VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Some say one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
That describes the situation in the Haygood section of Aragona Village in Virginia Beach. People see junk, but the owner of the “junk” house sees treasure.
The neighborhood’s not only upset, but neighbors are also demanding action that their neighborhood eyesore gets city attention.
The residents have complained for years, but the cars, boats and other miscellaneous items kept piling up. Then they started calling 10 On Your Side.
The property sits at the corner of Westgrove Road and Linshaw Lane. We took out Drone 10 and flew above the property.
10 On Your Side met Kristin Keller while she was holding her daughter, Emerson, and coming out the front door of her home across the street.
“It wasn’t as bad when we moved in as it is now. There are boats, junk, sinks, ladders, it’s just getting out of hand,” she said.
It’s a quality of life issue for Audrey Smith, who has lived on the street 46 years.
“We cannot come out here and walk because of the rats and they look like muskrats that are so dang big,” Audrey Smith said.
“It would be great not to live next to a junkyard, honestly,” Keller said.
It’s so bad, Keller won’t allow Emerson to play in the side yard facing the property.
“We don’t let her play on that side of the street because we don’t trust anything over there.”
So, what’s being done about it?
“It’s a mockery… It’s ridiculous. They keep saying they’re taking him to court, and taking him to court and nothings been done, nothing,” Audrey Smith said.
Audrey Smith has confronted the homeowner multiple times and says “he is not a good neighbor.”
Around when 10 On Your Side was speaking with Audrey Smith, property owner William Bruce Smith, showed up after he was contacted by a neighbor and told reporters were there.
10 On Your Side asked William Smith if he believes he’s a good neighbor.
“I think I’ve tried… There are three sides to a point: There’s your version, there’s the real thing, and then there’s what actually goes on,” he said.
William Smith constantly dodged the question multiple times about why his yard looks like it does. He blames family issues, but it’s much more than that.
Virginia Beach court papers show the city has been citing him for over five years, and so have the neighbors.
10 On Your Side told him what Keller told us: that she wants to move.
He said, “I don’t blame them.”
If he doesn’t blame them for wanting to move, why doesn’t he do something about it?
William Smith’s response: “What do you think I’m doing?”
James Mock rents out the home he owns which is across the street from Smith. 10 On Your Side put Mock on the phone and put it on speaker so William Smith could hear his frustration.
“I would like you to clean up your yard and come into compliance with the codes, so I can sell my home,” he told William Smith.
Mock wants to sell, but asks, would you want to buy his house across the street from the neighborhood eyesore?
“I requested that the law be enforced, so that my neighborhood has the dignity it deserves, and I can’t do that with all your stuff everywhere,” he said.
Neighbors complain Smith’s property has been cluttered for years. City code enforcement comes out, but neighbors say nothing ever happens.
The city says it’s not for a lack of trying.
10 On Your Side was with William Smith the day he was served with seven summonses to appear in court Sept. 29 for having two boats and five cars allegedly improperly store on the property.
On Tuesday, Smith was in court on another charge of improper storage of some of the “junk.” City Code Enforcement says the routine is, William Smith comes into court and then stalls.
“He will ask for a continuance, and sometimes after the continuance, he will then ask for an attorney, so a lot of these cases drag on for months at a time,” said Matt Coneys, a supervisor with code enforcement.
Sure, enough in court Tuesday, that is exactly what William Smith did. He asked for an attorney to be appointed, and the charge was continued until the Sept. 29 court date. The code officers said they will seek jail time. The storage of junk is a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in prison and or a $2,500 fine.
“We are relentless in our enforcement until the stuff on his property is cleaned up,” Coneys added.
On Tuesday, 10 On Your Side approached Smith outside court. If the city is seeking jail time, why doesn’t William Smith just clean it up? Smith said, again, that he’s trying.
Neighbors said they don’t think he is trying hard enough.
The day after we went to Smith’s home, Smith did start cleaning up the property. The boats are already gone.
We asked Smith how he feels about 10 On Your Side reporting on his home, the “stuff,” and his court issues. He answered that in a surprising way.
“I’m happy that you all are here because it’s giving a voice.”