Meeting Scheduled on 15th & D Street SE Building Plans

January 17, 2013
Current building at 401-403 15th Street SE. The owner wants to raze the current structure and replace with a residential building.

Current building at 401-403 15th Street SE. The owner wants to raze the current structure and replace with a residential building.

Goodeon Kingston, LLC, the owner of 401-403 15th Street SE, will discuss their development plans at a community meeting on Thursday, January 24, 7:00 pm at Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue SE. The meeting is an opportunity for Hill East residents and particularly surrounding neighbors to learn more about the proposed residential project and to ask questions and provide feedback. While Commissioner Nichole Opkins (6B06) and I helped organize the meeting, it is not an official ANC meeting. 

In December, ANC 6B supported the owner’s request for a raze permit to the current one-story building on the site.  Goodeon Kingston plans to build a five-story residential building on the site this year.

1 Comment | Development | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

End of the Year Updates: Safety, New Committee for Wells, Res. 13, Condos, Contact Cards

December 28, 2012
  • This week, there have been two horrific violent crimes on Capitol Hill. On Monday, Dec. 24, a 28-year old man was fatally shot at 2 am at 12th and C Street NE. And just yesterday, another man was shot near the intersection of 14th Street SE and K Street SE at 3:30 pm in Hill East (he is in critical condition). MPD is working hard to solve these cases. If you have any information on either incident, please contact MPD at (202) 727-9099. In the meantime, stay alert and report any suspicious activity to 911. Read the December 2012 PSA 108 newsletter (pdf).  
  • Last week, Chairman Phil Mendelson announced committee chair assignments for the upcoming DC Council term. Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells was named chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over MPD, Fire/EMS, Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Corrections. In a statement, Councilmember Wells said that he was excited about the challenge of chairing the committee, and noted that the committee would likely review potential plans to relocate the DC Jail.  Michael Neibauer of the Washington Business Journal has posted the full list of committee chair assignments.
  • The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s office has announced a deadline extension for responses to the Hill East Development/Reservation 13 RFEI. Responses to the RFEI for Parcels F1 & G1 are now due by noon on Thursday, January 17 (the original deadline was January 7). You can read more about the RFEI in my Nov. 26 Hill East Task Force meeting recap.
  • Lock7 Development has posted renderings of their new condo building at 321 18th Street SE. It looks like it will be a great addition to the neighborhood. The project should be completed in spring 2013.
  • Weather permitting, I plan to distribute my annual contact cards this weekend around 6B09. In addition to my contact information, the cards include important city phone numbers and ANC 6B’s 2013 meeting schedule. Please look for the cards on your front porch.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

1 Comment | Development, PSA 108, Public Safety, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Should 15th Street SE Remain a Commercial Corridor?

December 17, 2012
Section of 15th Street SE that is zoned commercial.

Section of 15th Street SE that is zoned commercial (Source: DC Office of Zoning)

The recent discussion of plans for 401-403 15th Street SE has re-opened an old Hill East debate: Should 15th Street SE be zoned for commercial activity? Or should it be zoned residential?

The majority of Hill East is zoned R-4 for residential use. Most of the commercial areas in our neighborhood are clustered around Pennsylvania Avenue. The exception to this general rule is a stretch of 15th Street SE between Independence Avenue SE and D Street SE, an area that is zoned C-2-A for commercial use.

For most of the past decade, residents’ experience with retail along this corridor has been negative. In the early 2000s, residents complained about crime and loitering around the now defunct New Dragon restaurant. And some residents also voiced concern that developers were taking advantage of the commercial zoning to build tall residential-only buildings along the corridor (C-2-A allows buildings up to 50 feet high compared to 40 feet for R-4).

In 2003, ANC 6B supported a request made by several frustrated 15th Street residents to rezone 15th Street SE from the commercial C-2-A to the residential R-4.  While the Zoning Commission did not change the area’s commercial zoning,  the commission and residents successfully encouraging the DC Council to rezone the corridor in the city’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan.

In 2007, ANC 6B sent another letter (pdf) to the Office of Planning requesting that the Zoning Commission rezone 15th Street SE from commercial to residential. The Office of Planning responded that the issue would be considered in the agency’s planned rewrite of the city’s zoning regulations.

Fast forward to now and the Office of Planning is preparing to present its zoning rewrite to the Zoning Commission in 2013. But does the neighborhood still support rezoning 15th Street SE from commercial to residential?

This past year saw the opening of two popular food establishments along the corridor – The Pretzel Bakery and Crepes on the Corner. The Pretzel Bakery (340 15th Street SE) has been a huge hit. And while Crepes on the Corner (257 15th Street SE) unfortunately closed, most Hill East residents I’ve talked to enjoyed having a place to grab coffee and lunch in the neighborhood. Southeast Market (1500 Independence Ave SE) was also recently sold and renovated. All three of these establishments are or were positive additions to the neighborhood.

While 15th Street will never be a Barracks Row, I can certainly envision a future time when the corridor acts as a small neighborhood serving commercial zone located halfway between the heavier retail activity around Eastern Market and the future retail activity on Reservation 13. Rezoning 15th Street to R-4 would eliminate future opportunities for restaurants, cafes and shops along the corridor.

The Pretzel Bakery at 340 15th Street SE has been a welcome addition in Hill East.

The Pretzel Bakery at 340 15th Street SE has been a welcome addition to Hill East.

Over the next 2-3 months, ANC 6B will have an opportunity to comment on the Office of Planning’s proposals for the zoning rewrite. Just this month, ANC 6B created a Zoning Regulations Review Task Force that will help the commission craft a response and position on the proposed rewrite. During this process, I plan to ask the task force and my commission colleagues to weigh in on whether 15th Street SE should remain a commercial corridor.

