PUD for The Bard to be Revised

One year after withdrawing their Planned Unit Development (PUD) application for The Bard, Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) and Erkiletian Development, the team behind the redevelopment of the Southeastern University site at 501 I Street, are trying again to get their project approved by the Zoning Commission. The original PUD was withdrawn after the District Office of Planning recommended a set-down hearing not be scheduled for the project since the proposal was inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan or the Southwest Neighborhood Plan.

The newest development proposal for The Bard, presented at the June 22 community meeting, reduces density by more than a third from the previous design to a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 2.89 and shortens the height to a four-story building with a penthouse level set back 11 feet on all sides. In addition, the number of apartments has been reduced to 112 units, with 27 of them set aside for use by STC as actors’ and fellow housing. The design of the main building will be in the shape of the letter C and the annex building on the north side of the site will no longer have a ground level connection to the main building. However, an underground connection will remain. Shalom Baranes Associates has designed the project. 

On the ground floor of the main building, there is space set aside for Shakespeare’s administrative offices and seven actors’ housing units, as well as the lobby of the rental apartment building and amenity space. The entrance to Shakespeare’s portion of the building will be located off a courtyard facing 6th Street. A water feature and landscaping will fill out the courtyard. Meanwhile, the lobby entrance to the rental apartment building will be along I Street. Shakespeare will have its costume design shop and rehearsal space in the basement level along with a 39-space parking garage (17 spaces would be used by STC) and storage for 70 bicycles. Floors two through four of the building will contain 75 rental apartments and an additional 10 units will be located on the penthouse level. Each of the penthouse units will have private terraces. The annex building on the north side of the site will contain five duplex units for fellows and 15 additional actors’ apartments on the upper three floors. 

Despite the reduction in density and height from previous versions of the plan, the development team is still requesting a zoning change to accommodate the project, which has been a sticking point with the surrounding neighbors who live in townhomes. There has been strong opposition to the project from those who live closest to the site – one went as far as creating a blog to vent her frustration with the development process. A group of neighbors have collected more than $20,000 to hire an attorney to oppose the project as it goes through the PUD process. They also engaged a firm to design an alternative development plan for the site. During the community meeting, neighbor after neighbor stated their preference for no changes to zoning for the site and for the developer to build townhomes instead. A petition was circulated around the room to present to the Zoning Commission, maintaining the current zoning for the site, which is R-3. The current zoning permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, and row dwellings). Over the course of the meeting, several signatures were secured. 

Former design of the building, looking northeast

The development team intends to file a revised PUD within the next month and will work with the community in the coming months to try to reach a compromise. The attorney who was leading the meeting did not want to “put words in the mouth of the Office of Planning,” but intimated their support for the revised proposal. It should be an interesting next few months in Southwest...

Photos of renderings provided by Shalom Baranes Associates

Top Posts of 2016

Now that 2016 has come to an end, let's take a look back and see which posts were the most read and commented on throughout the year. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of interest in The Bard, which was a contentious development proposal for the former Southeastern University site at 6th and I streets. Shakespeare Theatre had plans to build artist studio space, non-profit office space, and educational uses on the site, and partnered with Erkiletian to build actors' housing as well as market-rate apartments. Many neighbors were concerned about the scale and height of the project. A PUD was filed earlier in the year, but after it became clear that the developer was not going to get community buy-in for the project, it was withdrawn. At the time of the PUD withdrawal, the intention was to re-file in the fall, but as of yet, this has not happened. Three of the top 10 read posts were about this project. 

However, the most commented post of the year was about the plan for the District government to open the Ward 6 temporary housing facility for homeless families in Southwest. There was also controversy with this project. In an effort to close DC General for homeless families by 2018, the Bowser administration selected eight sites across the District (one in each Ward) to place smaller facilities. Originally, the Ward 6 facility was to be built on a privately owned parcel next door to Blind Whino at 700 Delaware Avenue. Once the DC Council became involved, they moved the location to a DC-owned site nearby at 850 Delaware Avenue, currently home to Unity Health Clinic. A new clinic will be built on the site as well as a 50-unit facility. 

