ANC Supports Proposal For 443 Apartments, Black Box Theater at Waterfront Station Site

• October 20, 2015
• 2 Comments

by UrbanTurf Staff

Click to enlarge.

On Monday night, ANC 6D recommended that the city choose the PN Hoffman partnership to redevelop the Waterfront Station Parcel, a plot of land at 1000 4th Street SW (map).

The shortlisted teams vying to redevelop the parcel unveiled their plans to the public in September.

The plans from the development team of PN Hoffman, AHC Inc., Paramount Development, E.R. Bacon Development and CityPartners include 443 rental apartments, a black box theater, artist spaces and 22,500 square feet of retail. 133 of the apartments would be affordable — 34 units for those making 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 99 units for those making 50 percent AMI. The development architect is Torti Gallas Urban, and the cultural partners on the proposal are Forum Theatre, Cultural DC, Arena Stage, and Georgetown University LAB.

From the letter of support to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED):

“ANC-6D believes that the Hoffman/AHC plan provides a higher number of units at lower AMI levels – one quarter of affordable units 30% – and three quarters of affordable units at 50% – which more closely approximates where the real need for true affordable housing exists in our neighborhood. In addition, nearly one third of the units in the proposed building are either on bedroom/den or two bedroom units which provide greater opportunities for the growing number of families who wish to locate in Southwest.”

DMPED will choose one project from the three development presentations within the next few months. When DMPED issued the Request For Proposals, it noted that uses should include mixed-income housing and ground floor community-serving retail or municipal services.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/anc_supports_proposal_for_443_apartments_black_box_theater_at_waterfront/10478

2 Comments

1. skidrowedc@gmail.com said at 2:42 pm on Wednesday October 21, 2015:
   Rendering seems to show an 11 story building, presumably retail/institutional at street level with the apartments above. 443 units / 10 stories - 44-45 units per floor. Publicly owned sites, when disposed, should serve public goods that the market doesn't provide. As regards the apartment portion of the building, the affordable component addresses a legitimate public good. But having long corridors with dozens of doors means that little or no "community" or sense of neighborliness will result. Is it too much to ask not only to provide affordable housing, but configure it in a socially positive way? Please let me make my usual pitch: This needs to be divided into several pieces--i.e. different elevator cores, separated corridors--if there is to be any hope of neighbors getting to know each other. Yes that's more complicated and expensive to build. But the longterm social expense of "neighborhoods" where neighbors don't know each other, of "communities" that exist only in geographic terms--these are much bigger expenses in the longterm. And this is a classic example (along with affordability) of something that the market doesn't naturally provide.

1. SFJ 202 said at 6:52 pm on Monday October 26, 2015:
   D