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Board of Zoning Adjustment approves slate of variances, extensions and one modification; several contested items deferred
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Summary
At its April 2, 2025 virtual hearing the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment approved multiple special-exception and variance requests, granted a one-year time extension for a youth residential care home, and modified an earlier order for a downtown office building. Two contested matters were continued for additional submissions.
The District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment on April 2 approved a package of zoning requests including rear additions, an accessory-structure exemption and a time-extension request, while postponing decisions on two contested cases where neighbors raised privacy and historic‑resource concerns.
Why it matters: The approvals clear the way for several property owners and an organization to proceed with construction or permit actions in neighborhoods across the city. The board also set deadlines for additional filings and responses in two cases where neighbors and an Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) said the proposals could unduly affect privacy or historic fabric.
Votes at a glance - BZA Application 21239 (John Heyman) — Special exceptions for a two‑story rear addition at 3220 Brothers Place SE (R2 zone). Approved 4–0–1. Motion by Chairman Fred Hill; seconded by Vice Chair Carl Blake. Staff reported the vote as four‑zero‑one to approve.
- BZA Application 20554A (Sasha Bruce YouthWork) — Request for a one‑year time extension for a youth residential care home at 1022 Maryland Ave. NE (RF‑1 zone). Approved 4–0–1. Motion by Chairman Hill; seconded by Vice Chair Blake. The board granted a one‑year extension through Dec. 19, 2025.
- BZA Application 21253 (1232 Maryland Ave. NE) — Special exceptions to allow a two‑story rear addition and increased lot occupancy (RF‑1 zone). Approved 4–0–1. Motion by Chairman Hill; seconded by Vice Chair Blake.
- BZA Application 21194 (Karen Marsh, 1837 Vernon St. NW) — Special exception and area variances to add an upper‑level apartment and exterior egress stair; includes a 64‑square‑foot addition (RA‑2 zone). Approved 4–0–1. Motion by Chairman Hill; seconded by Vice Chair Blake.
- BZA Application 16930A (National Association of REALTORS®, 500 New Jersey Ave. NW) — Modification with hearing and special‑exception relief to remove a previously required exterior loading area and to eliminate certain internal loading berths at an existing office building (D‑3 zone). Approved 4–0–1. The board’s order removes condition No. 3 from the earlier approval and requires a loading‑management plan; the board agreed to reference a submitted Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan in the order.
- BZA Application 21261 (John Means & Evelyn Ballard, 1825 S St. NW) — Special exception to add a third story with a roof deck on an existing two‑story row dwelling (RA‑2/DC zone). Approved 4–0–1.
- BZA Application 21263 (Susan M. Tamberini, Trustee; 4632 Charleston Terrace NW) — Special exceptions to allow an accessory structure larger than 450 sq ft and located in a required rear yard (R1‑B zone). Approved with conditions, 3–1–1. The board approved the accessory structure but accepted renderings showing screening between the new covered deck and the adjacent neighbor; Commissioner Gwendolyn Wright voted no. The staff recorded the vote as three yeas, one no, and one not participating.
Postponed or continued - BZA Application 21231 (appeal of Department of Buildings permit B230‑9496) — The board agreed to reopen the record to accept an appellant exhibit and allowed seven days for parties to respond; the board set a later decision date. Outcome: Record reopened; responses due and decision deferred.
- BZA Application 21262 (Ian Packman & Ellen Carlson, 2728 Oak St. NW) — A two‑story rear addition in R3‑GT generated formal party status requests from adjacent owners and sustained public opposition focused on an at‑risk historic window, privacy and nonconforming lot coverage. The board allowed late submissions into the record and set a schedule for additional filings: applicant materials due April 4; party responses due April 11; ANC comments allowed through April 29. The board deferred decision and scheduled deliberations for April 30.
Board procedure and next steps Most approvals were unanimous among the four participating members; several items with neighbor opposition prompted extra time for supplemental filings and a delayed decision. When the board approves an application, it does so by motion, with staff recording the tally and the maker/second recorded in the hearing minutes. A full written order will follow in each case. Applicant permits and public‑space work must still comply with the Department of Buildings (DOB) and, if applicable, DDOT public‑space approvals.
What to watch - The April 30 deliberation on 21262, which will test how the board weighs historic windows identified by neighbors against an applicant’s right to expand on a nonconforming lot. - Implementation of the loading‑management plan and referenced TDM measures for 16930A as the team proceeds through the public‑space review process.
Ending The board’s April 2 session mixed routine approvals with two high‑stakes continuances. The deferred cases show neighbors and ANCs continue to press for tighter scrutiny on privacy, historic windows and lot‑coverage rules even as applicants point to narrow, site‑specific designs and Office of Planning support.
