Demolition underway on remains of burned buildings in Annandale
The buildings on Columbia Pike destroyed in a fire over a year ago are finally being demolished.
The main stumbling block for the delay has been Washington Gas, says May Han, the daughter of the property owners, Kee Cho Han and Ae Young Han.
“We absolutely understand it’s been an eyesore,” May Han said. The failure to get the gas company to release the buildings for demolition “has been extremely frustrating.”
After the fire, the first thing that had to happen was a confirmation from the Fairfax County Fire Department that the buildings were safe to release to the owners, Han said. The fire department determined it was an accidental fire that started on the roof.
The next step called for the Hans’ insurance company and the insurance companies for all the tenants to release the buildings to the owner. That happened in September.
Fairfax County confirmed that the property owners didn’t need a permit to demolish what’s left of the structures, said May, who lives out of state.
May hired Demo King in November, but before they could start the work, they needed letters from the utility companies – Dominion Energy, Washington Gas, and Fairfax Water – to verify that it was safe to demolish the buildings.
Dominion and Fairfax Water sent letters in January saying the demolition could proceed but Washington Gas didn’t respond despite May’s repeated letters and phone calls.
“We called customer service, and they said we have to speak to the service abandonment department,” May said. “It was our understanding that the fire department turned off the gas when the fire happened. But we needed a letter from Washington Gas giving permission to demolish the building.”
“No one at service abandonment ever answered the phone,” May Han said. At one point, she called them 80 times in a row and they still didn’t respond. “We were never able to actually speak to a person.”
Meanwhile, the burned-out buildings have been the subject of numerous complaints from the public. Fairfax County filed a suit against the owners charging them with violating the state property maintenance code and the county’s Zoning Ordinance.
Related story: Fairfax County sues owners of burned buildings on Columbia Pike
“I get that it’s a violation but we have to do this safely,” May said. “If my contractor doesn’t verify that the gas is turned offer, they could be walking into danger. A gas leak could cause an explosion.”
May said Fairfax County code inspector Joan Maguire also contacted Washington Gas and even went in person to attempt to expedite the approval.
Finally, May got the letter from Washington Gas on April 11, and demolition started the next day. She never got an explanation from the company about why it took so long.
The whole process has been “a nightmare,” she said.
After the buildings are demolished and the site is paved, the Hans will find a tenant for a ground lease for the property. They already have a broker and had gotten inquiries from prospective tenants, but “to fully market the property it needs to be flat,” May said.
The owners haven’t figured out what to do about the two buildings on the property that didn’t burn. Those businesses – a Thai restaurant and a consignment shop – closed months ago.
“We need to focus first on getting rid of the building, then figure out how to rebuild,” she said.
I know they’ve been getting a lot of criticism but I really feel for these owners. The combination of dealing with an insurance company, utility company and county government is just a nightmare. I’ve had to do it on a much smaller scale and it was like being in a Kafka story. I can only imagine the level of frustration in a situation like this.
Great followup story. Thanks for keeping us residents informed!
Finally! Can Zaaki be next?
Second this. Why has that place been allowed to operate as a landfill for the last 4 years?
The fire was in March 2023.
Zaaki looks s if it may be reopening at least then late night booze service from trunks of cars will be back in business in Culmore!
Great news and journalism!
Great Report-
Similar stories abound when through staff attrition leads to request going unanswered as in that call or request goes to “Ext 3456” only to learn about the retirement of the person over a year ago is leading to a “Backlog” the reference to Kafka or Catch-22 is appropriate.
Our Home owners association is chasing a refund of a required Surety Bond fee to cut down a tree along with purchase of a permit fee to cover the processing. The dance
involved a sidewalk-County , Road Access -State, Neighboring Church-Private, Power Lines – Dominion Power. November 2023 process started and then a storm in March 2024 brought down the tree (no one hurt) transformer catches the tree and the fire starts tree ,blocks road ,lots of smoke sirens and circus lights atmosphere. Roll Cameras!
Three days later we are notified our request is approved and we may, proceed to have our chosen company cut down the tree. Call me Moe, Larry or Shemp- The process all but brings to laughing so hard you start crying. So it the phrase “Do the Right Thing Comes Up” pause and remember Worst Case Possible Story by: Karma
Washington Gas held me up too.
Great follow-up report and reporting the facts.
I would suggest to sell the parcel and enjoy. Should get premium price when it is cleaned-up.
I have dealt with Washington Gas on an industrial construction project in the past. It was quite possibly one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had. I believe it was 18 months to have the gas turned off to a single unit heater so we could remove and replace it. I have never seen anything like it. And zero accountability. It was almost like they took pride in providing the worst possible customer service! I know there are others out there – I found online forums specific to Washington Gas customer service and I was not alone!!