Adaptive Reuse and Two-Over-Twos: An Update on DC's Hebrew Home Development

• March 20th 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Nearly two years ago, we got our first glimpse of Spring Flats as a redevelopment option for the historic Hebrew Home a few blocks from the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station. Now, the development team has secured a land disposition from the city and is returning to the community in preparation to potentially break ground by year's end.

The Spring Flats development would restore the exterior of the former Hebrew Home for the Aged at 1125 Spring Road NW (map) while gutting the interior to create 88 affordable senior units. An additional 87 rental and 10 for-sale housing units will be on the opposite end of the 3.3-acre parcel, replacing the former Paul Robeson School with a new four story-plus-penthouse building. Members of the development team, comprised by Victory Housing, Brinshore Development and Bank of America, met with the community last night to share the news that the project had just received financing from the Department of Housing and Community Development, and to share new renderings from architect Wiencek and Associates.

The senior apartment building will be for residents aged 62 and older; 58 out of the 87 rental units in the new building will be affordable. Amenities will include a wellness center, library, computer room, arts-and-crafts room and a fitness center, and the unit mix for the new construction will be primarily two- and three-bedrooms.

There will also be ten for-sale three-bedroom duplex condos across five flats. Three of the condos will be set aside as affordable. Residents of the new development will have access to a single-story garage with 57 spaces on a first-come, first-serve basis; homebuyers will be able to purchase one of 10 reserved spaces. 

Tenth Street is expected to be improved with "innovative landscaping" and will be widened to create a true two-way street with parking on either side, although these provisions did little to encourage neighboring residents about the availability of parking in the neighborhood. Many in attendance at last night's meeting noted the lack of coordination between the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, District Department of Transportation, DC Public Schools and others to come up with forward-thinking and equitable solutions to ensure no parking for the Raymond Recreation Center is lost due to the development.

Construction could begin on the by-right development by the end of the year or early next year, with the development delivering roughly 18 months later. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/adaptive-reuse-and-two-over-twos-an-update-on-spring-flats/15156.