A New Look for 71-Unit Project East of the River

• January 15, 2015

by UrbanTurf Staff

Rendering of 2255 Martin Luther King Avenue SE

There is a slightly new look for a 71-unit residential project planned for 2255 Martin Luther King Avenue SE (map).

Recently filed zoning documents provide new images for the project east of the Anacostia River from developer Four Points. When complete, 80 percent of the units will be reserved for those making up to 60 percent of the area median income, while the remaining 20 percent will be market-rate. Many of the units will be reserved for teachers and artists, and some of the apartments will be outfitted as live-work spaces.

A live-work studio

“This is likely to be the first new-construction multi-family residential in the historic downtown core of Anacostia,” neighborhood activist and former Anacostia resident David Garber told UrbanTurf. “It sets the tone for what will come next, so it makes sense that the community has been very upfront about their desire for a building that contributes to a quality aesthetic.”

Garber noted that if he could change one thing about the building it would be the addition of ground-floor retail.

The roof deck

“MLK may not be a hopping retail corridor now, but we should be building for what we want it to become, not the retail and food desert that exists today. Walking past a building without an engaging street front will feel like a missed opportunity, and won’t be quickly or easily corrected.”

While a planned-unit development has been filed, there is no firm timeline for when the project will be completed.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a_new_look_for_71-unit_project_east_of_the_river/9411