353-Unit Apartment Project For Reservation 13 Moving Forward

• September 24th 2013

by UrbanTurf Staff

On Tuesday, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced that Donatelli Development and Blue Skye have been chosen to move forward with the first phase of redevelopment for Reservation 13.

The first phase calls for a two-building plan, at 19th Streets and Massachusetts Avenue SE (map), which would include 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail and 353 total apartments, ranging in size from 750 to 1250 square feet. The plan is for more than 30 percent of the units to be set aside for tenants making 60 percent of the Area Median Income or less. There will also be 225 underground parking spaces.

Over the years, many residents have come to resent the lack of progress towards developing the city-owned Reservation 13, a 67-acre site near RFK Stadium (map). When DC initially put out a request of proposals in the 2000s, they intended for one developer to plan the entire site, and an overarching master plan was put in place.

Unfortunately, things did not progress, and the city had to change course over the next couple years. So, rather than one large plan, they decided to offer up the lot to developers in small parcels over time, and started by seeking interest on two small lots close to the Stadium Armory Metro station on the western side of the site.

The Donatelli/Blue Skye team was the only development group to respond to the request. For this reason, Councilwoman Muriel Bowser said on Tuesday that she was very reluctant to have the plan move forward.

The next steps in the process are for DMPED to bring a package to the Council to officially surplus the land and approve the deal with the developer. Stay tuned.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/353-unit_apartment_project_for_hill_easts_reservation_13_moving_forward/7603.