pdf | print

The Commission’s Transportation and Public Space Committee and the Economic Development & Zoning Committee each heard in the last month from developers of the H Street Connection, a new six-story mixed use retail and residential complex slated to replace the strip mall on H Street between Eighth and 10th streets. The new plans will bring major new density to the corridor, with 384 apartments and about 50,000 square feet of retail.

Most neighbors welcome the change away from the outdated one-story strip mall model with the parking lot in front. But some details remain to be worked out. These details were the subject of the TPS meeting with developers, Torti Gallas and Partners, and building owner Gary Rappaport.

Parking, for example. The plans currently allow for 161 retail parking spaces and 340 residential spaces. Especially considering that the streetcar is coming soon, a ratio of 88.5 parking spaces per 100 units seems sufficient (the DC average is anywhere from 66 to 90 per 100.) The parking spaces will be sold separately from the apartment units – so a car-free resident wouldn’t end up paying for a space she doesn’t use, and two-car households could be accommodated. The city has also requested 100 extra spots to help alleviate the H Street parking shortage. The developers are still considering options for how to fulfill this need. There are two Zipcar spaces planned.

However, the visitors parking is currently planned to be pay parking – which TPS Committee Chair Omar Mahmud worries will only add to parking problems on neighboring streets, as shoppers seek to avoid paying for parking. He’d rather see the new development encourage garage parking.

Twenty-five indoor bicycle parking spaces are planned for visitors, with 50 more for residents.

Drew Ronneberg, chair of the ED&Z Committee, was also concerned that the parking lot would have an uncontrolled pedestrian entrance. The developer agreed that it might create safety issues and so might make the doorway exit-only.

Several ED&Z Committee members also objected to the modern look of the façade on Eighth and H streets. Some have suggested flipping the design to put the metal part on 10th Street instead, though residents on 10th Street don’t like that plan. Developers say the materials they’re planning to use aren’t shiny and that they think they will blend well with the surrounding architecture. They will come to the next ED&Z meeting with materials samples.

Despite these concerns, ED&Z volunteers applaud the developers for, by and large, doing a very good job of incorporating neighbors’ comments and concerns into their design. Some neighbors still worry that the height of the building will be out of place in the neighborhood.

TPS meeting participants also discussed ways to mitigate the impact of trucks on the area. Large trucks sometimes hit the row house on the alley, so they discussed placing obstacles to protect the house. They cannot limit the size of entering trucks, as some have requested, but are looking into ways to limit the hours trucks can pick up trash or make deliveries.

As currently planned, the first phase of the project will involve the building between Eighth and Ninth streets, with phase two, the part between Ninth and 10th streets, being initiated later depending on the economy. However, developers were planning to raze both parts simultaneously, which volunteers worried could leave an empty lot. The building owner was willing to consider razing each building only when construction was ready to begin.

Developers have not decided whether the apartments will be rentals or condominiums. Their ultimate decision, they say, will depend on the economic climate.

No Vacancy
The owner of the property spanning 1603, 1605 and 1607 Rosedale Street NE wants to reclassify their properties as “residential.” They are currently considered “vacant.” Vacant properties carry a significantly higher tax load than occupied ones.

At least one of the three properties has been vacant since 2005. The owner was exempted from the vacancy tax in 2008 because she was actively marketing the property. She has been unable to sell them, despite her best efforts, according to her attorney, Lyle Blanchard, who attended the ANC meeting. She’s now beginning to renovate the properties to make them more marketable in a difficult market. Blanchard wants the ANC to support her in getting a “hardship exemption” which would reclassify the buildings and exempt them from the higher tax rate.

Blanchard says they asked for an exemption for the 2009 tax year, which just ended. He says the owner will maintain the area, so it doesn’t violate provisions for blighted properties, meaning they’ll make sure the grass is cut and other basic maintenance carried out.

Commissioners Nick Alberti and Kelvin Robinson resisted the idea of the ANC interfering in a private matter between an owner and the city. However, they were informed that a letter from ANC was necessary for the owner to get the exemption. Ronneberg reasoned that if the owner is forced to pay the vacant property tax, she will have less money to do the renovations, which are needed in order to occupy the building again.

Reluctantly, the ANC agreed to the exemption.

Drug Activity
Robinson reported that drug activity has been on the rise at the corners of 15th and 16th streets and A Street NE. He said the late-night gatherings and drug activity have been moving block to block. He reports that it’s also a problem a few blocks over, in the alley between 16th and 17th streets by East Capitol. He is seeking to get that alley paved and lighted.

Commissioner Raphael Marshall told his own story. There used to be “a lot of drug activity especially directly across street from me,” he said. “The [Metropolitan Police Department’s] fifth district did not seem to know or care what to do about it.” His block then became part of the first district, and the situation improved with better services, but he said, “The problem was never taken care of and somehow it took care of itself.” The drug house in the area went up for foreclosure, and the next day, he says, people were out there painting it. “That is a good full-circle story,” he says.