Anonymous wrote:This is just blatant. The council really doesn't fear voters is they engage in this level of out in the open corruption

+1

They call it service provision

Clients include DHCD, OCP, DGS, DC Housing Authority

The woman was a chair of the zoning board but holds some free seminars (as do many real estate firms) so I guess that's ok. Maybe we can paper over this tax hole with the "Trayon 3%" bonds?

This is just blatant. The council really doesn't fear voters is they engage in this level of out in the open corruption

"The 14th Street property currently has an overdue tax balance of $272,467.48"

What will that balance be as of the date of the passing of the bill for us DC residents to eat the tax balance? I'm assuming the Mayor will veto, the Council will (or had planned to) overrule, so could be a cool $300,000 and then we are looking at least at another what, $500,000 over the next 10 years?

Nice, a cool million to a friend of the Council. Bravo Nadeau. Meanwhile, the citizens should pay higher tax on everything and soundproof and bulletproof their homes at their own expense.

The owner of this real estate company had also been appointed and reappointed by the Council to the Zoning Board.

This is really weird.
"This Resolution may be cited as the "Board of Zoning Adjustment Sheila Cross Reid Confirmation Resolution""

Anyone have that FBI guy's number?

As long as they pay 3% right, according to Trayon?

Anonymous wrote:I promise to engage in unspecific social justice initiatives and citizen empowerment efforts to help the people of DC achieve their full potential. Accordingly, I would like to request that I not have to pay real estate taxes for eternity.

Approved!

FBI if you are listening please don't stop now. Keep pulling on the Trayon thread

The owner appears to be 77 so yes indeed.

But it's not even social justice initiatives. The pretext is very flimsy and applies to just about any commercial real estate, except the sweetheart deal is very specific to Avanti/Sheila Reid but very generic on the "rationale". The conditions are to basically have people who buy real estate through you become homeowners and thus build generational wealth (you don't say), employ DC residents (very likely anyway), and provide education and training for realtors (any broker does that). So why is Sheila getting a $250,000 gift plus no tax for the rest of her life?!

Text of the bill:
"*property is occupied by Avanti Real Estate Services, LLC
*used to further the purposes of providing Real Estate and Brokerage services, specializing in creating generational wealth through homeownership, employing
District residents, and providing education and training for employment opportunities and careers within the real estate industry"

TO WHICH REAL ESTATE FIRM DOES THIS NOT APPLY? The bill says if Mayor vetoes, the Council overrides.

I promise to engage in unspecific social justice initiatives and citizen empowerment efforts to help the people of DC achieve their full potential. Accordingly, I would like to request that I not have to pay real estate taxes for eternity.

(1) The real property designated for tax purposes as "Property" which is owned by Avanti Real Estate Services, Inc., shall
be exempt from the tax imposed by Chapter 8 of this title for the period beginning October 1,18 2024, and ending September 30, 2034

(2) Any real property taxes, interest, penalties, fees, or other related charges
24 assessed, as of the effective date of this act, against the property are forgiven.

In light of the corruption charges against one on the Council, shouldn't DC citizens have a right to demand an investigation into a lawmaking on behalf of a sole commercial real estate firm?!

This really really seems very fishy

This bill is an unbelievable read and yet the Council published the intent to act on July 12.

Link to the bill
https://legiscan.com/DC/bill/B25-0906/2023

Link to the article
https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/08/15/avanti-columbia-heights-tax-break-dc-council.html

The Washington Business Journal, which broke the Whittle collapse story before and as it happened, published a story 4 days ago about a bill proposed by Nadeau to give tax relief to the tune of $250,000 for the PAST unpaid tax and forgive any tax for the next 10 years to Avanti Real Estate Inc.

Avanti Real Estate is a commercial real estate broker and property management which appears to have a number of complaints, DCRA code violations that tenants had to take them to the court to enforce. What gives?!