CARLETON CRONIN: Construction evermore

For the past eight years, residents on this block (8700 Dorrington) have been living in a war zone due to ongoing construction of several “McMansions” and the renovation of a three-story building at the corner of Dorrington and Robertson. I’ve been told that the city does not monitor residential construction as it does commercial construction. That should change to aid residents.

We’ve seen everything from piledrivers and 195,000-pound front loaders on carriers to total street blockage by piles of construction debris and building components. Too many days, pickup trucks took all the parking spaces on the block. Often, there was no notice of the street being blocked — until recently, when utility work was done for the three-story remodel. Most annoying to me personally was when, after returning home from a prolonged hospital stay, I was prevented from being driven to my driveway and had to endure a painful walk.

Workers on the construction projects often park on the street-cleaning side, sometimes partially across driveways. Also, they never display parking permits. Did the contractors use the electronic permitting system?

Today (10/18), I saw parking enforcement had placed tickets on nearly every car and truck on the block. That is unfortunate and unfair for the workers; the contractor should pay the fines for not securing parking permits for its subcontractors. Possibly, the workers could park at reduced rates in a city parking structure and be shuttled to the site.

Building contractors have traditionally begun work at sunrise, as they still do in less regulated areas. Some workers arrive here at 6:30 AM with 90 minutes to kill before work starts. Twice, I have seen men urinating behind the hedge in front of my house. (Aren’t contractors required to provide portable toilets?)

Aside from the usual complaints of noise, dust, and weekend work, these are my observations on residential construction and its impact on nearby residents. The city should monitor residential construction and remodeling for the safety and security of residents.