463-Unit Mixed-Use Project Planned Next to Audi Field Heads to Zoning Commission

• September 29th 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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At the beginning of the summer, Hoffman & Associates applied for design review for their development of Parcel B, a plot of land adjacent to the DC United soccer stadium at Buzzard Point (map). Now, the Zoning Commission is poised to start considering the project.

As proposed, the development would deliver a 130 foot-tall, S-shaped building, split between 111 independent-living senior units and 352 apartments, stacked above a 41,000 square-foot office headquarters for non-profit Volunteers of America (VOA), all above 50,450 square feet of ground-floor retail, restaurant, entertainment, and performing arts space. StudioMB and STUDIOS Architecture are the designers.

The senior units, fronting S Street, will be run by VOA and will be affordable to households earning up to 30% and 50% of median family income (MFI). Twenty-nine of the other apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 60% of MFI. There will also be 305 parking spaces and 178 long-term bicycle spaces across two below-grade levels. 

A modification application also filed earlier this year redesigns First Street to make it a curbless, pedestrian-forward "outdoor room" and activates the 5,653 square-foot park/plaza at Potomac Avenue and Half Street with more usable elements like sculptural seating and a splash pad. 

As noted in the staff report from the Office of Planning, the applications will need to be expounded on based on the recently-enacted amended Comprehensive Plan, including the need for resilient design features in light of the site's proximity to the riverfront (although it is outside the floodplain).

The Zoning Commission is expected to set the project down for a hearing next week.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/zoning-commission-scheduled-to-start-reviewing-mixed-use-project-beside-aud/18760.