Owner outlines full renovation for 372230 Sixth Street; county permit already approved

The Mount Rainier mayor and council heard on Sept. 17 from the owner and contractor for the property listed in meeting materials as 372230 Sixth Street, who outlined plans for a full gut renovation and said permits have been approved by Prince George’s County.

Nicholas Polanski (name spelled inconsistently in the meeting transcript), who identified himself as the person leading the renovation, described the scope as a near-complete interior overhaul: waterproofing the basement, reestablishing an existing backyard deck footprint, opening the front porch with added columns, new plumbing and electrical systems, minor layout adjustments, a first-level kitchen with a peninsula and powder room, three bedrooms and two full bathrooms on the second level, a stacked-laundry area in the second-floor hall bath and finishing the attic with an additional bathroom. “We renovate properties throughout D.C., Maryland, Virginia…This is my first one in Mount Rainier,” Polanski said. “I’m not a flipper…I don’t like that term.”

Director of Code, Director Farfino, told the council the permit paperwork is complete and that he had left instructions with his office that the permit should be active midday the following day. “You should have it tomorrow active midday,” Farfino said.

Councilmembers gave standard guidance for on-site work and neighborhood impacts. Council member Luke Luchesi told the applicant to avoid early- and late-hour work, saying, “No construction before 8 a.m., no construction after 8 p.m. If that happens, your neighbors are not gonna be happy.” Luchesi also urged protection of large trees and tree roots (for example, installing fencing) and cautioned against piling the community’s red clay soil near sidewalks or neighbor yards because rain sends residue into adjoining properties.

Polanski said he did not plan to remove large trees and that the contractor had cleaned brush from the lot; he said professional landscaping would follow. He added he would keep neighbors updated and is open to providing access for neighbors to view the work in progress. “We’ll keep you updated on the progress,” he said.

Meeting materials and several transcript lines use the address formatting “372230 Sixth Street”; other segments include an inconsistent string of digits in the transcript. The council and staff used the meeting materials’ address when discussing the permit. The permit status and scope of work described at the meeting indicate work may proceed once the county permit is active.

The council did not take any formal vote on the project during the work session. Director Farfino and the applicant said administrative steps remain and the applicant should contact the director’s office with any questions.