{"id":405,"date":"2020-11-23T13:08:22","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T13:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/?p=405"},"modified":"2020-12-24T20:50:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T20:50:51","slug":"whos-the-man-behind-the-curtain-mayors-agent-oks-masonic-temple-lot-division-role-of-planning-dir-trueblood-questioned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/dc\/405","title":{"rendered":"Who’s the Man behind the Curtain? \u2018Mayor\u2019s Agent\u2019 OKs Masonic Temple Lot Division – Role of Planning Dir. Trueblood Questioned"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Media release<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

November 23, 2020<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Nick DelleDonne<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

703-929-6656<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Who<\/span><\/b>‘s<\/span><\/b> the Man behind the Curtain?<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Mayor\u2019s Agent\u2019 OKs Masonic Temple Lot Division<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Role of Planning Dir. Trueblood Questioned<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

The city\u2019s conflicted process of approving development projects came more sharply into focus on November 6 when the Mayor\u2019s Agent for Historic Preservation approved the subdivision of the lot at the Masonic Temple at 16th<\/sup> and S Streets NW. The decision ostensibly will allow the tax-exempt organization to build its revenue producing luxury project \u2013 a project the Dupont East Civic Action Association (DECAA) continues to oppose.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to this decision, on the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), a board of nine Mayor-appointed examiners, had reached the same determination – three times, in November 2018, in May 2019, and again in September 2019. Nonetheless, the issue was appealed to the Mayor\u2019s Agent by the Masons themselves and their developer, Perseus, for yet one more affirmation. As if to underscore a circular process, the Mayor\u2019s Agent concludes, he \u201chas no authority\u201d to revisit the boundary determination of the HPRB. This process of dissembling comes full circle when we see who the Mayor\u2019s Agent really is.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

The hearing was run by Peter Byrne, a Georgetown University law professor, thought by many to be the Mayor\u2019s Agent.  But no, Byrne signs the decision as the hearing officer, not the Mayor\u2019s Agent. <\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

So who is the Mayor\u2019s Agent? <\/span>The decision pulls the curtain aside. <\/span>The Mayor\u2019s Agent, who signed the decision, is Andrew Trueblood, the head of the Office of Planning, the man who sits on the organizational chart above the Office of Historic Preservation which advises the HPRB which decided the case already three times. <\/span>Welcome to the land of Oz! <\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

In its brief before the Mayor\u2019s Agent, DECAA rightly called into question this circular process, challenging Trueblood\u2019s role as conflicted, but the decision, signed by Mayor\u2019s Agent Trueblood, dismisses the allegation.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

This decision, HPA No. 19-497, from the Mayor\u2019s Agent is the latest in a long line of pro-development, pro-administration, anti-preservation decisions, including the Georgetown Heating Plant and McMillan Park.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

For those following the administration of historic preservation in the city, it raises the question: Is the Mayor\u2019s Agent impartial or merely an agent of the Mayor? If there is merely a curtain of pretense of a fair hearing, what is the point of having a Mayor\u2019s Agent? <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n


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\u201cConsidering its record, this latest decision comes as no surprise to DECAA and we have since filed an appeal with the DC Court of Appeals,\u201d said DECAA Vice President Iris McCollum Green. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

DECAA has separately sued the city to stop the Masonic Temple development as oversized and inappropriate in an historic district. The suit is currently on appeal at the DC Court of Appeals led by attorney Barry Coburn and a capable legal team.<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick DelleDonne<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupont Gadfly<\/span><\/p>\n

703 929 6656<\/span><\/p>\n

Winner of Best Gadfly award, 2020, Washington City Paper<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/washingtoncitypaper.com\/article\/322412\/best-of-d-c-2020\/#\/gallery\/248680924<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Media release November 23, 2020 Contact Nick DelleDonne 703-929-6656 Who‘s the Man behind the Curtain? \u2018Mayor\u2019s Agent\u2019 OKs Masonic Temple Lot Division Role of Planning Dir. Trueblood Questioned   The city\u2019s conflicted process of approving development projects came more sharply into focus on November 6 when the Mayor\u2019s Agent for Historic Preservation approved the subdivision of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,14,67,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dc","category-historic-sites","category-planning","category-w2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":447,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions\/447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/fit2print\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}