There was some interest in what's going on in Buzzard Point, but surprisingly, no post specific to the D.C. United stadium made it to the top 10 read or top five commented lists. Two posts made both lists - one about retail at The Wharf and the other about the withdrawal of the PUD for The Bard. Below are the lists of top read and top commented posts of 2016!

Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2016 

1. Breaking: STC and Erkiletian to Withdraw The Bard PUD Application 
2. Homeless Shelter Site Shifted to Unity Health Clinic Parcel 
3. Neighborhood Events
4. Adios Z-Burger, Eliot Getting Closed Up 
5. Buzzard Point Construction Activity 
6. Historic Designation Sought for Buzzard Point Power Plant 
7. Parcel 11 Update 
8. Community Benefits Meeting for The Bard This Thursday 
9. More Community Benefits Added to Bard PUD 
10. Wharf Retail News 

Top 5 Most Commented Posts of 2016 

1. Family Homeless Shelter Planned for Square 643 
2. Construction Begins at The View at Waterfront 
3. Wharf Retail News 
4. Breaking: STC and Erkiletian to Withdraw The Bard PUD Application 
5. Developers Behind The Bard Intend to File PUD Application

Renderings courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates and DC Government

1001 4th Street Has Permits in Hand

A little more than a month after representatives from Waterfront Associates gave an update on their planned residential building at Waterfront Station, the Washington Business Journal reports that a sheeting and shoring permit has been granted for 1001 4th Street. Construction fencing has not gone up yet, but with permits now in hand, fencing should be up soon; however, it is doubtful that actual construction will begin before the New Year since it's now only 10 days before the end of the year. 1001 4th Street was designed by Perkins Eastman and is planned as an 11-story, 365-unit rental apartment building with 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail along with multi-story residential units facing the private drive at the north end of the site and Makemie Place. It will take about 22 months to build the project, which means that the building should be complete around the fourth quarter of 2016. After this building, there is one more residential parcel planned at Waterfront Station, which is the District-owned parcel across the street. Sky House East began leasing early this year and the finishing touches are being placed on Sky House West. The two vacant parcels on the south side of Waterfront Station are slated to be office buildings, but there is no timetable on when those will be built.

 Rendering courtesy of Perkins Eastman

ANC Unanimously Supports St. Matthew's PUD Application

At tonight's ANC 6D meeting, representatives from Trammell Crow, CSG Urban Partners, St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Shalom Baranes Associates came to the commission to seek their support for the St. Matthew's PUD submission. The PUD includes the development of a new St. Matthew's Church at the corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street, an 8 & 11-story apartment building shaped in the letter L with approximately 220 units, and a community center named the Thurgood and Cecilia Marshall Southwest Community Center.  Details on the development can be found here.  

Some changes have been made to the PUD since last year, especially the community benefits portion of the development. There will be a 1/3 acre landscaped courtyard on top of the parking garage that will be open to the public from dawn until dusk and the opening from Delaware Avenue has been widened from six feet to 12 feet. The loading has been moved from M Street to the parking garage on Delaware Avenue in an underground loading facility.  Parking concerns have been addressed by offering four electric car parking stations, 80 bike parking spaces, 2-3 Zip Car spaces, and residents of the apartments will not qualify for Residential Parking Permits (RPP), similar to the newer multifamily buildings in Near SE. The setback along M Street has been increased from 22 feet to 24 feet to provide for more open space.  Ten percent of the housing will be set aside for households earning up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI). Trammell Crow will contribute towards the installation of a fence around the vegetable gardens grown at Amidon-Bowen Elementary School by Kid Power DC. In addition, a donation will be made to Casey Trees to plant trees in the median along M Street, as well as a $20K donation to the Near SE/SW Community Benefits Coordinating Council (CBCC) to help the organization in its support of community programs.  The CDC formed to run the proposed community center will have a board member serve on the board of the CBCC and vice versa.  

