Dupont Circle Microunit Proposal, Sans Parking, Sails Through ANC

• March 13, 2014

by Lark Turner

A rendering of the proposal from SB-Urban and Hartman-Cox.

A proposal to develop a historic Dupont Circle mansion into 90 furnished micro-units — parking not included — received ANC support on Wednesday night without a single protest from commissioners or community members in attendance.

ANC 2B supported the plan for transforming the Patterson House, which is asking for several zoning exceptions, and praised developer SB-Urban and architectural firm Hartman-Cox for their design and transportation management plan.

“A lot of people say that their residents won’t use cars. You’re actually making it a reality for them,” said Noah Smith, the ANC commissioner for 2B-09. “I’m really impressed with the amount of accommodation for alternate modes of transportation besides having a car. You should be a model for other places.”

The design for an addition to the Patterson House was approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board with the ANC’s support in February. It’s now seeking Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) approval for exceptions to rules about courtyards, setbacks and parking. The project wants to create an interior courtyard because its facade is set back from two historic buildings. On the roof of the building, the penthouse, which is solely mechanical, doesn’t quite conform to setback standards. Finally, the project would normally require 23 parking spaces, and the project is asking for an exception.

The back of the development.

The Patterson House’s transit plan includes the following:

• A staff position exclusively dedicated to helping residents get around and navigate alternative forms of transportation.
• Restricting residents from obtaining residential parking permits (RPP).
• A transit screen in the lobby with live-updated transit information.
• A dedicated website to provide residents with transit information.
• Bicycle parking, repair facilities, helmets and Capital Bikeshare memberships will be provided for residents during their initial lease term for the first five years the building is open.
• Car share memberships will be provided for all residents during their initial lease term for the first five years the building is open.

A similar proposal by developers hoping to build a much smaller micro-unit development in nearby Logan Circle failed to convince the BZA to let their project move forward earlier this year, though that project is set to go before the board again on April 1. SB-Urban’s project is currently scheduled for a hearing in early May.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dupont_circle_microunit_proposal_sans_parking_sails_through_anc/8231