Zoning Commission Delays Planned H Street Project with No Parking

• January 6, 2015
• 1 Comment

by Lark Turner

A rendering of the building by PGN Architects.

A triangular-shaped project planned near the Argonaut on the eastern edge of the H Street Corridor was delayed by the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) on Tuesday. The Board said it wasn’t ready to comment on the case, which was greeted with reservations from both the District Department of Transportation and the Office of Planning. The plans for 1401 Florida Avenue NE (map) include 28 units, down from the 34 units originally proposed, with no parking. Mehari Sequar is the developer on the project, which is designed by PGN Architects.

The 28 units include 16 larger two-bedrooms, while the fifth and sixth floor will house duplex units, PGN’s Jeff Goins told UrbanTurf last year. The number of units have been reduced and the top floor set back since the developer first started working with the ANC, which supported the project in December.

A map of the site.

The project requires 21 parking spaces, but the developer is proposing that it be allowed to move forward without parking. BZA Chair Lloyd Jordan said he would need more proof from Sequar that his project wouldn’t have a negative impact on traffic in the corridor. When attorney Meridith Moldenhauer suggested residents would be able to step out of their door and onto the H Street streetcar to Union Station, Jordan playfully replied: “What streetcar?”

The project is seeking approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a couple of issues: The maximum permitted residential lot occupancy for the site is 80 percent; the developer wants to build to 99 percent, according to the filings. Though 21 parking spaces are required for the development, the developer says the property’s odd layout precludes a parking garage.

A representative from the Office of Planning said on Tuesday that the project’s high density hadn’t been proven necessary by the applicant: “OP continues to take issue with the FAR requested.”

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/zoning_commission_delays_h_street_project_proposed_with_no_parking/9372

1 Comment

1. Mike_in_SW said at 9:35 pm on Tuesday January 13, 2015:
   Are these rentals or condos? I would think if the owners could get rent or sell the parking spaces, a good architect could carve out at least a dozen, if not 21, spaces, especially in light of the developer wanting a waiver of the 80% site occupancy to achieve 99%. I understand and appreciate the desire to decrease vehicle on streets, but this developer is using it as a shield to avoid parking altogether. The BZA should require some parking, if not all, if they allow the 99% development. Greed has its costs...