Wisconsin Avenue Gas Station Still Working to Reopen After March Fire

Despite an earlier rosy prediction that the and gas station at 1576 Wisconsin Ave. , property managers say they are still working through the various government agencies to be able to reopen. A fire quickly laid waste to station on March 15; a space heater in the garage area was reportedly the cause of .

In July, property manager Koo Yeun told Patch that the owners were still working to get reimbursed by the insurance company and only then could repairs begin.

"I am doing everything humanly possible," to get the space back in use, he told Patch at the time.

When contacted this week, Yeun said he is now waiting on District agencies for review and approval.

"Can't do anything until we are permitted by DCRA. The process is in progress," wrote Yeun in an email.

Helder Gil, a spokesperson for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), spoke with Patch Thursday about the property.

Gil said the owners submitted a permit at the beginning of September for construction work to repair fire damage.

"It looks like it is waiting for a fire inspection to determine whether or not the plans as submitted are sufficient," explained Gil. Records indicated that inspection was to take place Thursday, but it was not clear at the time whether or not it had happened.

Assuming a fire inspector agrees that the proposed fixes will address problems created by the March blaze, the project can move forward.

"It should move along relatively quickly," said Gil.

"It does’t look like they are planning to do a huge amount of strucutral work."

Depending on the scope of the work, the plans may have to go through the Historic Preservation Review Board since the property is within the Georgetown historic district.

If they change the external appearance of the building from its pre-fire state, then the HPRB and Old Georgetown Board would review designs. If the OGB reviews the plans, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission would also be able to offer comments.

According to ANC Commissioner Ron Lewis, no such plans have been presented.

"They did clean the place up and paint it after I asked them why it looked so bad and when they were going to re-open," wrote Lewis in an email to Patch.

For now it looks like neighbors will have to continue waiting for any significant improvements on the corner lot at Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street.