More Office for The Yards: A Look at the Proposed Chemonics Headquarters

• December 13th 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Last month, Chemonics International announced its plans to become an anchor office tenant at The Yards. Now, we are getting our first look at how the company's headquarters would fit into the evolving riverfront neighborhood.

Forest City has applied for a design review of the proposed build-to-suit office building, which would be constructed on Parcel G of the Yards. The 39,029 square-foot site is bound by New Jersey Avenue and the future 1 1/2 Street, from N to the future Quander Street SE (map). The trapeze school temporarily on the site would move elsewhere in The Yards, making room for a 110-130 foot-tall building with over 290,000 square feet of office space atop 14,140 square feet of retail, service or restaurant space.

The building will have curvilinear components to enhance views down N Street and New Jersey Avenue, along with a 6-story "window wall" on the southeast corner of the building. The office lobby will be accessible from both 1 1/2 Street, which will be built out as a woonerf, and New Jersey Avenue across from Tingey Square. There will also be terraces atop the third and 10th floors; 167 parking spaces will be accessible below grade.

The applicant is also requesting a variance from the required green area ratio for the site's record lot, as the record lot also includes Parcels A and F. Gensler is the design architect. 

A Zoning Commission hearing is scheduled for April. Prior to that, the development team expects to present a more fleshed-out design to the ANC 6D for a vote early next year and to have the design reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts next February.

Chemonics has recently been under the microscope for its previous record of racially discriminatory hiring practices while the DC Council debates whether to extend nearly $6 million in tax abatements to the company for it to establish a headquarters in the city.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/more-plans-for-the-yards-a-first-look-at-the-proposed-chemonics-headquarter/14809.