A recreational vehicle parked on the streets of Seattle with a makeshift plywood shanty built on top is infuriating neighbors, as the city struggles with an epidemic of homelessness.
Residents of the Ballard neighborhood first noticed construction of the rustic second story last week, and fear that it could topple on a passing car or a pedestrian, according to KOMO-TV.
'It's called a shack,' a female living inside the classic Winnebago F-17 explained to the outlet, declining to answer further questions.
Residents of the affluent neighborhood, which is filled with upscale bars and boutique shops, say their streets are now lined with RVs and tent encampments, and blame city leaders for failing to address the issue.
A recreational vehicle parked on the streets of Seattle with a makeshift plywood shanty built on top is infuriating neighbors who fear the structure could collapse on a pedestrian or car
'We feel like they have more rights than us. I mean to go up on our house (to add a story) we would have to have several permits,' neighbor Lane Imbler-Bremner.
Imbler-Bremner said that he had reported the makeshift double-decker to City Hall, but has so far received no response.
Complicating matters, city officials seem perplexed about who has oversight authority, and what ordinances the haphazard construction might be violating.
'To my knowledge, I have never seen anything like this,' a spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation admitted.
There are an estimated 2,700 people living in cars and RVs in Seattle, and last month the Washington state Supreme Court effectively banned towing vehicles that are used as residences.
The Seattle Times editorial board recently called the city's approach to dealing with people sleeping in vehicles 'a singular failure.'
Pedestrians walk past tents used by people lacking housing at Denny Park near the Space Needle in Seattle in March
Local residents (not homeless) are pictured at the Miller Playfield park despite the homeless
