About that Massive Fire on H Street yesterday “Squatters have been living there. Reported in late May. City repeatedly postponed inspections”

1300 block of H Street, NE

“Dear PoPville,

Squatters have been living there. Reported in late May. City repeatedly postponed inspections.

Attached please find my original request for vacant property inspection in which I indicated that squatters were present.

Also attached are a series of emails [Ed. Note: I have not included all of them but there were 8 in total] for scheduled (and missed) inspections.

Also attached — and this is most interesting – the most recent property tax bill indicative of a rate of $1.65 per $100 of assessed value. This is the normal tax rate for occupied non-hotel commercial property in DC. The subject building has been vacant since October 2021, when the Gold Room Nightclub and Kitchen closed due to a shooting incident. As such, the property should have been taxed at least at the $5.00 per $100 assessed value for a vacant property — but more properly, the $10.00 per $100 assessed value for a blighted property.

A couple of months ago, the city sent its own DPW crew over to clear out accumulated trash from the rear of the property. This was a huge, disgusting job. A lien should have been placed on the property for this service, but I don’t see any indication of such in the records.

The fire department had to come back about 4pm today (Tuesday) because the place was still smoldering.”