D.C. Bureaucrats Cave in Fight with Pacci's
LINCOLN PARK NEWSLETTER: Restaurant wins zoning dispute with city, while vacant house loses fight with city.
The Eastern High Marching Band parades past the outdoor seating at Pacci’s on Wednesday.
VICTORY FOR PACCI’S
ZONING BOARD SET TO APPROVE SECOND-FLOOR DINING
The waiters at Pacci’s Trattoria on Wednesday night were all smiles.
“The city is going to let us use the second floor for a dining room,” Juan Carlos said.
The news came at meeting of the Board of Zoning Adjustment on Wednesday.
The surprise reversal comes after a campaign by neighbors to support the plan to expand the dining room to the top floor of the two-story building on the east side of Lincoln Park.
Zoning board members said they were ready to support the expansion of the restaurant to the upper floor — with some minor conditions, the Hill Rag reported.
On Wednesday, commissioners caved and said they would support the expansion with three conditions. It was a complete reversal from a straw poll of the zoning board members at a March 6 meeting when most members said they were opposed to the application.
The conditions would apply to the top floor only. They include:
limiting second-floor occupancy to 60 seats, the number proposed by the restaurant
ending service at 11 p.m.
a 10-year term limit on the order.
More than 1,200 neighbors had signed a letter of support sent to the zoning board by Ward Six Councilmember Charles Allen on March 12. On March 29, the D.C. Office of Planning told the zoning board that it supported the restaurant’s application.
“Kudos to the neighbors for advocating for this restaurant,” Commissioner Chrishaun Smith said. “But the regulations are the regulations.”
A final vote is scheduled for May 1. You can watch the April 10 hearing here. Learn more about the zoning board and see its calendar at dcoz.dc.gov
HOME ALONE
VACANT HILL HOUSE TAXES DUE: $1.8 MILLION
Brick house at 10th and C streets was vacant when owner claimed otherwise, court rules
From The Washington Post and news release
The owner of a vacant property near D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood who falsely claimed it was occupied for more than a decade must pay $1.8 million in back taxes, interest and other penalties, Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) announced Tuesday.
Last week’s judgment in D.C. Superior Court follows a 2022 lawsuit from then-Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) against George Papageorge, who owns the property at 1000 C St. NE through the company 10th and C Street Associates. The red-brick building is somewhat notorious for being an eyesore and frequent source of neighborhood complaints.
Owners of vacant and blighted properties in the District are charged a significantly higher tax rate to motivate owners to keep properties in use. The lawsuit alleged that Papageorge had made false statements claiming the building was occupied for many years to avoid paying the increased taxes.
Sometimes, the building has been boarded up, and the roof and brickwork aren’t in good shape, according to Jason Jones, an assistant attorney general with D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General’s public advocacy division.
The property, at 1000 C Street NE, sits on a busy corner. Dogs often use the lawn to do their business and it “collects up,” Jones said. Neighbors are annoyed by the dilapidated home and consider it a public nuisance. https://wtop.com/dc/2024/04/dc-ag-vacant-property-owner-who-lied-about-living-there-owes-1-8m-for-tax-evasion/
Here is the urn map
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1VAZgfCet1HjsOZBS8_WRa9vYzJILYqlRLcaXCnOL7Lw/edit?usp=sharing
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Through consultation with NPS, PLANTS volunteers will purchase and install plants, which will also include aromatics.