The ANC supported the PUD application, but excluded the CBCC donation in its approval. However, the donation was offered by the developer, not by the ANC, so it will still be offered as part of the application to the Zoning Commission.

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

Waterside Metro Lofts

The transformation of the former EPA towers at Waterfront Station to residential is scheduled to get underway over the next month or so and will take about 22 months to complete. The West Tower (1051 4th Street) will have 252 units and the East Tower (1050 4th Street) will have 265 units for a total of 517 apartments. About 104 units, or 20%, will be set aside for households earning up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI), which is approximately $51,750.  Back in March, Urban-Atlantic purchased the two empty buildings from Waterfront Associates for $20M. Now, JBG is involved in the venture (the WBJ reported a couple weeks ago that JBG recently closed on a $753M fund to acquire real estate in the Washington area). Wiencek & Associates has designed the towers, which altered the old design slightly from Shalom Baranes Associates (older rendering is above). According to a letter sent by the DCRA in October 2010, the developer plans to put roof terraces, a green roof, and a rooftop pool in both buildings.

Rendering courtesy of Waterfront Associates

Historic District for Southwest?

Housing Complex wrote a piece last week about historic districts in DC and pondered whether Southwest would be next on the list of neighborhoods to seek designation. Contrary to the HC piece, there are rumblings from within the neighborhood to create a historic district. Typically, buildings need to be at least 50 years old to be considered and there are already a few older properties in Southwest that are on the National Register of Historical Places. Those located south of the Southwest Freeway include Friendship Baptist Church, Thomas Law House, National War College, Randall Jr. High School, Syphax School, James C. Dent House, and the Titanic Memorial. However, the majority of buildings in Southwest are just now turning 50.



Wheat Row was built in the 18th century.



The Thomas Law House was built in 1784.



Capitol Park Apartments at 800 4th Street (now Potomac Place Tower), designed by Chloethiel Woodard Smith and built in 1959, was the first residential tower built as a result of urban renewal and was designated by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) as historic in 2003 in an attempt by residents to block development of its parking lots and garden into apartments (eventually condos). The HUD headquarters at 7th & E Street just north of the freeway was more recently designated by the HPRB as well as the James C. Dent House (built in 1906). ANC 6D supported the designation of Tiber Island Coops and Condos on the south side of 4th & M Streets as historic at their July meeting (the Thomas Law House, which is a part of Tiber Island, has already been deemed historic). Besides the collection of mid-century modern architecture that dominates Southwest, there are other pockets of buildings pre-dating urban renewal that haven’t been designated, such as the row houses along the 1200-block of Half Street and Carrollsburg Place.

River Park features a high-rise apartment building and barrel vaulted townhomes made with aluminum.

A historic district designation would bring more scrutiny to building additions or new construction within the proposed district. New buildings would most likely need to conform to the standards of structures within the district and it would be more difficult to demolish existing buildings. However, it may spur the restoration of buildings in the neighborhood that are starting to show their age and increase property values. Design adaptation is already happening, to an extent, with newer projects in the neighborhood. For example, the office buildings at Waterfront Station, designed by Shalom Baranes, use terra cotta on their façades, a material that has been used for the shade screens at Capitol Park apartments. In addition, the design of the new St. Matthew’s apartment building on M Street & Delaware Avenue, also designed by Baranes, uses building and landscape design elements from nearby residential buildings. These two building designs borrow from mid-century mod, but have been brought closer to the street and incorporates a mix of uses (in the case of Waterfront Station).

Should the Southwest Waterfront join the ranks of other DC neighborhoods, such as Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Shaw, and Georgetown and be designated as a historic district? Vote in the poll at the upper left corner of the page and/or leave a comment. Also, are there specific buildings in Southwest that deserve historic designation (#1 on my list would be Jefferson Middle School)?

