BZA approves Woodley Place addition after brief closed session, adds variance for unpermitted deck
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Summary
The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved application 21339 (2759 Woodley Place NW) after briefly recessing to an emergency closed meeting for legal advice. The board added area‑variance relief for an existing, potentially unpermitted deck and approved the revised rear addition and related special exceptions, voting 3–0–2.
The Board of Zoning Adjustment voted to approve application 21339, a request to enclose space beneath a rear deck and make a cellar‑level rear addition at 2759 Woodley Place NW, after the board recessed briefly into a closed emergency meeting to seek legal advice.
Chairman Fred Hill said the board had reviewed a revised application that reduced the area to be enclosed beneath an existing deck so one on‑site parking space (9 by 18 feet) would remain. Applicant representative Angela Stefan told the board the revision “was also to update all paperwork as well as the burden of proof to match the revised drawings” and to ensure a parking space remained on site.
Office of Planning staff told the board the revised addition would meet 70 percent lot‑occupancy for the addition and concluded that the proposal met the relevant criteria for special‑exception relief. In OP’s presentation, staff noted there was no need for additional parking relief based on the revision.
During deliberations, Vice Chair Carl Blake raised a concern about the status of the existing rear deck and whether it was legally nonconforming or was constructed without a permit. Blake noted that if the deck had been built without a permit, the board would need variance relief to allow it to remain. After consulting with zoning staff and legal counsel in a closed session, Chairman Hill asked the applicant to add an area‑variance request for the existing deck “out of an abundance of caution.” The applicant agreed.
Chairman Hill moved to approve the application as amended; Vice Chair Blake seconded. The board recorded a 3–0–2 vote in favor of approving application 21339, with the additional area‑variance relief added on the record.
The board said it would issue either a summary order or a fuller order depending on whether the decision is adverse to an affected party. The board asked the Office of Zoning to coordinate with the Office of Planning on the final order.
Next steps: the BZA will issue a written order reflecting the amended relief granted and any conditions; the board noted that a full order is required if the decision is adverse to an affected party.
