District Of Columbia 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill PR25-0885 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	ENROLLED ORIGINAL
2		-
3		-
4		-
5	1
6	2		1
7	3
8		-	A RESOLUTION
	4	+	___________________________ 1
	5	+	Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 2
	6	+	3
	7	+	4
	8	+	A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 5
	9	+	________ 6
	10	+	7
	11	+	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 8
	12	+	______________________ 9
	13	+	10
	14	+	11
	15	+	To declare the existence of an emergency, due to congressional review, regarding the need to 12
	16	+	provide financial relief and other assistance to the current owners of the condominium 13
	17	+	units at the River East at Grandview Condominiums. 14
	18	+	15
	19	+	RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution 16
	20	+	may be cited as the “Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Congressional 17
	21	+	Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”. 18
	22	+	Sec. 2. (a) In 2011, the Department of Housing and Community Development 19
	23	+	(“DHCD”) provided a loan to Stanton View Development LLC (“Stanton View”) to cover 20
	24	+	predevelopment and acquisition costs for a Ward 8 property at 1260 to 1272 Talbert Street, 21
	25	+	S.E., Washington, DC 20020, at which Stanton View planned to develop 46 for -sale affordable 22
	26	+	housing units. 23
	27	+	(b) In 2014, Stanton View transferred the property to Rivereast at Anacostia LLC for 24
	28	+	development, who decided instead to develop rental units and who received a Housing 25
	29	+	Production Trust Fund (“HPTF”) loan from DHCD, with the support of the Council, to do so. 26
	30	+	(c) By the end of 2016, Stanton View and DHCD agreed to convert the property back 27
	31	+	to the originally proposed ownership units, and the project was finished and just about ready 28
	32	+	for move-in. 29
	33	+	2
9	34
10		-	25-532
	35	+	(d) From July 2017 to February 2019, 46 households purchased homes at 1262 Talbert 30
	36	+	Street, S.E., in a building that has been called several different but similar names: River East at 31
	37	+	Grandview, Grandview Estate, Grandview Estates, Grandview Estates II, Gardenview, River 32
	38	+	East, RiverEast, River East at Anacostia, River East at Anacostia Metro Station, River East at 33
	39	+	Grandview, and, simply, Talbert Street (“River East at Grandview”). 34
	40	+	(e) Many of the 46 households were led by Black women becoming homeowners for 35
	41	+	the first time using the District’s Home Purchase Assistance Program (“HPAP”), and the 36
	42	+	newly formed community included retirees, recent graduates, young couples, veterans, parents, 37
	43	+	and parents-to-be. 38
	44	+	(f) By August 2021, the community faced an insurmountable obstacle: An engineering 39
	45	+	firm hired by the Condominium Association gave an emergency recommendation to fully 40
	46	+	evacuate the building within 2 weeks due to serious structural concerns within the brand- new 41
	47	+	building into which many had just poured their savings, hearts, and future plans. 42
	48	+	(g) Since the evacuation almost 3 years ago, River East at Grandview owners have 43
	49	+	worked diligently to untangle the tremendous financial, legal, and emotional web into which 44
	50	+	they were thrown. 45
	51	+	(h) Owners have described horrific experiences stemming from this tragic outcome, 46
	52	+	including diminished mental health, persistent frustration, immense stress, distrust and 47
	53	+	disappointment, and fear over their next steps. 48
	54	+	(i) The District has provided some support, including immediate cash assistance and 49
	55	+	case management to find rental units at the time of the evacuation, as well as ongoing rental 50
	56	+	support that the Executive said will end in June 2024. 51
	57	+	3
11	58
12		-	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
	59	+	(j) However, River East at Grandview owners remain responsible for their first trust 52
	60	+	mortgages, despite being unable to move back into a building that has been deemed unlivable 53
	61	+	and worth $0 in value. 54
	62	+	(k) For years, owners – represented by the River East at Grandview Condominium 55
	63	+	Association – engaged with the Executive to attempt to find common ground on a solution, 56
	64	+	while groups of owners also sought relief and accountability through the courts. 57
	65	+	(l) By the fall of 2023, there was still no resolution, and the owners continued to suffer 58
	66	+	in a state of limbo. 59
	67	+	(m) In November 2023, the Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Housing 60
	68	+	held a joint roundtable to hear from the River East at Grandview owners, the Department of 61
	69	+	Buildings (“DOB”), and DHCD over what went wrong and how to determine and implement 62
	70	+	next steps. 63
	71	+	(n) Later that month, DHCD, DOB, the Department of Insurance, Securities, and 64
	72	+	Banking (“DISB”), representatives from Chairman Mendelson’s and Housing Committee 65
	73	+	Chairperson Councilmember Robert White’s offices, and River East at Grandview 66
	74	+	Condominium Association board members met to discuss a path forward. 67
	75	+	(o) At the November meeting, DOB representatives confirmed the inhabitability of the 68
	76	+	building, indicating it is unlikely that any part is salvageable and the ultimate outcome may be 69
	77	+	complete demolition. 70
	78	+	(p) At the same meeting, DHCD confirmed that owners would not be able to leave with 71
	79	+	equity in their purchase because the building has no value. 72
	80	+	(q) From December 2023 through March 2024, owners continued to engage with 73
	81	+	4
13	82
14		-	June 25, 2024
