A poorly maintained property which once served the Pelham Gardens community as a podiatrist office received some much needed grounds keeping this week.
According to Community Board 11, Dr. Robert Piccora once operated his practice from the location, 1515 Waring Avenue.
According to both CB 11 and published reports, Piccora passed away on February 28, 2010 at the age of 57. Since then, the property has been left unsightly.
The board brought this issue to Councilman James Vacca’s attention who did some further investigation into the matter.
Councilman Vacca said he had contacted an attorney at Deutsche Bank who explained that the property is currently owned by the late doctor’s wife and others, but it is in the process of foreclosure.
“When a property goes through a foreclosure process, there is generally a lag in the process,” Vacca noted.
Starting this Tuesday, July 28, Councilman Vacca and Fedcap workers converged upon 1515 Waring Avenue removing weeds, cutting the grass and cleaning th front of the property.
Vacca added that they would address the side and back yards the following day.
“We try to keep a high standard for properties in our communities,” the councilman said. “The grounds at 1515 Waring Avenue were not being maintained at all and rather than wait, we decided to take action. Neighbors should not have to live next to an eyesore like this.”
Fedcap is a non-profit organization located throughout the tri-state area providing jobs assistance to people with physical disabilities, conviction histories, veterans and others who face employment obstacles.
Councilman Vacca said this is the second year he has providing funding for this group which works on general community cleanups such as graffiti removal and property maintenance.
The 2,850 square foot property is a residential and commercial 2-story building.
It was issued a notice of violation by the New York Department of Sanitation on Tuesday, July 21 after a sanitation inspector observed paper, litter, old leaves, high weeds on the sidewalk, front yard and the property’s driveway.
According to a DSNY spokeswoman, there were no recent DSNY-related 311 complaints for 1515 Waring Avenue on file.
In the past six months, Senator Jeff Klein’s office had put in numerous calls to DSNY regarding this location.
He used the property as a backdrop during an April press conference highlighting home foreclosures that have fallen into disrepair due to lack of maintenance.
“Cleaning up our neighborhoods and ensuring they remain a safe place to live and raise a family is critically important and that’s why I sponsored legislation in the state Senate aimed at stemming the tide of abandoned homes and holding lenders responsible for maintaining properties,” Klein said.
