Hine School Development to Move Forward After Court Denial

• January 23, 2015

by UrbanTurf Staff

A rendering of Hine School redevelopment.

The delayed Hine Junior High School redevelopment can finally move forward after the DC Court of Appeals denied a rehearing of a lawsuit against developer Stanton-Eastbanc, court documents show. News of the court’s decision was first reported by The Hill Rag.

The development has long been in limbo due to a legal challenge by a group of neighbors who oppose the project. The mixed-use plan for the site (map) would include about 160 residential units, 61,000 square feet of retail space, office space, a plaza and underground parking. It would also include some space for the neighborhood’s beloved market, but not as much as what’s there now.

Stanton-Eastbanc’s Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the site was approved by the Zoning Commission in 2012, but the project has been caught up in the District’s court system ever since.

An August decision from last year sides firmly with the Zoning Commission (ZC), suggesting it did its due diligence in approving the Planned Unit Development over the objections of neighbors. As part of their legal filing, neighbors argued the development’s height, which nears 100 feet, wasn’t properly looked at by the ZC. The DC Court of Appeals disagreed.

With today’s ruling, construction on the project will likely get started in the coming months and last about 2-3 years, putting the completion date at 2017 or 2018.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/hine_school_development_to_move_forward_after_court_denial/9446