PoPville » Dear PoPville – How Do You Get DCRA to Look Into a Project?

Dear PoPville – How Do You Get DCRA to Look Into a Project?

“Dear PoPville,

Several of our neighbors are at our wits end. We have a major building effort going on at a house on 1400 Block of A Street SE. Numerous neighbors have expressed calling and sending email to city officials to express concern regarding the builder’s compliance to building code / permit requirements but have not gotten any responses. Construction activities go on every day of the week including Sundays. The owner and the construction crew continue to park illegally behind the property and block several residents on either side of the alley from being able to enter their garages.

We would like your help to get DCRA and Parking Police to investigate and do the following:

1) Confirm that the construction efforts have the proper permits

2) Confirm that the construction is in accordance with building codes

3) Stop construction during Sundays

4) Increased monitoring of illegally parked vehicles in the alley

I’d be curious to hear from other people who have dealt with similar issues. How did you get it done?
Thanks,

Neighbors on the 1400 block of A Street and East Capitol St SE”

I have found DCRA to be extremely responsive on twitter. They can also be reached via email dcra@dc.gov and Phone: (202) 442-4400.

Category: DC Government, Dear PoPville

By: Prince Of Petworth | 27 September 2011 1:30 PM | 22 Comments

pablo.raw

You can check the status of the permit for that property here: http://cpms.dcra.dc.gov/OBPAT/idjob.aspx you’ll have to write down the address.

September 27, 2011 at 1:41 pm
MPPY

have you asked them to stop blocking your vehicles and not work on Sunday/called 311/called your ANC/called your council person yadda yadda yadda

next!

September 27, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Prince Of Petworth

You can find permits here:

http://pivs.dcra.dc.gov/property/search

Also when contacting dcra it is important to have the exact address.

September 27, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Helder Gil

Thanks for this posting.

Residents can check to see whether construction has building permits by checking here: http://pivs.dcra.dc.gov/property/search

Any permitted construction must display all issued building permits on the property. And construction work can only occur Monday-Saturday between 7am and 7pm.

To report suspected illegal construction, please call us at 442-STOP (442-7867)or tweet us @dcra. DCRA inspectors will visit the construction site, can issue Stop Work Orders, and issue fines to the property owner for any illegal construction or work outside the scope of the building permit.

Thanks,
Helder Gil
DCRA

September 27, 2011 at 1:51 pm
- svi
  
  Do the restrictions on the days/hours of construction work apply if the owner himself is doing it?
  
  September 27, 2011 at 2:00 pm
  - Helder Gil
    
    Yes, the construction hours are a requirement of the building permit. If the work being done requires a permit, then the work can occur only during the permitted hours (unless the owner has received an after-hours building permit), regardless of whether the work is being done by the property owner or a contractor.
    
    Thanks,
    Helder Gil
    DCRA
    
    September 27, 2011 at 2:34 pm
MJ

I’ve never gotten a response from them over e-mail. I’ve had to go down there to get anything done.

September 27, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Cliff

I’m sorry, but you cannot get DCRA to stop illegal construction, stop work out of scope of a permit, or get them to declare a vacant property vacant. I’ve had inspectors tell me they think permits are stupid and that people should be able to do whatever they want to their property. Houses in my neighborhood have had entire floors added, been torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, have built on to public space and DCRA lets the project inch its way to completion before saying “they shouldn’t have done that but whats done is done.” When Majett replace Argo I knew it would not improve, as he was one of the problems when he was an inspector in my neighborhood.

September 27, 2011 at 2:02 pm
- Helder Gil
  
  Cliff:
  
  I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t gotten quality service from our agency.
  
  We take all reports of illegal construction very seriously. In fact, in this current fiscal year, DCRA inspectors have issued more fines for illegal construction than in any previous year.
  
  We also take very seriously reports of vacant buildings. Although we only have two inspectors dedicated full-time to dealing with vacant properties, they oversee an inventory of more than 2,400 vacant buildings in the District, have added millions of dollars of higher property tax assessments to the District’s property tax rolls, have issued thousands of dollars in fines, and have caused hundreds of formerly vacant properties to be put back into productive use.
  
