Park View, D.C.

610 Newton Place

Yesterday provided some welcome news regarding the development of 608-610 Newton Place, NW. Located on one of our community’s blocks in most need of improvement, I was excited to see the parcels sell in November 2012 for $1,425,000. That event, more than anything, told me that it would be among the sites where Park View would see development in 2013.

As I indicated, I finally learned some rudimentary details yesterday. Ironically, while I was on the phone with the new owner, Washington Business Journal’s Michael Neibauer tweeted the following: “Looks like New Commandment Baptist [sic] will redevelop 608-610 Newton Place NW (Park View) into 4-story, 12-unit apartment house. No IZ required.” (Note: New Commandment no longer owns this property even though they are still listed as owner in the DC Tax database).

Based on my phone conversation, plans for the property are still being finalized, but the new owner does want to make a presentation at a future ANC 1A meeting when the project is further along. They intend to have a project that is completely by-right and will not be seeking any zoning variances. They also intend to keep the façades of the buildings.

More interesting to me, however, is that we had a long conversation about conditions on the 600 block of Newton Place, including how bleak it is. This led to the discussion of landscaping and including trees to help green up Newton Place, which, the owner was enthusiastic about.

Below is a map of the area with the property in question outlined. Bringing this property back into productive use will be a tremendous boon for this block of Newton Place.

It was only a year ago that 732 Lamont was on the DCRA blighted property list. Now, a full year later, the building has finished renovations — beautifully — and its units are officially on the market. The video below gives an idea of the fit and finish new residents can expect. Details, prices, and amenities are found here.