The WPCA invited Carmel Partners to their Feb 1 2022 meeting to present their proposed redevelopment concept and answer questions from the community. The Carmel Partners representatives introduced themselves (Ronnie Gibbons and Marcel Pean). In addition, their legal counsel, David Grosso of the Arent Fox law firm, and their architect, Shalom Baranes, also introduced themselves. Gibbons began by noting that the hotel property that was formerly on the site was not the highest and best use of the property. Baranes then proceeded with a PowerPoint presentation, based on the HPRB submission. He noted that the proposed building design is actually a reversion to the original footprint on the property, but which had been changed in succeeding years by the newer hotel structure. All the buildings on the property will be connected, which is a requirement under zoning laws, though it is intended that each building will have a separate and distinct character. There will only be one curb cut on Woodley Road, using one of the two existing curb cuts. On 24th Street, they will keep the existing service drive which will provide access to Building A, and similarly, on Calvert Street, they will use the existing driveway for Building B. The lawn area will be slightly enlarged, and the public will have access to it; the green space between the new buildings will not be open to the public.
Carmel hopes to clad at least one building in terra cotta, but it will depend on supply chain and cost issues. Green is also a significant design color, which is intended to blend to a green color theme on neighboring buildings and structures. The developers and their associates than took questions from the meeting participants, including the following:
Plans for Demolition – Interior demolition will begin next month. Exterior demolition will begin by the end of the year.
Overall timeline – 1.5 years for design and demolition, and 2-3 years for actual construction.
Traffic – A traffic consultant will be hired. Carmel is confident, however, that there will not be the type of issues that currently exist on Woodley Road, as there will not be hotel guests and conferences that result in intensive uses of the property at peak times. Carmel emphasized that there will be three separate access points, alleviating any traffic issues with any one point of access.
Unit mix – Carmel does not yet know the unit mix between smaller and larger apartments, but it plans to have somewhat larger units than at their other residential developments and it anticipates that the total residents will not exceed 2,000 people. At least 8% will be devoted to affordable housing. The entire property will be rentals, and no retail will be permitted due to zoning requirements.
Building materials – The architect cited his work on the District’s John A. Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Ave. as an example of how a modern addition can blend well with an older structure. While adjacent buildings are red brick, Carmel believes that the use of brick in this building would make it look like a college campus, which was not their desire.
School impact – No study is planned on the impact on neighboring schools in terms of enrollment. Carmel said that would work with DCPS to try to plan ahead of time. Regarding the impact of the construction on the nearby Oyster School, Carmel stated that a logistics plan will be prepared that will take account of all neighborhood schools and residents during the construction phase. Air quality will also be monitored during the construction phase.
Parking spaces – Carmel is not yet sure about the number of parking spaces in the new buildings. There will be additional parking for guests and staff.
Approvals – Only the Historic Preservation Review Board will need to approve. No zoning approvals are necessary as the project is already zoned for the contemplated residential use.
