Comments on: Scheele’s Update – Unlikely Hero?

By: 2009 – A Georgetown Year in Review «

2009 – A Georgetown Year in Review « — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:20:59 +0000

[...] well, springy because the potential buyer in question was Marc Teren, who does not have a particularly stellar reputation in [...]

By: Save Scheele’s Group Meets With Teren «

Save Scheele’s Group Meets With Teren « — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:27:15 +0000

[...] As a quick background: The Scheele’s family still owns the building that has held their family’s market for over 100 years. However, the Lee family has operated the market for the last 20 years. The Scheele’s would like to sell the property, which would give the future owner the right to kick out the market and convert the property to a single-family home. Marc Teren has stepped forward and made an offer of $1.325 million for the property. He has somewhat of a bad reputation around the East Village for his attempts to break of the Williams-Addison property, among other disputes. [...]

By: Easement Down the Road «

Easement Down the Road « — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:12:53 +0000

[...] response to GM’s post about the possible sale of the Scheele’s Market building to resident Marc Teren, reader Jim [...]

By: GM

GM — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:40:11 +0000

Thanks Jim. While I knew about the fight over the Williams-Addison house, I didn’t know the full history of Teren and his fights with his neighbors. It certainly puts the whole story in a much different light.

By: Jim McCarthy

Jim McCarthy — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:27:31 +0000

Anyone relying on Marc Teren’s word as a sign of good news for Scheele’s, shouldn’t get their hopes up. His conduct over the last few years seems like one long, selfish parade of contempt for the historic character and integrity of our neighborhood.

Isn’t this the same guy that has either ignored or fought to thwart the historic preservation recommendations of both our Area Neighborhood Commission and the Citizen’s Association of Georgetown regarding his various real estate schemes? I know of many individual residents that have publicly voiced their own objections to Mr. Teren’s developments, only to be met with indifference, rudeness, or duplicity.

He has been working to sub-divide the distinguished Jean Friendly Estate, he sought to construct an underground parking garage along another historic property right near Scheele’s, and he has marred the appealing view along 19th-century Dumbarton Mews.

He made repeated representations that he intended to reside in the 2613 Dumbarton house, citing that as a rationale for the development project. In an email copied to ANC and OGB, Teren wrote, “[The 2613 house] is titled in my name and intended, pending the hopeful sale of my current residence, to be my home.” One of his representatives wrote in a separate email, “In terms of a time frame, I am hoping to have Marc living in the home by October 1 [2007].” But once he got the green light he wanted, he sold the property and as far as I can tell spent not a single day residing there.

Add to that the construction teams, noise, long-term exclusive parking permits and general disruption. Heck, he had a gigantic construction dumpster parked on Dumbarton Street for nearly two years.

All these activities by Teren have apparently been done with one main goal in mind – the enrichment of Marc Teren. His philosophy is spelled out on the webpage for his investment group (www.equityrg.com) which explicitly states that he is “singularly focused on creating value in the residential real estate marketplace.”

I’ve spoken to dozens of longtime Georgetown residents about Teren and the consensus view is that he’s like our own local version of Mr. Potter, only with less charm. Now Teren expects Georgetowners to take him at his word and believe that he has the best interests of the East Village at heart? Please.