Agenda Announced for ANC2C Meeting on September 5, 2012

The agenda has been announced for the Wednesday, September 5, 2012, meeting of ANC 2C. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Shaw Library, 1630 7th Street, NW.

Agenda items include a request for ANC support for a two-unit residential project at 451 S Street, NW; a request for ANC support for the relocation of old police and fire call boxes for a historic preservation project; and a request for ANC support for a liquor license for a new restaurant at 1017 7th Street, NW.
 

The full agenda is after the jump.

District Receives Seven Proposals for the Redevelopment of Parcel 42, at 7th and R Streets, NW

Parcel 42
[click image to enlarge]

The District government has received seven proposals for the redevelopment of  Parcel 42, according to an article in the Washington Business Journal.

Parcel 42 is a large, long-vacant, District-owned parcel at the northeast corner of 7th Street and R Streets, NW, diagonally across from the Shaw Library. The District issued a request for proposals for the redevelopment of the property in April of this year.  According to the schedule included with the request for proposals, the District expects to select a developer for the site in late fall of 2012.

The Washington Business Journal reported that the seven proposals were submitted by the following developers:

• Warrenton Group and Four Points LLC
• Thoron Development LLC
• Pounds Properties and Jubilee Housing
• United House of Prayer for All People
• Neighborhood Development Corporation
• Tensquare LLC and Chapman Development Group LLC
• Baywood Hotels and Dantes Partners

According to the article, deatils on the proposals have not yet been released by the District government.  However, information regarding some of the developers is as follows:

• Four Points LLC is a co-developer of the Howard Theatre and Progression Place, the new mixed-use project being constructed at the corner of 7th and S Streets, NW, adjacent to the northern entrance to the Shaw-Howard University Metrorail station
• United House of Prayer for All People owns the property to the north of Parcel 42 and has developed several other projects in the Shaw neighborhood, including the newly constructed apartment building at 625 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
• Jubilee Housing's mission is to "provide quality affordable housing and expanded life options for people with low-incomes".  All of Jubilee's current properties are located in Adams Morgan.
• Neighborhood Development Corporation is a District-based developer with major projects on Georgia Avenue (including 4100 Georgia Avenue and the under-construction Heights on Georgia Avenue, both of which are mixed-use affordable housing projects each with approximately 70 units of housing) and two smaller projects in Shaw (902 T Street, NW, and 1915 6th Street, NW), among other projects.
• Chaprman Development Group is another District-based developer; Chapman's projects include the Warder Mansion redevelopment, a 38-unit market-rate project on the 2600 block of 16th Street, NW, and the recently-completed Grays on Pennsylvania, a mixed-use project with over 100 affordable housing units, on the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
• Baywood Hotels is a Greenbelt-based hotel management and development company with over $500 million in assets.  Baywood's portfolio includes mainstream brands such as Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Holiday Inn Express, as well as independent hotels.  It has over 10 Maryland properties and one property in the District (the Comfort Inn at 1201 13th Street, NW).

Additional details on the site, and the District's request for proposals, are below.  (The following information appeared in an earlier post on this site.)

Site
Parcel 42 consists of two lots — the main development lot is an approximately 15,000 square foot vacant lot at the northeast corner of 7th and R Streets, NW (sometimes also referred to as 7th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, NW).  The second lot, which is also vacant, sits across the alley to the east of the main parcel and consists of approximately 1,700 square feet.  The image below shows the size and location of the parcels. 

Parcel 42 consists of the two lots outlined in red

Development Program
The solicitation provides developers with broad discretion in crafting the details of their development proposals, but it states that the District is seeking mixed-use development proposals with ground-floor retail and mixed-income residential units.  (The solicitation indicates that developers should "maximize" the number of housing units affordable to households at or below 80% of the area median income for the Washington metropolitan area, but no specific number or percentage of affordable units is required.)  The District is encouraging developers to submit development proposals that maximize development density through a planned unit development.

The solicitation also states that District is seeking "high quality architecture" for the project and proposals "are expected to have a signature design, which complements the neighborhood character, and creates a pedestrian friendly environment."

Timeline

• Responses to the solicitation are due by July 26, 2012
• A short list of developers (selected from the proposals that are submitted) will be announced in the summer of 2012
• A community presentation by the short-listed developers will be held in the fall of 2012
• A development team will be selected for the site in the late fall of 2012

The timeline is subject to future modifications.

Solicitation Document
The complete solicitation document is available after the jump.

