2329 Champlain Street, NW
“Dear PoPville,
Just a bit mind-numbing considering all the development on that block during the past 20 years. And that property giving off a boarded-up vibe for much of that time.
Must be nice to have the equity to hold out for that ultra pay day. Or to be able to take advantage of lax regulations and overly permissive tax write-offs. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Rich Renomeron
“Dear PoPville,
Trying to find out what people are doing when they cut the cable cord. It looks like the last post you did on this was 5 years ago and I imagine the options have changed greatly. Top internet providers, favorite apps, must haves, etc. would be much appreciated. We are paying a ridiculous amount for cable/internet/phone and don’t use the phone and only watch a handful of TV networks. Bonus points for options that allow us to watch Nationals games. We need to cut the cord and want to get a sense of what the community is doing to still get their fix.”
via google street view
“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been living in the Mount Vernon Triangle area for many years now and as all these new buildings have popped up seemingly overnight, I’m left wondering what is going on with the corner of 6th and K NW? There’s this bizarre looking building that’s sort of dilapidated and on wooden stilt-like structures. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Peter Bjork
“Dear PoPville,
My condo building consists of 3 adjoining rowhouses. The board is currently in the process of getting bids to replace our roof (which includes multiple levels, flat and slanted). During the bid process, we discovered that a neighbor had built a roof deck, where some of the supports sit on the shared party wall between us. According to the roofing engineer: “The neighbor’s rooftop porch may need to be shored in place to accommodate the roof replacement because it bears on a shared party wall.” Obviously this could add some significant cost to our project. Is it the neighbor’s responsibility? Does anyone have any experience with a similar scenario?
Side note: the current owner of the neighboring house was not the one who erected the roof deck.”
“Dear PoPville,
Sometime during the week of March 3, 2019, the District Government installed a traffic island (or maybe it’s a Pedestrian island, not sure which is correct) at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Morton Street, Northwest.
No doubt this island is needed as new nearby businesses attract local residents to Georgia Avenue in numbers that significantly increase interactions between pedestrians and drivers. I don’t have any information on any incidents at this intersection or any others nearby, however, I have seen a number of instances when pedestrians attempting to cross Georgia Avenue in my neighborhood have almost been killed or severely injured by drivers that do not yield to pedestrians attempting to cross. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I’m in escrow on a house in Fort Lincoln area and to be fair, we put in the offer after my husband saw the place and I was making the offer site-unseen. After our home inspection today I’m FREAKING OUT. I can’t get a good feel for the neighborhood. Some houses had bars on windows, there was a shady character on one street, and then $500k homes on the next.
Could you post soliciting folks in the neighborhood for feedback? We have to make a decision by Wednesday! Wondering about safety, grocery stores, and general feel for the neighborhood.
Thanks so much for helping avoid a disaster!”
Photo by Haleigh Hoffman
“Dear PoPville,
I parked my car on Columbia east of Ontario Place on Friday night in a zoned resident spot (I’m a resident). Knowing that there were a ton of emergency no parking signs up in the neighborhood for the rock n roll marathon course, my companion and I checked carefully, saw no signs, and left celebrating that I had found a spot that would be good for a while. Fast forward to Sunday, I find my car was towed Saturday at 1:52 am, with $150 in tickets, with the offense stating that no parking signs were posted.
I’m 100% certain there were no signs within a block, but of course it’s impossible to prove the absence of a sign two days later. Did anyone else have this issue with the marathon? Any success fighting these tickets?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Jim Havard
“Dear PoPville,
So, I got a correction to my DC individual tax return for 2018, which included a one dollar adjustment (in DC’s favor) to my total tax. I wanted to know what was up with that.
Reviewing my calculations & the tax table, I saw that I did not make a mistake. I used the correct figure. Their “correction” appeared to be incorrect based on the tax table in the instructions booklet. I was like, hey, no, don’t do that–it’s not the amount, it’s the “don’t make stuff up,” ye Tax Department, principle. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Miki Jourdan
“Dear PoPville,
A friend of mine is visiting this weekend from Korea and wants to do whatever locals do on the weekend. I’m local, I guess, because I live here but I have NO clue what to do with her!! On the weekends I shop or cook or just chill (and do laundry, vacuum etc). I dont DO anything fun. She’s seen the monuments and museums and I wondered if your readers might have suggestions.”
“Dear PoPville,
I’m wondering if readers might have advice regarding a housing situation I find myself in. Late last year, I toured a brand new building in Columbia Heights and applied to rent a place. I was approved for a February 1 move-in date. In December, I found out my move-in date was moved to March 1. I know this was a red flag, but I figured a new building would come with some hiccups and I was month-to-month at my previous place.
So, from December until last Tuesday (February 26) I operated under the assumption I would move in March 1 – I signed the lease, arranged for movers, reserved my new apartment’s loading dock, gave my 30-days notice to my old place, etc., and was in regular contact with my new management company. At this point, it’s important to mention that the new lease includes a clause absolving the management company of all responsibility for move-in delays due to construction of the building (this section made me skeptical, but I went against my better judgment and signed away, which was a big mistake on my part). Then on Tuesday, February 26, I found out my move-in date had been changed to March 5 – 8 because the building doesn’t have its certificate of occupancy. (more…)