New Details Released For 60-Unit Project at 14th and Wallach

• August 20th 2013

by Shilpi Paul

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On Monday night, Madison Investments and PGN Architects stopped by the ANC 1B Design Review Committee meeting to discuss their proposed project at the northeast corner of 14th and Wallach Streets NW (map). The plans are not set in stone, but Madison estimates that the project will total around 60 units (rather than the planned 75), and it is undecided if the project will be rentals or condos.

Though the developers were considering once micro-units, they decided to build larger apartments which will average 650 square feet. Twenty percent of the units will be studios, 50 percent one-bedrooms and 30 percent will be two-bedrooms.

As is the case with most new residential projects along the 14th Street Corridor, much of the discussion on Monday night centered around parking. The developers are applying for a special exception from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) to build only nine parking spaces with the new development.

Sia Madani of Madison Investments defended the decision to limit parking. “People who are living at this destination are embracing the urban lifestyle and doing away with the car,” he said. As evidence, he cited The District across 14th Street, which is 80 percent leased up, but has only leased 10 percent of its parking spaces.

A member of the Design Committee requested that Madison consider following a recent trend and prohibit tenants from obtaining residential parking permits. The developers were open to the idea.

As for the design, Madison will be building up and around two existing buildings along Wallach Street, which will both be preserved. A new building, with a facade made from brick, corrugated metal and glass will front onto 14th Street and connect the existing buildings. The ground floor will be occupied by retail and an interior courtyard, which all the residential units will look down upon. The three lower floors of new construction will roughly match the current buildings in regards to their placement on the lot. The upper levels have some undulation and pulled-back areas, and the design incorporates several bays and recesses.

While official ANC votes on the design and parking exemption will not take place until next month, the development was well-received by the committee. The developers will be meeting with the BZA and the Historic Preservation Review Board in the coming months.

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• Can Prohibition Ease DC’s Parking Crush?
• The 14th Street Development Rundown

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/60_unit_residential_project_at_14th_and_wallach/7479.