ANC 1B Design Committee Approves Concept for 135-Unit 13th Street Project

• June 25, 2012

by Shilpi Paul

Rendering from Architect David M. Schwarz

On Monday night, JBG presented the newest plans for the residential project it has planned at 13th and U Street NW (map) to the ANC 1B Design Review Committee in advance of the developer’s upcoming hearing with the Historic Preservation Review Board on July 26th. The committee voted to support the concept; the full ANC 1B will vote on the project at their next meeting in early July.

The 135-unit residential project will rise eight stories along U Street and have about 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail; the Rite Aid that is currently on the southwest corner has a long-term lease and will remain as one of the tenants in the new project.

While some residents, particularly those who live in homes that abut the property, spoke out in opposition to the height and scale of the development, others attended in support. There were no critiques to the design of the facade, which would consist of stone and masonry and some jutting bays. According to the JBG representative, the developers hired architect David M. Schwarz because they knew the firm would come up with a design that appropriately acknowledged the history of the area and the surrounding architecture. JBG wants the development to be able to pass for a older historic building, albeit one that is well maintained.

JBG has been in the headlines a lot in recent months given the work they are doing in the region, but the firm is particularly busy in the U Street Corridor and along 14th Street, with the Louis under construction at 14th and U and another multi-building project along Florida Avenue between 9th and 7th in the planning stages.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/anc_1b_design_committee_approves_concept_for_jbg_project/5698