January 18, 2017

"A moral dilemma": WAMU looks at how Momma the pit bull may help change DC animal welfare laws

January 18, 2017/ Drew

WAMU's Ally Schweitzer took a look at the story for NPR's All Things Considered, and spoke to both Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd and Lisa LaFontaine, the president of the Humane Rescue Alliance, as well as the two neighbors who have lobbied HRA to help Momma (they used the pseudonyms "Jane" and "Mary" to protect themselves). The radio piece is well done, with the longer web article providing more opportunity for longer quotes and details.

July 28, 2016

Kojo Nnamdi show talks politics in Petworth (at Slim's Diner)

July 28, 2016/ Drew

WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi will host his live radio show, "The Politics Hour," from Slim's Diner this Friday during lunch. And among other known guests, you're invited, too.

October 09, 2015

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

October 09, 2015/ Drew

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.

May 08, 2015

Part 3 of WAMU coverage on DCRA & permitting issues in Petworth

May 08, 2015/ Drew

Part 3 of WAMU's series on property flipping and issues with regulations written by Martin Austermuhle is now available.

As Development Spreads Across D.C.’s Neighborhoods, Can Regulators Keep Up?

This third and final part focuses on the recent Petworth walk-through that Councilmember Vincent Orange conducted, along with residents and ANC 4C Commissioners Joe Martin and Kathleen Crowley.

Pam Lloyd walks with Councilmember Vincent Orange. (Martin Austermuhle is in the back.) Photo: Joe Martin. — Pam Lloyd walks with Councilmember Vincent Orange. (Martin Austermuhle is in the back.) Photo: Joe Martin.

From the piece:

"Most of my time is spent addressing complaints from residents about developers who do not follow the proper rules and regulations and the lack of oversight on the part of DCRA,” wrote Kathleen Crowley, the head of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission in the area, in a letter to legislators in March. “Let me be clear, I am not talking about simple matters of permit creep but rather egregious examples of developers going well beyond what the permits allow."

The lack of oversight and enforcement by DCRA has been a recurring theme during the city’s real estate booms. As more construction happens — whether homes being flipped, expanded or converted into condo units — the agency is strained with issuing permits in a timely way and then policing the builders to ensure they are doing only the permitted work."

You can read my earlier post and pictures from the walk-through.

Source: WAMU

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.