| | | Near Northeast commission (ANC 6C) ponders Union Station air rights, other developments | | December 10, 2009 |  | | | At its Dec. 10 meeting, the commission:
• discussed the Union Station air rights development project for the 15-acre area directly north of the station. The D.C. Office of Planning has asked the Zoning Commission to create a new zoning classification for the proposed mixed-use development. The commission’s planning committee specifically objected to the plan to allow buildings up to 130 feet high in the area, which would be measured from the H Street bridge behind the station. That would ultimately allow for buildings as high as 212 feet, said the commission’s planning committee chair. Local developer Akridge won the rights to develop the area in 2006.
Commission chair Karen Wirt said Akridge may be pushing for the height for profitability reasons.
“It’s not worth it if they can’t go high and we don’t want them to go high,” she said.
The commission plans to meet with Office of Planning officials to discuss the project next month.
• Steve Green, a representative of the upcoming development known as 2 M St. NE, gave an overview of the project. The 313-unit building will have three-bedroom townhouse-like units, as well as one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, three-bedrooms and studios. The majority of the units will be one-bedrooms. Green said construction should start next December, with a completion date two years after that. Residents should begin to occupy the units in January 2013, he said. The roof top will have a pool, and there will be some ground-floor retail.
• heard the developers of the large 5th and I streets NW parcel discuss the delays in the project. The project, which neighbors have long hoped will clean up the largely vacant area, said they have encountered several obstacles to construction, including that one property owner on the parcel is refusing the sell his properties. But the biggest obstacle has been financing, the developers’ representatives said. They said they are still working with the city and have identified several possible financiers, but gave no construction time line. The development will ultimately include 163 apartments and a jazz club, as well as other amenities.
• unanimously voted to protest an Alcoholic Beverage Control Board application for a restaurant liquor license for Ethiopic, 401 H St. NE, in hopes of negotiating a voluntary agreement. Some neighbors said they welcome the restaurant, but have concerns about noise and trash. The owners plan to have 36 seats outside, and possibly 40 inside. Commissioner Tony Richardson said he believed a voluntary agreement would be easy to negotiate.
• unanimously voted to support an Alcoholic Beverage Control Board application for a liquor license for Taylor Gourmet, 485 K St. NW. Taylor is open from 11 to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
• unanimously voted to support a public space application from Toscana, 601 2nd St. NE, for a tented outdoor café.
• unanimously voted to support a Historic Preservation Review Board application for a three-story row house at 226 N St. NW.
• unanimously voted to support the Brain Tumor Race For Hope, which will be held May 2. It will be staged at Freedom Plaza, and begin and end on Pennsylvania Avenue between 12th and 13th streets NW. The race will go up Constitution Avenue and do a loop at 1st Street before returning to Pennsylvania Avenue. Rolling street closures will begin at 9 a.m.
• heard a representative of the nonprofit Focus encourage parents to attend the D.C. Public Charter School Recruitment Expo on Jan. 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center.
• heard commissioner Tom Hamilton announced he has done the training on the city’s new Historic Preservation Permit Database. He said he can help anyone who has Microsoft Access use it, and Microsoft Access is available at the city’s public libraries.
• applauded the recent opening of the Northwest One library at Walker-Jones Elementary, 155 L St. NW. The library replaces the old Sursum Corda kiosk on New York Avenue NW. The library is open Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s open from 1 to 9 p.m. The commission, as well as the new library’s librarian, applauded commissioner Mark Dixon for his involvement in establishing the library. The library is also planning an open house this Monday, primarily for senior citizens, the librarian said.
• voted 4-1-3, with commissioner Charley Docter opposing and commissioners Karen Wirt, Ryan Velasco and Tony Richardson abstaining, to deny payment above $2,400 for acoustical engineering services employed during the commissions negotiations with Level Lounge over its liquor license. The commission had agreed to a cap of $2,400 but commissioner Charley Docter later Oked an increase to $3,450 without the commission’s consent.
“We couldn’t just let it hang. We had to go forward,” Docter said. But other commissioners said it was inappropriate. “We can’t spend money like that,” said commissioner Mark Dixon. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
| |
|
