Popped-Up Design at Former FootAction in Adams Morgan Faces Opposition

• September 22, 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

A street view of 1815 Columbia Road NW.

The highly contentious development of the SunTrust building was not the only Adams Morgan project to face opposition last night.

The ANC 1C planning committee voted unanimously to recommend that the full ANC oppose the proposed development for 1815 Columbia Road NW (map) on the grounds that it is incompatible with the Kalorama Triangle Historic District.

The proposal would create a four-story addition to the existing building, whose owner Lisa Drazin argues that the property is a non-contributing structure to the historic district. The building as designed would have commercial space in the basement and create a ground-floor restaurant space with a sidewalk patio. The upper floors would each house two apartments.

Commissioner JonMarc Buffa noted that Drazin declined his invitation to attend last night’s meeting, believing that the ANC has no authority to weigh in on the proposal.

The former FootAction space is zoned to allow a development of this size, so historic preservation is the only hurdle that the proposal must overcome before reaching the permit phase.

Historic Preservation Office (HPO) staff have already stated that they are uncomfortable with the proposed height. Additionally, staff wants to see either windows or masonry on the parti-walls, which as designed are currently blank. Gordon and Greenberg Architects are working with HPO to refine the design.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/anc_1c_committee_votes_to_oppose_popped-up_design_at_former_footaction/11707