Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project Meeting This Thursday, Nov. 21

November 19, 2013
Rendering of the new Barney Circle from the 2005 Middle Anacostia River Crossings Study.

Rendering of the new Barney Circle from the 2005 Middle Anacostia River Crossings Study.

The District Department of Transportation is holding its second public meeting on the Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project on Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at Payne Elementary School (1445 C Street SE). The project involves the construction of a full traffic circle at Barney Circle SE and the construction of a Southeast Boulevard to connect the new circle to the SE-SW Freeway at 11th Street SE.  DDOT will be sharing potential options for the project and gathering community feedback.

This is a major project with significant implications for the neighborhood. It is particularly important for residents living along 17th Street SE and residents living near Barney Circle SE (Kentucky Ave, Freedom Way, Penn Ave, 15th St,, H Street, 16th St., G St., Potomac Ave) to attend this meeting. 

During the first public meeting on the project in February, the entire discussion was dominated by questions and concerns about the Southeast Boulevard. I’m hopeful that attendees will get a chance to discuss the Barney Circle portion of the project and its implications for bike, pedestrian and vehicle flow through the neighborhood.

My recap of the first public meeting includes more information on the project.

Leave a Comment » | 15th Street SE, 17th Street SE, 19th Street SE, Barney Circle, Penn East, Transportation | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Project Updates from Neighborhood Town Hall

October 14, 2013

A big thanks to everyone who attended my Oct. 10 Neighborhood Town Hall at Congressional Cemetery Chapel. We had a great turnout! For those who were unable to attend, here are some brief updates on major projects happening in the neighborhood:

  • Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront – On Oct. 24, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s Office announced that Donatelli/Blue Skye had been awarded development rights for parcels F1 & G1 at Reservation 13. DMPED and Donatelli/Blue Skye are now negotiating on an agreement that will allow the project to move forward (terms of land transfer, etc.). This agreement will need to be approved by the DC Council, most likely in early 2014. The Donatelli/Blue Skye proposal calls for two mixed-use buildings with a total of 354 apartments (248 market rate, 106 affordable) and 20,000-40,000 square feet of retail on the first floors, including the possibility of retail along the C Street extension. Donatelli/Blue Skye has also updated their proposal to remove the “traffic island” around the Stadium-Armory Metro plaza.
  • 1442 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (Old KFC site) – Construction has begun on this two-story retail building at the corner of 15th and Penn Ave SE. Douglas Development hopes to have construction completed by the end of the year. As for tenants, Douglas Development has not yet signed any leases though there has been interest in the site.
  • 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (Used Car Lot – formerly 1550 Penn Ave SE) – NOVO Development hopes to begin construction on this 77-unit residential building by the end of the year or in early 2014. Greg Selfridge and the NOVO team plan to hold a community meeting soon to discuss construction and its potential impact on surrounding neighbors. I’ll share information on the meeting once it is scheduled.
  • 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (Old Domino’s site) – Goldstar Group plans to build a 41-unit residential building at the old Domino’s site, with a mix of two bedroom, one bedroom and junior one bedroom units. While they plan to provide the required 21-parking spaces in an underground garage, Goldstar will probably have to ask the Board of Zoning Adjustment for zoning relief related to the size of the parking spaces (6-8 will have to be compact spaces). Goldstar is pushing the building as close to the 15th & Penn Ave SE intersection as possible to preserve some open space between the building and adjacent structures. The parking garage entrance will be off of 15th Street SE. Goldstar will present their plans and preliminary designs with neighbors at a community meeting in the coming weeks. I’ll share information on the meeting once it is scheduled.
  • 401 15th Street SE – Goodeon Kingston, LLC has begun construction on a 12-unit mixed-use retail-residential building at the corner of 15th & D Street SE. The big news is that they have now decided to include retail space on the first floor..about 1,000 square feet. Goodeon hopes to have concrete and foundation work completed by the end of the year. The building will have the six parking spaces required by zoning.
  • Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project – The District Department of Transportation plans to hold its second public meeting on the Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project on Thursday, November 21, 6:30 pm at Payne Elementary School (1445 C Street SE). At the meeting, DDOT and their consultant, CH2M Hill, will present options for public feedback. I encourage anyone who lives near Barney Circle to attend this meeting.
  • 17th & 19th Streets Safety Improvement Project – The good news is the design phase of the 17th & 19th Streets Safety Improvement Project is complete. The bad news is that DDOT has asked a consultant to do an additional environmental review of the project recommendations which will add another 6 months to the project timeline. We are now looking at mid to late 2014 for construction to begin. I plan to urge DDOT to move as swiftly as possible to complete the additional review and begin construction.

