I sent this as a follow up to this article:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Spotting-illegal-billboards-tough-for-the-District_05_28-46259532.html
This issue warrants further investigation.
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Dear Mr. Neibauer:
This is in regards to your article, “Spotting illegal billboards tough for the District”
Thank you for writing about a very important issue in the District of Columbia: Billboard Blight. I appreciate your efforts to report on DCRA’s investigations into illegal signage, in particular, the billboards located at New Jersey Avenue, Fourth Street and P Street Northwest. On this matter, I want to draw your attention to some additional email correspondence documentation from DCRA located at http://www.shawbillboardblight.org/trail.html that conflicts with some aspects of your article and the stance of DCRA Director, Linda Argo.
For example, in an email dated November 18, 2008, Veronica Welcher from the DCRA Permit Operations Department stated: “our records indicate that there is no legal address or permits for billboards”.
In another email, dated September 10, 2008, Ward 5 DCRA, stated:”records show that on December 8, 2005 a Notice of Violation (NOV) was issued for erecting billboards without the proper permits.”
These, and other emails shown on the website, negate the stance of legality that Director Argo takes on this issue. I encourage you to review these emails and investigate this matter further.
I also ask you to consider why a property the size that it is at this location, has not been reassessed in value in years — despite changing owners — and is currently worth only $47,920, keeping the yearly taxes to just over $2,000. (Please pull up Square 0521 Lot 0800 at https://www.taxpayerservicecenter.com/RP_Search.jsp?search_type=Assessment)
This is a lose-lose situation for both the community of Shaw that lives among the billboards, and for the District of Columbia that is not collecting sufficient taxes on the highly profitable business of outdoor advertisement.
I encourage you to continue investigating and reporting on this issue…there is much more to this story.
Bates Area Civic Association 