[JZelle]

" David W. Brown, the neighbors' attorney, said the case is about enforcing zoning regulations. "

It's for the children!!

[Gordongekko909]

Okay. Then the couple gets to sue the department that negligently issued the permit for damages.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Eminent Domain in another of it's nefarious disguises...

[petercooper]

Marianne Duffy, shown with her daughters Caroline, 5, and Claire, 2, left, and her husband Marc, have gone practically bankrupt by having to pay rent on an apartment while paying a mortgage and property taxes on an unfinished home. J.M. Eddins Jr. (THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

[petercooper]

The county granted the couple new permits, then voided them and halted construction when neighbors pointed out the house was originally built seven feet too close to the street and two feet too close to the home of William Hamilton, an editor at the Washington Post, and his wife, Jane Mayer, a staff writer for the New Yorker.
Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Mayer; ABC News reporter Jackie Judd; and prominent lawyer Michael Eig and his wife, Emily, are among those who have complained about the Duffys' home.
Kristin Gerlach, owner of Gerlach Real Estate Inc., also testified against them.

[commish]

DOesn't Chevy Chase have any say in this couple destroying his home?

[GeorgiaDawg32]

gee, I sure wish I were rich enough to have uppity neighbors..since I'm not, I'm damn glad..

The gov't agencies which originally approved the permit should pay all costs since they're the ones that screwed up..to have these people do everything right and then STILL lose everything because of beaurocracy makes me sick..

[robertpaulsen]

"The county granted the couple new permits, then voided them and halted construction when neighbors pointed out the house was originally built seven feet too close to the street and two feet too close to the home of William Hamilton, an editor at the Washington Post, and his wife, Jane Mayer, a staff writer for the New Yorker."

I wonder if the seller knew this?

[Tribune7]

ping

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Time to serve some whoopass on unelected bureaucrats!!

[Rummyfan]

Yet another example of why anyone with a brain should not live in Monkey County, MD!

[Rummyfan]

Yet another example of why anyone with a brain should not live in Monkey County, MD!

[Rummyfan]

Yet another example of why anyone with a brain should not live in Monkey County, MD!

[drlevy88]

The couple received the renovation permits to put a two-story addition at the rear of the home. But problems quickly arose when crews found mold, wood rot and termite damage, making additional construction necessary. The damage was so extensive that more than 50 percent of the existing walls were removed, which meant the building should have been classified as a new home and subject to different zoning regulations.

I guess what they needed was the bureaucratic equivalent of shoot, shovel, and shut up.

I.e. fix half the bad walls, wait a year or whatever, fix the other bad walls. THEN do the addition.

[Captain Rhino]

Reduce the width of the main house by seven feet, rejoin the addition to it, and move it and the addition forward by two feet (or some variation of these steps).

No more variance required. Problem solved.

Yeah, its a lot easier to write than to do. But they've already spent $50,000.00 enriching lawyers that could have gone into the expense of repositioning the structure.

[D-Chivas]

The couple received the renovation permits to put a two-story addition at the rear of the home. But problems quickly arose when crews found mold, wood rot and termite damage, making additional construction necessary.

The damage was so extensive that more than 50 percent of the existing walls were removed, which meant the building should have been classified as a new home and subject to different zoning regulations.

Regardless of the complaining neighbors, what kind of person buying a $725,000 house wouldn't have it thoroughly inspected for mold, rot, and termites??????

[Savage Beast]

Nice neighbors.

Is Chevy Chase a Leftist infestation?

[rightinthemiddle]

Darn...I was hoping someone was going to raze that lefty Chevy Chase's home.

[P-Marlowe]

Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Mayer; ABC News reporter Jackie Judd; and prominent lawyer Michael Eig and his wife, Emily, are among those who have complained about the Duffys' home.

One of the complaining neighbors:

Michael J. Eig
michael.eig@lawforchildren.com

Michael J. Eig, the founder and owner of the firm, has been practicing special education law and advocacy in the metropolitan D.C. area since 1975. His educational background includes degrees in cultural anthropology and education from Brandeis University (1970), a Masters in Education and Social Policy from Harvard University (1972), and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1975).

Apparently he doesn't care too much for his neighbor's children. He would prefer to see them on the street.

[George from New England]

OUT OF CONTROL bureaucracy.

[RockinRight]

I know he's a lib...but why raze his home?