In a case that Cuyahoga Land Bank officials said they had never experienced before, a Cleveland man will have to move his makeshift ‘man cave’ because he mistakenly placed it on a piece of a vacant lot owned by the land bank. The root of the confusion appears to be centered around property line stakes that were apparently placed in the incorrect location, officials said.
For the past couple of months, Dornell Bloodsaw has been using the southern half of a vacant lot located at 643 East 113th Street to house a tent, two grills, some exercise equipment and several bicycles. Although he lives in the home next door to the vacant lot, Bloodsaw has been using the tent as a makeshift man cave to gather and socialize with friends, in addition to listening to the radio. The property sits across from Glenville High School.
“I think it looks half-way decent,” Bloodsaw said. “It’s my man cave or should I say he-shed. You know, that’s where I smoke my cigarettes and drink at. None of that in the house.”
Earlier this summer, Bloodsaw said city inspectors ordered him to remove a couple of vehicles that he had parked on the property. He was fixing the vehicles to make some extra cash, Bloodsaw said. Three weeks ago, Bloodsaw said city inspectors again payed him a visit.
“I didn’t even know that was city property until I talked with [the inspector] few weeks ago. He told me this lot right here and that right there are [owned by the land bank],” Bloodsaw said.
According to property records, the land bank owns two of the three lots that separate Bloodsaw’s house and his neighbor’s home to the north. Bloodsaw’s family owns the other vacant lot that is adjacent to his house. However, Gus Frangos, the president and general counsel of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, said the barrier stakes mistakenly cut through one of the land bank’s lots, giving the impression that Bloodsaw’s property extended further than it actually did. The land bank’s field servicer understandably didn’t cut the grass thinking that it was not the land bank’s property.
The land bank only recently became aware of the issue.
“We have never had a situation quite like this,” Frangos said via email. “We will take care of it in a sensitive way.”
Bloodsaw said he doesn’t have a problem with having to move his belongings.
“I put it to you like this. I haven’t given them any trouble since we’ve been here,” Bloodsaw said. “They come here and tell me I can’t do this or I can’t do that, I comply with it.”
Bloodsaw said he is already in the process of moving his belongings over to his side of the property line.
