Flatirons, Motel Redevelopments and the 2,000 Units on the Boards at Union Market

• July 25th 2023

by UrbanTurf Staff

Nearly 2,000 residential units are on the boards for the area around Union Market, about the same number that have delivered in the area over the past two years. 

Below, UrbanTurf takes a look at what remains in the residential pipeline for Union Market. If we missed a project, shoot us an email at editor(at)urbanturf.com. 

In case you missed them, here are the other neighborhoods UrbanTurf has covered thus far this year:

• The Huge Plans on the Boards for Congress Heights
• The Nearly 2,000 Units in the Works (and on Hold) around Dave Thomas Circle
• Mall Conversions, Trader Joes? The 1,500 Units in the Friendship Heights Pipeline
• The 10 Developments in Southwest DC's Non-Wharf Pipeline
• The 10 New Developments in the Works for National Landing
• The Stacks, Brooklyn Bowling and a Vermeer: The 5 Developments on the Boards for Buzzard Point
• The 700 Units on the Boards Around The Wharf
• The 21 Residential Developments on the Boards For Downtown Bethesda
• The 1,100 Units That May (or May Not) Be Coming to Tenleytown and AU Park
• New Hotels, Mall Conversions And The 450 Units On The Boards For Georgetown
• Fitness Bridges, Food Halls and the 2,700 Units Coming to Navy Yard
• The 225 Units on the Boards in Adams Morgan
• The 560 Units in Development Along 14th Street
• The 6 Developments In the Works Along the DC Streetcar Line

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1331 5th Street NE

Gallaudet University and JBG SMITH have plans in the works for what might be the largest new residential development to date in the Union Market area. 

A second-stage planned unit development (PUD) filed with the DC Zoning Commission last year outlines plans for a 120-foot, 647-unit residential development at 1331 5th Street NE (map) behind Union Market. The 650-unit development, designed by Selldorf Architects, will have 33,500 square feet of retail space and approximately 345 parking spaces. About 10% of the residential units will be set aside for renters earning no more than 50% or 80% of median family income. 

The plan for Parcel 4 is part of Gallaudet and JBG SMITH's larger vision to deliver over 450,000 square feet of office and administrative space, 129,000 square feet of retail, and up to 1,769 residential units on either side of 6th Street between Morse Street and Neal Place NE (map). 

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Quincy Lane

Move-ins continue at the Quincy Lane development, led by JBG SMITH and LCOR. At 1625 Eckington (map), 179 condos have delivered with prices starting in the $300s. At City Homes (map), there are 45 stacked duplexes, developed by Grosvenor Americas. The units are a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedrooms and each has private outdoor space; Cecconi Simone did the interior design and KTGY Architecture is the building architect. McWilliams|Ballard is administering sales and prices start from the low $700s.

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The Flatiron

An affordable development on the boards near Union Market has a design that is reminiscent of one of New York's most iconic buildings. The 12-story, 115-unit affordable development at 301 Florida Avenue NE (map) from a development team that includes The NRP Group and Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, was designed by PGN Architects in the style of New York's Flatiron building. 

The units in the mixed-use rental building will be affordable to income levels at 30% and 50% area median income (AMI). The new building will have 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and amenities on the second floor including a toddler room, a library/computer lab and a gym.

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1 Neal Place

A "pearl-in-shell"-style building is on the boards for 340 Morse Street NE (map) that will deliver 260 residential units above 6,587 square feet of retail, the latter framing the 11,575 square-foot Neal Place Park. At least 20 of the units would be for households earning up to 80% of median family income (MFI). The building will also provide 165 below-grade parking spaces and 135 bicycle spaces. 

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Penn and 4th

EDENS has not one, but two new residential buildings on the boards for the Union Market area. Penn and 4th is a two-building residential development that will take the place of the Motel 6 building and Maurice Electric parking lot just off of New York Avenue (map). The buildings -- named 4th and Penn -- are designed by HKS Architects and Michael Marshal Design, respectively. There will be a total of 375 apartments, as well as 190 below-grade parking spaces and approximately 30,000 square feet of retail. Approximately 13% of the units will be affordable. 

One of the more interesting aspects is the activated alley space that bisects the new development. Designed by David Rubin Land Collective, this paseo running from 4th to 5th Street NE will provide a neighborhood retail experience within the development. Retail will also flank 4th, 5th and Penn Streets. 

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Maurice Electric Redevelopment

The UDR and EDENS development at the Maurice Electric warehouse site at 500 Penn Street NE (map) incorporates the two-story façade of the Maurice Electric showroom into a 12-story building, delivering 299 apartments above 22,714 square feet of commercial space. The unit mix at The MO spans from studios to three-bedrooms, and 12% of the residential space is for households earning up to 60% and 50% of MFI. Eric Colbert and Associates is the architect.

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Union Market North Building

An 11-story sister building to Union Market with 301 apartments above 23,000 square feet of commercial space at 1329 5th Street NE (map) received zoning approval in January 2020. Seventeen of the units will be for households earning up to 60% of MFI, and another seven will be for households earning up to 50% of MFI. The unit mix will span from studios to two-bedrooms with dens and the building would also include 3.5 levels of underground parking with 310 spaces for both buildings.

At least half of the commercial space will be built to accommodate PDR and makerspace, and the development would also include a new plaza between the new construction and the Union Market building. EDENS and Clarion Gables Multifamily Trust are the developers; hord | coplan | macht is the architect. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/flatirons_motel_redevelopments_and_the_2000_units_on_the_boards_at_union_ma/21294.