A Not-So-Neighborly Feud Goes Public in Del Ray

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A neighborhood drama of operatic proportions is playing out in Del Ray, where a local architect appears to be doing everything he can to make some former clients, his neighbors, miserable.

How? By building a cement garage about two feet from their property line, completely obscuring their view; oh, and by erecting a trellis that might as well be a fence, since there's nothing growing on it.

Sure, it might be legal. But the architect's actions aren't going unnoticed in (mostly) friendly Del Ray.

The Washington Post details the whole sordid tale in a story by Patricia Sullivan: "In friendly Del Ray, a decidely unneighborly dispute." One of the possible reasons for the architect's actions? Possibly that the former clients hired a different architect for some renovations.

Friends of the former clients are doing all they can to right what they see as an injustice. Friend Martha Bodden has started a petition headlined: "Take a Stand Against Spiteful Neighbor: Don't Let This Happen to You." Bodden is trying to get the attention of City Manager Mark Jinks and Mayor Allison Silberberg, according to the petition.

Here's the explanation, posted on change.org, by friends of the Lineham family:

"We want the City of Alexandria to halt the construction of the garage at 319 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301. The resident-architect/developer at 319 E. Monroe originally designed and developed the adjacent properties (DeWitt and E. Monroe Aves) as non-conforming sized lots. The City granted a special use permit for this development based on the architect’s open space and “shared view” design concept. Now, this same architect is building an oversized garage right next to the property line and in front of the only window on the west side of the adjacent house at 401 E. Monroe Ave. This drastic change violates the architect's original design for which the City granted a special use permit. The City should halt this garage because it sets a bad precedent, violates the conditions of the architect’s original design as approved by the City, and entirely blocks light to the window of the adjacent house with a large cinderblock wall."

The petition has 208 supporters so far.

PHOTO used with permission