For residents along one West Las Vegas street, the piles outside a nearby home have become hard to ignore. Bikes, appliances, trash, and other items have filled the driveway, and residents say the mess keeps coming back.
The city knows about it too. On Aug. 28, News 3 Las Vegas reported that the property has been the subject of 15 code-enforcement cases since 2019 and is now tied up in court proceedings.
The homeowner, Andrea Schneider, lives there with her mother and says there is more behind the clutter than what neighbors can see. She told News 3 Las Vegas that the family has struggled since her father died three years ago and that she feels overwhelmed by the effort to clear everything away.
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Schneider told News 3 Las Vegas. “I could use the help, but I don’t have the money.”
What Started as a Plan to Resell Things Grew Bigger
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Schneider said the items started gathering because of a plan to sell things through garage sales and yard sales. Anything that did not sell was supposed to be donated, given away, or thrown out, she told News 3 Las Vegas.
Instead, the driveway became increasingly crowded. Neighbors who spoke with News 3 Las Vegas called the property an eyesore and said that recently, conditions had actually worsened.
Schneider says the family has made attempts to clean up the property. Video obtained by News 3 Las Vegas showed a trailer loaded with items headed for the landfill Wednesday evening, although she said an encounter with police resulted in the items being unloaded back into the driveway.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police told the outlet that officers had responded to the property several times during August for disturbance calls and a suspicious vehicle report.
“I’ve seen the cops more in the past two years than I have my entire life,” said Schneider, as reported by News 3 Las Vegas.
The City Says the Problems Go Back Years
The City of Las Vegas says the property has generated 15 separate code-enforcement cases since 2019 and has repeatedly required legal action after attempts to resolve violations.
In April, code enforcement asked a court to issue a summons to the property owner. The city returned to court July 29 seeking a longer-term solution, but said the owner did not appear, according to News 3 Las Vegas.
The city attorney’s office is now handling the case. Las Vegas says code enforcement generally tries to resolve violations through education, inspections and notices before stronger measures become necessary.
Meanwhile, Schneider says the family is once again loading items for removal and hopes to get the driveway cleared.