Blagden Alley Micro Units, Now With Parking, Get Green Light

• June 7, 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

An exterior rendering of the Blagden Alley micro-units

Last year, the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) approved a 123-unit micro-unit development for Blagden Alley, entirely waiving any parking requirements for the site. After disappointed neighbors mounted a legal opposition to the project, the DC appellate court ruled in their favor, remanding the development back to the BZA to request better justification for the lack of parking.

Now, months after the development team of SB-Urban and Rooney Properties revised the zoning application to include parking spaces, the development has once again secured approval from the BZA.

Commissioner Peter May, who mentioned that he may be the only boardmember who was part of the original decision, defended the prior BZA ruling that the court overturned. “The earlier decision, regardless of the legal complications, was overall a good decision for the neighborhood because it included these mitigations for the parking demand,” May commented.

“Those conditions go away, so theoretically there could be more demand that results for this project and that may be an unfortunate outcome for the neighborhood. I’m glad this solution was feasible as a result of the changes in the zoning regulations.”

Rendering of the pedestrian bridge between the proposed buildings.

Designed by Hickok Cole Architects, the development will restore and construct an addition to the garage at 91 Blagden Alley while connecting the garage to a new residential building at 917 M Street NW (map). The project will deliver 123 furnished micro-units and will now also include 21 spaces of below-grade parking accessible via car elevator.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/blagden_alley_micro_units_now_with_parking_get_green_light/12659