The 7 Developments on the Boards In and Around Howard University

• January 24th

by UrbanTurf Staff

For this week's rundown, UrbanTurf catches up on the latest news regarding developments in the pipeline on and just off Howard University's campus.

There are about seven projects in the works on and around the campus, involving repair, renovation, and redevelopment of almost 40 buildings and sites that, in some instances, could facilitate development opportunities at some prominent locations in Shaw and Pleasant Plains. 

See our rundown below, and if we missed a sizable project, just shoot us an email at editor(at)urbanturf.com. We will have a separate rundown that looks at developments in Shaw.

Here are the other neighborhood development pipelines that we have covered this year:

• The 4 New Developments on the Boards For Adams Morgan
• The Nearly 1,000 Units on the Boards Along 14th Street

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The Oliver

The Oliver is a 93-unit apartment development in the works from Rock Creek Property Group that will result in the redevelopment of the former Effingham Apartments at Georgia Avenue and Fairmont Street NW (map). The by-right project would sit above 40,000 square feet of commercial space.

The apartments are designed with a “work-from-home” mindset, featuring built-in desks, a work-from-home center with a conference room, huddle rooms, and work nooks, and high-speed gig-E internet throughout. GTM-DC Architects is the designer.

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Howard East Development

Lowe, FLGA and Howard University have plans in the works for a 10-story mixed-use building at the site of the parking lot for the Howard East Towers (map) between 8th and 9th Street NW. The building will have ground floor commercial space below residential units, with parking for 235 vehicles. HKS Architects designed the project. 

While the design and full scope of the development are in the early stages, one of the more interesting aspects of the project would be a two-block, 25-foot wide public plaza along W Street connecting Georgia Avenue to 9th Street. 

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Apartment-Style Residences

While this development is only for upperclass students at Howard, it will still be transformative. A pair of buildings are planned for the surface parking lots in the 2400 block of Sherman Avenue NW (map), delivering a total of 650 units and up to 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Howard Place will also be extended through the development to connect directly with the campus.

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Residential, Office + Lab For Howard Parking Lots

There are big development plans in the works for a number of Howard University-owned lots along Georgia Avenue. The university and Quadrangle Development are working on a three-phase development that will include a new residential building, as well as an office and science-focused building with research and testing laboratories. The project would take the place of the surface parking lots along the 2200 block of Georgia Avenue (map) and, eventually, the McDonalds location at 2328 Georgia Avenue NW. The first phase will include the residential building, which the Quadrangle website indicates will be a ten-story building with approximately 440 apartments. The second and third phases will include office and experimental research and testing laboratory use. The phases will be bisected by Bryant Street Commons, a shared, multi-modal street. 

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Bond Bread Redevelopment 

The Bond Partnership, consisting of the Menkiti Group, Fivesquares Development, and EDENS, will transform the Bond Bread Factory and Washington Railway & Electric Company (WRECO) buildings (map) into a 600,000 square-foot mixed-use destination. The development will include 472 residential units, 180 hotel rooms, 50,000 square feet of largely street-facing retail and a nearly 20,000 square-foot public plaza. 

The new development, designed by STUDIOS Architecture, plans to incorporate several aspects of the existing buildings into the new project, including the trusses from the WRECO building that will sit thirty feet above the public plaza and the original columns from the Bond Bread building. 

The team envisions several outdoor uses throughout the project, including dining space and seasonal markets along V Street, as well as film screening and performance space along W Street. The central public space will have a number of access points, including a "secret" passageway off Georgia Avenue.

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Howard University Hospital Site Redevelopment

The development of and around perhaps the most prominent University-owned property -- the Howard University Hospital -- started to take a step forward earlier this month. A week ago, university officials presented plans to an ANC 1B committee for a map amendment that will help rezone sites to facilitate the aforementioned development. 

Funding has already been put in place to begin a two-phase redevelopment of the site of the Freedmen's Annex straddling the 2200 block of Sixth Street NW (map). A new, seven-story Howard University Hospital and Medical Office Building will be constructed on the site. 

After the move is complete, the hospital's current site just north of Georgia and Florida Avenues NW (map) will be up for a mixed-use redevelopment of up to three million square feet. While the Campus Plan hints at a new street grid for the site, additional details remain scarce and more concrete plans could be years away. 

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1840 7th Street NW

Quadrangle Development and Capstone Development are planning to redevelop the site of the three-story office building across the street from Shaw/Howard University Metro station (map). An eight-story, 204-unit development with 21,000 square feet of ground-floor retail is in the works and will also include penthouse-level amenities, Inclusionary Zoning units and a level of below-grade parking. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the-7-developments-on-the-boards-in-and-around-howard/21890.