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I am curious. I live a couple miles away from the trailer parks on Maynard Road. For the most part, they don't bother anyone, except as a total eyesore on a major thoroughfare into the town. Some of them are REALLY run down. They look almost uninhabitable, something yo would expect to see in a 3rd world country. Some of them have foundations falling off, porches rotted to the ground and caving in. Yesterday when I drove by, one of them had all the windows knocked out, the door hanging open and I just kept thinking that something bad was going to happen there (I could visualize a crack house or runaway squatters or something!)
ALso at one point I was told that these trailer parks were not actually a part of Cary, but that they were do-nut holed parts of Wake County. Tonight I asked a Cary poice officer if that was true and he said "no, they're part of Cary".
So, about 6 months ago, I brought this problem to the attention of my Cary councilman, Don Frantz and asked him his opinion. He seemed to act like there was not much he could do. The parks had been here forever, (which they have) they were here to stay and that was little enforcement or oversight. I was told the man who owned them was a long time Cary local who had no intention of selling them. Personally, if anyone has SEEN them, I would consider this person a slum lord!
So tonight, I met the head of our local police force for district one (the district has been divided up). I again mentioned my concern about the condition of some of the trailers in that park, that they were literally falling apart, and my observation that one of them was clearly vacant and abandoned and it was a recipe for disaster. I was told that it was "private property", and almost nothing could be done about enforcement back there. He even told me that the owner was a "great guy" who "always cooperated with police".
So...I am SERIOUSLY trying to figure out...if the town of Cary can fine people for uncut yards, for spray painting the sides of homes and enforcing other housing standard...WHY.....WHY...can't they force the owners of those trailer parks to do the same? I asked this question and got a great big shrug and an "I'll ask our housing code guy to check on it".
I keep totally getting the run around and a weird vibe off of people when I ask about this place. My DH thinks that because this slum lord is a local, he may be protected in some way (like the son or grandson of a former PO or something).
I am fine with trailer parks being there, I just think they should be held to the SAME standards that the rest of us in Cary are held to for private property.
Any thoughts...ideas? I'm actually not going to let this go until I get a REAL answer from someone!
Very interesting post. We drove down Maynard last weekend and I noticed one trailer with broken front windows (facing the road), curtains blowing in the wind. The place was in dire disrepair. I'd be interested to know who actually owns the property and if he/she is somehow "connected". I agree that town standards for property upkeep/maintenance do not seem to apply here for some reason. I would think the owner is accountable.
I heard in the past that the trailer parks were grandfathered in when Cary adopted most of zoning ordinances. No new trailer parks can be built, but existing ones were allowed to stay. As for them being run down, it's the same as a house being run down. There isn't much a town can do besides send notices asking them to please cut the grass, etc.
Why would Cary police be involved in a housing standards issue? Seems like the wrong place to bring an issue like this. Maybe you're getting the run around because you're not asking the right departments.
That's a REALLY interesting point! How it's not part of Cary when it's right smack in the middle of the town?? If it was off Ten-ten or those weird unincorporated areas... ok then but this? Come on now. I would bring that up tp WRAL. The guy trying to get help from the town for the poor drainage has their attention but not fix a busted trailer park? I don't mind them either as long they are kept up and it looks decent.
That's a REALLY interesting point! How it's not part of Cary when it's right smack in the middle of the town?? If it was off Ten-ten or those weird unincorporated areas... ok then but this? Come on now.
There are numerous areas within cities of North Carolina (Cary included) that have not been annexed into the city for one reason or another, and yet are completely surrounded by city limits. Check out a good map of the city and you'll see these "donut holes" that the OP referred to.
There are numerous areas within cities of North Carolina (Cary included) that have not been annexed into the city for one reason or another, and yet are completely surrounded by city limits. Check out a good map of the city and you'll see these "donut holes" that the OP referred to.
Here's one map:
Town of Cary Annexation (http://www.townofcary.org/depts/dsdept/DR%20Web%20Site/annex/map.htm - broken link)
One one example of a land-locked parcel that isn't part of the town:
There's a tiny donut hole right behind my house that isn't part of Cary...a wooded strip of land about 200' by 20' that is an unbuildable lot. County records show that it last changed hands in the '40s and the taxes (a few bucks a year) have gone unpaid as far back as the online database shows.
Why would Cary police be involved in a housing standards issue? Seems like the wrong place to bring an issue like this. Maybe you're getting the run around because you're not asking the right departments.
I didn't contact the police over this issue, he was at a neighborhood function discussing crime in our downtown Cary neighborhoods and of course, that trailer park came up because of the high crime rates back there.
I originally mentioned it to the police more because I was concerned about the one particular trailer with all the windows knocked out and door hanging open because I thought it looked like a potentially dangerous situation. I wasn't really bringing up housing code stuff with him in particular, but the conversation sort of ended up there. I also wanted to know if they really are part of Cary or not and thought he would probably know. According to him, it is.
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