Zoning Change Would Make Way for a Mixed-Use Project at Penn Branch Shopping Center

• June 1st 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Last fall, the Washington Business Journal reported that Jair Lynch had purchased the Penn Branch Shopping Center at 3200 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (map). Now, a new zoning application suggests that the company is looking to move forward with a mixed-use redevelopment for the site.

Currently, the shopping center is a one- to two-story commercial building with 16,000 square feet of office space, 28,000 square feet of retail and a surface parking lot with 85 spaces. The application for a zoning map amendment would rezone the 3.57 acres at Pennsylvania and Branch Avenues from MU-3 and R-1-B to MU-4, allowing for moderate-density development with a maximum height of 50 feet.

While specifics of the plans for the site are not known at this time, Rappaport Companies developed a leasing flyer last fall suggesting that the development would be dubbed “The Shops at Penn Hill” and would construct a new building behind an expanded version of the existing center with a total of 348 parking spaces.

An additional 35,000 square feet of retail would be appended to the existing center on the site at the corner of Branch Avenue and Q Place SE, a new street that would be created behind the building. There would also be 52 new covered parking spaces serving the Q Place retail.

The newly-constructed building would contain a 22,000 square-foot grocery store on the opposite corner, 22,000 square feet of office space, and 100-150 units of senior housing. Two underground levels would deliver 105, 22 and 148 parking spaces respectively for each new use.

The development team has been meeting with the community and the ANC since the purchase last fall; a community open house is also scheduled for June 10th.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/zoning_change_make_way_for_mixed-use_at_penn_branch_shopping_ctr/12641.