Posted tagged ‘Affordable housing’

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Updated Park Morton Plan Could Begin by End of 2020

January 28, 2020

(Rendering of the final phase of Park Morton’s development on Morton Street)

Based on information shared at the January 23, 2020, Park Morton Steering Committee Meeting, the plan to redevelop Park Morton is being adjusted to allow redevelopment to move forward while the DC Court of Appeals considers the challenges to the approved Zoning Order for the development’s first phase at the Bruce Monroe site.

The most significant change from the original development plan is that original Phase 2 of the development plan is now targeted as Phase 1 of the plan (see the area outlined in orange below). This area is the location of the planned larger apartment building on Park Road which would replace the currently empty Park Morton Park Road buildings. The construction timeline for this area is currently scheduled for the end of 2020 or the very beginning of 2021 with completion by the end of 2022.

In order to keep the Park Morton redevelopment moving forward, the area of Park Morton along Park Road (outlined in orange), will now be the first phase of development

In order for construction to begin, housing needs to be coordinated for some current Park Morton residents who live in other buildings impacted by the construction and a new city street needs to be approved and constructed. The street is necessary both to support the development and to ensure the safety of the residents remaining on site.

The original Phase 1 of Park Morton – at the Bruce Monroe site – has been held up in court following the challenge filed against the approved zoning order by four parties from the 700 blocks of Irving Street and Columbia Rd, NW. In reviewing the docket for the case in December 2019, all materials appear to have been filed and the only outstanding item is a ruling from the judge. It is expected that a ruling could happen in the coming weeks, though appeals cases have no timetable.

Presuming the Court upholds the original Zoning Order, the Bruce Monroe site phase can move forward. It would no longer be considered a separate phase of development, but rather could move forward concurrently with the new Park Road Phase 1 which would speed up the timeline. If, instead, the Court identifies any issues those would have to be addressed prior to construction.

The proposed changes to the phasing of the Park Morton development does not alter the overall plan and will not have an impact on the number of housing units produced. The development still plans to replace the 174 units at Park Morton with 545 mixed-income units. Park Morton residents have a guaranteed right to continue living at Park Morton in a new replacement apartment. There are also plans being reviewed to make homeownership an opportunity for Park Morton residents to pursue – though the exact number has not yet been determined.

(This article also cross-posted on New Columbia Heights)

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 3 Comments

Reminder! Hebrew Home Development Update Meeting Tonight at Petworth Library

March 19, 2019

The development team working on renovating the historic Hebrew Home and developing new housing on the remainder of the property is hosting a community meeting tonight.

The meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Petworth Library. See flyer below:

Categories: Development, Housing
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Notes from February Park Morton Steering Committee Meeting

March 1, 2019

Aimee McHale from the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development’s office sharing information with the Committee.

Last night’s community Park Morton Steering Committee Meeting offered and overview on where things stand regarding the plans to replace and rebuild Park Morton in three phases over two sites. The key information points that were shared centered around the following.

Bruce Monroe Zoning Appeal

As people may recall, the Park Morton redevelopment effort broke down into two zoning cases, one for the current Park Morton site (ZC 16-12) and one for the former Bruce Monroe site (ZC 16-11). Zoning Case 16-12 was not appealed, but Case 16-11 was. Oral arguments for the zoning appeal were heard before the Court of Appeals on February 14, 2019.

There was no decision following oral arguments and there is no required time by which the Court of Appeals must render a decision. Based on past cases, a decision could be between 2-18 month. It is estimated that construction could start 6-9 months after the appeal is resolved.

The primary issues challenging the zoning order shared at the meeting can be seen in the slide below:

Interim Control Funding

The second significant update that was presented was the DMPED funding assistance to the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) to perform interim controls. In 2018, DCHA did environmental studies at its properties throughout DC. At Park Morton, they discovered lead which required remediation. Due to the expense and with redevelopment looming, DCHA initially indicated that it wanted to move residents out and just replace existing buildings. This would have resulted in displacing families which the ANCs, Council, DMPED, and New Communities Initiative are all dedicated to preventing. The current plan is for a phased replacement that does not displace our neighbors.

In order to keep the promise of a development that is constructed in phases without displacement, DMPED agreed to assist DCHA with $4.5M in funding to address the lead and other maintenance issues present at Park Morton that must be addressed between now and the start of the redevelopment.

Housing Mix Review

Another focus area of the meeting concerned the number of units, the affordability of the units, and how many bedrooms each unit had. This was largely a review, but emphasis was made that families living at Park Morton would move into new units once constructed that were appropriate to their needs. Currently, every Park Morton apartment is a  two-bedroom apartment. Some families only need a one-bedroom apartment and others need apartments that are three- or four-bedrooms.

