NEW YORK (CBSNew York) – Some Staten Island neighbors are fed up with a massive garage sale they say is an eyesore.
Salvaging from garage sales is Debbie Nelson’s thing.
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“I have so many at home, so if I buy something, I have to get rid of something. It’s my policy, ”the Westerleigh resident told CBS2’s Dave Carlin.
She loves the large selection at 654 Willowbrook Rd., Open daily in the mixed-use residential-commercial area with all kinds of items on the tables, spanning the corner to face the avenue as well. bustling North Gannon.
Neighbors remember the garage sale started small, on weekends only, about six years ago, but now it’s almost all the time.
“This one got really big,” Nelson said.
“I think it’s just grown, and I think you’ve got a lot more people coming to park here,” said Wendy Em, a resident of Willowbrook.
John Scamardella doesn’t like the sight of a massive garage sale on Willowbrook Road from his second floor bedroom window. (Credit: CBS2)
John Scamardella’s house is right next door, and while he considers it convenient if he needs something and can find it there, he also says he’s outgrown and that he doesn’t like the view from his bedroom window on the second floor.
“It’s kind of a horror for us,” he said.
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The city has more than 40 complaints from neighbors on file.
There are concerns that this is a retail business that generates too much traffic and double parking, and that items are clogging the sidewalks.
Some neighbors say that over the years it has grown into a sprawling flea market, but owner Robert Renaud says it is still a garage sale.
“We only sell trinkets, knickknacks, gifts, thrift stores… and I do this as a fun hobby,” he said.
Renaud enlarged it after retiring from the bar business four years ago. He says the sellers are only family and friends, and he’s made sure it’s legal.
“In New York City, you can have as many yard sales as you want and you don’t need a yard sale license,” he said. “Over the whole summer, I had two tickets. Their main concern is to make sure the sidewalk is clear.
CBS2 contacted the municipal building and transportation departments for the property. We haven’t had any feedback. One official said this was happening entirely on private property left little recourse.
It seems, for better or for worse, that the biggest garage sale many people say they’ve ever seen is here to stay.
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The city’s sanitation department told CBS2 that it does not remove material from private property, but issues violations if excessive material is visible from the street.