What do you think? Should 15th Street SE remain a commercial corridor? Or should it be rezoned residential? Post your comments below.

Note that the first meeting of ANC 6B’s Zoning Regulations Review Task Force will be this Thursday, Dec. 20 from 7:30 pm-9:30 pm at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE).

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Posted by bflahaven

ANC 6B to Consider Raze Permit for 401-403 15th Street SE

December 10, 2012
Current building at 401-403 15th Street SE. The owner wants to raze the current structure and replace with a retail-residential building.

Current building at 401-403 15th Street SE. The owner wants to raze the current structure and replace with a retail-residential building.

During Tuesday evening’s (Dec. 11) commission meeting, ANC 6B will consider whether to support a raze permit application for the commercial building at 401-403 15th Street SE.

Property owner Goodeon Kingston LLC wants to raze the building and build a 5-story mixed-use retail residential building on the site. The property lies directly across from residents in my Single Member District (6B09) and from Payne Elementary School. Since the parcel is zoned commercial C-2-A, the owner does not anticipate having to come before the commission in the future with variance or special exception requests. The owner has expressed interest in holding a future community meeting to discuss plans for the site.

If you have questions or concerns about this project, I encourage you to attend tomorrow night’s ANC 6B meeting. The meeting begins at 7 pm at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Looking at tomorrow’s agenda, my guess is that we will discuss this case during the 8:00 pm hour.

4 Comments | ANC 6B, Development | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Hill East Task Force Recap: Latest on Reservation 13 Development

November 27, 2012

Around 25-30 residents attended last night’s ANC 6B Hill East Task Force meeting at St. Coletta of Greater Washington. The main topic of discussion was the status of the Request for Expressions of Interest for Parcels F1 & G1 on Reservation 13. Ketan Gada from the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development’s (DMPED) office provided the task force with an update on the RFEI and answered a number of great questions. Here are the highlights:

  • Gada outlined key aspects of the RFEI – the response deadline (Jan. 7, 2013), response requirements and DMPED’s timeline. He noted that the RFEI requires developers to submit two proposals – one that complies with the full affordable housing requirements on the site (30 percent) and an alternative proposal with the number of affordable housing units the development team feels can be supported on the site without government subsidy (minimum of 13 percent). DMPED’s handout (pdf) and my Oct. 22 post provide additional details on the RFEI.
  • DMPED plans to review all proposals received on Jan. 7, eliminate any non-responsive proposals from consideration and ask development teams to present their plans to ANC 6B and ANC 7F in February. After receiving ANC and community feedback, DMPED will either select a winning development team or narrow the list and ask finalists to submit Best and Final Offers. DMPED’s goal is to select a development team by spring 2013.
  • Gada said that DMPED anticipates receiving 3-5 proposals from development teams. When evaluating proposals, DMPED will consider past experience with the development team, compliance with applicable laws, community feedback, green building requirements and any requests for government subsidy. Not surprisingly, DMPED prefers development proposals that do not seek District subsidy or funds.
  • The District is offering Parcels F1 & G1 “as is,” which means that the winning development team will be responsible for infrastructure requirements, including partial street extensions of Massachusetts Ave. SE, Burke Street SE, C Street SE and the full build out of the “Village Square” around the Stadium-Armory Metro plaza. Gada said the street extensions would be public streets and that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) does not have funding to complete full extensions of the street at this time. I expect the District will have to fund some of the  Massachusetts Avenue SE extension since it would be the main point of access to the DC Jail.
  • Besides funding, Gada said the National Park Service’s ownership of the Anacostia waterfront land may also prevent construction of the full Mass Ave. extension in the near future. The “Monument Circle” envisioned as the termination point of Mass Ave would actually be located on NPS land, and NPS has been unwilling to sell or lease the land to DC. Monument Circle is the only portion of NPS land that is “touched” in the master plan – the rest would continue to be green space. However, DDOT has proposed constructing “Park Drive,” a roadway that would connect Independence Ave, the newly constructed Monument Circle and a newly reconstructed Barney Circle. This proposed roadway is a really bad idea, particularly since it would block Reservation 13 and the neighborhood from the waterfront.  In any event, NPS still needs to be convinced that leasing or selling the their waterfront land to DC is a good idea.
  • The task force and attendees raised concerns about the piecemeal nature of the development and whether DMPED or anyone in DC Government would provide appropriate oversight to ensure that the full vision of the master plan is realized. Gada said that compliance with master plan is required in the RFEI and that development teams would have to comply with the form-based zoning and design guidelines approved for the site. Ultimately, the ANC and the surrounding neighborhood will have to play an active role in ensuring that DC government, DMPED and the development teams are following the master plan.
  • Once construction at F1 & G1 is underway, Gada said that DMPED plans to issue RFEIs for parcels along the proposed Mass Ave. extension and then move north towards Independence Avenue. Of course, further RFEIs would be contingent on DC government relocating a number of the shelters, services and clinics currently operating at DC General. Gada said that DMPED is talking with the Department of General Services and other relevant agencies about relocating their services. Gada could not provide a definitive timeline for future RFEIs.
  • When asked about the status of the deteriorating Anne Archbold Hall, the only building on the site that is a historic landmark, Gada said that the Department of General Services recently sent out an inspection team to determine what needs to be done to stabilize the building and prevent further damage. DGS plans to use available funding to repair the building’s roof and replace damaged windows.

Please post your comments, questions or anything I missed below.

6 Comments | Development, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

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