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#1
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David Martel wrote: As I recall you were to receive the name of the complainant at least by the hearing. Have you spoken with the complainant yet and come to an understanding? Based on your pictures it does look as if many would find your "landscaping" to be a collection of weeds and your philosophy to be a rationalization. The sidewalk is a public area which you must maintain, yet it is also overgrown. This is the same implication that I expected the inspector might make at the hearing, so I was prepared with a clarifying photo: http://cpacker.org/a4.jpg In any case, government never returned my phone call to find out who the complainant was, if any. And because they didn't appear at the hearing, I'm confident there was no complainant. Whatever else I may think of the Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs -- the D.C. govt. authority in question, I believe they wouldn't abandon a real complaint by a real citizen. In fact, just this morning I think I figured out the true circumstances of the citation. Although the mystery has been intriguing to me, it may be boring for some readers -- they may move on to the next thread... As I said, my neighbor was cited at the same time. But she got a different form of ticket, even though it was for the same code violation, section 800.10, basically for excessive vegetation over 10 inches tall. The one she got -- let's call it form A -- gives seven days to correct the condition or the city will do it itself and send a bill. There's no option to ask for a hearing, but there's an obscure paragraph on the back that says the citizen may appeal the citation in writing within the seven-day time limit. Brutal, eh? The other form of citation -- let's call it B -- is the one I got. It is simply a $100 fine, but there is a clearly-stated option to request a hearing. We both were cited in the same week. On the preceding Saturday I had noticed a crew mowing the dense growth from a small triangular park nearby. This was in May, after a wet spring. So it would seem that the city came out for seasonal cleanup and wrote citations on nearby property owners who appeared to need one themselves. In fact I remember trimming my sidewalk strip on the same weekend I saw the crew out there. Since I like to wait until the dandelions have gone to seed (they're wildflowers, you know) before my first mowing of the season, it's possible that the grass really was much taller than you see in the photo. But why did my neighbor and I get different forms? And why was mine signed not only by a different person, but one who was not an inspector, actually, but the chief of inspectors? As it happens, last year I got a citation for the same code violation, but on the form A. The circumstances of that citation are an even longer story that -- trust me -- has no bearing on this one -- except that I spoke to the chief then and made clear that if the city was going to cite me I expected to have the opportunity to get a hearing. So now I think what happened this year is that the crew wrote form A citations on my neighbor and me. Then the chief intervened, writing a new citation for me himself on form B, attempting to do me a favor -- maybe even dating it incorrectly to make it fatally flawed. And if he wasn't on site, this would have come out at the hearing also. In the end, this episode seems to be more about politics than law. Far from being in legal limbo, I'm confident that the city won't bother me again for a long time. -- (Charles Packer) ungoogled: mailboxATSIGNcpacker.org http://cpacker.org/whatnews |
#2
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Charles,
So, if there was a complainant, you don't know what problems to address to satisfy him. You seem eager to believe that there is no complainant but in the absence of a complainant the ticket writer is the complainant. You need to figure out what is causing these complaints. I don't understand the point your pictures are intended to make. They show a poorly maintained side walk/right of way and a retaining wall that is leaning into the right of way. The vegetation above the retaining wall is not encroaching into the right of way but still this is not a picture you want to produce in court. This picture speaks of long term neglect. Since you've now received multiple tickets you should try to do what is necessary to prevent a city work crew from trimming your land at your expense. Perhaps you should get a landscaper in if you don't know what to do. Dave M. |
#3
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David Martel wrote:
Charles, So, if there was a complainant, you don't know what problems to address to satisfy him. You seem eager to believe that there is no complainant but in the absence of a complainant the ticket writer is the complainant. You need to figure out what is causing these complaints. I don't understand the point your pictures are intended to make. They show a poorly maintained side walk/right of way and a retaining wall that is leaning into the right of way. The vegetation above the retaining wall is not encroaching into the right of way but still this is not a picture you want to produce in court. This picture speaks of long term neglect. Since you've now received multiple tickets you should try to do what is necessary to prevent a city work crew from trimming your land at your expense. Perhaps you should get a landscaper in if you don't know what to do. Dave M. I hate to say it, but I agree. This yard looks virtually abandoned from the street level (picture a3). I much prefer the natural look, but this does not quite cut it. Natural is not the same as overgrown. One quick task that will make the property look better it to remove the weeds at the base of the walls. The vines draped over the wall do soften the edges, but they are also drawing attention to the base weeds. These plants are probably contributing to the weakness in the retaining wall as well by breaking the bricks with their roots. Next, selective thinning of the vines would be in order to make the upper parts of the garden look more tamed. Lastly, changing the vegetation of the devil strip from grass to a low maintenance, low growing groundcover will leave little maintenance. Or, get a reel mower and make mowing a 5 minute ritual on the weekends. -matt |
#5
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In article , "Warren"
wrote: wrote:. This is the same implication that I expected the inspector might make at the hearing, so I was prepared with a clarifying photo: http://cpacker.org/a4.jpg I've seen sidewalks narrow, and occasionally curve. But that curve as it narrows in the middle of a slab, with no difference in the apparent vintage of the concrete very much looks like it's not the pavement that narrows, but the vegetation that's overgrowing unevenly. There also appears to be a plethora of noxious weeds mixed in there, too. This picture may put the rest into better context, but I'm afraid not in a favorable light for you. It also highlights the disrepair of the retaining wall. Lush vegetation, ala cottage garden, is one thing. But this last picture pretty much clears-up that this isn't lush vegetation, but an unmaintained and unmanaged yard. The more you tell us, the more it's looking like you're not just an innocent victim with an alternative landscape plan, but someone who has let the weeds take over, and the retaining wall deteriorate. If you're going to bring in pictures to defend your yard care aesthetics, you could at least have swept-up the dead leaves, and pulled a few of the more obvious weeds before taking the pictures! Well I thought it looked nice. -paggers -- Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson |
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