2024 15th Street: ANC1B Facilitates Negotiations Between Neighbors about Pop-back

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street successfully facilitated an agreement between the owner of 2024 15th Street NW and a neighbor, so that the building will be able to "pop back" into a residence that will have four or five residential units. ANC1B's Zoning, Preservation and Development (ZPD) Committee voted unanimously to support the project after representatives of the neighbor came to the meeting and said they were satisfied with the outcome. The vote came at the ZPD Committee's February 23 meeting.

The darker grey on the left is the rear addition to the house

The neighbor had originally written a letter of protest about the development, which must get the approval of DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) because it is located between U and V Streets in the U Street Historic District.

Patrick Nelson, ZPD Committee chair, said he had made a site visit to the property three weeks before and had spent two hours on the telephone with the neighbor a few days previous, addressing the neighbor's concerns.

The neighbor was out of town on business, but the neighbor's spouse and mother appeared at the meeting to confirm that the neighbor was satisfied with the outcome.

"He was very happy that someone took the time," Nelson said.

The neighbor was initially concerned about trash collection at the building once the expansion was complete, as well as a part of the proposed new construction which, the neighbor felt, would block light and air. The parties developing 2024 15th Street took the concerns on board and made changes.

"The modifications were not the ideal," the owner of 2024 15th Street told the committee.

The applicants told the committee they were planning to appear before the HPRB in three days' time, on February 26. This would be too soon to get approval from the full ANC, but the applicants were hoping to go to the HPRB with the committee's approval only.

The historic preservation aspects of the project were approved by the HPRB at its February 26 meeting. The HPRB staff report on the project (available here) calls the rear addition compatible with the historic district as a whole. It notes that it will not be visible from the front and is similar to rear additions to nearby houses already in place.

The rear additions will not increase the building's height, and the building will still have two parking spaces as required by zoning. The project does not require any zoning relief, so now that the HPRB has signed off on it, it can go ahead.

See the architectural drawings submitted to the HPRB here.

Weather permitting, ANC1B's regularly monthly meeting is scheduled for tonight, March 5, at 7 pm at the auditorium of the DC Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Avenue. This matter is not on the published agenda, which is available about half-way down this page.

(Photo credit: detail from applicant's HPRB submission)

1504 Swann Street: Residence Expansion Domino Effect

On December 1st, a committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle voted to support the expansion of 1504 Swann Street NW. Architect Julian Hunt, Founder and Chairman of Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground, is supervising the renovation and expansion of this home, which he has owned since 1998 and lives in. In a publicly-available zoning document, Hunt has said that one of the purposes of the renovation is "to adapt the house by going up to recapture the light and air."

Second floor to go on top of 1504 Swann Street

In the same document explains Hunt and his wife Lucretia Laudi (also an architect) had been living in the house for 14 years when "the adjacent house to the south was sold and an enormous addition (pop-back) was built in 2012 and completely closed off all the air and light..." for Hunt's property. Ironically, this expansion was made possible after the adjoining home had been downzoned, a process that is supposed to make expansion of homes more difficult. However, in this case, Hunt explained, downzoning removed Floor-to-Area Ratio (FAR) restrictions, which enabled the neighbor to expand the footprint of the structure on his property, and, as Hunt put it, erect a "monster" expansion.

The Zoning, Preservation and Development (ZPD) Committee of ANC1B heard the case on December 1. They voted to support both the historic preservation and the zoning aspects of the expansion of the house. I was not present for this portion of the meeting. In an email, ANC2B Chair Noah Smith (also Commissioner for district 09, where this property is located) gave the following reasons for ANC endorsement:

The support is based on the unique circumstances created by a neighbor's previous addition, which eliminated light and air for this property to the south. Swann Street is a beautiful and well-maintained historic street and this project will enhance it while adding an interesting, but not out of place, façade.

The proposed addition will add two additional stories, or about 20 feet, over  the structure in the picture above. On top will be a roof deck. According to drawings submitted to zoning authorities, the completed structure will be roughly as tall and as large as the neighbor's expansion. The new structure will contain a rental apartment, which the owners plan to use for income. This, they said in zoning documents, would allow them to "age in place" with "the security of a small income from the rental".

The expansion requires zoning relief because the building, built around 1870, is not in compliance with 1958 zoning regulations. It covers 100% of its lot, but zoning allows only 60%. In addition, zoning requires a rear yard, which is clearly not possible since the house covers the whole lot.

The historic preservation aspects will have to be reviewed by DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) because the house is located in the U Street Historic District.

Endorsement of historic preservation and zoning aspects of this renovation is on the agenda for the next meeting of the full ANC, scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, at 7pm, at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Avenue).

The plans for the expansion of 1504 Swann Street, along with other documents, are available from DC Interactive Zoning Information System here -- put in case number 18897 into the search bar.

Hunt's initial appearance in June before ANC2B in support of this project was the subject of the SALM blog post of July 1.

Claudia's Steakhouse Liquor License Moves Forward

Eden Brown Gaines of Brown Gaines LLC came before Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle on August 13 to speak about the proposed liquor license for Claudia's Steakhouse. The legal address for Claudia's Steakhouse is 1501 K Street NW, but it will actually be located on the 15th Street side of the building, in a space which formally held an American Express office.