	83	+	DHCD, as DHCD sought to produce a relief proposal in time for implementation ahead of the 74
	84	+	rental assistance cut-off in June. 75
	85	+	(r) On March 8, 2024, DHCD held a meeting with River East at Grandview owners to 76
	86	+	introduce them to the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (“NACA”) and 77
	87	+	discuss the potential for partnership with NACA in securing new homeownership opportunities 78
	88	+	for owners. 79
	89	+	(s) Founded in 1988 by Bruce Marks and Reverend Graylan Hagler, who was also co -80
	90	+	chair of DC’s recent Black Homeownership Strike Force, NACA seeks to provide affordable 81
	91	+	homeownership opportunities to communities who have systematically been kept out of the 82
	92	+	real estate market through reducing barriers to ownership. 83
	93	+	(t) Since the March 8
	94	+	th
	95	+	meeting, NACA counselors ha ve completed individual housing 84
	96	+	counseling sessions with a majority of the River East at Grandview owners. 85
	97	+	(u) The counseling sessions, and the feedback from owners, have highlighted the 86
	98	+	critical need for deep financial assistance for many River East at Grandview owners to 87
	99	+	successfully compete in today’s housing market and to finally move on from this dilemma. 88
	100	+	(v) The Mayor and the Council strongly support the provision of new homeownership 89
	101	+	and mortgage opportunities for the River East at Grandview owners, including the elimination 90
	102	+	of their existing River East at Grandview mortgages, any future obligations associated with the 91
	103	+	River East at Grandview mortgages, and any negative impact of the River East at Grandview 92
	104	+	mortgages on obtaining new mortgages. 93
	105	+	(w) On April 2, 2024, the Council passed the “Relief for River East at Grandview 94
	106	+	Condominium Owners Emergency Amendment Act of 2024” to immediately ensure that River 95
	107	+	5
15	108
16		-
17		-	To declare the existence of an emergency regarding the need to provide financial relief and
18		-	other assistance to the current owners of the condominium units at the River East at
19		-	Grandview Condominiums.
20		-
21		-	RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution
22		-	may be cited as the “Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Congressional
23		-	Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”.
24		-
25		-	Sec. 2. (a) On April 2, 2024, the Council passed the Relief for River East at Grandview
26		-	Condominium Owners Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 to immediately ensure that River
27		-	East at Grandview owners could access stable housing before their rental supports expired and
28		-	to begin to provide an overdue solution to 46 households who have endured ongoing
29		-	uncertainty and stress since the devastating loss of their River East at Grandview homes almost
30		-	3 years ago.
31		-	(b) The Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Emergency
32		-	Amendment Act of 2024 legislation also included a provision separate from the River East at
33		-	Grandview matter, which provides funding authority to complete the Skyland Town Center
34		-	development.
35		-	(c) The Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Emergency
36		-	Amendment Act of 2024 will expire on July 14, 2024.
37		-	(d) On May 7, 2024, the Council passed the Relief for River East at Grandview
38		-	Condominium Owners Temporary Amendment Act of 2024, which is currently undergoing
39		-	Congressional review and is not projected to become law until August 1, 2024. This
40		-	emergency legislation is therefore necessary to prevent a gap in the law between the expiration
41		-	of the emergency act and the effective date of the temporary act.
42		-
43		-	Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2
44		-	constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Relief for River East at
45		-	Grandview Condominium Owners Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2024 be adopted
46		-	after a single reading.
47		-
48		-	Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
	109	+	East at Grandview owners could access stable housing before their rental supports expired and 96
	110	+	to begin to provide an overdue solution to 46 households who have endured ongoing 97
	111	+	uncertainty and stress since the devastating loss of their River East at Grandview homes almost 98
	112	+	3 years ago. 99
	113	+	(x) The “Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Emergency 100
	114	+	Amendment Act of 2024” legislation also included a provision separate from the River East at 101
	115	+	Grandview matter, which provides funding authority to complete the Skyland Town Center 102
	116	+	development. 103
	117	+	(y) The “Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Emergency 104
	118	+	Amendment Act of 2024” will expire on July 14, 2024. 105
	119	+	(z) On May 7, 2024, the Council passed the “Relief for River East at Grandview 106
	120	+	Condominium Owners Temporary Amendment Act of 2024,” which is currently undergoing 107
	121	+	Congressional review and is not projected to become law until August 1, 2024. This 108
	122	+	emergency legislation is therefore necessary to prevent a gap in the law between the expiration 109
	123	+	of the emergency act and the effective date of the temporary act. 110
	124	+	Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances 111
	125	+	enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the 112
	126	+	Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Congressional Review Emergency 113
	127	+	Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading. 114
	128	+	Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 115