HPRB Approves Two New Buidings for Blagden Alley

Slowly but surely, Shaw’s Blagden Alley neighborhood is growing. Two new developments proposed by Altus Realty Partners will fill in a couple of empty lots in the historic district and are now one step closer to reality—though when they’ll actually be complete is anyone’s guess.

Building at 1212 9th Street

On Thursday, DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board looked over proposed designs for the buildings by PGN Architects. One, at 1212 9th Street, will be four stories tall and include a small ground floor retail space; the other will sit at 917 M Street, but its longest side will run along the alley. HPRB approved both projects, leaving smaller details to be worked out with the Historic Planning Office staff.

At this point, both developments are in the very early stages, so details like whether the buildings will include condos or apartments, or how many units each will hold, are still up in the air. As for an estimated timeline for next steps, “it’s pure conjecture,” said Charlie Kehler, a principal with Altus. This stage is very much about design.

1212 9th Street, from the south

The four-story building on 9th Street is relatively straightforward. Filling in a vacant lot between Squares Fashions and a string of row houses, the building’s 9th Street façade will be clad in buff brick, with a stepped back central bay and a top floor of glass and aluminum. The ground floor would include shop windows topped by a steel canopy; above would be two floors of residences, plus a penthouse set back by about four feet. Just south of the building runs an alley, which residents would use to access parking.

The HPRB had a few comments about the height of the penthouse and whether the alley would be wide enough to regularly accommodate cars, but the board unanimously approved the design.

Building at 917 M Street

The second building is a bit more complicated. In an effort to complement the decorative Second Empire row houses that lie along M Street just west of 9th Street and just east of the proposed building, the architects gave the development’s M Street façade three vertical sections alternately made of block, glass and brick. Turning the corner, the long side along Blagden Alley uses the same materials—and includes a three-story glass gallery—though with more of a horizontal orientation.

The design incorporates an existing historic one-story garage on the alley. The developers are planning on excavating to create underground parking, and the new building would rest on top of part of the structure.

917 M Street building seen from west

HPRB members expressed some concern that, while the side of the building appears to be sufficiently industrial to fit with the alley’s overall aesthetic, the front is a bit too stark to complement the row houses. “It’s a blank cypher—I’m not sure what you’re trying to capture,” said HPRB member Nancy Metzger. Still, the group approved the design, leaving the developers to work with HPO to iron out any final issues.

Kehler was pleased with the decisions and said Altus is excited about the area. “We love the neighborhood’s identity,” he said. “We think it’s where DC will be focused in the future.”

Washington, D.C., real estate development news

Read More

CAS Riegler Development on 9th to Break Ground Early Next Year

After years of tiptoeing towards growth, Shaw’s 9th Street NW is taking a big step in that direction in 2013, and one more project is now officially in the pipeline.

Adam Stifel, one of the founding principals of development company CAS Riegler, says the group, in partnership with Douglas Development and CityInterests, is close to construction on a residential project at the corner of 9th and N streets designed by PGN Architects. The partners say they hope to choose a general contractor by the end of October and plan to break ground early next year.  "We’re all set and it’s pretty much entitled,” said Stifel, explaining that the project has received approvals from the local ANC, the Boart of Zoning Adjustment, and the Historic Preservation Review Board. “Now we’re working on getting it priced out from general contractors.” Stifel would not name the four or five companies bidding on the consruction project.

The development site includes a lot at the corner of 9th and N streets that’s currently being used by garden center Old City Green, as well as an existing historic building at 1264 9th Street and a building located on Blagden Alley inside the block which formerly served as Fight Club DC, a privately-owned skateboarding/art/music space that closed in 2010. The corner lot is owned by Douglas Development, while CAS Riegler and CityInterests own the property around it.

Earlier estimates had placed groundbreaking in late 2012, but waiting until early 2013 to begin construction means that Frank Asher, owner of Old City Green, doesn’t have to vacate the property until after the lucrative Christmas tree season. Asher has spoken out more broadly about independently-owned businesses being forced to leave an area once it begins to develop.

The project's design has come a long way since its initial renderings, which featured a "Portland-esque" (as Stifel put it) aesthetic that was big on wood and steel. After multiple changes following meetings with neighborhood stakeholders and historic preservation officials, the design is now a little more conventional, giving a nod to the nearby row houses with its varying facade and incorporating--but not mimicking--the historic façade at 1264 9th Street.  The building will back up to Blagden Alley, but Stifel says the connection along the alley will be too small to incorporate any alley amenity or streetscape.

The development will include roughly 70 apartment units; most will be one-bedrooms, with some two-bedroom units scattered throughout and a few larger units located on the building’s penthouse level and its corners. The project will also include a level of underground parking and about 8,000 square feet of ground floor retail. "I think we'll end up with a restaurant taking most of it," said Stifel. "I think it's a really good corner space that's meant to be a restaurant or café."


Stifel, who himself lives in one of the company's Shaw buildings, says he thinks the area has a huge amount of promise. “Shaw has a lot to offer, and a lot of beautiful building stock,” he said.  “As a guy who lives and breathes this stuff, I have a lot of confidence in this market.” He said that he envisions the development will have an urban feel similar to The Hudson, PN Hoffman’s boxy, high-ceilinged apartment building located across from the P Street Whole Foods in Logan Circle.

Washington, D.C., real estate development news

Read More

New Townhouses Headed to Naylor Court

Soil tests and utility studies are underway at 1321 Naylor Ct., NW, in preparation for building permits to construct new homes in the Blagden Alley/Naylor Court Historic District.

OPaL Principal Sean Ruppert said he hopes to begin work on the lot this summer. If all goes well, Naylor Court Stables at 10th and O could be completed by the end of this year.

 

The Board of Zoning Adjustments – the last stop before permitting – approved the zoning variances March 6. The plan to build three 2,600 s.f. townhouses previously gained approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board and received support from community associations.

Ruppert said the new homes are designed to blend with the historic carriage homes in the community while also offering a modern “west coast” feel. He said Seattle-based architect Greg Sparhawk of GPS Designs finds a way to bring natural light and design features that bring the outdoors inside.

“He can make things historic that blend with DC, but the flow and floor plan really does feel West Coast,” Ruppert said.

Original designs focused on a modern feel. But in working with the Historic Preservation Office, Ruppert said the designs evolved to blend with the historic buildings from the street while using a lot of glass in the back and on the third level.

The 2.5-story homes include a full basement and rooftop terraces. “Carriage houses” in back will serve as garages with a loft for storage. Ruppert said he has not yet set a price for the homes.

When completed, the three townhomes will be part of the unique neighborhood that focuses on alley life and still has a strong historic presence from the days of horse-drawn carriages.

Ruppert said it was important to him to foster that equestrian lifestyle in the project.

“It really is the most exciting thing I think I’ve done in my solo career since 2000,” he said. “I grew up on a horse farm, so to do something in D.C. that has an equestrian feel ... is really, really cool.”

Washington, D.C., real estate development news

Read More