A Northern Virginia development firm plans to appeal the D.C. government’s recent vote against the $17 million housing complex the company hopes to build just south of Good Hope Road SE in Fairlawn.

KSI Services of Vienna will ask the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustments to reconsider its June 2 decision to deny the company the zoning variance required to build on the undeveloped 16-acre parcel, said company spokeswoman Sarah Davidson.

The proposed development includes 35 single-family 3-bedroom homes priced at $165,000 to $220,000 and a four-story apartment building with about 175 units. The rental apartments, which would be available only to households earning less than 60 percent of the median income for the area, would convert to condominiums in 15 years.

Community opposition to the project seems strong, with the Fairlawn Civic Association and 6C Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Johnson on record against it. The development would sit on land under the jurisdiction of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C and adjacent ANC 8B.

"There are too many boarded-up empty apartments in this area already," said Thelma Jones, president of the Fairlawn association. "Why can’t they renovate those instead of building more?"

The project, dubbed The Homes at Woodmont, is KSI’s first venture in the District, although the company owns several developments in Virginia and Maryland.

In attempts to win the support of local residents, KSI officials have offered to extend construction contracts to local firms, to help demolish or renovate the area’s abandoned housing stock, and invest some of its profits in a local charity. The company also has hired local residents, including Ward 8 resident Rosslyn Styles, as consultants to help build support, Davidson said.

Copyright 1999, The Common Denominator