29-Unit Mixed-Use Condo Building Proposed for Shaw

• June 25, 2015

by Tianna Mañón

The proposed location of a nine-story, mixed-use building, via Google Maps.

More condos are on the boards for Shaw.

Oak Tree Building Group is planning to build a 3,000-square-foot office building topped by 29 condos at 1126 9th Street NW, (map), according to a presentation made Wednesday night at ANC 2F’s Community Development Committee meeting. The group is behind a number of smaller condo projects in the DC area, including U Street’s Moderno building.

Peter Stuart of Oak Tree presented plans for the building to ANC 2F’s Community Development Committee on Wednesday night. Oak Tree was seeking support for its project before the Historic Preservation Review Board. The committee ultimately recommended the ANC approve the project’s design, despite concerns about zoning variances the developers plan to seek later down the line in the development process.

The nine-story, mixed-use project would include condos sized at about 700 square feet, Stuart said, with larger condos on the topmost floor of the building. It would have just two parking spaces, though eight are required, Stuart said.

The ANC expressed concerns about parking, alley use and the project potentially obstructing nearby residents’ views. The committee did ask the developers to return for final design approval. That will allow the committee to dig into issues such as parking, which it couldn’t technically do at the Wednesday meeting because the hearing was about the project’s concept and massing.

“This massing is fine, but the variances will present a problem,” said Commissioner Helen Kramer. She added that focusing on the design and HPRB approval while knowing the variances would be an issue for the project gave the committee “a cart-before-the-horse problem.”

The developers acknowledged that aspects of the design may change as they continue to discuss the concept with HPRB, the Board of Zoning Adjustment and the project’s neighbors. UrbanTurf will update this post with renderings of the project as they become available.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/29_mixed_use_condo_building_proposed_for_shaw/10046