U Street AIR Press alert — Contact
May 3, 2023, Washington, D.C. Ward One, Adams Morgan — Ahead of their monthly meeting tonight, Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are receiving an array of emails from neighbors about the future of 1617 U Street NW — 2-acres of public land located at the foot of the Adams Morgan community and existing home of the Third District Police Station and Engine 9 DC Fire station.
The Mayor has filed an application to convey the right to build a downtown-sized building on the site per the MU10 zone district. A mockup has been generated by community volunteers showing a building that may be possible: a 100-foot tall, 9-story building, two-story penthouse and with density measuring more than 500,000 gross square feet of residential space.
The immediate residential context around the police and fire station (along 17th, V Street, and Seaton Street NW) includes two- and three-story rowhomes (some dating back to the 1870's), including a longtime affordable Adams Morgan housing cooperative and a series of historic buildings owned by Frederick Douglass and his family. Many elders live nearby.
Frederick Douglass' former home in the Strivers Section of Adams Morgan (at corner of 17th and U Street NW).
Neighbors complain of lack of robust community engagement
For the first time on April 19, 2023, the Adams Morgan ANC-1C Planning Zoning & Transportation (PZT) committee shared a resolution supporting the Mayor's application to rezone the entire 1617 U Street site to high-density. The PZT discussed the resolution, considered postponing for a “special meeting” and ultimately voted out markups to the original draft.
The final draft resolution that may be voted on by the entire ANC tonight was shared for the first time on April 26, 2023 on the Adams Morgan listserve.
Neither the Mayor, ANC-1C, or Ward One Councilmember, Brianne Nadeau have held any special public forums on this proposal to educate, inform, and discuss the rezoning of the site and what it might mean for the future of any project located here.
There are no other areas along this corridor or in Adams Morgan zoned MU10 and will likely set precedent for more of Adams Morgan to go downtown-sized high-density in the future.
All the existing older buildings of almost similar height in the area were built largely before zoning rules existed and are largely surrounded by green open spaces of light and air. None of the existing buildings would be of the girth and bloc-like density being proposed by the rezoning now.
Neighbors are complaining that there hasn't been an open community-wide discussion or forum to get answers to burning questions and to discuss impacts. Most residents in the impacted area still do not know of the rezoning and possibilities being considered.
The Mayor did hold a small meeting in July 2022 to get some initial feedback on “disposing” of the public land (either selling or leasing away the land/air rights to private real estate firms) and those in attendance were overwhelming against the idea of turning over the almost 2-acres of public land at this site.
Back in April 2023, neighboring ANC-1B Commissioner, Alan Kensek, voted against supporting the rezoning application after talking to neighbors along V Street and 17th Street. He said he had to vote no because the Mayor's planning offices (namely DMPED) would not guarantee the setbacks and tapering down of density to mitigate impacts to nearby neighbors.
The Adams Morgan ANC will meet tonight and may consider a resolution in support of the Mayor's rezoning of the entire site to high-density. More info here :: www.tinyurl.com/anc1c-meeting
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Some Facts about the 1617 U Street rezoning proposal:
- There has been no open discussion about what may happen to the existing police and fire station at the site. If this deal (details not forthcoming) is like the West End deal, the public may ultimately lose the police station and likely have million $ condos/rentals built atop with great views of downtown — all on (formerly) public land.
- There are no properties or areas in south Adams Morgan or north Dupont neighborhoods, or any property along 18th Street, Florida Ave, or U Street zoned as MU10 which is what is being proposed now. It would be a complete outlier and set precedent for other major land use changes in these areas and neighborhoods going forward.
- The MU10 zone would allow a 100 foot tall building and about 550,000 plus gross square feet of redevelopment of a new building-bloc (see image above).
- The Mayor and DC Office of Planning report expects housing within this new building-bloc, lots of housing (at least 600+ units of housing).
- Status quo developments on public land would mean the land is either given away or leased for pennies on the dollar to private interests resulting in the majority of the proposed housing on this public land set at market-rate (aka luxury) prices.
- There have been absolutely no impact studies that such a proposal may wrought — either on the environment, infrastructure, land values, and the massive period of disruptive construction on those living nearby and in the area. So the premise that DC needs more housing is coming at the direct injury of existing residents and housing. It doesn't have to be this way.
- There has not been any highly-noticed highly-welcomed community forum specifically to discuss this rezoning proposal — a transparent and honest discussion has not been had about the harms, the benefits, the alternatives and and solutions such as subdivision and split zoning the site (higher density on U Street, lower density on V Street) as supported by the DC Generalized Policy Map.
- Of the few buildings in the area that are of about eight stories, those were built almost a century ago at a time when zoning did not exist and to an extent there still is green and open areas around these long existing buildings. At 17th and U, there are two-story low rise townhomes (some dating back to the 18070's), affordable cooperative housing, unlike anything around the grandfathered larger buildings already existing on 16th street and U Street. This would be unprecedented modern day rezoning in the context of the impacted community.
- The Adams Morgan ANC-1C resolution supporting the high-density rezoning was floated as a draft two weeks ago and marked up by the ANC1C planning committee, and the resultant draft ANC 1C resolution (in support of rezoning the entire 2-acre site to MU10) has only been available to the public for a week (published on April 26).
- There have been one or two impromptu meetings in the community that were not widely published or attended in regards to the future of 1617 U Street site. Certainly, there has been no community-wide open forum specifically called for by ANC-1C.
- Other surrounding ANC's had their own meetings but they did not advertise to Adams Morgan residents.
- No meeting held yet has delved into the details of what impacts, costs, and possibilities may result from rezoning the site to allow a downtown-sized building to be built here at 17th and U Street.
- Several members of the ANC1C planning committee spoke about postponing a decision and having a special meeting given “the importance” of the project. Ultimately, the Secretary of ANC1C convinced the committee to move forward. http://www.ustreetair.com/2023/05/01/anc-1c-quietly-pushing-through-major-adams-morgan-rezoning-video-recap-anc-1c-pzt-meeting-and-vote/
- The ANC will meet this Wednesday night to discuss and may vote to support MU10 rezoning across the entire site, allowing by-right anyone who controls this sit to build a 550,000 gross sq ft building standing 100 feet tall in the midst of the surrounding low rise historic districts.
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THIS PUBLIC LAND!