Please post any comments or questions below.

6 Comments | 15th Street SE, 17th Street SE, 19th Street SE, Barney Circle, Development, Penn East, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Residential Building Planned for 1500 Penn Ave SE

May 23, 2013
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, former site of Domino's Pizza.

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, former site of Domino’s Pizza.

Another indication of “weak market demand” in Hill East:  Bisnow Real Estate recently reported that the Goldstar Group, a private equity firm based in Bethesda, has purchased the Domino’s lot at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave SE and plans to build a 40-unit residential building on the site.

I had a chance to follow-up with Goldstar and learned some additional details about their plans:

  • While the building will be mostly residential, Goldstar has not ruled out retail on the first floor of the building. The retail would be small given the lot size.
  • As of now, they plan to build the building “matter of right,” and do not anticipate needing any zoning relief or variances. Goldstar believes they can fit the required 20 parking spaces on the site.
  • Goldstar will spend the next four months designing the building. In terms of height, they plan to start at the height allowed under the site’s current zoning (C-2-A, 50 ft.). Height could be adjusted based on design.
  • The adjacent laundromat building just north of the site  (732 15th Street SE) is not a part of the project. A separate owner, Gary Cohen, still plans to build a small condo building on the laundromat site.
  • Regardless of whether they seek zoning relief or not, Goldstar is very interested in coming out to the neighborhood to share their plans with the neighborhood, probably sometime this fall. If everything goes smoothly with permitting, etc. , they hope to begin construction in early 2014.

You can read more about the Goldstar Group at www.thegoldstargroup.com.

12 Comments | Barney Circle, Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

ANC 6B April Meeting Recap

April 12, 2013

We had a packed agenda and a full house for most of ANC 6B’s 3+ hour April meeting on Tuesday night. Two major Hill East projects – a proposed residential building at 1550 Penn Ave SE and DDOT’s Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project – were on the agenda along with a long list of liquor license renewals. Here is a recap:

  • After hearing comments from the attendees and the developer, the commission voted 9-0 to support zoning relief for a proposed 81-unit apartment building at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, a site located in my Single Member District. NOVO Development is seeking a special exception related to the height of the building’s mechanical penthouse and variances related to the size of the loading dock and parking. The latter is the most controversial variance – NOVO plans to provide 30 of the 41 required parking spaces for the building.
  • Having worked with a number of nearby neighbors and the developer to negotiate an acceptable Memorandum of Understanding (pdf) between the parties, I voted to support the special exception and variance requests. With a signed MOU in place, which specifies the developer’s commitment to 1) develop a transportation demand management plan, 2) pursue car share and 3) urge DDOT to add on-street parking on the Penn Avenue side of the building, I felt any potential impact of the parking variance request would be minimized. Note that the developer is providing a significant number of the parking spaces required under zoning (30 of the 41 required for an 81-unit building, so the variance is for 11 spaces). The nearby neighbors deserve a lot of credit for negotiating the MOU and ensuring that negative impacts of the building beyond parking (loading, garage entrance, etc.) are addressed by NOVO Development.
  • It is important to remember the benefits this building will provide to the neighborhood. Most residents want more retail and restaurant options in Hill East. This building will help generate additional foot traffic on the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, which will help existing businesses and new businesses open and thrive. And the new building will be the first thing drivers, bikers and pedestrians see as they approach Capitol Hill – an improvement over the existing used car lot.
  • The Board of Zoning Adjustment will hear the 1550 Penn Ave SE case on Tuesday, April 30, 9:30 am at 441 4th Street NW, Room 220 South.
  • The commission voted 8-0 to send a letter (pdf) to the District Department of Transportation outlining issues and concerns related to the Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project. Among a long list of issues, the commission 1) raises concerns about a proposed bus depot under the proposed Southeast Boulevard, 2) asks DDOT to include the 700 & 800 blocks of Kentucky Ave SE, the 700 block of 16th Street SE, Freedom Way SE and the stretch of 17th Street SE between Potomac Ave and Barney Circle in the scope of the project, and 3) requests that DDOT consider the project’s potential impact on Historic Congressional Cemetery.
  • The commission also voted 8-0 to send the Barney Circle project letter to Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) with a special cover letter (pdf) referencing the Councilmember’s Feb. 23, 2013 press release “expressing joy” at DDOT’s consideration the area under the proposed Southeast Boulevard for a bus depot.
  • A good portion of the meeting was spent considering liquor license renewal requests for restaurants in the commission area. In general, the commission supported an establishment’s renewal request if they agreed to sign a settlement agreement (SA) with the commission. SA’s generally cover hours of operation and include provisions on noise and trash. The commission did vote to protest liquor license renewals for restaurants that did not sign a SA, though the commission anticipates being able to come an agreement with most of these establishments.
  • Commissioners announced a number of upcoming meetings, including:
    • April 24 DMPED meeting on Reservation 13, 6 pm – 8 pm, Dept. of Corrections Training Academy at DC General
    • Mayor Gray’s April 25 Ward 6 FY14 Budget Town Hall, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Capitol Hill Montessori, 215 G Street NE
    • May 16 DDOT meeting on the Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study Project, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Payne Elementary School
  • Doug Klein, the First District Prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia gave a brief presentation on the office’s activities. Klein agreed to attend a future ANC 6B Outreach & Constituent Services Task Force meeting to answer additional commission and community questions.
  • During community speakout, Commissioner Ron Swanda of the DC Commission on Aging announced the creation of the Ward 6 Senior Network. Commissioner Swanda is looking for representatives to serve on the network, which plans a variety of activities to ensure that seniors in the ward have access to information and the services they need. Residents interested in participating in the network can contact Commissioner Swanda at dc.coa.ward6.swanda@gmail.com or 202-340-7708. If you would like to represent ANC 6B09 on the network, please let me know.
  • ANC 6B’s May meeting will be on Tuesday, May 14, 7 pm at the Hill Center.