  Residents are encouraged to let us know about vacant buildings by calling 442-4332, sending an email to vacantproperty@dc.gov or tweeting us @dcra.
  
  Thanks,
  Helder Gil
  DCRA
  
  September 27, 2011 at 2:43 pm
  - Anonymous
    
    And if it’s a favored commercial slumlord property, promptly get exempted from any increased taxes because of a rumor it would be developed.
    
    September 27, 2011 at 8:36 pm
easy

Well, this is easy.

1. Construction Permits have to be posted in public view. They are usually taped to a window or door.

If you don’t see any posted, you can check the database above.

2. If someone is blocking the alley then just call 311. This town loves easy parking revenue. They will send someone out to ticket, once its ticketed, call 311 back to have it towed. I have called 311 probably half a dozen times in my life specifically for this reason (someone parks in the alley for long periods of time making it impassable). Never took them more than an hour to get out there.

September 27, 2011 at 2:21 pm
- Lauriol Hate
  
  What do you do about people that double park regularly but will be gone before a truck gets there?
  
  I share an alley with lauriol and people tend to think they can just park in it and put their names in for a table, and cabs love to block the alley exit to teeh street….this has been oging on forever and I have to sit and honk, and the cabby think im being insane….but really 15 minutes to get out everytime I try to move my car? Unacceptable.
  
  Just what the part about alley parking made me think of
  
  September 27, 2011 at 2:56 pm
wondering

I smell a rat. I don’t think we are being given all the information. I am going to assume if this person has access to POP he/she knows to find who owns the property, track them down, call DCRA and or 311 and have them come out. I can spend lots of time talking about aspects of the DC government that doesn’t work, BUT when you have a situation like this, they will come out and deal with the situation. Don’t mean to offend, I think a piece of this puzzle is missing

September 27, 2011 at 2:28 pm
- Anonymous
  
  I think the OP did call DCRA, it’s just that DCRA isn’t doing anything. When this happens to me, I e-mail Tommy Wells’s office and within two business days, DCRA finally does their job.
  
  So to the OP, if you have a responsive councilmember, e-mail him or her.
  
  September 27, 2011 at 2:48 pm
  - Fitness821
    
    Wow, I’m glad someone is able to get the folks in his office to do something. You must live within one or two blocks of Eastern Market or somewhere in that area.
    
    September 27, 2011 at 4:37 pm
pop-up owner

Your ANC Rep is a good place to start. Then Linda O’Brien in Tommy Well’s office.

6B08 Neil Glick
1515 Massachusetts Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20003
543-3344 6B08@anc.dc.gov

September 27, 2011 at 3:01 pm
pop-up owner

Oh, and whoever thought that roof profile was a good idea, is a damn moron.

September 27, 2011 at 3:05 pm
- Anonymous
  
  why?
  
  September 27, 2011 at 3:09 pm
ET

It seems that the trick is getting on DCRA radar in the first place. There was a reno in my neighborhood where they got all the permits but twice got stop work orders so it seems like DCRA does work when they get moving but you have to get them moving.

September 27, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Anonymous

To answer #1, looks like they at least have a permit. I assume this is the place.

1416 A ST SE 1058 0803 B0907949 Construction/Addition Alteration Repair 2010/06/30 Permit Issued 2010/06/30 3 STORY ADDITION SIZE 28.0′ X 13.54′ IN THE REAR & ADD A 3RD STORY TO EXISTING 2 STORY SIZE 12′ X 28.81′ SFD ROW STRUCTURE WITH ALSO ITS INTERIOR ALTERRATIONS.

September 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm
- ah
  
  Although a permit is god for only 1 year, so they should have a renewal. Not sure if that shows up.
  
  September 27, 2011 at 5:55 pm
  - crin
    
    They have one year to START the project. Once started, as long as construction continues, the permit does not need renewal. I think that’s stupid, but that’s the way DCRA interprets the building code.
    
    September 27, 2011 at 8:28 pm