Was Gray's fence built on public property? City agencies debate.
Attorneys for Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) hand-delivered this week a drawing to complete his permit application to the District Department of Transportation for a fence built around his Hillcrest home.
DDOT has been threatening to fine Gray $300 a day for failing to apply for the public space permit to erect the fence.
But records show that there's been a dispute within the Fenty administration as to whether Gray's fence passed the line into public space to require a permit.
Though DDOT's inspections division found that Gray's fence was on public property, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs deemed the fence on private property.
Documents provided to The Washington Post by Nickles show that a DCRA inspector found the fence to be compliant after a review on March 3. "The work in question is located on the owner's property and is not in public space. All work appears to be compliant with the permit in review," the inspector wrote.
Another report by DCRA's chief building inspector said the agency could not draw a conclusion because it did not have a licensed survey of the property.
Nickles said in an interview that the two agencies agreed verbally that the fence was on public property.
-- Nikita Stewart
By
Christopher Dean Hopkins
|
April 14, 2010; 8:56 AM ET
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Posted by: AJordanMBA | April 14, 2010 9:56 AM | Report abuse
I am sure Fenty has something to do with Gray's fence getting some much attention right now because Gray is running against him for mayor
Posted by: JeroRobson1 | April 14, 2010 10:40 AM | Report abuse
Oh good grief - is this the ONLY thing you can dig up on this man???
Geeze, if HE cant figure out when/where/whom to submit a permit application to - then why do they expect everyone else to know.
DC can never seem to make anything simple!
Posted by: missboo | April 14, 2010 11:10 AM | Report abuse
Ummm...when are you going to put the Rhee $34 million on the front page???? Or even on the DC Wire???
Posted by: thelildiva4u | April 14, 2010 12:28 PM | Report abuse
Don't hold your breath - thelildiva4u.
Posted by: missboo | April 14, 2010 1:01 PM | Report abuse
IF i recall Gray's house correctly, he lives on the corner and his side yard does not have a sidewalk, but his fence draws a tight line not far from the edge of his house. This is a waste of time and a search to find something on Gray.
This is a prime example of why some people get destroyed when others get power. People like Fenty and Rhee should and must be annihilated!!!!
Posted by: oknow1 | April 14, 2010 2:50 PM | Report abuse
A couple years ago I innocently inquired to DCRA about whether rebuilding my backyard fence required a permit. Six weeks of non-answered calls, conflicting answers, rude DCRA staff, and flat out cluelessness later I just went ahead and built my damn fence. Amusingly, you can find DCRA staffer Mike Rupert popping up on various blogs decrying all us whiners and claiming DCRA is great and getting better. Reality, meet DCRA...
Posted by: mendelsonmustgo | April 14, 2010 2:52 PM | Report abuse
Are you serious? The location of a fence is not even fodder for scuttlebutt discussions. Really, what is one supposed to do with this "mindblowing" information? Sounds like a meeting needs to be held between DDOT and DCRA and the notes can be made available via an information request to those who care.
Posted by: cfred38 | April 14, 2010 4:35 PM | Report abuse
Are you serious? You really want to create Fence-Gate? Compared to what, Contracts-Gate and School system's budget-Gate?
Posted by: candycane1 | April 15, 2010 9:32 AM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.
This is just getting petty and a waste of my tax dollars. If he was guilty of providing votes for favors, then I would be more understanding. However, it seems he has been cleared of those charges.
Now all of this over a fence permit on his own property is just foolish and petty. Make him pay a fine and be done with it, this is not Watergate.