Redevelopment Snag Prompts EastBanc To Propose Citywide Changes
EastBanc’s proposed planned development at the eastern gateway to Georgetown has hit a zoning roadblock, but a proposed change by the developer could have a huge impact on development throughout the District.
The company filed a PUD application last July to construct a 43k SF building at 2715 Pennsylvania Ave NW, a site which EastBanc acquired last March for $4M, the Washington Business Journal reports. The Georgetown site spans 7,400 SF, less than half of the typical lot size requirement of 15k for a PUD.
The DC Zoning Commission has the power to halve the requirement through a waiver, but with less than 7,500 SF available, EastBanc’s site fails to check off that box. The developer is also unable to acquire additional parcels near the site, as it's surrounded by land owned by the National Park Service.
EastBanc has proposed a solution through a zoning text amendment to cut the minimum size for a PUD to 10k SF throughout the city. The zoning commission has agreed to further consider the proposal, which—if approved—could lead to many more PUD’s in the District.
Plans for 2715 Pennsylvania call for a ground-floor restaurant topped by an eight-unit luxury apartment house. EastBanc has another PUD in the works not too far away at the site of the former Hine Junior High School in Capitol Hill. Plans for that project call for 150k SF of offices, 61k SF of retail and 162 residential units. [WBJ]
