nothing is being done with it. Esserman: are you there? You promised "continued" efforts after the roundup in the fall but we've seen none of it.

I just received a phone call from Alison De Renzi, owner of L'Orcio. She confirmed that she does own 80 Downing St.—and thanked me for bringing this to her attention. She said she did not know that the tenants were engaged in this activity. She has taken steps to help us address this: she informed the tenants of the complaints and told them they may not store those vehicles on the property; and she also contacted the police.

I admire Alison for taking such an active role in helping our community address this issue. Alison: thank you.

That's fantastic but un-enforceable. As a landlord I can't just call up my tenant and tell them they can't keep a dirt bike on the property; it doesn't work like that. It's not illegal to store a dirt bike on a property and I doubt it's in the lease, even. She'd be better doing a lease amendment but even then, it's very, very difficult to evict for issues like this. Bottom line is please keep an eye on the property and please keep calling the NHPD every time you see a dirt bike coming/going from this house. Thank you!

@FairHavenRes, I agree the owner's enforcement will not be simple—but I think it's a step in the right direction to make sure the owner landlords know about their tenants' actions. I think we need an "all of the above" approach. Alison De Renzi seemed honestly surprised by the news that the bikes were being stored and serviced at her property.

@Guest yes, it's a step in the right direction. I simply wanted to point out (as a landlord myself) that it's not as simple as making the landlord aware, since it's legal to both store and service dirt bikes on private property. Glad the landlord has been so responsive.

Hi everyone. It is my impression from speaking with the police that because they are housing them in the garden and that is not the intended use of the space as owner I have the right to have them towed. We will be making an amendment to the lease moving forward. Francesco and I worked hard doing the rehab on that property ourselves. We did not renew with our first tenants because we suspected drug use and in searching for the current tenants ran background checks in an attempt to secure good neighbors for the people residing on Downing Street, we also worked with LCI to have the alley beside the property cleaned and blocked to prevent future dumping.
Why wouldn't the police reach out to us and make us aware of the history of complaints? Most importantly why wouldn't the community contact us directly to make us aware? Give us an opportunity to be a good neighbor? Why is the assumption automatically made that people don't care? We do care very much and we respect everyone's right to a safe home and a good quality of life. Our phone number is available online, why not pick up the phone and call?
I was made aware of this situation by a post on my businesses Facebook page on January 14th, 2014. Using Google I was able to obtain the poster's phone number and within 1 hour I was speaking directly to him moving towards a resolution. I wish I had been given that opportunity from the get go.
Now that we are aware of the situation we will do EVERYTHING in our power to resolve it.

Alison: thank you for taking the time to post and acknowledge the issue. We appreciate it. The last 2-3 years that this has been going on from this location (again, I agree this is NOT the only location involved in the dirt bike "scene").have been very trying for our neighborhood and we've just really have all had enough. The local NHPD has known about this house from many reports made specifically about this address; I am not sure why the PD made the decision to not contact you about your property. Again, thanks for taking the time--it there were more responsible landlords and business owners around like yourself our city would rid itself of this type of quality of life crime--maybe the days of these joyriders risking others' lives, especially those of small children by blatantly wheeling on sidewalks with zero visibility are over with at this locale. We look forward to visiting your wonderful restaurant again soon.

Alison: Thank you again for taking such an active role in helping build a better neighborhood. It's worth pointing out that the commenter above ("Bad business decisions") who accuses you of negligence does NOT speak for the neighborhood. I am thankful for your responsiveness; it speaks volumes.

It seems entirely plausible that the methods to getting these bikes off the streets (and sidewalks, playgrounds, etc.) have overlooked the important step of involving landlords and further connecting community members. I hope we can continue to use all the tools available to us to improve the quality of life of our city. Open and civil discourse is vital. Thanks, again, Alison, for helping to clarify the situation and moving us closer to solving the problem.

Thanks for the post. The Traffic Enforcement Division will look into this issue.

they just came out with a new dirt bike video in new haven called the return by a man called abutta492

Is 80 Downing St still an issue with respect to dirbikes or did the owner clean things up?

If you know where dirt bikes, quads and ATVs are garaged, report it to the New Haven Police Criminal Intel Unit. The officer in charge is:

Sergeant Karl Jacobson
New Haven Police Department
Criminal Intel Unit/Narcotics
One Union Ave, New Haven CT
phone: (203) 946-6098
Fax: (203) 946-6293
e-mail: kjacobson@newhavenct.net

He will respond to emails and calls. If you report a known ATV or dirt bike location to him, he will investigate and confiscate the machines.

We are trying to delineate issues that are current and need the city's attention to resolve and as a result a number of historical issues are being closed. If your issue remains and needs to be addressed by the city, please open as a new See Click Fix issue with updated information and details. Thank you.

Thanks for fixing this request!