A Lone Eyesore Kindles Anger in Brightwood

According to a city database, Abell's company, Modern Management Inc., has owned the building since 2000.

In a Nov. 5, 2002, letter to the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, Abell said that the D.C. Superior Court had ordered the city to pay $100,000 for repairs to the building and that he should have received the money when he purchased the property.

"It is due to the District of Columbia's failure to comply with the Court's order and pay $100,000 to the owners for over a ten year period that the property remained in disrepair," Bertola wrote in a separate e-mail. "The District should not be casting stones when the District lives in a glass house and is the worst landlord in the District."

Deputy Mayor Stanley Jackson, a former director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, said he could recall no such ruling.

Abell's argument is unconvincing for neighbors who doubt his credibility and criticize his handling of the property.

"The biggest concern is that the building is owned by someone with a very questionable past," said Lesyllee White, director of marketing for the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and a resident who lives near the property. "Mr. Abell has not been responsive in terms of the development of that building. The building has been vacant for over 20 years. The property collects trash on a daily basis, maintenance has not been kept up. As a property owner, I'm concerned not just with the look of the building, but how it's going to affect my property value."

In a Nov. 8 letter to Graham, council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4), whose district includes Brightwood, said the District has issued $7,000 in fines because of the property's poor condition. Efforts to redevelop the building stalled when Abell could not secure financing, Fenty's letter said.

"The community has waited long enough for this blighted property to be brought up to the clean and safe standards that the neighborhood expects and deserves," Fenty wrote.

Anderson couldn't agree more.

"Overall, this is a very attractive real estate market," she said. "Most of the residents are middle-income residents who have lived in the area for many years and take pride in the neighborhood. There's no reason why this building should be sitting there vacant. There are a number of high-profile projects in development that are being welcomed by the community, so for this building to be sitting here should be a red flag for government officials to take action."