Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Dispute topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown resident tells commission neighbor pulled handgun during alley dispute; city officials say ownership likely civil matter
Summary
Resident Blake Jones told the Richmond commission a neighbor pulled a handgun and repeatedly called police over use of a downtown alley; city staff said they have issued code citations related to an unlicensed home business and that alley ownership and access rights will require deed/survey review and may be a civil dispute.
Blake Jones, who lives at 314 North Second Street in downtown Richmond, used the public-comment period to describe an ongoing dispute with a neighbor over an alley that serves seven homes.
Jones told the commission he has called city offices and police repeatedly and said that, in a recent incident, "I had a neighbor pull a handgun on me." He said he recorded video of the incident and that no criminal charges were filed. Jones said he and neighbors lack clear deed or parcel records showing ownership or maintenance responsibility for the alley and that planning and zoning staff had directed him to bring the matter before the board.
City staff summarized enforcement steps already taken: codes enforcement issued citations for operating a business without an occupational/business license at the neighbor’s address, and building/inspection staff determined the neighbor would not pass a home-occupational permit inspection and so could not operate a business from that property. The city manager and city attorney told the commission the ownership and right-of-way questions will likely require private civil action, deeds and surveys to resolve, and are not strictly within the enforcement role the city can take without a court determination.
The mayor and council asked staff to continue fact-finding (pull deeds and maps) but emphasized that disputes over property lines and the right to erect gates or otherwise control access are generally civil matters that may require survey work or legal action by property owners. Jones said he is considering selling and moving because he does not feel safe.
Why it matters: The comments raise public-safety and code-enforcement questions about downtown property access and demonstrate limits to municipal authority when deeded rights and private disputes are involved. The commission committed to further research on deeds and historical maps but told Jones that ultimate property-right determinations may require litigation or private surveys.