To determine the right size apartment for each family, DMPED has been conducting household surveys and using data from DCHA to identify the various apartment sizes that are necessary to meet the needs of families living at Park Morton. At a very high level, the slide below shows how many housing units will be produced during each phase and where.


The meeting closed out with a Q & A session where questions were asked about job training programs and neighborhood investment in addition to additional information in the areas from the presentation.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Community Update on the Hebrew Home Redevelopment (1125 Spring Road) Scheduled for Tuesday, March 19th

February 28, 2019

Here’s a chance to get caught up on where things are with the redevelopment of the Hebrew Home project!

The Development Team for Spring Flats (1125 Spring Road NW) will be providing community members with an update on their progress on both the senior-only housing building (the former Hebrew Home) as well as the new construction (single-family condos and multifamily building on site of former Robeson School) next month on Tuesday, March 19 from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Petworth Library in the large meeting room downstairs. Since the team has now submitted their building permit and public space permits applications for approval from the District, they will be presenting updated renderings of what the development will look like — and provide neighbors with an updated timeline for construction.

City agencies, including the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), will also be attending the meeting in order to provide the community with an update on the ongoing work that various city agencies (DPR, DCPS, DDOT, and DGS) are making on looking at existing traffic and parking issues related to Raymond Elementary and Raymond Recreation Center and coming up with strategies for mitigating the impact that the development will have on issues in the neighborhood.

Site plan showing location of non-historic structures to be removed during renovations.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Is the Hebrew Home Redevelopment Project Still On? You Betcha!

January 18, 2019


(Bird’s Eye View of Hebrew Home project from 10th and Spring Rd., NW.)

I’ve had a number of people ask lately if the Hebrew Home project at 1125 Spring Road is still going forward due to the site being quiet for the last several month. The answer is yes!

Here is what the Victory Housing and Brinshore Development team have been doing to get the project shovel ready. They are currently in underwriting with the Department of Housing and Community Development for the historic senior building and have passed the threshold (meaning they are going to underwriting) for the new family development . The property has been subdivided and they’re going through all the normal details required for predevelopment with the lenders/financers/engineering, etc.

As a recap, the plans for the historic Hebrew Home building were approved by the HPRB in January 2018, following Victory Housing and Brinshore being awarded the project in August 2017.

When completed, the development 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.

 

Categories: Development, Historic Landmarks, Housing
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More Affordable Senior Housing Being Planned for Columbia Heights

August 27, 2018

(The Samuel J. Simmons NCBA Estates at 14th and Harvard St., NW)

Last week, ANC1A Commissioners Margaret Hundley and Kent Boese were invited to a meeting with National Caucus & Center on Black Aging, Inc. (NCBA) leadership about plans to expand the Samuel J. Simmons NCBA Estates property located at 14th Street between Harvard Street and Girard Street, NW. NCBA is an organization dedicated to the physical, economic, social and financial wellbeing of low-income African American senior citizens.

The Simmons Estates property currently provides 175 units of housing for seniors. The purpose of the meeting was to inform ANC1A about their plans to expand their Columbia Heights facility and request that the Commission provide a letter of support — which ANC1A will consider at their September 12th meeting.

Based on the information that NCBA shared, I’m very existed about this development. While there are still many details currently being worked out, here is the high level overview of the project proposal:

  • The new construction would be entirely by-right and compliant with zoning;
  • The project would create approximately 159 new units of housing for seniors at no more than 60% AMI;
  • The project would eliminate the surface parking lot currently behind the building, and replace it with approximately 81 spaces of underground parking on two levels; and,
  • There is a possibility that the new building could include approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of retail space at the corner of 14th and Harvard as well at NCBA’s main office.

It is too early to tell what the new building might look like, but NCBA provided the following drawings that help give a sense of the siting, massing, and relationship of the new building with the existing apartment building.

(The new building would be constructed along Harvard Street and behind the current apartment building. It would also create a green courtyard between the current building and the new building.)

(This drawing shows the location and massing of the proposed building along with its connection to the existing apartment tower.)

(One interesting feature of the proposed building is that in order to provide an entrance to the underground parking, DDOT will need to reopen the closed alley on Girard Street. Not only does this make the need for a new curb cut unnecessary, it will improve city services such as trash collection for all residents on the block.)

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 5 Comments

Historic Preservation Review Board Approves Restoration Plans for Hebrew Home on Spring Road

January 26, 2018

At the January 25, 2018, Historic Preservation Review Board hearing, the Board approved the preservation plan for the renovation of the historic Hebrew Home building at 1125 Spring Road. The case was approved as part of the Board’s consent agenda. The hearing only focused on the overall plan for the historic structure, and not the proposed development east of the property as it does not encroach upon the historic site.

Site plan showing location of non-historic structures to be removed during renovations.