Note: For those who are interested in learning more about modern architecture in Southwest, the DC Preservation League will be holding a neighborhood tour on October 22, starting at 10am. Register here.

EPA Towers at Waterfront Station on Track for Conversion to Residential

On the heels of the groundbreaking ceremony of Camden South Capitol apartments, which is supposed to get underway later this morning, there's news that the former EPA towers at Waterfront Station will soon be converted to apartment buildings. According to a source at Urban Atlantic, who purchased the buildings from Waterfront Associates on March 7 for $20 million, the developer will start construction this fall on the conversion of the East tower to 265 units and the West tower to 252 units. 20%, or about 104 units, will be set aside for households earning up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI), which is approximately $51,750. Construction will last about 22 months, so expect delivery around the end of 2013. The buildings will be designed by Wiencek & Associates, the same architects that are working with Adjaye Associates on the Washington Highlands Library in Bellevue. The architects have made refinements to the designs originally done by Shalom Baranes Associates when the PUD for phase one of development was approved a few years ago. The ANC will most likely have to approve these latest design changes. I should be able to get new renderings in a few weeks since they are still being finalized. One thing is for certain though - the hulking concrete skin of the former EPA towers will be removed when the buildings are repurposed as residential.

St. Matthew's Gets New Architect

At this past Monday's SWNA meeting, Reverend Huber from St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, along with architect Shalom Baranes from Shalom Baranes Associates Architects presented their latest plans for their mixed use project at Delaware Avenue and M Street, which are still in the concept phase, so no renderings are available. Also present were representatives from Trammell Crow, the developer of the project. Some changes have occurred with the new plans, including the siting of the new sanctuary and community center relative to the planned apartment building. In the new plan, the development is in the shape of an "L" - the apartment building will be situated along M Street & extend south along the western border with 240 M Street and the church will be located at the corner of Delaware Avenue & M, in order to preserve what is left of the view shed along Delaware Avenue north to the Capitol dome. Baranes explained that over the years, Delaware Avenue south of M Street was reduced in width and the center line of the street shifted to the east, which altered the view towards the Capitol. In addition, the new design will maintain the courtyard-design aesthetic of Southwest, with buildings interspersed with open space.

There will be a shared open space along Delaware Avenue with a seating area and a shallow pool that will be connected to the fellowship hall of the church. A landscaped buffer will be installed along Delaware Avenue to shield the outdoor space and provide some security. Existing trees will be maintained on three sides - Delaware Avenue, the western border with 240 M Street, and on the south. New landscaping will be planted on M Street.

Such a large open space can be made because the apartment building will be 10-11 stories tall and use 4.3-4.4 of FAR, allowing more open space. The apartment building will be 2-3 stories taller than other buildings on M Street, but Baranes explained that it's good to have structures of varied heights and the building will be brought closer to the street to give the corridor a more urban feel. Other developments along M Street, including future phases of Waterfront Station will have buildings closer to the street as well. The apartment building will be designed as a simple box, similar to other residential buildings in Southwest, with a variety of building materials, playing off of what currently exists in the neighborhood. The main entrance for the apartment building will be located on M Street. Ten percent of the housing is mandated to be affordable housing by inclusionary zoning, but St. Matthew's would like for it to be designated workforce housing (for teachers, police officers, firefighters, etc.) since the neighborhood already has plenty of public housing.

St. Matthew's has partnered with Arena Stage to design the sanctuary as a performance space. When the old church was in existence, the fellowship hall was used almost daily and Reverend Huber referred it to the "town center" for Southwest -the redesigned fellowship hall will aim to serve that purpose once again. A grand entryway for the church will be designed on M Street. In addition, a community center will be located between the church and the apartment building with a separate entrance on M Street. A 501(c) non-profit organization called Transforming Southwest Community Development Corporation will manage the community center. Within the community center will be a coffee shop called Sacred Grounds Cafe: "Coffee with a Purpose." Some features and planned activities for the community center include: free Wi-Fi access, Internet terminals, seniors morning, book club, live performances, community forums, a gallery to support local artists, movie night, preschool program, thrift shop, and a multimedia classroom. Other ideas floated by Pastor Huber is to offer "Dinner at Your Door" for residents of the apartment building, a community outreach center with a social worker, and a Southwest youth & children's choir.

