Proposed Naylor Court Project Needs Design Changes, ANC 2F Says

• June 26th 2014

by Lark Turner

A proposal for a three-unit building abutting a historic network of alleys in Shaw received plenty of scrutiny at an ANC 2F meeting on Wednesday night.

The plan for 928 O Street NW (map) includes razing a small house at the address that is not considered a contributing structure to the neighborhood and replacing it with three units: two duplexes and a triplex. The building, developed by Brook Rose and designed by McGraw Bagnoli Architects, would be three stories tall with a cellar.

Members of the ANC Community Development Committee and a few neighbors showed up to the preliminary hearing on the building, though the panel didn’t take any action Wednesday night. Some said they preferred an earlier iteration of the design, seen below:

One of the biggest critiques of the property was that it doesn’t build onto the alley, like many nearby structures. But to build there, the developer would likely need to seek a variance on lot occupancy from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

“I wish there was a way you could do one of the units on the back of the alley,” said commissioner Jim Loucks. “We certainly would like to see that, since those alleys are the whole reason for the Naylor Court historic district.”

Rose replied that though there wouldn’t be a structure on the alley, he’d be willing to make it look like an alley with a wall and a roll-up door with the appearance of a garage. The architect said it was unlikely the developer would seek a variance from the BZA, which they estimated could add nine months to the project. Rose is likely not keen about returning before the board, which just spent about a year considering a micro-unit project planned for Logan Circle before finally approving it.

Commissioner Walt Cain started the hearing on the project by jokingly telling neighbors assembled to “extinguish your torches and put away the pitchforks.” He later said he liked the design, though it needed work, and urged the developer to seek community input to avoid headaches later.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/three-unit_proposal_near_naylor_court_needs_design_changes_anc_2f_says/8667.