A 520-Unit Development Proposed at South Capitol Street and I-695

• August 2nd 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Two weeks after developer WC Smith presented plans for a market-rate residential development at 850 South Capitol Street SE (map), a design review application has been filed with the city, providing more details about the project.

Located on Square 695, the 13-story, 520-unit project would replace a car wash near where I-695 meets South Capitol Street. There will be roughly 296 spaces across three levels of above-grade parking, framed along South Capitol Street by two double-height lobbies and amenity spaces on the ground and second floors.

Set-backs will be arranged in a sawtooth style where the building abuts the highway, and the building will have bay columns. Most of the units will have balcony or terrace space, and the building will have two interior courtyards on the fourth floor, rooftop terraces, and a penthouse pool deck. The roof at the corner of I-695 and South Capitol will include an "architectural embellishment" housing a residential terrace. STUDIOS Architecture is the designer.

An access road to Eye Street would include a dedicated bike lane alongside vehicular access to the building's garage, connecting a 112-space bike room on the ground floor of the building to the existing bike lane along Eye Street. The proposed development also requires a variance from setback requirements along South Capitol Street, citing the District's ownership of an abutting strip of land between the site and South Capitol Street.

The development team is expected to return to ANCs 6B and 6D in September. Additional renderings are below.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the-520-market-rate-apartments-proposed-at-south-capitol-street-and-695/18557.