509 O Street- Rubble-Rubble

Cross posted with the InShaw blog

I'm hoping this was not a hallucination but in a cab, back from the doctor's I spotted a pile of rubble where 509 O Street NW stood. Upon seeing it I exclaimed, "Finally".

I would have investigated further, but I'm contagious and need to avoid people. And stay home and do this thing called resting. So I don't have an updated image of 509 O Street.

If you are newish, you may wonder, what's the big deal?

The problem with 509 O Street was that it was stuck as a vacant property for at least 20 years. That means it was vacant when the neighborhood started gentrifying. It was vacant when shells in the area cost half a million. It has been vacant now, still vacant. Now a vacant lot. It had the resistance to development like a Shiloh Baptist property. And even some Shiloh properties not on 9th, managed to get developed.

I have my opinions. And it was my opinion that the woman who owned the property was crazy. Whether bat-shyte crazy or crazy like a fox, I don't know. But the crazy was the only thing to explain why this property managed to stay vacant despite legal action from the lender, vacant rate taxes and a white hot real estate market.

Just for my records, the lot number for 509 O Street NW is a PITA to locate. In the tax assessment database searching for O St lots on Square 0479, all I could find was lot #0818. In the DC Atlas I found 3, lots 0044, 2001, & 2002. This makes me wonder if the taxes could be wiped out with a shell game of lose the lot number? Looking at the Recorder of Deeds paperwork, that's a confusing mess and introduced more lot numbers. Lot number 0813 for condo unit (yeah it was a 'condo') A. sigh.

So in summary, I seriously hope that pile of rubble was 509 O Street NW. Hopefully, it can move on. Maybe there is a serious developer behind this who will plop another million dollar condo on the spot with quartz countertops and Lutron light switches.
I'll probably cross post this with DC Vacant Properties.

509 O Street - To be razed, hopefully

So I was happy to see this in my Twitter feed.

One of my fave #ShawDC houses is going to be razed. ☹️ Not fave architecturally, but if you haven't seen the wall of ivy, waving in the wind, well, you just don't know Shaw. pic.twitter.com/YehgpkMbSg

— Bloomingdame, pics of 🌞🌈🌕 in #BloomingdaleDC (@bloomingdame) July 13, 2018

It is about 509 O Street NW which I have blogged about before.  I'll believe it when I see it. This property has been tied up with all sorts of complications for years, going back to 2012.

509 O Street NW up for sale

Finally. Okay not final till someone decides to buy it and fix it up.
509 O Street NW, the vacant property of much trouble and strum and drang is up for sale. Not a realistic price I think, but who knows. Maybe there is a group of investors with more capital than sense or maybe they can negotiate the $1.2 million price tag down.
Yes, finished the property may be worth well over 1.2 million but a shell.... Yes, this is a million dollar neighborhood. There are some condos around the corner that sold for a million. But they have parking. All the million dollar condos have parking. This has no parking. I don't know, well I don't think, it has any alley access, so trash day, that would be interesting for future residents.
UPDATE- This post was accidentally not posted till 10/9/15 and was written 9/21/15. Since then the property is off the market. Not pending. Just withdrawn from the market. Back to the drawing board.

509 O ST NW

CCCA pres. has a blog entry about a property that has been featured here. He is asking why is this property not considered blighted according to the tax office.

509 O Street NW classified as Class 4

According to a June 1st email that a citizen living on that block received a very blighted property was listed under the wrong tax code instead of the class of code at a higher and more punitative rate. Please see the following:

Mr. Smith

Thanks for taking my call today.

The subject property is actually classified as a blighted property. The problem that we've been having is that because it is designated as two "condo" lots (each with a "2000" lot number) the OTR property management system is designed to not change the classification and therefore it must be done manually. Fortunately this situation only applies to about 2 to 3 condo properties each year.

In recent months I have spoken with the assessment services division at OTR about a process to address this issue and together we are going to ensure that it does not happen again.

I apologize for the error.

The current tax liability on this property is as follows, and it reflects blight taxes for FY2011.

Lot 2001 - $13740.80 for FY2011

Lot 2002 - $18434.26 for FY2011

The property also has a combined $72,000+ in vacant and blighted taxes from FY2009 & FY2010.

Moving forward, within the next 48 hours our abatement department will visit the property and secure it where necessary. Also, the property owners are being brought back before the BCIB (condemnation board) on July 13th at 10:15am. Should you wish to attend the hearing, you may do so as they are open to the public. If you with to testify before the Board pertaining to the property itself, please submit as a request in writing.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call or email me direct.

Regards,

Reuben Pemberton, III
Program Manager
Office of Vacant Property/BCIB

509 O Street NW



Credit D. Smith

 This is from the Shaw neighborhood listserv. From the email sent the poster had brought this property to the attention to Mr. Majett at DCRA and has found the response from the city unsatisfying.
From my own walk bys of the property it has been an abandoned shell for a good long while. It has much possiblity but currently it is an eyesore and from the evidence a possible hangout for vagrants.
Also according to the email sent to the listserv:

Credit D. Smith

The on-line OTR property tax data base (difficult to find in the new DC government website design) continues to show both "units" as Class 1 Residential with no exemptions, rather than Class 3 Blighted. I am wondering if their status has actually been changed or not. And if not, why not. The most current list of blighted properties posted on-line (also difficult to find) is for the first half of 2010 and this property does not appear on it.