Business leaders often have lamented the “unfriendly” nature of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. That agency’s no friend to residents, either.
Consider the case involving a house at 13th and Euclid Streets NW.
The homeowner there, Edward H. Bruske, recently wrote in the Washington Post that escalating maintenance costs forced him and wife Lane Green to unload it. They sold to Capital City Real Estate, which has been converting the single-family Victorian to six condominiums.
Nearby residents told me they were never notified about the scope of the project — which included extending the building’s height, possibly creating drainage problems, and closing an easement some considered a vital fire escape. Residents alleged CCRE engaged in improper behavior and DCRA didn’t perform due diligence, which could be related to its practice of allowing key staffers to meet privately with developers for a fee.
“It has been one of the most awful things I have ever experienced,” said Hazel Thompson, adding she hired a lawyer to protect her home against CCRE. Ironically, in July 2011, she signed a “Wall Notification Letter,” warning if she didn’t allow CCRE to inspect her property, “any damage will be borne by you.” That letter, delivered by Green, wasn’t countersigned.
“It’s unfortunate a permit approval process that does not inform, let alone include residents directly affected by renovations of this scope, is conducive to fraud and possible corruption,” said local resident Pete Farina.
CCRE paid $140 for its meeting with Zoning Administrator Matthew LeGrant, who controls what plans are approved and what building permits are issued. LeGrant issued a permit to “Edward H. Bruske” on Sept. 13, 2011; Chris Flack was listed as the owners’ agent, according to DCRA documents.
But, Bruske and Green told me they “never applied for the building permit; no one asked us to use our name to get a permit;” and “we don’t know who Chris Flack is.”
They referred me to CCRE’s Scott Zimmerman. According to Sheryl Cautero, he wasn’t available. She referred me to Anthony Bozzi, who said he wasn’t involved in the permitting process. He referred me to Brian Papke, who didn’t respond to my emails. Cautero said Flack works for CCRE; she didn’t know how to reach him.
Flack also once worked for DCRA. He and LeGrant attended the same agency meetings, according to government sources.
Did that previous relationship and money paid by CCRE affect LeGrant’s decision to approve the project — although it appeared there wasn’t sufficient space, prompting an “allowance” based, in part, on a fake entry on Euclid Street rather than
13th Street where it’s actually located?
DCRA spokesman Helder Gil told me those paid meetings didn’t constitute a “conflict of interest or even an appearance of one.” The project was approved as a “matter of right”; thus, the agency wasn’t required to notify residents.
The problems at 13th and Euclid Street echo those in other parts of the city. They demand elected officials’ attention. After all, isn’t a prime purpose of zoning regulations supposed to be protection for residents and their neighborhoods?
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
