With Zoning Modification, Skyland Town Center Hopes to Break Ground this Year

• January 31, 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

A rendering of Skyland Town Center

A year ago, the Skyland Town Center development in Ward 7 was dealt a major blow when anchor tenant Wal-Mart pulled out of a deal to construct a large location at the site. Now, the development team has filed an application to modify one of the five portions of the planned-unit development (PUD) in hopes of starting construction this year.

As originally approved in September 2010, the 18.5-acre Skyland PUD would contain five blocks of development between Good Hope and Naylor Roads and Alabama Avenue SE (map). In total, the project was slated to deliver 342,000 square feet of retail and services, 450-500 residential units and 20 townhouses. ‘’

Block 2 will front all three of the aforementioned streets and abut a newly-constructed Main Street. This portion would create two buildings that are 3-4 stories tall, delivering 256 one-, one- plus den and two-bedroom apartments atop 92,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A modification in 2013 consolidated the parking garages for Blocks 2, 3 and 4 into a single garage with 792 spaces on Block 2.

Now, the development team, led by The Rappaport Cos. and W.C. Smith, is seeking to remove three levels of above-grade parking to deliver a matter-of-right quantity of 447 parking spaces total, 248 of which would be for resident use. In the original scenario, the garage would have been flush with the apartment building, allowing for the residential pool to be atop the garage.

As currently requested, the pool would be relocated to a residential courtyard near the building’s perimeter; the garage would have a green roof and an installation of photovoltaic panels. The elevations of the development as seen from the street would be virtually unchanged.

“The Zoning Commission’s approval of this modification application will allow the applicant to move forward with the start of construction of the building on Block 2 this year,” the zoning application stated. “Approval of this application will also allow the Applicant to continue to revise the plans for the remainder of the project to account for the loss of the Walmart store in Block 1.”

The development team will go before the Zoning Commission in February.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/after_losing_wal-mart_skyland_town_center_hopes_to_break_ground_this_year/12102