90 Units and University Uses: The New Plans for a Howard Property on Georgia Avenue

• June 22nd 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

Residential plans are emerging for a Howard University-controlled site on a prominent corner along Georgia Avenue.

On Monday evening, Rock Creek Property Group presented plans to the ANC 1B Zoning, Planning and Development Committee for the former site of the Effingham Apartments at Georgia Avenue and Fairmont Street NW (map). The developer is proposing a new five-story building with a penthouse, delivering roughly 90 apartments above 40,000 square feet of commercial space.

The design of the building pays homage to the Black cultural heritage of the university and the neighborhood, while also referencing the more traditional architecture and artistic flourishes in the surrounding area. The base will be brick with ample glass around the commercial portions and an entrance courtyard on Georgia Avenue, and the upper levels will include an irregular window pattern, juliet balconies, and an "eyebrow" at the corner with wood cladding beneath. GTM Architects is the designer.

The commercial space is envisioned as primarily housing Howard's Office of Alumni Affairs, although the ANC has long had an agreement with the university that any redeveloped space along Georgia Avenue should include retail, which may affect the ultimate split and square footage of ground-floor uses.

The ANC also had an agreement that any affordable housing should exceed Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) minimums; while the development team has not yet worked out the exact unit counts, they anticipate that 14% of the residential space will be IZ, plus up to five additional units, all affordable to households earning up to 60% of median family income. The development will also include 50 below-grade parking spaces, and the penthouse will contain both residential units and amenities.

A raze application has already been filed, and the development team expects to submit building permit applications in September.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/90-units-and-university-uses-the-plans-for-a-howard-university-property-on-/18412.