It can feel like living in a junk-yard near the Bayonne Bridge in Elm Park and Mariner's Harbor and even in Stapleton.

That's because it's a common sight to see wrecked cars without license plates parked up and down streets near auto shops, neighbors complained. 

 

It's can be illegal. According to the City Code, all cars parked on public streets must be registered and display their plates. 

 

Victoria Gillen said it's frustrating. She lives in Elm Park and said her neighborhood is zoned for manufacturing and residential use. 

She estimated 15 auto body and repairs shops surround her home.  “Think about it. With that many, where do you park the cars?," she posed.  She said the cars take up street parking, sidewalks, and she said she worries about what could be entering storm drains. 

“They’re basically expanding their profit margin at the expense of the community," she said of auto body shops that allegedly park vehicles on the street. 

Officials at the New York City Police Department said the commanding officer overseeing Stapleton is aware of the situation, and is working on correcting it. 

Gillen said the problem has existed for years, and when traffic enforcement does do a sweep, the problem is never resolved. 

Kevin Scheuerman said he's owned his shop for 27 years in Mariner's Harbor. He said he only parks running and registered cars next to his shop and agrees Gillen has a valid complaint. However, instead of cracking down on parking, he believes it's zoning rules that needs to be fixed in order to address the problem. 

"Making [auto shops] to be in one area, well then, we’re going to have a ton of shops one on top of the another. Unless, you want one shop on the whole island to do all the work- that’s not gonna happen. That’s not America," he said. He said zoning forces industry to densely pack certain neighborhoods and available parking becomes even more sparse. 

NY1 reached out to NYC Planning and are still awaiting a response.  Meanwhile, both Gillen and Scheuerman say it's a constant battle between residents and auto shop owners that will continue until lawmakers step in to find a solution.