ANC 6B To Consider Variance Request for 1500 Penn Ave SE

January 31, 2014

In February, ANC 6B will be considering Goldstar Group’s request for a variance from the parking space size requirements for their proposed 41-unit residential building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (old Domino’s Pizza site).

Goldstar plans to provide the required parking minimum for the building (21 spaces) but needs to include 8 compact spaces in its count. Under the current DC zoning code, compact spaces can only be counted towards the minimum requirements in garages with more than 25 parking spaces. The Board of Zoning Adjustment will consider Goldstar’s variance request at a hearing on Feb. 25.

ANC 6B’s Planning & Zoning Committee will consider the variance request, along with the raze permit for the current building, at its Tuesday, Feb. 4 meeting, 7 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Ave SE). During the committee meeting, Goldstar Group will provide a brief presentation of their plans and explain why they need the parking space size variance. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and weigh in with the committee. Note that 1500 Penn Ave SE is the first case on the committee’s agenda.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to weigh in on the case during ANC 6B’s February 11 meeting, 7 pm at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). The commission will consider the planning & zoning committee’s recommendation and take a formal vote in support or opposition of the request on Feb. 11.

I encourage all interested neighbors and residents to attend the meetings and/or contact me with their concerns. For those who wish to chat with me in person, I’ll be at Curbside Cafe (257 15th Street SE) tomorrow, Sat., Feb. 1 from 11 am – 12 pm.

Leave a Comment » | 15th Street SE, ANC 6B, Barney Circle, Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Future of RFK Meeting Recap

November 15, 2013

We had a nice turnout (30-40 people) at the Nov. 13 ANC 6B Hill East Task Force meeting on the future of the RFK Stadium site. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting:

  • Erik Moses, senior vice president and managing director at Events DC, provided a brief overview of the organization, their events and the venues they manage on the RFK site – RFK Stadium, DC Armory, Maloof Skate Park and the Festival Grounds (aka parking lots). View the Events DC presentation (pdf).
  • With DC United set to move to a new stadium in Southwest, Mayor Gray has asked Events DC to oversee a study of highest and best use options for the RFK site. According to Moses, the options “must be consistent with the site’s ground lease with the federal government and Events DC’s mission.” The lease calls for the land to be used for a stadium, recreational uses, open space and “other similar public purposes.”
  • Sometime in the next two weeks, Events DC will issue an Request for Expressions of Interest for a consultant to formally conduct the study. Moses said they would like to have a consulting firm selected by spring 2014.
  • Moses mentioned that DC United would like to be in a new stadium by 2016 but there is still uncertainty as to when the team will vacate RFK Stadium. The new stadium deal still needs approval of the DC Council.
  • When asked whether Events DC would push for a particular use like a new stadium, Moses replied that the organization is “agnostic.” He did reiterate that potential uses must be consistent with the Events DC mission (“There will be no office buildings on the site.”)
  • I asked Moses whether Events DC is involved with the group organizing a DC bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Moses replied that Events DC is not formally involved with the group, but he expects the consultant to consider the possibility of hosting the Olympics when considering options for the site. Moses also noted that city leaders have not yet formally endorsed a bid for the 2024 Olympics.
  • Moses said it was unlikely that Events DC would seek to urge Congress to change the terms of the ground lease or transfer the land to DC, noting that either strategy would take years of negotiation.
  • When asked about community engagement, Moses said that Events DC is committed to engaging and seeking feedback from the surrounding community and other key stakeholders during the study.
  • After Moses concluded his presentation, Bob Coomber provided an overview of the proposed Capitol Riverside Youth Sports Park to replace the north parking lots at RFK Stadium. Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and At-Large Councilmember David Grosso have introduced a resolution that the city should explore conversion of the parking lots into recreational space. The fields and green space would be constructed over the existing asphalt and would fulfill a need for sports and recreational fields in Hill East.
  • CRYSP’s presentation included how their proposal would fit with potential future uses of the site, including a new football stadium, Olympics and the National Capitol Planning Commission’s vision (pdf) of a mixed use recreational/cultural space. You can view the full presentation on the CRYSP website.
  • Staff from Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange attended the meeting and provided brief remarks. Gene Fisher, who staffs the DC Council’s Committee on  Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for Councilmember Orange, briefly discussed the Councilmember’s bill to require the city to conduct a feasibility study of a potential 100,000 seat superdome, indoor water park, soundstage, hotel zone and an upgraded Langston Golf Course. Task force members expressed concern about Councilmember Orange’s lack of outreach to the community prior to the bill’s introduction (I plan to post some additional thoughts on Councilmember Orange’s bill soon).
  • The task force made a recommendation that ANC 6B send a letter to Events DC thanking them for the presentation and reinforcing the need to seek community feedback and input throughout the study period. The task force also suggested that the commission urge Events DC and their consultant to  seek neighborhood serving uses for the site, uses that would bring residents to the site 7 days a week and not just for special events. ANC 6B will consider the recommendation at its next regular meeting on Tues., Dec. 10.

I’ve previously posted my thoughts on the future of RFK and plan to post some additional thoughts in the coming days.

If you attended the meeting, please post your comments, thoughts or anything I missed below. A big thanks to our presenters, community members and task force members for their participation. And a special thanks to the folks at St. Coletta of Greater Washington for hosting the meeting.

