The District has agreed to purchase empty land behind the Howard Theatre for nearly twice its assessed value and 12 times what the current owner paid for it, spurring a threatened rejection of the deal from the D.C. Council.

The contract, which was submitted to the council the day members were scheduled to leave for summer recess, calls for the city to pay $2.01 million for a vacant lot at 1830 Wiltberger St. NW immediately behind the historic Shaw theater. District assessors value the property at $1.23 million, and thecurrent owner, Himat Allen Gulajan of Centreville, bought the land in August 2002 for $169,000.