New Shaw Planning and Historic Preservation Documents Page

A new Shaw Planning and Historic Preservation Documents page has been added to the website.

As the name implies, the new page includes a collection of planning and historic preservation documents related to the Shaw area (including Mount Vernon Square).

The page focuses on comprehensive studies, such as neighborhood-wide plans, rather than project specific plans -- and currently includes over 20 documents.

Planning documents on the page include the following:

• The Convention Center Area Strategic Development Plan, published by the DC Office of Planning in 2006
• Conceptual Streetscape Design Guidelines for the 7th and 9th Street Corridors from Mount Vernon Square to Rhode Island Avenue, a 2008 report developed developed by smARTstreets, a project funded by the Washington Convention Center Authority Historic Preservation Fund
• The Shaw-Convention Center Retail Action Strategy, published by the DC Office of Planning
• The original Shaw Urban Renewal Plan from 1969

Historic preservation documents include:

• The Historic Survey of Shaw East, an over 180-page study of historic buildings in the East Shaw area, created by Kelsey & Associates for the DC Office of Planning in 2001-2002
• Historic district brochures for Shaw, Mount Vernon Square, and Greater U Street
• Documents filed with the federal government to designate the historic districts of Shaw, Blagden Alley-Naylor Court, Mount Vernon Square, and Greater U Street

If you have copies or links to other documents you think should be added, please leave a note in the comments section or email me directly at eastshawdc@gmail.com.

Leasing Under Way for New Apartment Building at 625 Rhode Island Avenue, NW

Leasing is now under way for the newly completed apartment building at 625 Rhode Island Avenue, NW.  The 16-unit building, dubbed the Bailey Park DC, is probably best known for the magenta, yellow, and red panels that highlight the exterior walls.  It will open to residents on August 15, 2012.

The Bailey Park includes 14 market rate units and 2 "affordable" units that have been set aside for households earning between 60% and 80% of the area median income.  The 2-bedroom market-rate units range in size from 1,220 to 1,475 square feet, with monthly rents of between $2,700 and $3,500.  The 3-bedroom market-rate units range in size from 1,775 to 2,260 square feet, with rents of between $4,200 and $4,500 per month.

[Photo credit: Suzane Reating Architecture]

According to the building's architecture firm, "all units have multiple exposures and most have private outdoor spaces, [and] the layouts allow for cross-ventilation and optimal day-lighting."  The Bailey Park DC website states that the apartments include "floor-to-ceiling windows, designer kitchens with double-wide islands, granite slab countertops in kitchens and baths, polished concrete/designer porcelain-tile floors throughout, 9-10 foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, and skylights in select [units]."  The building also includes a rooftop terrace.

According to the website, a building tour is scheduled for Thursday, August 9, 2012, at 6:00 p.m.  To RSVP for the tour, or for more information, email info@baileyparkdc.com.

DDOT Planning Major Overhaul, Two-Way Traffic for New Jersey Avenue, NW, between N Street and H Street

The District's Department of Transportation (DDOT) has proposed major modifications to New Jersey Avenue, NW, between N Street and H Street.  Most significantly, DDOT's plan would restore two-way traffic to New Jersey Avenue south of New York Avenue, allowing Shaw residents to travel directly to the Union Station area and the Capitol grounds via New Jersey Avenue.  DDOT would also realign the intersection of New Jersey Avenue at New York Avenue, moving the right turn lanes that allow southbound travelers on New Jersey Avenue to turn onto New York Avenue westbound (toward downtown) -- those right-turns lanes would be moved from 3rd Street to New Jersey Avenue itself.  (In addition, 3rd Street would no longer extend to New York Avenue, but would isntead terminate at an enlarged landscaped area at M Street.) Bike lanes would also be added to New Jersey Avenue beteen N Street and H Street.

The current conditions and planned improvements are shown in the images below (click either image to enlarge it):

CURRENT CONDITIONS (click image to enlarge)

PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS (click image to enlarge)

Along with the roadway overhaul, DDOT plans to make the following improvements:

• Upgrade all lighting to the new LED lighting.
• Reconstruct all traffic signals and re-time all traffic signals to improve corridor operation
• Provide countdown pedestrian signals and new pedestrian ramps for persons with disabilities
• Reconstruct all curbing to the granite curb standard
• Update all landscaping
• Improve signing and pavement markings

DDOT will be holding public meetings to solicit public input and expects to finalize its plans for the project, with complete drawings, by Feburary 2013.

Check out DDOT's PowerPoint presentation from a recent community meeting, along with the current proposal for improvements, after the jump.