Housing proposed for Tenley Library/portion of Janney site

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m glad to see this happening, and my kids attend Janney (and one of them will be there for a while). We can’t claim to care about equity broadly and then oppose new housing because it might add one or two kids to our children’s classrooms.

The Janney district likely will be cut back anyway with some in-Janney areas shifted to other schools. The enrollment issue will be taken care of that way.

Personally, I'd probably rather they just kept the boundaries as they are -- better to walk my kids to an overcrowded school nearby than have to drive them to a less crowded one a little farther from our house.

Adding affordable housing in Tenleytown is a desirable goal, but John Eaton would be a better fit than Janney as a school assignment for new residents. DCPS plans to add additional services for at-risk children at Eaton because it is the designated school for the Ward 3 family homeless shelter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

It's only 10 years old in its current renovated form, so I would be a little heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced just from the standpoint of wasted resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

10 or 11 story buildings are out of proportion to Tenleytown, especially next to the school. What is "Tysons Mary" Cheh thinking?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m glad to see this happening, and my kids attend Janney (and one of them will be there for a while). We can’t claim to care about equity broadly and then oppose new housing because it might add one or two kids to our children’s classrooms.

The Janney district likely will be cut back anyway with some in-Janney areas shifted to other schools. The enrollment issue will be taken care of that way.

Personally, I'd probably rather they just kept the boundaries as they are -- better to walk my kids to an overcrowded school nearby than have to drive them to a less crowded one a little farther from our house.

Adding affordable housing in Tenleytown is a desirable goal, but John Eaton would be a better fit than Janney as a school assignment for new residents. DCPS plans to add additional services for at-risk children at Eaton because it is the designated school for the Ward 3 family homeless shelter.

More than one school can have services for at-risk kids. Most schools in DCPS serve a lot more, and a lot higher percentage, than either Janney or Eaton. And Janney's ability to fundraise for the extras is almost unparalleled in DCPS, so I'm sure the PTA can help with things that are needed even more than at most schools.

[Anonymous]

The traffic there is horrific. They need to factor in traffic-calming mechanisms. Definitely unsafe for elementary-aged kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m glad to see this happening, and my kids attend Janney (and one of them will be there for a while). We can’t claim to care about equity broadly and then oppose new housing because it might add one or two kids to our children’s classrooms.

The Janney district likely will be cut back anyway with some in-Janney areas shifted to other schools. The enrollment issue will be taken care of that way.

Personally, I'd probably rather they just kept the boundaries as they are -- better to walk my kids to an overcrowded school nearby than have to drive them to a less crowded one a little farther from our house.

Adding affordable housing in Tenleytown is a desirable goal, but John Eaton would be a better fit than Janney as a school assignment for new residents. DCPS plans to add additional services for at-risk children at Eaton because it is the designated school for the Ward 3 family homeless shelter.

More than one school can have services for at-risk kids. Most schools in DCPS serve a lot more, and a lot higher percentage, than either Janney or Eaton. And Janney's ability to fundraise for the extras is almost unparalleled in DCPS, so I'm sure the PTA can help with things that are needed even more than at most schools.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

10 or 11 story buildings are out of proportion to Tenleytown, especially next to the school. What is "Tysons Mary" Cheh thinking?!

I don't care if they're "out of proportion," they're a good way to make it easier for more people to afford to live in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The traffic there is horrific. They need to factor in traffic-calming mechanisms. Definitely unsafe for elementary-aged kids.

Traffic-calming mechanisms like the speed bumps and crossing guards they have at multiple spots on Albemarle between Wisconsin and 42nd, you mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

10 or 11 story buildings are out of proportion to Tenleytown, especially next to the school. What is "Tysons Mary" Cheh thinking?!

I don't care if they're "out of proportion," they're a good way to make it easier for more people to afford to live in the neighborhood.

Hi GGW! Did you know: not every person can afford to live in every and any neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

Hehehe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The traffic there is horrific. They need to factor in traffic-calming mechanisms. Definitely unsafe for elementary-aged kids.

Traffic-calming mechanisms like the speed bumps and crossing guards they have at multiple spots on Albemarle between Wisconsin and 42nd, you mean?

No I meant east of Wisconsin and north of Albemarle, where there are no speed bumps or crossing guards. Strangely cars driving past that intersection continue their trajectory and don’t just vanish into fairy dust. Also strangely, pedestrians also exist and ambulate beyond your delimited area. Space time continuum and all that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) added a late amendment to the Comprehensive Plan rewrite that the DC Council recently passed. The amendment raises the Future Land Use Map designation for the SW corner of Wisconsin & Albemarle to "medium density", which enables up-zoning to permit a 9 or 10 story building. The plan is to add dense multifamily housing, including some affordable housing units, on top of the Tenleytown library, with entrance access to Albemarle Street behind the library, over a small portion of the east side of the Janney playground. When the library was built, its structure was reinforced for possible additional stories to be added later. If they build a number of the new units for families, it would be a huge bonus to have Janney so close.

Medium density does not get you to a 9 or 10 story building (only 65 feet) and there is no plan or proposal to build anything at the moment so you have no idea where any entrance would be or what the mix of housing units would be.

Also this change to the Future Land Use Map also applied to the adjacent St Ann's school and large surface parking lot which are much more likely to see re-development than the Tenley Library which is pretty small though if you combined them you could really do something creative.

It is a poorly designed library so I would not be heartbroken if the entire thing were replaced.

This is incorrect. You must be thinking of "moderate" density which can result in a 65' building, not "medium" density which Cheh pushed through. Under two of the possible zones available under the medium density classification, MU-8 allows a building height of 90' (70' plus a habitable top "penthouse" floor of 20'), or a total of 8 stories MU-10 allows building height of 110' (90' plus a 20' penthouse). If a market-rate building is constructed with additional inclusive zoning (IZ) units, height can be up to 110' feet (90' plus a 20' penthouse floor). A building of 10-11 stories would be pretty tall in Tenleytown and surely would cast a long shadow over the school playground.

Fortunately, children are not solar-powered, so I don't think we even have to contemplate opposing needed housing because the building would cast a shadow on (part of) the school playground.

10 or 11 story buildings are out of proportion to Tenleytown, especially next to the school. What is "Tysons Mary" Cheh thinking?!

I don't care if they're "out of proportion," they're a good way to make it easier for more people to afford to live in the neighborhood.

Hi GGW! Did you know: not every person can afford to live in every and any neighborhood?

I own a house in the neighborhood and my kids go to Janney, and I am the PP who said I don't care about proportion if it makes it easier for more people to be able to afford to live here. You're right that not every person can afford to live in every and any neighborhood, but I don't see why we should let architectural proportion (of a library, which fronts onto a major artery) be an excuse for preventing development that would help change that a little bit. Or do you think that not every person SHOULD be able to afford to live in our neighborhood?