At ANC 3F’s September meeting, an executive from developer Jair Lynch revealed that the firm had the Days Inn property under contract. Ruth Hoang also said she’d be back with more concrete information about what Jair Lynch has in mind for the property. Sure enough, the agenda for the advisory neighborhood commission’s October 18th meeting includes an update and a draft resolution on 4400 Connecticut.
Also on the agenda: A DDOT update on its Connecticut Avenue safety study (DDOT is wrapping up its parking and loading block walks on October 17), a DC Water update on the Soapstone Valley sewer work, and a presentation by the deputy administrator for permanent housing at the DC Department of Human Services.
Here’s the draft agenda for the virtual meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18th:
ANC 3F – Regular Meeting Agenda
October 18, 2022; 7:00 pm to 9:25 pm
ANC 3F is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting at https://bit.ly/anc3fmeet
Welcome (7:00pm)
Call to Order (7:01pm)
Roll Call (7:02 pm)
I. Adoption of the October 18, 2022 ANC 3F meeting agenda (7:03pm)
II. Approval of ANC 3F meeting minutes for September 20, 2022 (7:04pm)
III. Regular Agenda – Commissioner Updates (7:05 – 7:15)
IV. Approval of FY2022 Q4 Financial Report (7:16pm)
V. Approval of FY 2023 Budget (7:17pm)
VI. Regular Agenda – Committee Reports (7:18pm – 7:28pm)
- Streets & Sidewalks
- Parks & Watersheds
- Schools & Universities
- Housing & Neighborhoods
VII. Regular Agenda – Community Forum (community leaders and agencies give brief updates) (7:29 – 7:39pm)
- University of the District of Columbia
- Van Ness Main Street
- Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services
- Other updates
VIII. Regular Agenda – Information Items (ANC 3F will not take a vote on these
items) (7:40pm – 9:24pm)
- ANC 3F Public Safety Update from Bredet Williams, Lieutenant, Second District, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) (7:40pm – 8:00pm)
- Deputy Administrator for Permanent Housing at the DC Department of Human Services, Anna Fogel (8:01pm – 8:21pm)
- DC Department of Transportation, Connecticut Avenue Study update, Christian Pineiro, (8:22pm – 8:42pm)
- DC Water Update (8:43pm – 9:03pm)
- Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners presentation and draft resolution regarding 4400 Connecticut Avenue (Days Inn) (9:04pm – 9:24pm)
IX. Adjournment (9:25pm)
Thank you for joining us this evening. The next ANC 3F meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
Edward Levin says
Is the ANC going to do what ANC’s always do and muck up development of the v otel site ?
Green Eyeshades says
Since ANC3F hosted a long discussion with a key DC housing official two days ago, today’s Washington Post story is very relevant. Link will be added in another comment.
The Post shows the ugly, racist truth of how voucher holders are being treated in DC, including in Ward 3:
“DC voucher holders win historic $10 million in discrimination case”
“A D.C. court has ordered three real estate firms and several of their executives to pay a historic $10 million settlement and stop managing property in D.C. forever for allegedly denying access to rentals or imposing additional, and illegal, requirements on low-income applicants.
“The settlement is the largest civil penalty in a housing discrimination case in U.S. history, according to D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D), who announced it at a news conference Thursday.
“The attorney general’s office filed suit against the three real estate firms — DARO Management Services, DARO Realty and Infinity Real Estate — and several of their executives in 2020 for violating civil rights and consumer-protection laws meant to protect low-income renters who receive government assistance from housing discrimination. The action was part of an ongoing crackdown on discrimination against voucher holders in the District.
“Racine said at the news conference that enforcing anti-discrimination laws is vital to preventing displacement of longtime residents.
” ‘This discrimination has perpetuated Jim Crow racism that pushes Black and Brown families out of certain areas of the District of Columbia,’ he said.
“D.C. officials documented discriminatory practices at 15 buildings owned or operated by the companies named in its lawsuit, throughout Wards 1, 2 and 3, according to court documents. The buildings, officials said, were concentrated in some of the District’s most affluent areas.
“Building managers that ferret out applicants receiving government assistance in the form of vouchers and other aid programs violate the city’s Human Rights Act, which bans source-of-income discrimination.
“The D.C. attorney general’s office filed suit against the three real estate firms and their associates after finding that DARO illegally posted ads with discriminatory language and charged Section 8 voucher recipients extra fees.
“In one email exchange cited in court documents between Jared Engel, who helped oversee Infinity’s investments, and Carissa Barry, a D.C. real estate broker who oversaw the DARO properties and worked with Infinity, the instructions were clear: ‘No voucher/sec-8 — find ways to reject, applicant must meet every requirement (credit, security deposit, income etc), in the case that we have to lease to them which we should find every way out of, don’t put in renovated units.’
“In another email cited in court documents that was addressed to Steve Kassin, a managing partner at Infinity who was also named in the lawsuit, Barry wrote that she was ‘doing everything I can to reduce if not eliminate the section 8 program from our communities.’
“According to the attorney general, DARO outright refused to accept subsidies from renters who were enrolled in the D.C. rapid rehousing program — a voucher program commonly used to help families out of homelessness — and applicants receiving financial aid through partnerships with organizations meant to combat homelessness in the District.
“As part of the settlement reached this week, Barry will be required to forfeit her real estate licenses for 15 years.
“The firms and executives named in the suit did not immediately return requests for comment.
” ‘What a tremendous win for working families in this city,’ D.C. Council member Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) said. ‘This is a win for our pharmacy techs and grocery store workers and seniors … This is such an expensive city that many of our essential workers who helped us get through the last three years need a housing voucher to help get a home in this city.’ ” [snip]
Green Eyeshades says
This is the link to the Washington Post story above:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/20/dc-voucher-penalty-settlement/
Green Eyeshades says
DCist picked up the Post’s scoop:
https://dcist.com/story/22/10/20/dc-real-estate-companies-pay-fine-voucher-discrimination/
So did WUSA channel nine:
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/washington-dc-attorney-general-announces-settlement-against-real-estate-firms-illegally-discriminating-against-renters/65-377bb021-f8fd-4e6b-aa9a-2bac1398064e