Yesterday Mayor Fenty made his way to the far north end of the city with plans to demolish a brand new home. Why would the mayor and neighbors invite the media to see the shiny, $1.5 million building dismantled piece by piece? The answer lies in an almost farcical gaffe on the part of city officials and the federal government’s control over lands in the District.

We’ve mentioned it briefly before, but the full story goes like this: last year developers legally bought land on the 1700 block of North Portal Dr., a pricey neighborhood which abuts Rock Creek Park. After going through a lengthy city approval process they started erecting the six-bedroom home, wedged between older houses with a view of the park. What they didn’t know was that D.C. officials are forced to ask the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts to review any new buildings which are “near federal park land”, a category that could include much of the city’s real estate. When neighbors demanded to know why a new home was rapidly obscuring their view of Rock Creek Park, the city investigated and the federal commission deemed the house “inappropriate”. Most of the neighborhood, peppered with signs decrying the home, were thrilled. The city and developer were not.

As part of a settlement, D.C. shelled out the $1.5. million to buy the house and $160,000 to dismantle it. Neighbors concerned that this might happen again purchased the land and plan to keep it as green space. At least the building materials, fixtures and appliances are being donated to Habitat For Humanity during the four-week demolition process. City Administrator Dan Tangherlini told the Post he’ll be reviewing the construction approval system. We’ll have to wait and see whether better communication will mean city taxpayers, most of whom don’t enjoy the luxury of a million-dollar home, will be laying down cash to fix inspectors mistakes and appease the federal government.

Photo by Flickr user iwantamonkey.