The Best Condo Amenity For Proposition 71 Supporters

• December 16, 2015

by UrbanTurf Staff

The grow closet in the new condo unit.

We have written about it a lot recently so we promise that this will be the last article for a while, but a year-end series for UrbanTurf would not be complete without mention of DC’s newest condo amenity.

In late February, a law legalizing many aspects of marijuana went into effect in the city. Known as Initiative 71, the law made it legal to possess a maximum of two ounces of marijuana, transfer up to one ounce to another person without any money changing hands, and grow a maximum of six marijuana plants in a home.

Fast forward to the fall when local developer Eric Hirshfield was finishing up a two-unit condo project and trying to figure out what to do with a closet that he described as “a little screwed up.”

Hirshfield had a plumber install drainage and a water supply, an HVAC system was put in to handle the exhaust, and an electrician installed a grow light. He staged it with tomato plants and herbs, but also included the Intitiaive 71 ballot to make his intent clear.

The unit sold, but to buyers that will not be using the closet for its specific intended purpose. They will be using it to grow herbs, not Herb.

“It’s all good for fellow Washingtonians who use marijuana in their respective homes legally,” the buyers told UrbanTurf. “We just can’t partake given our livelihoods.”

Still, Hirshfield is determined. After the UrbanTurf article ran, several other media outlets published stories and Hirshfield was contacted by developers and buyers alike who were interested in the concept.

He is currently working on a courtyard condo project near Irving Street and Georgia Avenue NW where all the units will be designed with grow closets, and is also talking with a person that designs “fully automated grow appliances” that are the size of a small refrigerator and can be recessed into the wall.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/best_condo_amenity_for_proposition_71_supporters/10688