Archive for “September, 2015”

On H Street, a developer looks inward

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/09/on-h-street-a-developer-looks-inward.html

The H Street Northeast corridor is so busy, developers are turning inward for new opportunity.
Linden Court Partners LLC, an affiliate of Vienna-based Monarch Homes, is proposing to convert a body shop located behind the historic Atlas Performing Arts Center, on the narrow street/alley known as Linden Court, into new homes and commercial space. Monarch acquired the body shop in May for $900,000.

The body shop, with an address of 1313-1323 Linden Court NE, was carved out of the remnants of six single-family homes constructed in the late 1800s. The brick envelope of the homes remains intact, and will be preserved by the developer as it constructs four two-bedroom single-family homes and a corner building with neighborhood-serving retail on the first two floors, and a condo or apartment on the third floor.

Ward 6 Councilman Charles Allen has dubbed 30-foot-wide Linden Court an “inward street,” while the developer calls it an alley that “restricts the possible uses permitted on the lot and presents design challenges.” It is accessible only by a 15-foot-wide, north-south alley linking H and G streets.
“The proposed residential and neighborhood servicing retail use will have a positive effect on the character and future development of the surrounding area,” according to a statement accompanying an request to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for several zoning variances.
A body shop in that location, per the statement, “is not a use that should be located so close to residential districts.” The square is occupied currently by a variety of uses, including a gym, the Rock N Roll Hotel, an apartment building, restaurants, flats and single-family homes.

Jim Kennerknecht of Monarch Homes, listed as the authorized agent for Linden Court Partners, was not immediately available for comment.