Leesburg Apartments grapples with open dumping conditions

Tenants of an apartment complex in Leesburg state they have been living in substandard conditions because of overflowing trash.

Leesburg Apartments, located next to the Leesburg Police Station on Plaza Street, is a large apartment complex housing several hundred tenants. The problem was first noticed July 1. While driving by the complex, trash overflowing from the dumpster enclosure areas on the grounds were visible from the public road.

Upon further inspection, furniture, refuse and several dozen cans of paint were discovered sitting on the ground outside a dumpster enclosure at the back end of the apartment complex. Town Code prohibits flammable or hazardous chemicals to be disposed of in this manner. See relevant information here which states, "These items should not be disposed of with regular household waste or recyclables."

See video below:

Photos and a video were sent to Mayor Kelly Burk, Town Manager Kaj Dentler and Zoning Administrator Michael Watkins. The apartment complex was visited by Town Department of Public Works employees the following day and a violation was issued to clean up the property, according to a Public Works employee. "We told them to come up with a plan to keep the area clean," the employee said, "and we will be monitoring moving forward."

However, since that time, the problem has continued. A dumpster enclosure that sits close to Edwards Ferry Road NE has a few dozen shopping carts stacked up behind the dumpster.

And an area at the rear of the apartment complex along a wooded area has become a focal point for a rather large dumping problem with furniture, car parts, tires, cardboard, an immense amount of discarded liquor bottles, food containers and other debris.

See video below:

"At night and on the weekends we see cars sitting in that back corner from our bedroom window and see people partying. They get drunk and throw their bottles on the ground. Management has not cleaned that area up. That, of course, is not good for nature or the environment. Every time I take my trash to the dumpster area it is overflowing. We just need more dumpsters and more aggressive clean up efforts by management," said Ms. Gonzalez who has lived in the community for two years.

Tenants full names will not be used in this article to protect their privacy.

"It's a consistent problem for sure," said Mr. Garcia. "We have complained to management. They don't seem to care."

Tenants have taken to social media to complain of the property. Those reviews can be seen here:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/leesburg-apartments-leesburg

https://www.apartmentratings.com/va/leesburg/leesburg-apartments_703737731020176/#ratingsReviews

Fairfield Residential owns and manages Leesburg Apartments. Two emails to the CEO of Fairfield Residential, Richard Boynton, along with several other members of his executive leadership team, were sent on Sept. 21 and Sept. 30, respectively, with photos and a video showing the conditions of the grounds.

The email sent on Sept. 30 included a formal request for comment and informed the company that an article would be published about the condition of the grounds.

The company did not respond.

A similar email was sent to the Town of Leesburg for a request for comment on Sept. 30 asking what measures, if any, Zoning Administrator Michael Watkins or his staff had taken to revisit the property, re-evaluate the situation and work with the property to get it into compliance with Town Code.

The Town did not respond.

Town Code prohibits refuse from accumulating outside dumpsters or trash cans. Specifically, section 28-25 "Containers and storage areas requirements for commercial establishments, apartments, and condominiums" states:

(a) All commercial establishments, and residences ineligible for curbside collection under section 28-26, shall be equipped with adequate refuse containers or storage areas. All containers, except those for storage of bulky refuse, shall be vermin-proof and waterproof, of noncorrosive material and equipped with tight lids which shall be kept closed at all times, except when filling or emptying the container. Such containers and storage areas shall be emptied regularly and cleaned sufficiently often to keep them free of obnoxious odors and vermin. The town reserves the right to establish and/or approve the size of all such containers.

(b) Trash dumpsters and other waste/recycling storage areas serving multifamily or nonresidential are regulated and enforced under the Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance.

Civil penalties, and eventual criminal charges, can be issued for repeated failure to comply with Town Code section 28-22. It is unclear whether subsequent violations have been issued to Leesburg Apartments since July 2.

Moreover, Loudoun County also has a code for proper trash disposal on private property:

• Trash and garbage must be stored in a container with a tight fitting lid [or within a dumpster as in the case of apartment complexes/multi-family dwelling properties]
• Garbage may not be placed outside solely in plastic bags
• Garbage must be removed for disposal at least every two weeks

Residents or the public can report trash and bulk dumping complaints here: https://www.leesburgva.gov/dep...