DC BZA hearing July 22: fast-food special exception at 3831 Georgia Ave NW
DC Office of Zoning held a virtual BZA hearing July 22, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. for Application 21462 at 3831 Georgia Ave NW—here’s how testimony works.
The DC Office of Zoning’s Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) held a virtual public hearing for Wednesday, July 22, 2026, starting at 9:30 a.m. via WebEx. One of the agenda items was Application No. 21462—a special exception request seeking approval for a fast-food establishment at 3831 Georgia Avenue NW (Square 3028, Lot 59) in the NMU-7B/GA zone.
Where to find the official July 22 BZA agenda PDFs
OZ posted two companion documents for the same virtual hearing date:
- Public Hearing Agenda (PHA) — the agenda used for the BZA virtual public hearing.
- Virtual Public Meeting Agenda (PMA) — a companion schedule document for the day’s virtual BZA items.
Case snapshot: Application No. 21462 (3831 Georgia Ave NW)
In the PHA, OZ lists Application No. 21462 by Thomas Jefferson Real Estate, LLC and Emerald Wings, LLC for:
- A special exception under the “eating and drinking establishment” uses for a fast food establishment use (Subtitle H § 6009.1(c)), subject to conditions listed on the agenda (Subtitle H § 6007.1(e) and Subtitle X § 901.2).
- Project description: permitting a fast-food establishment in an existing six-story mixed-use building (residential with ground floor retail) in NMU-7B/GA.
- Address: 3831 Georgia Avenue NW (Square 3028, Lot 59).
How OZ said people were expected to join and testify (WebEx)
OZ’s WebEx instructions (for that July 22 hearing) outlined several practical steps:
- Sign-up timing: participants were strongly encouraged to sign up at least 24 hours before the meeting.
- If you couldn’t sign up online: the instructions direct people to call Robert Reid at 202-727-5471 to sign up to testify via phone.
- Before joining WebEx: participants were told to use the same first name, last name, and email address entered at sign-up, plus the Event Password provided for the hearing.
- Browser requirements: OZ specified using Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla browsers.
- If the hearing hadn’t started yet: OZ noted you would not be able to join, and contact fields would be greyed out.
- Muted at first: when joining, participants were muted with listen-only capabilities; when a case was called, the Event Administrator unmuted participants and the Chair specified when it was time to speak.
- Phone testimony (instead of WebEx): the instructions explained calling using the WebEx conference phone number tied to sign-up, entering the provided access code, and pressing # when prompted for the attendee ID.
Oral testimony rules: order and time limits
For BZA special exceptions and variances, OZ’s “Participating as a Witness” guidance lists an order that includes:
- Preliminary matters
- Statement of the applicant and the applicant’s witnesses
- Office of Planning report and recommendation
- Reports/recommendations from other public agencies
- ANC report
- Support witnesses
- Opposition witnesses
- Undeclared witness
- Rebuttal and closing statement by the applicant
OZ also listed maximum oral testimony time limits that were to be adhered to:
- Applicants/petitioners: up to 60 minutes
- Organizations: 5 minutes each
- Individuals: 3 minutes each
OZ notes it intended to adhere to those limits strictly, but reserved the right to change time limits if necessary.
Written submissions and supplemental documents
OZ’s guidance for participating as a witness says virtual public hearings do not take in-person testimony, and that participants can provide comments or testimony through alternative options—including:
- Written testimony submitted using IZIS, and/or by email (as listed on OZ’s “Participating as a Witness” page).
- Any supplemental documentation presented as part of your testimony had to be submitted to the case record in IZIS at least 24 hours prior to the meeting and emailed to Paul.Young@dc.gov (per the WebEx instructions for that hearing).
If you’re tracking future virtual hearings: where OZ posts access details
OZ’s virtual-hearing FAQs say the Webex link and call-in information are posted on the Office of Zoning website, with access details posted by the Friday before the hearing date. OZ also says the BZA agenda and lineup of cases are posted on the day of the hearing on the OZ website and OZ Calendar.
Technical help contacts (from OZ’s WebEx instructions)
If something went wrong during access, OZ’s WebEx instructions listed help at itzone@dc.gov and 202-727-6311.
Sources
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