David Gottfried: working to make Kennedy Street better

David Gottfried: working to make Kennedy Street better

Introducing David Gottfried -- a Petworth Change-Maker -- someone who works to improve our community without public awareness or appreciation. David has been passionate in his work to tell the story of Kennedy Street, of the ways the DC government has been letting blighted properties sit, a corridor stagnate, and a community not receiving the attention it deserves. And his work is paying off.

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KSDA gets a win, Kennedy Street hopefully gets new development

KSDA gets a win, Kennedy Street hopefully gets new development

Kudos to the Kennedy Street Development Association for their hard work on getting properties owners of vacant and blighted homes to step up and respect the neighborhood.

929-931 Kennedy Street NW is now up for sale after the city was pushed to place a new tax lien on the properties. 

Read more, after the break:

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Fighting to clean up vacant properties, one house at a time

Fighting to clean up vacant properties, one house at a time

Walk around Petworth and you'll see houses being renovated on block after block, dumpsters parked on the street with duct-taped "no parking" signs on the trees. Inside you'll hear tools and men's voices as walls go up, floors are redone, new landscaping put in. 

Walk around Petworth, and you'll see many examples of houses that are sitting untouched and empty, slowly falling apart with trash strewn yards and a construction permit on the window -- with no signs of construction.  

Neighbors are fed up with developers buying properties and leaving them to rot while waiting for housing prices to rise. The city loses out on taxes, and everyone loses out when those properties attract rats and illegal activity. 

But KSDA and ANC 4D Commissioner David Sheon are working to fix it.

Read more about the plan to fix the problem of vacant and blighted properties >

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KSDA keeps up the pressure on vacant properties (updated)

KSDA keeps up the pressure on vacant properties (updated)

Here's some good investigative work by neighbors in the Kennedy Street Development Association on vacant and blighted property in the area. It's bad enough that good homes are sitting vacant and are unsafe (or being used by squatters or for other uses), but the city is losing millions in taxable revenue that could be used for good purposes, like homelessness and affordable housing, perhaps? Good job to the KSDA folks for their tenacity on this issue... Read more >

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