Commissioners Grill Broadway Capital Development at 318 I St. NE
A team of lawyers and architects represented the interests of Broadway Capital, developers of the troubled Planned Urban Development (PUD) at 318 I St. NE. Foremost among the developer’s planned changes was a request to increase the overall number of units as well as a shift from condominiums to rentals.

“We cannot build the PUD that was approved,” stated Allison Prince of Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, a law firm representing Broadway Capital. “It’s not financeable; the site has been sitting vacant for three years now since my client bought it.” This development follows a late trend employed across DC converting projects that were designated as condos into rentals in an effort to make them financially viable. This tactic drastically alters the public image of the building itself, causing many investors who thought they would be surrounded by homeowners to want to flee from a less stable housing environment.

Prince went on to state that an increase in total unit count was necessary as well. The number of units increase from the originally planned 125-140 to 166-180, which was achieved without increasing overall housing density.

These issues were further complicated by concerns from citizens regarding the developer’s inability to alter the citizen amenities package to match the changes proposed to the PUD itself. Rachael Hall, a citizen member of the Planning, Zoning & Environment Committee and the only actual resident within the three row houses directly adjacent to the PUD, voiced concerns that included discontinuous sidewalk materials and the current state of the site itself. Both Prince and representatives from Esocoff and Associates, the architect for the proposed structure, enumerated the District Department of Transportation’s position that new brick sidewalks cannot be built in non-historic districts. Hall responded by e-mail: “After being informed at the ANC meeting last night that there is a new brick sidewalk north of 318 I St., I decided to investigate today. There is indeed a new brick sidewalk on Second Street between K and L streets NE. The developer's representatives said last night that DDOT won't allow new brick sidewalks if not within a historic district, but there are clearly exceptions.”

Bobbi Krengel, a Hill resident and real estate agent, also noted that the structure itself appears to stretch the limits of a NoMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue) resolution stating that the height of new structures needs to be proportionately relative to surrounding structures.

Hall went on to say, “The property is not maintained. It is always cluttered with litter either in the fenced lot or the areas directly outside.” Combined with the aforementioned issues, the PUD at 318 I St. NE presented commissioners with a difficult decision.

Despite three notices to residents regarding the developer’s intent to modify the current PUD, including a hand-delivered flyer, the ANC voted unanimously with one abstention that it was encouraged by Esocoff & Associate’s design improvements but opposed to the project as a whole based on the fact that no additional community amenities were offered despite substantive changes to the PUD itself.

Support for Uline Arena Development
Commissioner Anne Phelps (6C04) expressed her happiness regarding the oft-revised development of the Historic Uline Arena located at Third and M streets NE. According to Phelps and members of Douglas Development, plans for the arena have been edited several times to better accommodate both economic viability as well as the needs and desires of surrounding residents. Proposed use for the site is set at 298,000 square feet. “The site is primarily office space, though we did express the need for some ground floor retail at the January Zoning, Planning, and Environment Committee meeting,” noted PZ&E Committee Chair Ryan Velasco. Furthermore, the owner is receptive to the PZ&E Committee’s recommendation that the developer should provide a $25 public transportation fare card for each employee in the building.

Representatives from Douglas Development were present and fielded questions regarding the proposed development’s future economic viability. “These are difficult times for new developments throughout the city,” stated Paul Millstein, vice president of Douglas Development. “This project is one we’re particularly excited about and one we think we can go forward with. Uline Arena offers a couple things that we think will give us an edge two or three years down the road when it actually gets to market. One is that it is interesting, creative, fun space. Secondly, this is a national landmark, a marquee-type building.”

The site, renamed the Washington Coliseum in 1959, was the location of the Beatles’ first concert in the United States and was the home for DC’s go-go music scene. Pleased with the developer’s and owner’s flexibility with plans in order to ensure a community-serving site, the ANC approved all recommendations from the PZ&E Committee for Uline Arena.

Licensing News
The ANC heard two licensing protests pending voluntary agreement or other resolution: the first was on behalf of Louis’ Rogue, a gentleman’s club located at 476 K St. NW, and the second on behalf of Top Shelf Bar and Lounge, located at 639 Indiana Ave. NW. A status hearing for the latter was set for the March 5 PZ&E meeting.

Commissioners unanimously supported Ibiza’s (1222 First St. NE) request for a licensing renewal, noting that the club continues to take noise complaints seriously.

Finally, Commissioner Docter presented a stipulated license request for Leeloo (521 G St. NW). Significant time and resources were expended to eliminate an alleged prostitution ring formerly run out of the location, previously occupied by Arena Cafe. Leeloo’s management made security arrangements to ensure the illegal activity taking place before their move-in would not reappear. The restaurant’s “soft grand opening” is slated for the first week of February. License request was approved.

Transportation News
Transportation Committee Chair Phelps announced that the TC’s Feb. 20 meeting will place a strong emphasis on pedestrian safety. “At the February meeting, we’re hoping to dedicate a large portion to the intersection at Seventh, D, and Maryland Streets NE … I can’t believe there isn’t a fatality there every week,” said Phelps.

Community members with questions or concerns regarding this particular intersection or other pedestrian safety issues should attend February’s meeting at the Northeast Library (Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue NE).

Community Events
The ANC voted to support both the Race for Hope (benefiting the Brain Tumor Society, May 4, 9 a.m.) and the 2008 National Marathon (March 29, 7 a.m.). Commissioners recommended more aggressive and earlier placement of signage regarding street closures, etc., especially around the H Street NE area, where the aforementioned problems were particularly pronounced during last year’s event. National Marathon officials Keith Dowling and Chris Brown vowed to leverage aggressive signage to ensure the event caused as little disruption to citizens’ everyday lives as possible.

Election of Officers
ANC 6C Chair Karen Wirt (6C08) was reelected to serve as chair. Additionally, all other current officers will serve for another calendar year.

Next ANC 6C Meeting
February’s ANC 6C meeting will take place at the Heritage Foundation while the Stuart-Hobson Middle School (410 E St. NE) remains the default location for 2008 meetings. The ANC’s PZ&E Committee will meet at the School without Walls (215 G St. NE).

Roll Call
Present: Chair Karen Wirt (6C08); Co-Vice Chair and Public Safety Committee Chair Mark Dixon (6C02); Transportation Committee Chair Anne Phelps (6C04); Secretary Alan Kimber (6C05); Tom Hamilton (6C06); Planning, Zoning and the Environment Committee Chair Ryan Velasco (6C07); and Co-Vice Chair Charles Docter (6C09); Keith Silver (6C01); Treasurer and Grants Committee Chair Lena Brown (6C03).