Future entrance of Claudia's on 15th Street

Brown Gaines told ANC2B there would be 300 seats in the restaurant and it would seek an entertainment license. The restaurant would feature music, including "latin jazz".

About the liquor license for Claudia's Steakhouse, Brown Gaines said the owners had "started the process early". The restaurant will not open soon.

"The architect has just started the plans," she said.

The restaurant will appear before the ANC again because it wishes to serve in the public space on the sidewalk along 15th Street. Since public space use will not be happening during winter, it was estimated they would be back with this request in early 2015.

Claudia's Steakhouse will be in the district of Commissioner Abigail Nichols (district 05). Nichols recommended the ANC take no action on the request, meaning, neither endorse nor protest. Other members of the ANC agreed. In absence of an ANC protest, the liquor license will probably be issued. There seem to be no residential building nearby to generate protesting neighbors.

Claudia's Steakhouse will see regular (i.e., maximum) hours of operating, staying open until 2am Sunday through Thursday and 3am Fridays and Saturdays.

An DC government document here indicates objections to the application can be raised before September 8, and Claudia's Steakhouse will have a final hearing on their liquor license request on November 12.

Read a short report about Claudia's Steakhouse from DC City Paper's Young and Hungry blog here.

Claudia's Steakhouse will be operated by the Adams Restaurant Group,

Dupont Underground Developer to Expand Own Residence

Julian Hunt, Founder and Chairman of Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground, will also take on the job of renovating and expanding his own home studio at 1504 Swann Street NW. Hunt is an architect and principle at Hunt Laudi Studio.

1504 Swann Street now

Hunt appeared and spoke June 11, at the last regular monthly of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle. He appeared before the ANC with his wife, Lucretia Laudi, also an architect. She is President of Hunt Laudi Studio.

Hunt and Laudi's appearance before ANC2B was only to inform on their plans -- they will have to come back, probably more than once, because their home will require ANC endorsement of petitions to both DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). 

HPRB will have authority to review because the property is located within the U Street Historic District. 

Hunt explained they have lived at the property for about 17 years. Recently, their neighbors did a by-right expansion of their home to the property line. This cut off light and air to their property, as they are on the north side of a party wall. So, the owners of 1504 Swann Street wish to expand their own property to a height roughly the same as the other buildings on the street.

Two aspects of the project may not fly easily through the permit process. First, The architects desire a higher roof deck on their expanded property. Second, the property already occupies 100% of the lot it stands on, so it is already in violation of zoning regulations.

No votes were taken on the project at the June 11 meeting, nor did commissioners express any opinions.

Hunt Laudi Studio has also been in the news as the designer of the Metro Memorial Park. Mayor Vincent Grey broke ground on the project on June 22. 

Dupont Underground was the subject of the SALM blog post of April 4.  See an article from the same date by the blog Urban Turf here.

ANC1B "Great Weight" Fails Meridian Hill Property Owners

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street twice voted last year to support the exclusion of individual properties from the soon-to-be-created Meridian Hill Historic District. However, D.C's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) did not agree with the ANC. It voted on March 6 for the properties to be included in the historic district.

Augustana Church

According to an article starting on page one of the March 19 edition of the Dupont Current newspaper (32-page .pdf available here), Kim Williams of HPRB staff persuaded the board to include both 95-year-old Augustana Church (2100 New Hampshire Avenue NW) and a row of 1930's-era townhouses (2313, 2315, 2317, and 2319 15th Street) as contributing parts of the historic district. This will make it more difficult for the property owners to renovate, modify, or demolish the properties -- see HPRB page for homeowners here.

ANC1B voted to support the exclusion of Augustana Church and the row houses at its regular monthly meeting of November 2013 -- see SALM blog posts of November 11, 2013, and October 30, 2013, respectively.

Agencies of the D.C. government, including the HPRB, are required by Section 1-309.10 (a)(3)(A) of the D.C. Code to give "great weight" to ANC decisions. This means agencies must acknowledge receiving ANC recommendations and respond to them in writing. This means it is often easier for DC agencies to agree with ANC decisions, since disagreeing with an ANC may mean having to compose a well-reasoned response explaining why the "great weight" has been disregarded. However, there is no obligation to agree with ANC recommendations.

2313, 2315, 2317, and 2319 15th Street

According to an HPRB document (page 41 of a 119-page .pdf here), the 15th Street row houses were originally on a list of "non-contributing" buildings to the district. It is easier to get permission for renovations and modifications for non-contributing buildings in a historic district.

However, the buildings face, and are visable from, Meridian Hill Park across 15th Street. Williams apparently convinced the Board to remove them from the list, saying they are "an important contributor", according to the Current.

In the same article, HPRB members said inclusion in the historic district would not present insurmountable hurdles to homeowners. Members said the review process is speedy and few requests are shot down. Churches are often given special consideration, a Board member said.

See the recommendation by Historic Preservation Office that Meridian Hill be designated a historic district here.