1 Comment | ANC 6B, Barney Circle, Development, Liquor License, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

*UPDATED* Updated Plans for 1550 Penn Ave SE

April 4, 2013

At last night’s ANC 6B Planning & Zoning Committee, NOVO Development presented updated plans for their proposed residential building at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Here are links to the updated plans and some new diagrams related to loading and Freedom Way:

Summary of key changes/new information

  • NOVO changed the configuration of parking garage entrance so it is closer and oriented towards Kentucky Ave SE. Design makes it impossible for vehicles to turn into garage from Freedom Way. Entrance to Freedom Way will be widened to at least 15 feet (currently 10 feet wide).
  • To accommodate garage entrance, NOVO removed two units. The proposed building will now have 81 apartments.
  • Freedom Way will be significantly widened near the location of the building’s loading berth, allowing trucks to proceed to the building and out of Freedom Way with minimal turns and movements. NOVO is granting an easement to the city to allow for the widening of Freedom Way.
  • The loading berth has been shifted south so that it is not directly behind the rowhouses on Kentucky Ave SE.
  • The parking variance request remains the same. NOVO is providing 30 spaces (zoning requires 41) – 22 below ground and 8 along Freedom Way. 28 bike spaces are also provided. NOVO will include a transportation information center in the building to connect tenants to transit options and plans to try to bring in car share service.
  • Bill Schultheiss of Toole Design Group, NOVO’s transportation consultant on the project, said that there are current locations in the immediate vicinity of the building that could be converted to provide additional on-street parking. For example, 11 on-street parking spots on the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Ave SE could be made available once the existing curb cuts into the property are removed. NOVO said they would urge DDOT to add these spaces and allow vehicles to park in them at all times (currently there are rush hour restrictions).

The committee voted to recommend that the commission support NOVO’s requests for a special exception related to the height of the mechanical penthouse and the loading variance. The committee voted to take no position pending additional information and discussion on the parking variance. ANC 6B will take a final vote on the zoning relief requests during the commission’s April meeting on Tuesday, April 9, 7 pm at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

Please post any comments/questions below.

Updated 4/4/13: Here are links to more detailed plans and documents from NOVO Development.

Greg Selfridge of NOVO Development also asked that I encourage residents with additional questions or comments to contact him directly at gselfridge@novodev.com.

16 Comments | Barney Circle, Development, Penn East | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »