Fire pit in street cul de sac?? (Dale City: cul-de-sac, rental)

[bungbill64]

I've searched Prince William County government websites, but as usual, they are of no help. So I figured I'd ask if anyone knows if this is legal or not:

We have neighbors that believe the cul de sac we live on in Dale City is their own personal playground. Every Friday and Saturday night they have a large gathering of friends over with a fire pit (like the ones you buy at Lowes or Walmart) that they pull out to the middle of the street. They surround it with their cars & pickup trucks. Is this normal or even legal?

It would be one thing if they did it, let's say, only on the Fourth of July or Memorial Day, but EVERY Friday and Saturday night from about 8pm til 2am. The only time they don't have a fire in the street is when it's raining. We have a fire pit as well, but we use it in our BACKYARD...which i think is normal. I would have no issue if they did it on their own property, but as I said, they think the cul de sac belongs to them...

any thoughts?

[jzcrandall]

If it's in the street I'm pretty sure it's illegal. Call the police.

[HokieFan]

Is your street city/county maintained? If so, call the non-emergency police line and report it.

If private street maintained by a HOA, report them to the HOA.

[persnicketygal]

Just wondering: How large is the cul-de-sac? If there was a fire or other emergency at one of the houses, would fire/police vehicles be able to get to the house? Would the friends' vehicles block them from getting close? And are they blocking fire hydrants? Those might be things worth reporting.

Of course, if they invite most of the neighbors, they'd probably figure out quickly who squealed, and life in that cul-de-sac could get a bit difficult. I'm just saying -- maybe you could ask them why can't do it in their own backyard or to cut it short because they're keeping you folks up at night?

[cully]

I don't know why people do this. There is a cul-de-sac not too far from us where a friend lives. The friend and other neighbors are single or families but all quiet and konked out by a certain time after busy days. that's when the one neighbor gets going with his buddies and loud music.

Be careful, though. There's something off, something self centered about people like this.

When our friend went over to talk to the guy nicely, the guy's pit bull got out and bit our friend. Now, pit bulls are not all mean so this one could be like this because of its owner.

After stitches and a police report the dog was set to be taken away. Finally, this noisey partier broke down crying and went to talk to our friend. He begged and pleaded that the dog was his friend. Our friend had the option to allow the dog to be there is it was out only on a leash and the county wanted a dangerous dog sign up. Our friend also said no more of those parties. The guy agreed to all.

But the parties started back up, although not as frequently.

And that means there are trucks parked all around the cul-de-sac and neighbors have to get in touch with the party guy so that they can get their cars out sometimes.

[SmartMoney]

Call the police and tell them to please not identify the complainant. Take back your neighborhood or give up and get out or give up and suffer in silence.

My TH subdivision (Tacketts Mill) where I currently live (rent) has turned the parking lots into a playground. It's dangerous and the kids (and their parents) are belligerent, talk back and are rude. The police have been out here on a regular basis to tell them to keep the basketballs away from cars, don't skateboard on the steps and sidewalk. The latest: neighbors next door have turned their basement into a rental unit for a family of 4, so now their 3 daughters don't have any place to park their bikes (I guess they can't take them around back). So they park them in parking places, sidewalks or front lawn. (And, for those of you counting, yes, that's 9 living in a 3 bedroom home).

Yesterday, a man with a clipboard knocked on their door, identifying himself as someone the HOA had hired to do a property inspection. The woman was dumber than a rock and completely clueless. It wasn't me that complained, because I am moving (buying) after 6 years. But if I owned here, I'd be pretty ticked, this one family is having such a negative effect on our neighborhood. Those that are selling and renting must be beside themselves - anyone driving in here would see that eyesore and turn around.

OP, decide which of the 3 choices you want to make. Be sure to weigh the consequences of each choice. Your neighbors have already shown themselves selfish in their actions, are they the type to be vengeful? The last thing you want is to escalate your angst.

[bungbill64]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

The cul de sac is average size, 5 houses with driveways that actually empty into the circle. And the circle always has too many vehicles in it even when there isn't a gathering. They are all very nice people and have invited us to join them numerous times... and we asked why they didn't use their backyards to gather and the reply was "well, that's not very sociable!" Maybe it's a southern thing. I hope they don't blow up one of their 6 trucks. It's just hilarious, because as you drive through the neighborhood, there are people out and about, but our street is definitely "that street" that all the other neighbors talk about.

[NovaOne]

Embrace it.

Suggest a Vikings theme for the next gathering, and of course a holiday themed one for those that occur close to holidays. There should be BBQ, a card table, ticki torches, and a small inflatable pool.

[dmv101010]

I'd also embrace it! They invited you go socialize!

[Forehead]

I'm looking at this from a different point of view. I've always thought that if I lived in a cul de sac area, it would be fun to have parties with the neighbors in the circle. And the fact that they invited you...I'd embrace it so long as they leave a space for people to get out with their cars.