Douglas Development Building Gets Stop Work Order to “Remove LED Signs”

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by Prince Of Petworth August 23, 2016 at 9:55 am 9 Comments

stop work
111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

A reader reports:

“The Douglas Development building on Mass between NJ and 2nd St NW had 4 large digital signs installed over the past 2 weeks. Noticed a stop work order on them today.”

Washington Business Journal reported in May:

“Douglas, the owner of 111 Massachusetts Ave. NW, has filed plans with the District to construct a 95,400-square-foot addition and undertake “significant renovations to the building in order to update and improve” its architecture and street presence.”

Ashy Oldlady

Why would they want to change anything? The imposing, ugly monolithic style of that building is a great representation of the company.
DRC

Good, those damn huge signs are absolutely blinding at night. They need to learn how to dim them to about 30% brightness when it’s dark out.
- Ashy Oldlady
  
  Douglas Development does what Douglas Development wants to do. These signs are going nowhere, nor will they be dimmed.
Truxtoner

It’s quite hilarious honestly that such a large commercial development company has perhaps the ugliest building in DC as its office building. Every time I’m crossing Mass pretty much anywhere between 7th and 1st and look down at it, I get disgusted by how ugly that building is. Raze it and replace it.
crimps4

What did the LED signs say — just ‘Douglas’ or something?
dc_anon

He’ll get a permit to ‘repair’ the illegal construction and life will continue. The rule for doing any work in thecity is to just start working, when you get a stop, file papers to ‘repair’ the new structure into existence and continue on. I’ve never seen them make folks knock stuff down even when its completely against zoning. The trick is to establish your new footprint quick before they find out. When it comes time for inspections, hire a 3rd party guy who’ll sign off on whatever you did for an extra 100 or so. Here are a few shortcuts to help you along:

1. Need to digout a basement, no need to hire pesky structural engineers, just get an interior demolition permit a bobcat and knock down those party walls.
2. Poppping up? Just start building, get your stop and followup w/ a roof repair permit. Done and no zoning to deal with.
3. Parking lot or paving over stuff. Just do it, DCRA won’t even care.
4. Treehouse? sorry, you’re screwed, that’s serious, you will get the full wrath of DCRA.
Thought

Those LED signs are a nuisance and do nothing to improve the streetscape or retail vibrancy of DC.

Just drive though upper 14th Street in Columbia Heights to get a sense… Tax offices, salons, pupusarias… It is a race to the bottom among these business owners.

Banning them would be a great quality of life issue for our Board Of Supervisors to address.
Anonymous

Just noticed today that exactly the same thing is taking place at the office building on Thomas Circle. New LED signs are covered up with a stop work order to remove them.
anonymous

I also very much doubt they have the proper permits for the giant yellow banner promoting Bloomberg Radio that’s covering the entire west side of that building’s penthouse.

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