Community Input on Hebrew Home Development Begins
Victory Housing and the Brinshore Development team held the first of several community engagement meetings on the redevelopment of the historic Hebrew Home property on Saturday, December 2nd. After an introduction and PowerPoint presentation, neighbors were able to dig deeper into four difference aspects of the project to help guide the team in shaping the development. The four breakout areas were:
- Historic Preservation & Corner Design
- Traffic Management & Parking
- Community Spaces & Benefits
- Sustainability Strategies
Commissioner Boese and neighbors participating in the discussion on how the new building could fit with the century-old neighborhood.
The overall plan of the project will include the creation of 187 residential units through a mix of townhomes and apartments. The project will include the creation of 88 units of affordable housing for seniors at or below 60 percent Area Median Income (AMI) through the adaptive preservation of the historic Hebrew Home building as well as the creation of 62 units of affordable housing in a newly constructed building at the current site of the Paul Robeson School.
The engagement meeting was an opportunity for neighbors to identify, discuss, and offer ideas on the design of the project; identify and offer solutions to potential traffic and parking impacts the project may create; and discuss community goals for the development along with how the revitalized property could serve the community as well as the neighborhood.
One item that was share during the presentation that was new to the community was that the development team, at the suggestion of the Office of Planning, will be seeking to rezone the property to allow a by-right project. Previously, the development team was planning to go through the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process. The process to rezone the site will still provide an opportunity for both ANC1A and ANC4C to weigh in, though the nuances between the two still needs to be explored.
Below are two of the flip charts showing some of the bullets on what was identified in two of the stations.
Explore posts in the same categories: Community Involvement, Development, Historic Landmarks, Housing
Tags: Affordable housing, Development, Hebrew Home for the Aged, historic buildings, housing
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Park View, D.C. 
December 4, 2017 at 9:42 am
They’re seeking to rezone the site because they don’t want to run the risk of the neighbors challenging the PUD and having the DC courts vacate the development plan. Avoiding a PUD will allow less for less community input. If a for-profit developer did this, you’d bet the neighborhood would be up in arms, but since it’s for below market housing, I guess the ANC doesn’t care.
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If the ANC supports this upzoning (because that’s what it will be, not a ‘re’ zoning), I look forward to them supporting every for-profit developers’ upzoning request.
December 4, 2017 at 10:43 am
Good point! The ANC needs to do the right thing on this, not the easy thing.
December 4, 2017 at 11:26 am
No PUD?? That was specifically referenced by several ANC Commisioners as giving them an advantage versus other more preferred (by actual neighbors) developers like Bozzuto. Any now they are trying to get out of the PUD? Bullshit.
December 5, 2017 at 10:14 pm
I’m looking forward to working with my ANC to oppose forward movement on this project without a PUD. Actual local residents weren’t in favor of this proposal to begin with, and this just validated our objection in yet another way.