52 Units Planned for Site of Auto Repair Shop in Trinidad

• February 26, 2015
• 4 Comments

by Lark Turner

Pierce Investments plans to build 52 units on Florida Avenue in Trinidad, according to a filing with the Board of Zoning Adjustment made Wednesday.

The building is proposed for what’s now an auto repair shop at 1124-1126 Florida Avenue NE (map). It’s designed by PGN Architects and sits about a block from Gallaudet University and a couple of blocks from the heart of the H Street Corridor.

The project would have eight surface parking spots and 19 spots in a parking garage under the building.

To become reality, the project will need variance relief from the BZA for (among other issues) its density, which is greater than what’s allowed, as well as its height, which at a proposed 53 feet high is three feet higher than the maximum allowed in C-2-A zoned areas. The proposed building is much higher than the neighboring rowhouses.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/52_units_planned_for_site_of_auto_repair_shop_in_trinidad/9576

4 Comments

1. LionOfLeDroit said at 10:19 pm on Thursday February 26, 2015:
   Wonderful development news for the Florida Ave NE strip. The (admittedly preliminary) renderings speak to a relatively well-conceived design. One suggestion to the developer (and others redeveloping this same area): please consider incorporating ground-floor retail into this project, and into any others along Florida Ave NE between 10th and 14th Streets - that particular corridor is a natural secondary (think: low-key, more local) commercial strip to the primary one that runs along H Street NE. Mixed-use buildings will enliven the north H Street / Trinidad sub-market and provide a mix of foot traffic throughout the day.

1. skidrowedc@gmail.com said at 11:54 pm on Thursday February 26, 2015:
   This looks like a good project for the area, but it seems to perpetuate the idea that zoning rules are optional. I'm curious to learn the rationale for added height and FAR. Regarding height, it's long been clear that 50' (the limit in C-2-A) is inconvenient, that just a little more (say, the 53' being requested) provides desperately-needed inches of ceiling height that improves the project considerably. Yet scores of other projects managed within the 50' limit, and this site has no obvious "exceptional condition" that would create a "practical difficulty," to use the legal language. Regarding FAR, it would seem that this is being asked for because the developer thinks they can get it, perhaps due to the same architects' success a few blocks away at the triangular site at H St & Florida Ave NE. I didn't think that that site's legal rationale made sense, but at least there was an argument (oddly shaped small site = inefficient floor plans = need for additional FAR to provide sufficient usable floor area). Hard to imagine the rationale for a rectangular, basically level site that has alley access.

1. Emily said at 5:05 pm on Saturday February 28, 2015:
   This is next door to my home. This height and density level WILL be challenged...

1. David said at 7:05 pm on Friday March 13, 2015:
   I live on the block. This design is too tall and too population-dense for the surroundings. It is more than twice the height of the surrounding townhouses, which makes it an eyesore. Also, 52 units with 19 + 8 = 27 parking spaces will add a lot of congestion and potential for accidents, given how narrow the alley behind the building is. The designers should scale back. Fewer, but bigger, units and a lower height would work better for this space. Those units would sell better, too.