A hotly contested development project near the Brookland Metro station has been deemed too controversial by a city zoning panel to move forward just yet. The 61-foot-tall, mixed-use development that would demolish Colonel Brooks’ Tavern as well as five neighboring houses on a block directly east of the Metro station has been vehemently opposed by adjacent neighbors who say the project’s size would destroy the character of the neighborhood.

Most recently the Advisory Neighborhood Commission nominated the tavern and adjacent houses to be designated as historic, a move that — if accepted — would sink the project for good.