WASHINGTON — People living in the Northeast DC neighborhood of Langdon Park say their residential streets have been turned into a dumping ground for abandoned cars, and some neighbors believe nearby tow companies may be using their streets for overflow storage.
But the nuisance doesn’t stop there.
A court fight with one tow company, All-Star Towing, goes back years.
And that battle dragged out in D.C. Superior Court again Thursday.
Neighbors call the company’s storage lot a rat-haven. They said it's unsightly and the traffic it brings makes the area unsafe.
When neighbors and the local ANC complained to D.C. authorities about the lot, located at 2200 Channing Rd., D.C. authorities looked into the situation and found they’d made a mistake. The company had been issued a green light to use the lot for business in error. It revoked that right in 2016.
Shahid Qureshi, the owner of the lot and business, has been appealing the D.C. government’s decision ever since.
In court Thursday, Qureshi said the loss of that lot will be hard on his business. As far as the nuisances caused to neighbors, Qureshi pointed the blame at other tow companies on the same block.
As of Thursday, Qureshi was still using the lot to store wrecked vehicles.
D.C.'s Department of Consumer and Regulatory affairs confirmed All-Star Towing has already been fined $1,037 for using a lot without the proper permit.
The company can be penalized up to $100 per day.
As for what’s next in court, lawyers from D.C.'s Attorney General’s Office and Qureshi’s lawyer will submit their final briefs in the coming weeks. A decision is expected by October.