The renovation plan focused on exterior modifications. The primary exterior modifications include complete replacement of existing (non-historic) windows and doors. Aluminum-clad wood windows with simulated divided lights are proposed. The development team consulted historic photographs in order to propose new windows that match the original windows as closely as possible with respect to operation and lite patterns.

Restoration of the existing exterior masonry is also planned as part of the renovation. This will include cleaning and repair/repointing of the brick as necessary. As part of the renovation, a limited number of selective reductions of non-historic exterior elements is proposed including removal of a one-story brick shed on the west side, a one-story open carport structure on the north side, an existing two-story free-standing utility building on the north side and a one-story walkway canopy connecting to the existing adjacent Robeson School building to the east.
Two small additions were also proposed and approved. A one-story addition on the first floor within the existing interior courtyard (and not visible from the exterior) which will provide a multi-use amenity space for residents and a one-story addition on the fifth floor which will provide 2 apartments and a second means of egress from an existing amenity space overlooking Spring Road. This proposed roof addition is located on the east wing adjacent to the interior courtyard and is set back substantially from the east building face to minimize (or eliminate) its visual perception from the public right-of-way.

The existing open space along Spring Road between the Hebrew Home and the adjacent Jewish Social Services Agency building will be redeveloped to create a new pocket park accessible to the public. In keeping with the original character of this exterior space, the design will provide small passive-use spaces with minimal plantings. In order to provide access to the space from the Spring Road streetscape, a new ADA ramp and access stair will be constructed in public space. This will require minor modifications to the existing brick retaining wall at the back of the existing sidewalk.

Below are some renderings filed with the HPRB case.

(Plan showing park area with notations showing improvements.)

(Plan showing location of new additions.)

(Perspective from the southeast (front), identifying location of rooftop addition.)

(Perspective from northwest (rear), identifying location of rooftop addition.)

Categories: Architecture, Historic Landmarks, Housing, Restoration repair and maintenance
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Comments: 3 Comments

Community Input on Hebrew Home Development Begins

December 4, 2017

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.

 

Categories: Community Involvement, Development, Historic Landmarks, Housing
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Comments: 4 Comments

Victory Housing/Brinshore Development Selected to Redevelop Hebrew Home Property

August 23, 2017

(Rendering from Victory Housing proposal.)

Yesterday, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner announced that the developer selected to redevelop the historic Hebrew Home at 1125 Spring Road, NW, was Victory Housing with Brinshore Development. This was the same development team that both ANC1A and ANC4C recommended as their first choice at their July ANC meetings.

Through the community engagement process, follow up conversations with development teams, and collaboration between the two ANCs, the Victory Housing proposal was deemed the best overall proposal for the site. Following the selection, the development team will also need to come back before the ANCs as part of the Planned Unit Development/Zoning process through which design refinements can be made. Early conversations with the Victory Housing team showed a wiliness to work with the surrounding neighborhood to refine design elements.

A copy of the full press release is available here and after the jump. (more…)

Categories: Development, Historic Landmarks, Housing, Seniors
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Comments: 4 Comments

ANCs Recommend Victory Housing as Top Pick for Hebrew Home Development

July 17, 2017

(Early rendering showing one potential design by Victory Housing.)

On July 12, at separate meetings, both Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 4C and 1A recommended Victory Housing & Brinshore Development as their primary choice for the development team to redevelop the former Hebrew Home property at 1125 Spring Road into a mixed income/multi-generational community. The two Commissions differed on their second choices.

Both Commissions felt that the Victory Housing proposal “meets the shared community priority of providing 88 units of dedicated, affordable senior housing in the former Hebrew Home. It also provides the largest number of affordable, family-sized units of any of the proposals as well with 29 three-bedroom rental units. In addition, it proposes home ownership opportunities along Spring Road NW. It also provides 75 underground parking spaces, with approximately 1.8 parking spaces for each 3 units of non-senior housing.”

The Commissions’ recommendations will be sent to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), where the final decision on selecting a development team will be determined.

The Commissions differed on their second choices. ANC4C’s second choice was the NHP Foundation, Fivesquares Development, and Warrenton Group. ANC 1A’s second choice, on the other hand, was the Bozzuto Homes proposal. ANC 1A further selected the Mission First proposal as its third choice. (read ANC 1A resolution at goo.gl/RChVH3 ).

DMPED is expected to select a development team prior to the July 27, 2017 public meeting scheduled to present the District’s intent to declare the Hebrew Home surplus. The meeting’s purpose is to receive comments on the proposed designation of 1125 Spring Road, NW, as surplus property. The surplus meeting is held in order to receive feedback from the community on the District’s finding that the property is no longer required for public purposes. Comments collected at the public meeting will be submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia for its review.

The date, time, and location of the surplus meeting is below:

Date: Thursday, July 27, 2017
Time: 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Location: Raymond Recreation Center
3725 10th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20010

Categories: Development, Housing, Uncategorized
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