On North Hollywood’s 7700 block of Varna Avenue, a long-vacant lot has gone from neighborhood eyesore to full-blown safety and sanitation headache, according to frustrated residents. Neighbors say the property, where the original house burned down years ago, has sat empty for more than a decade and is now regularly occupied by people living on-site. They describe mounting trash, stolen cars and episodes of violence, and say that after years of complaints, a promised cleanup this week feels overdue — and only a first step.
What neighbors say
Residents say the problems around the lot have steadily escalated. “We all see homeless people go in the back doing drugs,” neighbor David Abrahamian told reporters, while Robert Baindourov said he has witnessed “multiple shootings, overdose deaths” and stolen cars abandoned in front of his home. As reported by NBC Los Angeles, neighbors say the original house on the parcel burned down years ago, and the now-empty property has generated a steady stream of calls to the city…