Answers Sought as to Whether The Line Hotel in DC Has Earned Tax Abatements

The Line Hotel in DC made quite a splash when it opened its doors in Adams Morgan earlier this year.
However, a month after the hotel's opening, controversy and confusion were already swirling around the hiring practices during the building's construction process and whether quotas required by the city in exchange for a major tax abatement had actually been filled. Now, a councilmember is asking for answers.
On Friday morning, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau sent a letter to City Administrator Rashad Young requesting an investigation into whether and how The Line has fulfilled the hiring and community benefit requirements necessary to receive the agreed-upon abatement, which would total $46 million over 20 years.
The letter expresses a lack of confidence in the Department of Employment Services's (DOES) certification of those requirements, as well as concern within the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) over whether community provisions in the hotel are adequate. The letter also expresses suspicion that The Line is using misleading tactics as a last-ditch effort to delay an audit.
story continues below
loading...story continues above
"I have recently been made aware of the fact that the Line Hotel has been operating under at least 9 consecutive Temporary Certificates of Occupancy (CofO) after its opening," Nadeau writes in the letter. "From virtually any perspective it appears the hotel is fully occupied and functional. I am concerned the procurement of Temporary Certificates of Occupancy is an attempt to disingenuously extend the construction period for one purpose: to delay when the hotel must begin complying with the conditions of the tax abatement and still receive the abatement in full."
The letter requests that the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) issue a final CofO and that the city investigate why DCRA issued temporary CofOs in the first place after the hotel began operating.
See other articles related to: dc council, dc tax abatement, the line, the line dc, ward 1
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/councilmember/14092.
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever

Ten years later, plans to construct nearly 150 townhomes at DC's most hotly debated d... read »

LEGO lovers will likely be first in line for the National Building Museum's latest ex... read »

Last year, Shiloh Baptist Church selected Monarch Urban to redevelop 1515 9th Street ... read »

JBG Smith has plans for a seven-story project along Crystal Drive.... read »

The "trailer park" where homes sell for millions; a renters utopia; and ideas for whe... read »
- Reservoir District: 146 Townhomes Planned at McMillan Site Look For Final Design Approval
- BRICK CITY: DC's New LEGO Exhibit Brings in Architecture From Around the World
- HPO Recommends Approval For 45-Unit Condo Development Pitched For Former Church Site in Shaw
- And Another One: Block-Long, 370-Unit Development Pitched For Crystal City
- Wednesday's Must Reads
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Visit guides.urbanturf.com or start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro