A Bronx landlord spoke with News 12’s Samantha Chaney about the impact it has had on his tenants after watching trash pile up in a vacant lot near his Allerton apartment building, 

Mike Gjuraj says he’s enraged by what he sees. As the owner of the apartment building for nearly 30 years, he says that the lot next door that was formerly filled with green grass now only holds garbage and cement.  

In 2021, the landlord claims a construction team began dumping work materials at the vacant space, claiming everything would be gone in a matter of days. Two years later, the landlord has continued to file 311 complaints about the trash that hasn’t been dealt with.  

“They cannot even open the window to get fresh air because of the smell,” said Gjuraj of the impact on his tenants.  

Gjuraj says he’s written letters to the owner of the empty lot and sent many 311 complaints, while also spending his own money to try and exterminate rodents and pests in the area that have come from the lot.  

News 12 reached out to Bronx Park East Housing, which according to city records oversees the vacant property. A representative from the Bronx Park East Housing office said they would not be giving a comment.  

Gjuraj now says that 311 refuses to take any more of his complaints regarding the property, and that he will be forced to take legal action if the lot isn’t cleared within the next two weeks.