The Delridge Vacuum and TV Center has been the subject of community complaints for at least 15 years, but it appears that the property could see changes in the near future with a new owner and might have a more positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

Local police have caught owners of the used-goods store, located at 5214 Delridge Way S.W., selling stolen goods on multiple occasions. Store owner Stoyan Tanev even plead guilty last month to multiple business regulation charges, including engaging in business without a used-goods license and failure to retain property for 30 days.

On multiple instances building inspectors have discovered that Tanev was renting out rooms in his business without required permits. The rooms have been designated by the Department of Planning and Development as “illegal and uninhabitable.”

What perhaps makes the situation more alarming are the conditions that Tanev’s tenants were living in. Earlier this month, when residents were found on the property, an inspector reported that the kitchen ceiling had fallen in, water was leaking directly into the stove, the kitchen sink did not drain, the floors were unsanitary, electrical outlets were burnt, there were no smoke detectors, rodents were entering through the walls and mold and was evident throughout.

Each time he has been found illegally renting the units Tanev was forced to pay to relocate his tenants, but faced no additional fines or legal ramifications.

“We have made it very clear with (Tanev) that he is not to have people renting there, which he already knew,” said Paula Barrett, a code compliance supervisor for the Department of Planning and Development.

But the department is hopeful that since the building now has new ownership, the used-goods store will no longer be a detriment to the neighborhood.

“The new owners have been very cooperative,” said Barrett. “There will be some changes that will be to the community’s definite benefit.”

Joe Megale, the current property owner, has told some neighbors that he plans to open a coffee shop on the south end of the property, although he would not comment for this story.

When he first purchased the property in 2006, Megale received a letter signed by several neighbors asking that Tanev’s leas not be extended. The letter read “we have had nothing but crime and trouble with the people who hang around his business that are involved in stolen goods, drugs and prostitution.”

Megale did not respond to the letter and continued to lease the property to Tanev.

While the West Seattle Herald was able to interview three different people living in the surrounding community, none would discuss the shop on the record, for fear of retaliation. One neighbor said she had a rock thrown through her window after reporting several incidents on the property to police.

“Everyone in the neighborhood wants (the shop) gone,” said one local resident. “It’s a blight on the community.”

Another woman purchased a town home next to the shop after hearing that Tanev’s lease would not be extended. Now, she worries about her property’s value declining.

“I thought I got a good deal,” she said. “I won’t be able to sell and make any equity until something is done there.”