MEMPHIS, Tenn.– One south Memphis woman is asking who is responsible for cleaning up overgrown bushes and branches?
She says she is tired of the growth at a vacant lot next to hers, and claims she wanted the property in the city’s Mow to Own program.
The ordinance is a way for property owners to mow a city or county owned vacant lot and earn credits toward buying it. The home is in 1400 block of Rozelle.
Lakisha Davis claims she was told it was owned by LeMoyne-Owen College and when she asked them to clean up the mess, wasn’t getting anywhere.
The front of the property is pretty well maintained right now – the grass is cut, leaves are bundled waiting to be picked up. Davis says she’s done the work on the vacant land to keep the front yard clean.
The problem is the back of the property where there is heavy growth and some trash building up.
At the back of the property there are overgrown trees, branches, shrubs and multiple mattresses.
Talking to WREG Monday, Davis said she doesn’t know what to do. “I’m frustrated. Who do I turn to to get this cleaned up?”
She’s lived in her home since November and wants her neighborhood to look nice and since the warm weather is upon us now she has concerns.
“Concerned about rats, snakes and bugs, yes, yes so this is an eyesore, it’s an eyesore. It really is,” she said.
She says she looked into the Mow to Own program but was told since Lemoyne-Owen College owned the land, the property wasn’t available.
She called the college to see if they could clean up the back part but claims they said they would leave that up to the city.
To put things in perspective, the property is just under two and a half miles from LeMoyne-Owen. WREG talked to the Facilities Manager with the college.
He said a donor gave the now vacant land to the school and they’ve had it for at least a decade.
He says the school has worked to maintain the front but they are not required to cut the back, and explained the school doesn’t really have any use for the property so he is now looking for someone to take over the property who will maintain it.
Who that will be has not been figured out yet. It could potentially be someone in this neighborhood.
However they hope to get this issue resolved by the end of the week.
The city of Memphis told us, “Grounds has created service request and will send a Notice of Violation to the owner of record for the severe overgrowth and mattress debris in the back of the lot. If they fail to adhere to the Notice of Violation, the city will mitigate the issue and bill the property owner.”
