WASHINGTON — On Kennedy Street in Northwest DC, one house easily stands out because it’s quadrupled in size. What was a single-family row house is now being converted to a condo building with six units.
“We should be done at the end of June. This project was meant to be delivered in March of 2018,” said the developer, Ope Sanni.
Sanni’s neighbor said his project has been a nightmare. Jaime Hope is calling for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to issue a stop-work order, citing safety issues.
“Having three young children to take care of, it’s constant. It’s always on my mind. I wake up every night and I can’t fall back to sleep. It’s taken a toll on my health,” said Hope.
Hope said the project got off to a bad start nine months ago. Construction crews knocked out a pier supporting her home, causing everything to shift. “Literally, my house moved,” said Hope.
Cracks can be seen on walls and the ceiling, with columns pulling away. She’s been documenting the damage and hired a structural engineer to make sure her home is structurally sound.
Hope demanded Sanni’s workers keep off her property until the damage to her house is remedied.
“I’ve had the neighbor from hell,” said Sanni.
Sanni sent Hope an email Tuesday that said, “You remain a sad, pathetic, vile & vindictive neighbor who has tried every trick in the book including telling untruths just to thwart my project. Like I told you once, I spent my formative years under a brutal military dictatorship so I fear no one.”
“I make no apologies for it. It wasn’t a threat. If you call it aggressive, that’s fine. It’s about time for me to take the gloves off. I’ve tried to deal with her like a reasonable person, but, she’s not,” Sanni told WUSA9.
Sanni said he offered to fix the problems in Hope’s home, but the two couldn’t reach an agreement.
Based on DC’s zoning laws, this mammoth project is legal because it’s zoned for mixed-use development.
In terms of safety issues at the construction site, we checked with DCRA and they said, “An inspection of the property in February revealed that there were some issues that needed to be resolved. A follow up inspection yesterday revealed that work is being done to come into compliance, however additional work is required.”
The homeowner to the right of Sanni’s property moved shortly after construction began. Hope is meeting with DCRA on Friday to determine her next step.