In January of 1966, two Hine Junior High School buildings stood on Seventh Street SE. The older was at C Street, where the schoolyard is today, and the newer, immediately adjacent. (Look for photo 3045 from the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals – CHAMPS – collection at Sizzling Express.) Shortly thereafter, the classic – if outmoded – structure was razed, leaving the more up-to-date facility, designed for a mid-20th century neighborhood.

This June, Hine will consolidate with Eliot Middle School in Northeast, leaving behind the 131,300-square-foot building, now situated in an area that early students of the school would barely recognize. The Metro canopy and temporary Eastern Market structure would surely have appeared “futuristic” to Hine students of 1966 or earlier. And the Metro itself, as well as many of the higher and denser developments now part of the area, were not part of Capitol Hill in the 1960s.

“You have to look at the site in terms of where the community is today, not when the school was built or when the previous building was built,” says Don Denton, local realtor and founding member of CHAMPS. “The highest and best use of that site today would be other than a school site. But we need a community process to see what is the best use for the community today.”

Although Ward 6 was not included in a recent series of “School Reuse Community Meetings” organized by the deputy mayor for education, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells notes that “the community vetting process seems to have already begun.” Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, and Barracks Row/Main Street have already adopted resolutions outlining their hopes and expectations for the Hine site following the school's closure.

Wells has no comment on the ward-based meeting schedule – hastily arranged meetings set for religious and school holidays – but he explains that he requested that Ward 6 meetings occur at a later date, leaving “plenty of time for community planning.”

The Hine site, in particular, “will need extensive community input for determining the best use of that site,” Wells says. Separate meetings are being organized for Gibbs in Northeast – which he hopes will remain in DC's school inventory – and Bowen in Southwest – already slated for use as the First District Police Station and homicide unit and proposed for continuing use as Boys and Girls Clubhouse 4.

Jeff Davis, in the Office of Planning, says the city is scheduling two separate meetings on the Hine site and will have dates soon. He notes that in addition to development consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, initial parameters include keeping the property city-owned, precluding future school use of the site and engaging community support.

ANC 6B was the first to weigh in on the Hine site. A February resolution notes that the “Hine site is a key location at the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood,” and “calls on the District government to begin a community planning process to determine the future use of the Hine site.” Future use “should match the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood and provide community amenities.” In discussion, commissioners noted that community amenities could include parking and redevelopment to suit the area.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society was far more specific. CHRS supports “demolition and development of the site in coordination with the town center development of the Eastern Market Metro plaza,” making the plaza into a town square connecting everything from the Navy Yard on the south to the natatorium and Eastern Market on the north. Development should be “consistent with the character of the Capitol Hill Historic District” and “respect exiting heights, density and uses.”

In addition to complying with the comprehensive plan, CHRS says, development should exemplify smart growth and sustainable development, “reflect the importance of the location,” and be compatible with zoning and existing scale. They call for reopening C Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, mixed use on Pennsylvania Avenue, “a substantial percentage of workforce housing” along with other residences on Eighth Street, and one or two levels of underground parking. Also proposed are live/work studios for C Street, green space and “an outdoor area for craft vendors, food vendors and the flea market.”

Barracks Row Main Street Executive Director Cristina Amoruso says her organization concurs with these recommendations, supports Wells' efforts to create community discussion, and encourages involvement of all stakeholders throughout the process.

Denton says he expects the city to begin an RFP (request for proposal) process soon and notes that accommodating underground parking for the neighborhood, keeping space open for the flea market, and providing under-market-rate housing will likely preclude additional “community amenity” demands.