PN Hoffman Withdraws Zoning Application for Suntrust Plaza Development

• September 9, 2016
• 4 Comments

by Nena Perry-Brown

An earlier rendering of the proposed redevelopment at 1800 Columbia Road NW

In response to ongoing criticisms and concerns, the team behind the planned redevelopment of the SunTrust Plaza at Adams Morgan’s main intersection has withdrawn the project’s application to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) in order to revise the project’s design.

“After working with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), Kalorama Citizen’s Association, Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), and considering community feedback, which has been generally favorable in support of our project, we have chosen to make changes to the project’s design, and therefore withdrawn the existing BZA application as it is no longer applicable,” PN Hoffman CEO Monty Hoffman said in a statement released Friday. “We have always sought to bring a balanced mix of thoughtful design and sensitivity to the neighborhoods in which we serve and continue to prioritize that as we move forward on developing this very important neighborhood.”

PN Hoffman and Potomac Investment Properties originally planned to construct a 70-foot tall building at 1800 Columbia Road NW (map), containing 60 condominium units atop approximately 8,375 square feet of ground floor retail.

The forthcoming design will incorporate some of the feedback the design team received, and will result in lowering the building to 65 feet and dropping the height down to five stories along more of the 18th Street facade. Additionally, some of the massing toward the rear of the building will be shifted frontward in order to reduce the corner plaza by an extra five feet.

The development team will return to the ANC later this month to present the new design.

Correction: An earlier version of this article states that the plaza will be enlarged; it will actually be reduced.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/pn_hoffman_plans_to_revise_application_for_suntrust_plaza_development/11657

4 Comments

1. Colin said at 8:02 pm on Friday September 9, 2016:
   Hopefully the revisions make it look more like the original proposal. Latest rendering was a big step down.

1. Terra B said at 5:36 pm on Monday September 12, 2016:
   It would be really helpful for project support, if when you return to our ANC, PN Hoffman, you have a permanent new home identified for our farmer's market, which currently serves a very important role, as a weekly gathering place for our community.

1. crickwall said at 7:04 pm on Wednesday September 14, 2016:
   It looks as if the public plaza has been completely eliminated. What's up with that ?

1. Jay said at 9:04 pm on Thursday September 15, 2016:
   Get rid of the Plaza. Farmer's market can move across the street, to a park or down to Marie Reed or anywhere else. We have plenty of public spaces in Adams Morgan that can be utilized. I've been in this neighborhood 20 years and that Plaza is worthless. I've never hung out there. Why would you? It's a barren concrete wasteland. Go to one of our fine parks in the area and enjoy the green space if you want to be outside. That's what I do. That public space is filled with trash, birds, and vagrants. I'm still burned those NIMBY freaks blocked the new hotel from having a public rooftop bar. Now that's something I would enjoy using so I can watch the sunset. But noooooooo. Not in my neighborhood folks thought it would be too noisy. Then move already. Go to a nice quiet farm or upper northwest. I have to go to Shaw or Logan to enjoy a nice sunset from a rooftop bar.