LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vacant lots can be an eyesore and a nuisance. For one man in the Portland neighborhood, the lot next to his home has also become a major commitment.
Adam Dennison first purchased his 1800's shotgun house near the Ohio River about nine and a half years ago. He bought it after a foreclosure, and said the fenced-in lot next to it, remained in the hands of the original owner.
Since moving in, Dennison has cared for the lot to prevent it from detracting from the neighborhood he's so proud of.
"You want to do the best you can for the neighborhood but that hurts when you're just trying to make it work," he said. "It's a house with a lot and an alley on the other side so it's not of use to anyone but me."
Dennison said over the years he's spent tons of his own money paying for the upkeep of the grassy lot. Ultimately, he wants to purchase the property to make it his yard.
"I don't have enough yard to really own a lawnmower so I pay someone in the neighborhood to take care of it," he said.
Dennison said he's been trying to get in touch with the owner, but the man lives out of town and Dennison only has an address. He said he's sent letters and called the city many times.
"There's not really anything legally I can do short of driving to his house and cold knocking on his door, which no one wants to do," he said.
WHAS11 reached out to attorney Bart McMahon to see if Dennison had any path forward.
He said property laws highly favor ownership and have been that way for hundreds of years.
McMahon said it would take years, and tax dollars, for Dennison to have any sort of claim to the land.
Additionally, because the city doesn't own it, and Dennison has prevented it from becoming a nuisance, there isn't much officials can do either.
"He could choose to just let it go and suffer the consequences, and let the city take it to court, or he's stuck," McMahon said.
Dennison doesn't want to let the property become overgrown, because he worries the impact that would have on his home. He feels left saddling an impossible choice.
"There's a lot of blocks down here that need a lot of work but the stuff around here isn't owned by the people who live here so what are we supposed to do?" he said. "After this much time I honestly don't know what to do other than keep mowing it and hoping for the best."
McMahon said even if Dennison allowed the property to become overgrown, it would be a while before the city could step in.
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