Housing Complex has more details on the residential development replacing Faith Bible Church on the northwest corner of 14th and Maryland (1350 Maryland Ave). This development is NOT slated to have retail space. It's a straight-up 49 unit condo building. Valor Development anticipates a ground breaking next spring.
32 comments:
That whole block is ripe for redevelopment.
I've always been intrigued by what goes on in that tiny doctor's office that is a few doors down from the church. Seems brutal.
no retail? that's a shame. that image certainly makes it look like a building with retail at the ground floor.
It really should include ground level retail/business space. That would be a real missed opportunity. Maybe there are zoning issues?
Underground parking? Or are they just planning to replace replace two or three houses with the street parking demand of twenty houses?
I've always been intrigued by what goes on in that tiny doctor's office that is a few doors down from the church...
Yeah, that OB-GYN bunker seems like a low-budget Dead Ringers set piece.
Great addition to the neighborhood. I agree that ground floor retail would have been great. Now, if they can just do something with the decrepit parking lot across the street....
regarding the parking issue, I hope there's no garage, as my parking space will make my home's value shoot up all the more quickly. Gotta make that paper, yo.
Am I the only one that thinks this is not a good addition to the neighborhood? It's great that the area is developing, but sad to see it become another bland look-alike neighborhood. That church has so much character and could have made a fabulous restaurant, gym, or other interesting retail if rehabbed well. There is nothing interesting about this development, especially given a lack of ground floor retail.
i like it. not sure why everything has to be mixed use. why can't an apt. building just be an apt. building? either way this is a good start for that intersection. hopefully the NE corner will be developed into something as well, something better than a gas station at least. and that Checkers really needs to go. a double-lane drive thru restaurant really is out of place on that block.
on a sort of related note, does anyone know what's going on with the condo building that was built right across from the Checkers on G St.? it was completed over a year ago and has been sitting vacant and chained up since.
@Chris,
The parking will be below ground via the alley.
@Ro,
Those places were being marketed by Urban Land a little while ago, but they had had very little luck selling, I presume, in part, because of their view of the Checkers. Too bad. An otherwise good location gets ruined by a very bad neighbor.
The Almansaya condos across from Checkers have completely and utterly baffled me for over 2 years now. They were over priced by about $75k - $100k. They never even planted sod in the front yard area, so it still looked like construction zone even when they were trying to sell the units. Oh, and they were named f*cking Almansaya. Not exactly the type of name that draws white yuppies who are willing to pay $550k for a 1000 sq ft condo.
-Jordan
Actually, the Almansya condo is not the greatest of condo conversions. Was in there to see one of the units for sale and the main cold air return was in a closet. And the temporary power panel out front is lovely. Proceed with caution.
Anon 6:09 PM - I agree with you. With so many homes in the area undergoing foreclosure and in need of repair, it makes sense to me for people to buy these homes for under $200,000 and fix them up rather than pay $300,000 or more for a new condo. We've also got lots of new apartments and unsold condos in the area. I wish that corner had been used for retail or something that could benefit more people.
Anon 5:15, I thing (or, I hope) you're joking.
anon 7:25 -
Where are there homes under $200k that are fixer uppers? Maybe North of Florida ave. But that area is an entirely different real estate market.
I don't see why anyone would want to live down there. It's all roads with bars that look ugly during the day time. I prefer to live on the hill part of H street and walk a couple of blocks if I want to go out.
@Anon 8:10 - People will purchase a condo there because home buyers have a little more foresight than you. They realize that strip of H street wont always just be a string of bars. Gentrification typically happens in stages: first nightlife, then residential and grocery, and then expanded retail. And finally more high end luxury retail (e.g. Bang and Olufsen in Logan Circle).
Yes, parts of that area are an eye sore, like the empty lot on the NE corner of this intersection. But those of us with an understanding of how development works, and with a little foresight and imagination know that this area is going to be one of the best neighborhoods in DC in a few years.
-Jordan
boooooooring. but i don't see the need for retail space since there's a ton of unused space on H already. The space at the Lorry Grand is still unused, not that what's in store seems very exciting...
Why aren't there any black people in that artist's rendering? Might as well have added a burning cross to it. smh
@ortes
The Loree Grand retail space leased a while ago... Kitchen on K is almost complete, and will open within weeks. Their other retail space is the temporary leasing office until the permanent space in Phase II opens.
Good to hear. I had noticed the Kitchen on K sign was gone and was afraid that meant it wasn't coming at all. Guess I should peek in the window. Thanks for the update. Oh, and anon 9:46 - you had me cracking up with that. :) So true.
i definitely agree with anon 6:09. we are closely becoming columbia heights. what charm and appeal does this add? its another block of condos. something in the 3-level range would have been less intrusive.
These all sound like things that people who made the poor decision of buying in that nasty area tell themselves. Mmmm.....and speaking of poor....
I wouldn't put too much stock in the rendering. The building in the picture looks to be set on a 90deg corner, which the NW corner of 14th & MD is not...
ground floor retail, please. we need more daytime retail.
oh well, guess they could get tenants for the lease price they needed to justify it?
Hey, the artist left out the car crashed through the ground floor. (Most non-newbies should get that ref). Inked, care to do a historical recount of how many car crashes into businesses/homes there have been down this end of H/Maryland/Benning? Checkers has gotten dinged at least twice going back to '05/'06. Ready Go!
People who drive down Maryland ave are the most irresponsible and worst drivers I have encountered. Normally when I drive, if I see a bicyclist I make a point to leave enough space for the bicyclist. However, on multiple occasion the drivers have literally been inches from me when I was riding my bicycle. It's scary. It's safe to say that those were the Maryland drivers during rush hour.
Agreed about MD Avenue. It is a nightmare for bikers and pedestrians. DDOT is seeking comments on how to improve it. Not the most user friendly website, but it is worth taking the time to comment.
http://tooledesign.com/marylandave/
The only way to really improve Maryland Av reackless driving is to put a redlight running/speed detection camera at every third intersection.
Adding my voice to the other bikers on Maryland Ave: I commute by bike daily and whether I'm going just a mile to Union Station or all 17 miles to work, the most dangerous section of my trip is Maryland Ave. Just a week ago I had a driver pass withing inches of me with his horn blaring while he screamed (through a closed window) that I should get off the road and onto the sidewalk.
Wish I had been able to catch up to him at the next light to explain traffic laws, but he blew through the orange. I feel bad for the A-hole, though: what a miserable life to be convulsed by rage by the sight of a bicycle at 615am.
I also have lived on Maryland Ave for three years, and cars treat it like a speedway during rush hour. The road bisects a residential area, and the City should be making an effort to enforce basic traffic laws like speed limits (folks go down Maryland at about 50 mph when they can) and traffic lights. I have almost been hit as a pedestrian and as a cyclist by cars numerous times. I've been a runner and cyclist in different cities around the country and internationally and Maryland Ave is as bad as any place I've seen. Also, some of the worst spots are the intersectiosn at Stanton Park, I have seen drivers blow through red lights one or two seconds after they have changed to red. This is a disaster waiting to happen as a car hitting a pedestrian or cyclist at those speeds would surely result in a fatality.
Anon 6:09 PM & Ortez - totally agree this building is bland/lacks character in my opinion and doesn't have any Capitol Hill feel to it. The building looks like it belongs downtown, in the West-End, or in Columbia Heights. How did this Maia become a done deal so quickly after the property was sold? -F
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