A New Look for Half Street Fairgrounds Project

• January 14th 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

The development planned for the Half Street Fairgrounds will have a little less office space than originally planned.

The development team for 25 M Street SE has altered their plans and the design for one of the office buildings that is part of the three-building development on the boards not far from Nationals Park.

In 2009 and 2011, the Zoning Commission approved a planned-unit development at 25 M Street SE (map), currently home to the Half Street Fairgrounds. The plans included two office buildings and a residential building with 260-300 units over retail.

The changes filed with the Zoning Commission recently would decrease the total office floor area by 22,630 square feet. The change is in response to the current demand for office space, which shows a preference for open floor plans and maximum natural light. The revised plan would decrease the floor area between the center of the building and the windows by 15 feet. It would also construct outdoor terraces along Half Street and M Street SE on the third, fourth and ninth levels of the building. These revisions would require no additional relief from development requirements and would not appreciably alter the exterior.

Last April, Akridge sold the parcel to Brandywine Realty Trust for $20 million; they announced their partnership to construct the aforementioned office building in August. HOK are the architects behind the project.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/mixed-use_development_at_nationals_park_requests_decrease_in_office_space/10751.