Alert reader Karen writes in with news that one of the Kendall Row (long known as the Capitol Hill Oasis) townhomes might actually be in the process of selling. The 3,750 square foot, five bedroom, five bathroom, townhome was last listed for $850k. It was originally (this time around, they'd been on the market before) priced at $1,099,000. Part of the problem (along with the project's bizarre history) is the really weird layout, but you'll be able to see that if you look at the virtual tour. I also saw cracked grout and fixtures that didn't seem high end enough to match the price tag. The unit I saw also had an elevator, which I don't imagine would be cheap to maintain. You can get other details on Redfin.
The townhomes a while back getting a new paint job (which I think did help)
Anyone who has lived around here or followed Frozen Topics knows the long (and often bewildering) history of these buildings. Some of the previous coverage:
The Latest on Kendall Row (AKA Capitol Hill Oasis) 11/6/2013
Can a New Coat of Paint Help Kendall Row? 4/8/2014
Housing Complex: Capitol Hill Oasis Update 4/24/2013
What is Going on at Capitol Hill Oasis? 4/22/2013
WP: Failure at Capitol Hill Oasis 4/22/2012
Whoops! More Buffoonery at Capitol Hill Oasis 10/21/2010
Capitol Hill Oasis on the Auction Block 9/20/2010
Inexplicably, Capitol Hill Oasis Starts Phase II 9/19/2010
Urban Turf Checks Out the Oasis 12/23/2009
Autoparts on Florida, and a Look at an Intersection 12/2/2009
Collapse @Jimmy's Tire 12/30/2007
Construction to Watch 6/21/2007
Condos in 900 Block of 12th Street 1/26/2006
Just for fun, here's the earliest rendering I saw for the Capitol Hill Oasis
13 comments:
i think this is a good thing.
Also, looks like the old salvation army buildings will be torn down....
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/12/more-multifamily-pitched-for-h-street-ne-this-time.html
With respect to the link above, have any new projects (anywhere in the city) not requested parking relief? Like it or not, many people in DC have cars. Street parking capacity does not change when high density projects are built. Im just curious how they keep getting approved without parking.
Wait....are all of the units still empty? I swear that I've seen signs that at least some of the units have people living in them.
On Redfin they only have 2 listed for sale, I assumed this was a sales ploy. I don't think any of them have sold.
This place looks so ugly and boring.
I have gotten the impression that there were some
short term renters in one or two of the units.
Sometimes people will contract with people to live in 'For-sale' properties.
if you don't mind keeping it spotless and you can pick up and move in a couple of suitcases, it's not a bad way to live. rent is oftentimes ridiculously cheap and they oftentimes give you a bonus when it sells,
(Move out bonus)....
also it's easier to sell these places if there appears to be some life in the place.
Now, FWIW, i think anyone who buys one of those places for $800K needs their head examined. when the place went up, it was a sign the market was peaking.
now that they are back on the market, i suspect it's the second peak.
if these were closer to the hill, they might make good office/condos... but where they are?
well, lets see if this really sells.
Off-topic: anyone know anything about the status of Ben's? Last night while driving by, it looks like there might be furnishing-work going on inside.
this project should have been stopped at the first sight of that rendering. looks like Nintendo. talk about amateurs...
I read somewhere that the district was not requiring parking with new developments. I think the reasoning was people would just keep using cars regardless and requiring parking lots doesnt help traffic or congestion
10:04,
I don't think a ton of places (certainly some places) are necessary
getting approved with zero parking, more that some are getting approved with reduced
parking. This place is going to be right off a streetcar/X2 stop, so they are assuming some
residents might take public transit. Seems like a reasonable assumption. The vast majority of the younger renters I know around here don't have cars. Unclear to me if that will be the case for those who live in this building.
The zoning update (as yet still under consideration) sought to reduce parking minimums near transit, but didn't totally eliminate parking for "by right" developments. A handful of new developments have sought to have zero parking, and some of those requests have been granted, with stipulations (increased bike parking, prohibitions on residents getting RPPs, support for car-sharing, etc.). Some rehabs/renos of old buildings that never had parking and where parking couldn't be incorporated unless the existing building was completely torn down have also been allowed without incorporating any parking.
By and large, in today's environment, reduced parking works. My building has a parking spot for every unit, per the old/existing zoning code for our area (a bit north of H), but only 33% of the unit owners own a car. Since our building occupies a rather large footprint on a corner, the street could have handled those cars plus some, parked exclusively on our "curb footprint." However, what's done is done, and we have all this excess parking. Like my 67% brethren (and one car-owning owner, who parks his car on the street at the low, low price of $35/year), I rented my parking spot (close enough to a Metro to do this) to a commuter. I mean, I make out financially on the deal, but it does mean that someone who might otherwise take the Metro from the 'bubs now drives partway into the city and parks, worsening congestion and pollution. At the end of the day, it might have been better if our developer had sought a variance to eliminate the (at-grade) parking and made the units a little larger, or added another unit or two. Just the parking on "our" curb could handle 3 *more* cars than if every unit owned a car and parked it on the street...
"This place is going to be right off a streetcar/X2 stop, so they are assuming some
residents might take public transit. Seems like a reasonable assumption. The vast majority of the younger renters I know around here don't have cars. Unclear to me if that will be the case for those who live in this building."
+1
well certainly the millenials drive less and own cars less. Being close to the metro, trolley, X2, H St is a model for high density public transit.
I sincerely hope the new condo's going up are populated by people who are transit oriented.
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