Two worlds out on Greenfield Street NE; developer, neighbors can find common ground

Brian and Christine Wagner have been beside themselves for months, struggling with what they say are brand-new water problems at their home at 818 Greenfield St. NE. They blame the problems on a new office development above and the west of their house.

On Tuesday, though, and just a couple blocks to the east on Greenfield Street NE, plans for another development came to light at a City Planning Commission meeting that left the commission to marvel a bit.

The commission quickly and unanimously approved a change in the city's future land-use map after hearing that a developer and homeowners agreed to a new commercial development on the northeast corner of Blairs Ferry Road NE and C Avenue NE and an office development next door, both developments of which back up to homes on one side of Greenfield Street NE.

In this instance, the developer, Midwest Property Group Ltd., had met with homeowners on several occasions and had secured from each of them an agreement to allow the commercial and office developments to proceed. Both projects are on land now owned by IBEW Local 1362 Building Corp.

The key to the agreement is the willingness of the developer to keep a stand of timber in place between the developments and the houses, and additionally, to deed over the buffer of timber to the homeowners at no cost to them.

"Important to note" is the way city staff put the meetings between neighbors and developer and the agreement the parties reach about the proposed development.

The agreement particularly stood out on Tuesday at the commission meeting because a second development proposal on the commission agenda -- a proposal to build the three-story, 60-unit Tudor Rose condominium building at Johnson Avenue and Wiley Boulevard NW -- did not come with any meeting of the minds between neighboring homeowners and the developer.

As for the Wagners at 818 Greenfield St. NE, please see an earlier post: http://rickmsmith.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/a-homeowner-at-the-end-of-her-rope-with-in-fill-development-all-the-rage-at-city-hall-who-is-going-to-care-for-those-already-there/