Condo foes aim first at garage

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Local community groups are trying to stop development of condominiums and a new parking garage at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel on Woodley Road in Northwest.

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C and the Woodley Park Community Association are protesting construction of a new parking garage on the site. A former commissioner who led the protest said that appealing the parking-garage zoning is the only tool neighbors have to stop construction of the condos, which she said have neighbors concerned about overdevelopment.

"Personally speaking, not as the commissioner, you appeal what you can appeal to work the issue you really want to go for, which is the condo tower," said Deborah Jane Lindeman, who recently lost re-election to the commission.

Some in the community think the condominium building will bring too many people to an already congested area, she said. But opponents can't do much to stop the condo construction, so they're going after the parking garage.

"It's a humongous condominium [building]," Ms. Lindeman said. "The neighborhood wouldn't bellyache so much if it wasn't so large."

"The neighborhood is not unanimous" on this issue, said Gloria E. Day, who was elected to the neighborhood ANC. She declined further comment except to say that the ANC will keep an eye on the situation.

Ken Finkelstein, a managing partner at JBG Cos., the Chevy Chase developer that owns the hotel and the site, said the 100 to 150 additional condo units won't significantly alter the neighborhood. Condo construction is scheduled to start in mid-2008.

Construction has started on the underground parking garage, which would replace an aboveground structure.

JBG doesn't expect the appeal to sway the District's Board of Zoning Adjustment but says it is listening to its neighbors.

"There were some concerns expressed about the new condominium building, and we're continuing to talk to the community," Mr. Finkelstein said.