Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Two apartment complexes, one address, 30 911 calls

Cypress Run is at 15501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. And so is Eagles Point.

By ROBBYN MITCHELL, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

TAMPA PALMS - As North Oaks Condominium residents fight with the county about having their addresses changed, across the street two apartment complexes that share one address have become a hot potato.

Neither city nor county addressing officials claim responsibility for Cypress Run and Eagles Point, at 15501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., but the more than 400 residents between them may one day want a solution.

For one thing, the shared address makes the place look dangerous. More than 30 911 calls were placed to the address between January and October 2007.

While that's a lot for New Tampa, many of these calls were reports of criminal mischief and auto burglary, things all apartments experience.

"It's not a lot for two apartment complexes," said Janelle McGregor, spokeswoman for the Tampa Police Department. "The types of crimes that happen are what matter more."

Cpl. Jared Douds agrees. "Any time you get a bunch of cars in the same place, you get auto burglaries," he said. "Any calls out of the ordinary are just that - out of the ordinary."

Cypress Run and Eagles Point used to be joined until new owners split the property. Eagles Point has a separate 46th Street address for its on-site leasing office, but the Bruce B. Downs address covers the apartments.

Michael Atia, who has been living in Cypress Run with his two children since August, said the community is relatively quiet, but he has noticed an increased police presence.

"They usually sit over there for two or three days," he said, pointing to a Hillsborough County sheriff's cruiser. "Then they move to another location."

John Pollard, who lives in Eagles Point, said the neighborhood has a lot of students who can be rowdy sometimes, but for the most part there aren't any problems.

"Here in the front around the lake it's quiet, but the further back you go it can get a little loud," he said.

Mike Zewicke, a drafting technician for the city, said he looked into the addressing matter but took no action because he was under the impression the same people own the two complexes. A spokeswoman for Cypress Run said the two complexes are owned separately. Officials for Eagles Point declined to comment.

The western boundary of the property lies in the county. But Julio Guzman, the Hillsborough 911 land technician who is working with North Oaks, said he doesn't have any power to change the addresses at the two other complexes.

"I saw this when I was doing my section review and was really working it, until I found out it was considered a part of the city. Then I passed it off," he said.

Robbyn Mitchell can be reached at rmitchell@sptimes.com or 813 269-5313.

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 00:21:04]