Cleveland Park, TN (Memphis: real estate, condo, crime)

[whithill]

Great post, Carol, thanks. For those of us who are considering these areas from far away, this is very helpful and kind of inspiring too!
Hope to be down there and actually looking soon.
Whit

[clifton]

I own two houses now on N 2nd St. I am currently working on rennovations on the 2nd one.

I have never owned a gun before, but after walking outside a few weeks ago and finding myself in the middle of two warring gangs, I made the decision to buy one. I will not go there now without a gun.

I do not recommend that anyone unfamilar with that area buy there, and you definitely should not depend on your realtor to fill you in. My experiences with the police have been mixed. One some occassions I've felt they were very responsive and were trying to improve the area, and other times I've been treated like I'm the one that should not be there and I'm the one causing the trouble.

I agree though, the houses and the location are great, and in a few years I think there will be significant appreciation.

[Nannamaki]

I was there on sunday with my husband to looking for a house in East nashville and Cleveland park. We did tour in 2-3 house in cleveland park. We love those house Great house but the most scared people on the street make us think twice to buy house there. I have to stay home allday while my husband goto work in city with my baby in these area. I think i gonna pass this area though even it will be great investment in next 3-5 years.

[artemis]

Good article in todays City Paper .....

Winfreys plan Cleveland Park redevelopment on Nashville City Paper

[Nannamaki]

I'd like house in N.2 and hancock st. area, the one at the corner and another one green color nearby that corner. But the green one was sold and the one at corner has higher price more than i expected. If that area look more safe than this, I'd sure that i will buy that house.

[Carol McCullough]

The N 2nd and Hancock area is in the McFerrin Park Neighborhood (which is just South of Cleveland Park). Of all the neighborhoods in Nashville, I think this one is changing the most dramatically in a short period of time (homes that were selling for $30,000 moving for $180,000 months later with very little work done; demographics shifting significantly, etc.).

N 2nd is a holdout. It will take some time to move the drug dealers from this street (I really think it will be less than 3 years), but it will happen. This neighborhood is literally moments from downtown and some blocks (Hancock, for one: the 300 block between Lischey and Meridian) are experiencing a tremendous turnover in renovation and resale to owners that occupy that home.

I understand if you don't want to deal with the irritation for 3 years, but I assure you that it would be a good investment (though I must say I am impressed if the green house you spoke of sold for the asking price, because it seemed a bit high).

On the subject of the Winberry Project in Cleveland Park (Vernon & Barbara Winfrey's project), it appears to be a well thought out plan. It is about a block away from me and I am looking forward to the demolition of what is there now.

[clifton]

Nannamaki please buy on N 2nd St!

Don't overpay though. If you think the price is too high, then move on. There are many houses for sale on that street.

On a different note, does anybody know what it means when Metro issues a "warrant" to a property owner because of failure to maintain the property?

I have repeatedly complained about the house at 1011 N 2nd. I leave a voice mail every day at the Metro Codes Department, but they do not call me back. I got an email telling me the warrant has been issued, but I would like to know what that means. What happens if the owner does not respond?

The house is vacant, but it is being used by drug dealers and prostitutes. The property is attracting a lot of criminal activity to that block.

[Carol McCullough]

If Codes issued a warrant, it means that the owner is expected to appear in Environmental Court. You can ask Codes to tell you when the person will appear in court if you want to go (it is normally Wednesdays at 2:00). I recommend you get to know Bill Penn. He is the head of Property Standards. He can be reached at 862-6516. Often, you will not get much notice (usually less than a week) because the court does not provide the docket to Codes very far in advance. The presence of neighbors usually does have an impact on the judge's disposition.

If the owner does not show, then typically the case will be continued and a "body attachment" is often issued, which means that if the police run into the person (such as if the person is pulled over for a violation like speeding) then that person will be arrested. Often, the case dies or just starts over again when someone calls again.

The system is pretty flawed in this regard (as well as in many other ways), but it is something that the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance (an umbrella group of neighborhood groups in Nashville) is working to address. We are going to have a meeting about changing the system within Codes and the Environmental Court on October 17th, but I haven't confirmed the location yet. It will likely be at the East Police Precinct on Trinity Lane at 7:00 p.m. I'll contact you directly to let you know the details when they are firm.

It sounds to me like you also have the beginnings of a potential nuisance case on your hands. I recommend that you call Sgt. Ogren (pronounced oh-grin) at the East Precinct to talk with him about it more. His phone number is 862-7500. When you have an ongoing problem, it is more effective to have a discussion with him rather than simply calling the police over and over (though I don't recommend you stop that either). Telling him I told you to call won't hurt.

Also, if you are interested in attending the neighborhood association meetings, McFerrin Park meets on the first Thursday of every month at the McFerrin Park Community Center at 6:30 p.m. and Cleveland Park meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Cleveland Park Community Center. The police are usually at every meeting.

Carol McCullough
Neighborhoods Resource Center (a non-profit that helps neighborhood groups organize and take action)

[Anna Haislip]

Cleveland Park is in the37207 zip code. The area is coming up but is not there yet, which means like several have mentioned it is still more than a bit sketchy. But the good side is if you buy now you are ahead of the curve and should experience a good amount of appreciation in the future. The first question usually you ask in East Nashville is the home on the East or West side of Gallatin Rd. East has been and is the favored side, but the West is coming up nicely. The next question for either side would be which block is it on. 37206 is the favored zip thus the most expensive, but 37216 which is Inglewood, Brush Hill etc has some fabulous homes and are still affordable and very desirable. I hope this helps.

[clifton]

Thanks Carol your message is very helpful. I am getting no where with the codes department. I will make the calls you suggest.