A Quirky Residential Redevelopment Pitched in Cathedral Heights

• February 1st 2022

by Nena Perry-Brown

A quirky residential redevelopment is in the works for Cathedral Heights.

The owners of the nine-unit apartment building at 3801 Macomb Street NW (map) have filed a zoning application to partially demolish and add 5,000 square feet to the side and rear of the property, delivering a denser eight-unit building.

The application justifies the need for a zoning variance in part due to the awkward configuration of the existing units, which include everything from a studio without a kitchen to a four-bedroom. One of the apartments is also illegal, as the building is only permitted for eight units.

As designed by 2 Plys, the resulting building intends to modernize the residential offerings on the site, creating a rectangular footprint with larger units. Each of the apartments will be bi-level and have five or six bedrooms, a layout typically associated with co-living developments where tenants share living and dining space with roommates. 

"[These] will be large units with ample rooms to create offices for adults working from home, playrooms for children, or housing for students," the application explains. There will also be a fitness center on the cellar level, a "study room" on the first floor, an interior courtyard, and ten parking spaces. 

A zoning hearing has not yet been scheduled.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a-quirky-residential-redevelopment-pitched-in-cathedral-heights/19216.