See design guidelines for the new historic district here.

UPDATED: Neighbor Attempts to Put Pal the Mediterranean Spot Out of Business

UPDATE Friday, February 21: The neighbors have dropped the appeal today -- see document 22 of case 18716, accessible through the Interactive Zoning Information System of Office of Zoning.

Yesterday, the D.C. Attorney General said the appeal should be dismissed -- see document 21D on same page.

I do not imply this blog post influenced the outcome. The outcome was clearly caused solely by events prior to this post's publication. 

Thanks to U Street Buzz for this information.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street will support the management of Pal the Mediterranean Spot restaurant (1501 U Street NW) in a struggle with an abutting neighbor to the north over whether their space is zoned for restaurant operation.

The northwest corner of 15th and U

The case of Pal the Mediterranean Spot will come up before D.C.'s Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) on March 4. According to publicly-available BZA documents, the abutting neighbors who are bringing the appeal are Christina and Mark Parascandola. They will attempt to prove that the restaurant's certificate of occupancy to operate a 50-seat restaurant was issued in error.

ANC1B voted unanimously to send a letter to the BZA opposing the appeal. The vote took place during ANC1B's regular monthly meeting on February 6.

At the meeting, ANC Commissioners noted the neighbors had recently lost a long struggle to deny Pal the Mediterranean Spot a liquor license. A decision, documented in a D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board order of January 22 (available here), grants Pal the Mediterranean Spot a liquor license for restaurants and also permission to operate a sidewalk cafe until 11pm, Monday - Thursday, and midnight Friday and Saturday. Another ABC Board document (287-page .pdf available here) is a transcript of the October 16, 2013, hearing on the matter.

Having lost the liquor license battle, the neighbors are now attempting to show that the restaurant does not have the right to operate, ANC Commissioners said. An on-line DC zoning map confirms 1501 U Street is zoned R-5-B. This zone is for single-family dwellings and apartment buildings. Its abutting neighbors to the west on U Street are zoned to allow commercial use.

ANC Commissioners at the meeting characterized the restaurant as a Mom-and-Pop operation, run by immigrants who could ill afford the lawyers it needed to defend themselves against the continuing legal actions.

"It's a tragedy and we need to look into this," one said.

This is not the first time zoning regulations have been used to attempt to thwart prospective or current liquor licensees. In July 2013, it was used in an attempt to derail the opening of Compass Rose (1346 T Street).

None of the parties involved identified themselves as present at the meeting.

Documents relating to Pal the Mediterranean Spot's BZA case can be viewed at the Interactive Zoning Information System of Office of Zoning by entering case number 18716 into the search bar.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

Homeowners Plead for Exclusion from New Historic District

The Meridian Hill Historic District seems set to go ahead. But some people who live there don't want their homes to be a part of it.

The proposed non-contributing homes

Two owners of single-family homes facing Meridian Hill Park on the 2300 block of 15th Street NW appeared before the Design Review Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street on October 28. They asked that their historic district homes, and those of two neighbors, be officially listed as "non-contributing", meaning, they do not have historic or architectural significance.

Many renovations, large and small, done to buildings in a historic district are subject to review by DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). However, if a building is labelled "non-contributing", owners have a wider, if not complete, freedom if they wish to significantly modify their homes. For example, owners can demolish non-contributing buildings in a historic district without HPRB approval.

Commissioner supports constituents

Appearing with the homeowners at the meeting was ANC1B Commissioner Ricardo Reinoso (district 05). The homes in question fall in Reinoso's district, but he is not a member of the Design Review Committee.

Reinoso said the creation of the district is being co-sponsored by DC's Historic Preservation Office (HPO) and is scheduled for a December hearing.

Reinoso asked the Design Review Committee to recommend that the full ANC both endorse the historic district in general as well as agree that the four single-family homes (2313, 2315, 2317, and 2319 15th Street) are non-contributing.

The committee saw a new HPRB document on design guidelines for the historic district. The document included a photograph of 2517 15th Street as an example of a non-contributing building, calling it "[c]learly contemporary in design".

Two of the four homeowners also appeared in person to plead their case.

A close vote to support

Still, some members of the committee felt the 15th Street homes should be subject to HPRB review. This review would not impose an onerous additional administrative burden on homeowners, they indicated. Because these members could not agree to the classification of the four homes as non-contributing, they voted against endorsing the historic district.

The final vote was three for endorsing the Meridian Hill Historic District with non-contributing buildings, and two against. This is an unusually close vote for the committee.

Voting for the endorsement and the homeowners was Commissioner Tony Norman (district 10). Norman is the chair of both the Design Review Committee and the ANC as a whole, and is also the only elected official on the Design Review Committee.

Parts of the proposed new historic district will fall into ANC districts 1A, 1C, and 1D as well. ANC 1A/Columbia Heights unanimously passed a resolution supporting the creation of the new historic district in July. A report on the vote by the blog New Columbia Heights includes a map of the proposed historic district.

Reinoso reported that ANC 1C/Adams Morgan has also voted to support the district.

The matter will probably be voted on at the next meeting of the full ANC. This is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, at 7pm, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets)