Appletree CH Playground- Is anyone else as outraged as I am?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25342/the-sound-of-children-playing-bothers-some-columbia-heights-residents/

The condo board has no legal authority of any kind in this, and yet still tried to tear down the playground over Thanksgiving break.

Holy shit, they were going to tear it down over Thanksgiving break, when in fact AppleTree owns the playground space! What is wrong with those people?

[Anonymous]

Quiet study area for the under-five set. I LOVE it! What a practical, reasonable solution. How about white noise machines for every apartment grinch who came to the nuisance?

[Anonymous]

Until I can read the lease I'm going to defer on passing judgement. Stories like this have a way of taking on a life of their own and the first casualty is the facts.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a bank or a drugstore could be put in? It's a DC law that each block in DC must have two drugstores and 5 banks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until I can read the lease I'm going to defer on passing judgement. Stories like this have a way of taking on a life of their own and the first casualty is the facts.

It's not a lease. AppleTree owns the space--classrooms and playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until I can read the lease I'm going to defer on passing judgement. Stories like this have a way of taking on a life of their own and the first casualty is the facts.

It's not a lease. AppleTree owns the space--classrooms and playground.

In that case, until I see a deed and a survey I'm going to defer on passing judgement.

[Anonymous]

You can search DC real property records here:
https://www.taxpayerservicecenter.com/RP_Search.jsp?search_type=Assessment

There is no record of Appletree owning any property at 2750 14th street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Condo- gave Appletree the lease when the market was not so good, many years ago. Now the market is great and they want to increase prices so this is a problem.

There is a huge need for pk programs in that area. That location is not viable without the playground. Frankly, I think the city should just eminent domain the playground for the public good.

What killed me was that the condo association found it even viable that 3 and 4 year olds could do "silent study."

+1. And guaranteed people complaining today are likely hipsters in their 20s who will end up getting married and having kids in the next few years and at that point whatever is best for their precious offspring will be priority one. But until that becomes a reality for them though come up with the ludicrous solutions like suggesting study time for three and four-year-olds. ridiculous

[Anonymous]

Entitlement v. Entitlement!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Frankly if the Condo association wants to clean up the playground down the block of all the used condoms, drug paraphanillia and broken bottles every morning, I would be ok, but they won't and that is not really an option for 3&4 year olds.

I think the neighborhood church does that. Spoiled rich condo owners wouldn't think of volunteering in that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can search DC real property records here:
https://www.taxpayerservicecenter.com/RP_Search.jsp?search_type=Assessment

There is no record of Appletree owning any property at 2750 14th street.

You need to look up the Recorder of Deeds. http://otr.cfo.dc.gov/service/recorder-deeds-document-images If you do you'll see all the documentation that shows that Appletree Columbia Heights LLC purchased that property in Feb 2009 for $4.015 million.

All the info is there and publicly available.

[Anonymous]

Also, if you just want to see it on the link you posted above, just type in the Sq which is 2667 and you'll see the records of all the different lots that Appletree own at that address.

If you have time you can look through the deeds, but without doing that it looks as if they own "garage space" which is most likely the outdoor space in addition to the school which may be divided into several units.

[Anonymous]

The playground in question is on common land owned and to be used by the entire building. Apple Tree owns space in the building, as do 3 other commercial properties and 54 residential units. Original marketing materials show the space listed as a "serenity garden". By the time owners began moving in someone (the developer?) had installed the playground. Apple Tree does not own the playground space or equipment. To answer your "who came first question": the owners. The building is made up predominately of 20-40 year-olds. Since the building was built in 2007 there have been fewer than 10 children who have lived there. The playground is used exclusively by Apple Tree and no other owners can use this common space.

The reporter in the linked article either lied or was (more likely) lied to. Yes, the Board passed a resolution that they have the right to dismantle the playground and build something that all owners could use. That was it, a passed resolution. The Board has never set a "date" to dismantle the playground...especially not over Thanksgiving weekend. The Board continues to try and work amicably (albeit through lawyers now) with Apple Tree. Apple Tree on the other hand has decided to call media and try to smear the Board and residential owners.

And by the way, there is a huge DC owned park at the end of the street. It is currently undergoing renovations and will be brand new in March 2015. It is much larger and much better (with actual grass!) than the playground behind the building. DC law does not require a playground be on-site. Rather the law stats a play area must be "on-site, on the roof, or within walking distance". The park mentioned above is roughly 500 feet away (without any need to even cross a street).

Do some research on Apple Tree. They are a huge corporation (multimillion dollar) which uses their non-profit status to get large law firms working pro bono to intimidate any local community that dares to question having 20-40 screaming kids playing right outside resident windows ALL DAY.

Look up Apple Tree's ongoing issues with the Lincoln Park area. They have jammed up local homeowners for nearly 10 years in court. They are trying to do the same to the residents in Columbia Heights. This is not a "hipsters who hate kids" issue. It is a "corporation bullying local home owners" issue.

[Anonymous]

Hey there, Mr. Abadian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The playground in question is on common land owned and to be used by the entire building. Apple Tree owns space in the building, as do 3 other commercial properties and 54 residential units. Original marketing materials show the space listed as a "serenity garden". By the time owners began moving in someone (the developer?) had installed the playground. Apple Tree does not own the playground space or equipment. To answer your "who came first question": the owners. The building is made up predominately of 20-40 year-olds. Since the building was built in 2007 there have been fewer than 10 children who have lived there. The playground is used exclusively by Apple Tree and no other owners can use this common space.

The reporter in the linked article either lied or was (more likely) lied to. Yes, the Board passed a resolution that they have the right to dismantle the playground and build something that all owners could use. That was it, a passed resolution. The Board has never set a "date" to dismantle the playground...especially not over Thanksgiving weekend. The Board continues to try and work amicably (albeit through lawyers now) with Apple Tree. Apple Tree on the other hand has decided to call media and try to smear the Board and residential owners.

And by the way, there is a huge DC owned park at the end of the street. It is currently undergoing renovations and will be brand new in March 2015. It is much larger and much better (with actual grass!) than the playground behind the building. DC law does not require a playground be on-site. Rather the law stats a play area must be "on-site, on the roof, or within walking distance". The park mentioned above is roughly 500 feet away (without any need to even cross a street).

Do some research on Apple Tree. They are a huge corporation (multimillion dollar) which uses their non-profit status to get large law firms working pro bono to intimidate any local community that dares to question having 20-40 screaming kids playing right outside resident windows ALL DAY.

Look up Apple Tree's ongoing issues with the Lincoln Park area. They have jammed up local homeowners for nearly 10 years in court. They are trying to do the same to the residents in Columbia Heights. This is not a "hipsters who hate kids" issue. It is a "corporation bullying local home owners" issue.

No, the lincoln park homeowners represent a nimby minority. I am a lincoln park homeowner and I welcome appletree to the neighborhood. It only helps my property value to have good preschool options. You frankly are ridiculous and evil and if it bugs you that much you should move or get a real office.