5 Comments | 19th Street SE, Development, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront, RFK/Stadium Armory | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Agenda for Tonight’s Meeting on Future of RFK

November 13, 2013

I’m looking forward to tonight’s ANC 6B Hill East Task Force Meeting on the Future of the RFK Stadium site, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Avenue SE). Please enter the school at the entrance closest to the intersection of 19th Street SE and Independence Avenue SE.

Here is tonight’s agenda:

  1. Welcome & Introductions (5 minutes)
  2. Presentation on the Future of the RFK Stadium Site (20 minutes) – Erik Moses, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Events DC
  3. Capitol Youth Riverside Sportspark Proposal (10 minutes) – Bob Coomber
  4. Task Force & Community Questions/Comments (30-40 minutes)
  5. Task Force Recommendations (5 minutes)
  6. Future Task Force Meeting Topics (10 minutes)
  7. Adjourn

A big thanks to St. Coletta of Greater Washington for hosting tonight’s meeting. Hope to see you there!

2 Comments | Development, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront, RFK/Stadium Armory | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Meeting Recap: 1500 Penn Ave SE Building Plans

November 5, 2013
Rendering of Proposed Residential Building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

Pennsylvania Avenue Elevation of Proposed Residential Building at 1500 Penn Ave SE. Design by Bonstra Haresign Architects.

Around 30-40 residents attended the Nov. 4 community meeting on 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (old Domino’s site). Eric May of The Goldstar Group shared his company’s plans to build a 41 unit residential building on the site. May was joined by the project’s architect, Rob McClennan of Bonstra Haresign Architects. A big thanks to Erik Holzherr, owner of Wisdom, for hosting the meeting.

Here are the projects details:

  • The building will be entirely residential with 41 condos. Unit size will vary from studio, one bedroom and two bedroom, though most of the units will be one bedroom. When asked by an attendee if Goldstar would consider switching the building to apartments from condos, May responded that Goldstar is “99 percent” sure that they will stick with condos.
  • May said that Goldstar considered a retail component but decided that the building would complement the new Douglas Development retail building going in across the street at 1442 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Douglas expects to complete the construction on 1442 by the end of the year.
  • The bulk of the building will be towards the 15th Street SE and Penn Ave, not towards Freedom Way. The building height will be 44 feet, 6 feet below the 50 foot height limit on the site. There will be a 750 square foot roof deck towards the 15th/Penn Ave side of the building and air conditioning units will be located on the roof. View the building elevations (pdf) from 15th Street SE and Penn Ave SE.
  • Goldstar plans to include private gardens for the first floor units facing Freedom Way, which should provide some “breathing room” between the building and the residences behind it. The upper units will not have balconies. When asked if Goldstar would do a shadow study to see how the building would affect light and air on Freedom Way, May replied that he would consider it but did not think the building would dramatically impact light & air, particularly since it will not be built to the lot line.
  • The main entrance to the building will be at the corner of 15th & Pennsylvania Avenue SE. There will not be an entrance to the building off of Freedom Way SE – the property does not have access to Freedom Way.
  • Goldstar will build an underground parking garage with the required 21 spaces. The entrance to the garage will be off 15th Street SE and there will be a garage door. Since the garage will include 8 compact parking spaces, Goldstar will have to ask the Board of Zoning Adjustment for zoning relief (parking garages with less than 25 spaces can not count compact spaces towards the minimum requirement in the zoning code). This also means that ANC 6B will have an opportunity to weigh in on the zoning case once it is filed. View the garage level plans (pdf).
  • Trash pick-up and loading would likely take place off of 15th Street SE. May hopes that trash can be picked up in the underground garage and not wheeled out to the curb. He plans to work with the District Department of Transportation and surrounding neighbors to determine appropriate loading/moving times.
  • An attendee asked whether building residents will have the opportunity to purchase residential parking permits (RPP). I responded that since the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Ave SE is classified as an RPP block, residents of the new building will be able to purchase RPP stickers. And since Goldstar plans to meet the minimum parking requirement, they will likely not be subject to any RPP limitations by the BZA.
  • May said that the materials and color of the building have not been finalized. They plan to make decisions about materials in the next two months.
  • Goldstar hopes to apply for building permits in the next two weeks. Since there used to be a gas station on the site, they will have to remove and replace contaminated soil. The BZA case will also add to the project’s timeline. May hopes to begin construction in March 2014. My guess is that construction will not begin until summer or early fall of 2014.
  • Since the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE could potentially see 3 construction projects going on at the same time (1500 Penn, 1600 Penn and 732 15th Street SE), I plan to work with the three development teams to ensure they are working to minimize disruption to neighboring residents.

Please post your comments and feedback below. And thanks to everyone who attended Monday’s meeting!

16 Comments | 15th Street SE, Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Community Meeting on 1500 Penn Ave SE

October 23, 2013
The old Domino's pizza building at 1500 Penn Ave SE.

The old Domino’s pizza building at 1500 Penn Ave SE.

As I reported at my Oct. 10 Neighborhood Town Hall, Goldstar Group plans to build a 41-unit residential building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, the old Domino’s site. Representatives from Goldstar will discuss their plans and share preliminary designs during a community meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Wisdom (1432 Penn Ave SE).

The building will include 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). This means the case will likely come before ANC 6B in the coming months.

If you live on the 700 block of 15th Street SE, the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and/or Freedom Way SE, I encourage you to attend this meeting.

Leave a Comment » | Development, Penn East | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

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