Villlage Patrons Get The Boot

On nights and weekends, the parking lot just behind Earthshaking Music between Flat Shoals and Gresham avenues has been packed with cars as bar and restaurant patrons flock to East Atlanta Village for fun.

No more.

A little more than a week ago, the lot's owner, Anthony Deljou, leased the roughly 55-spot parking lot  at 535 Gresham Ave. to a woman for three months.

(A second lot just behind the row of businesses fronting Glenwood Avenue including Grant Central Pizza and Mary's and EAV 529 on Flat Shoals Avenue is unaffected.)

Since then, people have had their vehicles booted, causing angst from patrons and frustration from business owners in the Village.

The lot is now private, even though there's no sign saying it's off-limits to public parking.

A sign at both entrances says unauthorized vehicles will be booted, but nowhere on the property is there any indication of what constitutes an authorized vehicle.

On Saturday night, at least 35 cars were booted in the lot and then the following day, another 20 vehicles were booted — at $75 bucks a boot — said Dave Strohauer, owner of the Earthshaking Music store at the corner of Flat Shoals and Stokeswood avenues.

One woman, he said, had two boots on her vehicle Sunday, and she was in tears being stuck there from 3 p.m. until about 7 p.m.

He likened the booting to a classic bait-and-switch: The lot is open, with no notice that it's private and not open to the public.

His wife posted no parking signs on the trees on their side of the property line to warn would-be booting victims, but Strohauer said one of the booting company employees began taking them down before she stopped him.

"It's like putting corn out in a field, attracting ducks and then you start shooting them," he said.

The booting issue has been the talk of the East Atlanta Village listserv as well as the nearby Benteen Park and Ormewood Park neighborhoods.

Some businesses, So Ba Vietnamese Restaurant, which is at the Gresham Avenue end of the lot, have posted warnings on their Facebook pages.

East Atlanta Patch attempted to contact the woman renting the lot leaving a message at the phone number listed on the sign.

A man who answered the phone number given for the booting company refused to give any information.

The sign itself violates city code, which requires the name as well as the phone number of the operator of the lot or entity that owns it.

What's more some of the booting of vehicles may violate other sections of the code:

• Fees being charged are in excess of $75 as per Sec. 162-260, in that multiple boots are placed on vehicles.
• The additional boots are being placed on vehicles while the owners are present in violation of Sec. 162-266
• That the signage on the lot is not in compliance with Sec. 162-261
• That the vehicles being used in the booting are not registered as required by Sec. 162-256 or marked as per Sec. 162-262

When contacted, Anthony Deljou, sales director and a principal of Deljou Art Group Showroom and Gallery on Atlanta's Westside, said he had nothing to do with the booting operations.

"They need to go after the person doing the booting," he told East Atlanta Patch late Sunday. "I’ve leased the property to someone, I'm not booting anyone."

The lease, he said expires Sept. 10.

"The property is open and is being leased, he said. "Unfortunately nothing is free."

Asked to whom he leased the lot or if she even has a business in the area, he quipped: "It's not your business to know who I do business with."

He did say though, that she wanted to lease the lot for a year but since he didn't know her, he gave her a three-month term.

Deljou said he obtained the property after foreclosing on its previous owner, Jeffrey Notrica, head of Inman Park Properties, earlier this year.

Deljou said he went to all the businesses surrounding the lot to ask if a group of them would be interested in renting the spaces for their customers.

"I personally visited every store, I asked every single one of them if they wanted to rent the lot," Deljou said, adding the response he received from business owners was that there was ample street parking.

"I’m the one who dropped off the business cards, I've had open dialogue with all of them," he said. "No one wants to pay for it."

Inman Park Properties was renting the lot out for $5,000 a month, he said, but he was only looking for about $2,500 a month to cover his expenses, which include insurance coverage on the lot.

"I'm not trying make any money off this. It's going to be leased to cover the expenses of the property," Deljou said.

If it remains unleased after the current agreement expires he will block access, he said.

"It will have to be chained up," Deljou said. "If someone gets robbed there, it’s a liability for me. If someone gets shot, it's a liability for me."