The PUD will be submitted in either January or February 2011. By that time, more details about the design will be fleshed out. Construction is scheduled to begin by the first or second quarter of 2012. The Lutheran Church helped finance the PUD process and most likely will be involved with financing the project. Until construction begins, temporary uses will be encouraged for the vacant site. Previously, the lot has been transformed into a Christmas tree lot during the holidays and last summer, 20 plots were created for gardeners. The Christmas tree lot will return on December 2nd - details about prices to come soon. Other temporary uses are being contemplated for the site, such as a community yard sale, partnering with Arena Stage and the Corcoran for an outdoor arts festival, and a wine festival. St. Matthew's is looking for other ideas for temporary uses for the space. If you have any ideas, feel free to contact Reverend Huber - his email address is: pchuber@hughes.net.

Waterfront Station Gets Facade Treatment

The West Tower of Waterfront Station has started to receive part of its facade. So far, glass has been wrapped around two sides of the building, but the terracotta portion of the facade that will run along the reopened 4th Street has yet to be installed. However, some of the insulation that goes beneath the terracotta is already up. Local architect Shalom Baranes has designed the 1st phase of Waterfront Station. To see what the terracotta may look like, take a look at JDLand's site for photos of 55 M Street, SE, which was also designed by Baranes. The West Tower is planned to be complete by the first quarter of 2010. (The above photo of the West Tower was taken on April 5th)

Delays and Progress in the Neighborhood

In today's Washington Post, there's an article describing the slowdown in construction around the Washington metro area due to the credit crunch. The Randall School project is mentioned in the article. From the article: "A half-mile from the ballpark, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and developer Monument Realty intended to turn what was once a public school and then a homeless shelter into an art school and apartments. But Monument withdrew in August, as its equity partner, Lehman Brothers, collapsed, leaving Corcoran to find another developer." Southwest...TLQTC reported on this story back in November. Another victim of the delay at Randall School is the old Friendship Baptist Church site (AKA Square 643) at 734 1st Street (H Street & Delaware Avenue). Developer Steve Tanner has plans to renovate the historic church into office space and build a residential component behind the church, which has been in the works since at least 2003. The timing of delivery, though, is dependent on the completion of the Randall School project. Now that the Randall School is delayed, Tanner will have to wait to see who will be the new developer partner of the Corcoran. The old Friendship Baptist Church is over 100 years old and was one of the few structures saved when Southwest was razed during urban renewal in the 1950s. According to the Cultural Tourism DC website: "In December 1902 the congregation dedicated a new church at 734 First Street, SW (at H Street). The eclectic Victorian style structure, built by James A. Boyce over a 12-year period, had Romanesque, Gothic Revival, and Queen Anne elements. A name change -- to Friendship Baptist – in June 1905 followed the congregation’s move...In September 1965 it celebrated its 90th anniversary and dedicated a new building at 900 Delaware Avenue, SW. The old Friendship Baptist Church at 734 First Street, SW, was designated a DC Historic Site on May 27, 2004." A rendering of the site is above - the white church is the existing building and the Shalom Baranes-designed 7-story residential addition is at the rear of the church (rendering courtesy of Steve Tanner).

At least one major Southwest project is moving ahead. Waterfront Station received construction financing in September to build the two new office buildings as a part of phase one of development, but the fate of the adaptive reuse of the old EPA towers to residential is unclear.

The rendering above is the metro plaza in front of the new SW Safeway under construction at Waterfront Station, courtesy of Vornado.