At the August meeting of the U Street Neighborhood Association, ANC 2F’s ARTS Overlay Review Committee presented an update on their work.  The Committee was formed in June 2009 to review the effectiveness of the ARTS Overlay District zoning rules and to feed recommendations into DC’s citywide zoning review process that is currently underway.  

The ARTS District, which was established in 1989, encompasses large parts of both the 14th and U Streets corridors.  The original purpose of the ARTS District was to encourage arts and related cultural and support uses, as well as pedestrian-friendly retail, residential and other development, that fosters 18-hour activity in the district.  

The committee is now formulating its report and recommendations, which will be circulated for public comment during August, and which are due to be received by the Office of Planning and the DC Zoning Commission by September 7, 2009. 

 

Read more for the summary of findings and the complete preliminary report.

 

Local real estate blog, DCmud, is reporting that plans for developing the rear surface parking lot behind the Lincoln Theatre, and the adjoining vacant lot have been shelved. 

 

DCmud reports:

Original planning for the development of these lots began with community meetings in 2006 and plans continued.  In June 2007, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development presented an update to the U Street Neighborhood Association during the regular monthly meeting.

 

CSNA has been informed by the DC Historic Preservation Office (HPO) - located within the DC Office of Planning (DCOP) -- that after discussion between The JBG Companies and HPO, and in consideration of concerns expressed by CSNA adopted as CSNA's formal position at the May CSNA meeting, all parties have agreed that JBG's proposed U Street Hotel project will not be reviewed by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) on May 28, 2009, as previously scheduled and announced.  Similar concerns were also expressed by ANC 1B during their May 7, 2009 meeting.

Rather, JBG will begin the process of filing their Planned United Development (PUD) application for consideration by the DC Office of Zoning and the DC Zoning Commission. 

 

DCOP and HPO believes that many of the issues raised by the neighborhood can best be addressed in the forum of a Zoning Commission hearing, in which the Zoning Commission can determine the larger issues that should be addressed first:  the appropriateness of the land use, density, and height, the impacts on surrounding properties, and consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. 

 

Once and when these issues are successfully addressed, the project would then be scheduled for design review by the HPRB.

 

Throughout the spring, CSNA has been working with neighbors, members, and the JBG Companies to discuss and review JBG's proposed U Street Hotel project at 13th and U Streets, NW.

 

JBG will present their concept design to the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) on May 28, 2009 (HPA #08-511, 1310).  As part of the historic review process, CSNA has been collecting neighborhood comments and concerns through its Historic Preservation and Development Committee (HPD) to draft a formal position for CSNA.

 

At the May 14 CSNA meeting, CSNA's HPD committee made this presentation -- CSNA's Historic Preservation and Development Committee Presentation on CSNA's Review of JBG's U Street Hotel Project - 14 May 2009 (PDF file) (973 KB) -- and then presented a motion of CSNA's formal position.

 

Read more for the complete motion.