101 Apartments and a New Dance Loft Proposed to Redevelop 14th Street Studio Site

• November 1st 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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This spring, Petworth News reported that arts institution Dance Loft on 14 had a residential redevelopment plan in the works for the stretch of 14th Street NW that houses its headquarters.

Now, we are getting a sense of what that project will look like. 

Dance Loft Ventures, a partnership with Heleos Development, has filed a planned unit development (PUD) application to enable a 101-unit development with a dance studio and retail/restaurant space at 4608-4618 14th Street NW (map). 

The new building would be five stories plus a penthouse, stepping down to four stories at the rear. New theater, dance studio, and art gallery space for Dance Loft would be located on the ground floor and mezzanine level, and there would be approximately 1,900 square feet for three ground-floor retail shops or restaurants. Sixty-six of the proposed apartments would be affordable to households earning up to 30%, 50%, and 60% of median family income (MFI), with roughly one-third at each affordability level.

About 48 of the units would have private outdoor space and 24 of the units would be three-bedrooms. There would also be 40 vehicular parking spaces using a stacked mechanized system and 36 bicycle spaces, and the development is aiming for net-zero status via rooftop and off-site solar energy. The streetscape experience will include garage-style doors to activate the sidewalk and murals along the alley. PGN Architects is the designer.

Dance Loft and Heleos managed to buy the long-time home of the nonprofit earlier this spring after its owner put the building on the market. The development team has since been meeting regularly with the community to share and amend its plans based on feedback. An affiliate of The Menikiti Group owns the remaining properties that are subject to the application and has authorized the development to move forward, as have the individual owners of a few alley lots that are also included in the site plan.

The development team hopes to break ground by 2023 and deliver a year later; a zoning hearing has not yet been scheduled.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/101-apartments-and-a-new-dance-loft-proposed-to-redevelop-14th-street-studi/18901.