July 30, 2020

Fighting to keep a field inside an alley from becoming row homes

July 30, 2020/ Guest Contributor

Step out of Upshur Pool, cross 14th Street between Varnum and Webster Streets, duck onto a narrow path between two row homes, keep walking and you’ll emerge onto what appears to be a typical Petworth alley bordered by trash cans and tiny, fenced back yards. But this isn’t a typical alley, it’s pretty unique.

November 29, 2016

Church at 8th & Upshur to be demolished, new condos to be built

November 29, 2016/ Drew

The Rock Creek Baptist Church at 8th and Upshur, originally built in the 1950s, had been up for sale for quite some time, as the church prepared to move to Maryland. Now the sale is final and the congregation has moved out, leaving questions in the neighborhood for what comes next. The answer is a developer, ERB Properties, purchased the property and the lot next door, and plans to build four new multi-unit rowhouses.

Neighbor Chris Broderick was kind enough to pass along his notes from a meeting with the developer held Monday, November 28th at Ruta del Vino. I've added additional information as needed.

December 30, 2015

Are pop-backs the new pop-ups? The next renovation controversy.

December 30, 2015/ Drew

Once upon a time, "pop-up" was the phrase that elicited frustration and protests from residents. Now it's "pop-backs" and the rapid redevelopment of single-family rowhouses into multi-unit condos. Backyards won't look the same.

July 09, 2015

ANC 4C meets, votes on Latney’s parking, supports Grant Circle safety

July 09, 2015/ Drew

ANC 4C met at the Petworth Library meeting room on a rainy Wednesday evening and brought a smaller-than-usual crowd (it was raining). On the agenda were discussions about DC Water Green Rivers program, ABRA agreements for Timber Pizza and Taqueria Habanero restaurant, a grant application for Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brother and Sisters, a vote on the parking exception request for Latney’s Funeral home and a letter of support for Grant Circle safety efforts. My biggest takeaway from the meeting — ANC 4C needs to do a much better job of communicating and being transparent about topics before residents show up at a meeting. It’s confusing.

Read the full notes and see photos after the break:

May 05, 2015

WAMU looks at "toxic renovations" and DCRA problems

May 05, 2015/ Drew

Ward 4 resident and WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle has started publishing his three-part series on problems with flipped / renovated homes in the area. (He went on a neighborhood walkthrough with CM Vincent Orange the other week.)

It's a good read and focuses on a young couple, Stuart Crampton and his wife Violeta Roman, who purchased a flipped house on Perry St NW.

April 27, 2015

CM Orange walks through Petworth with residents

April 27, 2015/ Drew

Councilmember Vincent Orange is working to prohibit pop-up conversions in R-4 zoned areas around the city (with his proposed Prohibition on Single Family Dwelling Conversions Emergency Amendment Act).

CM Orange went on a neighborhood walk-through with several residents and ANC 4C Commissioners Joe Martin (SMD 4C09) and Kathleen Crowley (SMD 4C10) to look at alleged permit violations at recent or ongoing construction of conversions, pop-up and complete redevelopments of existing properties.

“Councilmember Vincent Orange, chair of the Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, walked with me and Kathleen for about 90 minutes in our SMDs,” said Commissioner Martin.