For starters, the place is up for lease. Check out the interior photos here:
http://www.mcenearneycommercial.com/properties/property?id=567
Mamuka Tsereteli, the owner of building, came last month to speak at the BACA meeting with an update on plans. He’s presented before two or three times to the BACA and said previously that based on our feedback, he wanted to open a cafe or wine door, a place where people could sit down.
But for over a year now there’s been glitch. It’s called the DC zoning rules/process. The city told him he’s not properly zoned to run a business there currently. (This is even though the city has been charging him commercial-rate property taxes since he bought it three years ago.) Apparently the lapse in time between the former business being open and now caused him to lose the grandfathered in commercial property status, if I remember correctly. So he has to apply for a variance or exception or whatever the technical jargon is.
So Mr. Tserteli, three years later (!!!), is still going through the process of being allowed to open a commercial property there. The renovation happened over a year ago. While he’s rented the upstairs out to a lovely couple for residential use, he’s been trying to determine what needs to be done to actually be allowed to rent out the bottom space. Finally, he got a lawyer, apparently met with CM Thomas’s office and Matt Legrant, a zoning czar, who was less-then-helpful initially.
The process does seem to be underway. I live next door to this property and recently got a letter telling me it would soon be in front of the zoning board.
The owner has been extremely willing to work with the neighborhood on this and try to put in something that would be amenable to us. Unfortunately, nothing like a restaurant, sit-down cafe or anything like that will be possible initially. He can only initially apply for what was the traditional use of the property – a corner store.
Baby steps in this city. For all the progress that we see, these things that show us the city is still backward, and anti-small business in its procedures.
Bates Area Civic Association 
Caryn-
How about an organic food market,like….Yes!??? After last month’s meeting another resident of the community and I were discussing his dilemma and thought a market of that type could possibly be an asset to him and it would be a great addition to food choice for the residents in our community.
I think that would be great! The only problem is can this neighborhood support it?
Why is the process for small businesses in D.C. so unbelievably restrictive and arduous? What possible good could come out of all the city’s unusually heavy red tape? I’ve lived many places in this country and never seen a city government be such an impediment to very simple developement as the D.C. government manages to be. It is frustrating.
I was the architect and builder of the Remodeling and I’m so sad to see that this building is deteriorating due to non use. bureaucracy in our city must end and let small businesses get ahead.