The Georgetown Heating Plant Condos Need This Amendment To Move Forward

• March 22, 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

Eleven months after garnering a mixed judgment from the Historic Preservation Review Board, the team seeking to redevelop the Georgetown West Heating Plant is pivoting the project to tackle zoning concerns.

The redevelopment team has applied to the Zoning Commission to get a map amendment for the two-acre site at 1051-1055 29th Street NW (map), taking it from unzoned to a mixed-use zone. This change would be a key step in enabling the Georgetown Companies- and Levy Group-led development team to retrofit the heating plant on the site into a Four Seasons-branded, 60-unit luxury condo building.

"The redevelopment of the Property will be made possible only with the proposed Zoning Map amendment since the Property is unzoned and otherwise would not allow for construction," the application reads. "The Zoning Map amendment will allow for an active reuse of the historic WHP site, which is pervasively contaminated and has sat vacant and abandoned for nearly 20 years." The building, designed by architect Sir David Adjaye, will overlook a one-acre, elevated public park designed by landscape architect Laurie Olin.

The Mayor's Agent for Historic Preservation issued a ruling in January finding the project to be one of "special merit" that justifies demolition. A zoning hearing has not yet been scheduled.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/west-heating-plant-redevelopment-team-applies-for-map-amendment/15165