Housing proposed for Tenley Library/portion of Janney site

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on folks, there should be high density by metro stations. I’m not saying it will all go smoothly but I just don’t see the blanket argument increasing density on a busy road that also has busses and metro.

As part of the legislation that Cheh pushed and the Council passed that effectively up zones the library site for a tall building, along with other parcels, Cheh also supported a provision that designates much of Tenleytown and AU Park east and west of Wisconsin Avenue as a Wisconsin corridor special study area. This is the predicate to the Office of Planning's proposal to enable "gentle density" within a half-mile of a Metro stop and a quarter-mile of a bus route. Gentle density is very gentle sounding, but it means that instead of the tear-down in AU Park being replaced by a larger house on a side street, a developer could build a 4 story apartment building as a matter of right.

This sux!

Yes, it does. Thanks, Cheh.

Sorry, what's wrong with apartments instead of gigantic houses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on folks, there should be high density by metro stations. I’m not saying it will all go smoothly but I just don’t see the blanket argument increasing density on a busy road that also has busses and metro.

So Capitol Hill should be replaced by tall, dense buildings like at the Navy Yard? Capitol Hill has two Metro stations.

Is tenleytown a historic district?

Should Capitol Hill be a historic district? I say that designation should be removed in the blocks surrounding Capitol South and Eastern Market so it can be upzoned. Pennsylvania Avenue is a huge missed opportunity for density. Funny how no one clamors for it there.

There is a 5-story residential building at 7th and Penn already, on the old Hine School property--it's the one with Trader Joe's on the ground floor. I would be totally fine with more mid-rise buildings like that right on Penn near the Eastern Market metro, for example replacing the single-story CVS with a building that had retail on the ground floor and condos or apartments above. It's not like the CVS--or the Tenleytown library--is a historic property, and there is a middle ground between 1-2 stories and 12-14 like Navy Yard. Wisconsin Ave is a main thoroughfare and a city-owned property there is the perfect place to build mixed-income housing. If you own a single family house on a side street nobody is going to make you tear it down and build a condo.

[Anonymous]

Given how desperate the housing availability is in DC, apartments and condos will help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on folks, there should be high density by metro stations. I’m not saying it will all go smoothly but I just don’t see the blanket argument increasing density on a busy road that also has busses and metro.

As part of the legislation that Cheh pushed and the Council passed that effectively up zones the library site for a tall building, along with other parcels, Cheh also supported a provision that designates much of Tenleytown and AU Park east and west of Wisconsin Avenue as a Wisconsin corridor special study area. This is the predicate to the Office of Planning's proposal to enable "gentle density" within a half-mile of a Metro stop and a quarter-mile of a bus route. Gentle density is very gentle sounding, but it means that instead of the tear-down in AU Park being replaced by a larger house on a side street, a developer could build a 4 story apartment building as a matter of right.

This sux!

Yes, it does. Thanks, Cheh.

Sorry, what's wrong with apartments instead of gigantic houses?

then the poor folks might move in....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given how desperate the housing availability is in DC, apartments and condos will help.

desperate? My understanding is there are many units available across DC. Do you have a source for this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given how desperate the housing availability is in DC, apartments and condos will help.

desperate? My understanding is there are many units available across DC. Do you have a source for this?

There is a lot of vacancy downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on folks, there should be high density by metro stations. I’m not saying it will all go smoothly but I just don’t see the blanket argument increasing density on a busy road that also has busses and metro.

So Capitol Hill should be replaced by tall, dense buildings like at the Navy Yard? Capitol Hill has two Metro stations.

Is tenleytown a historic district?

Should Capitol Hill be a historic district? I say that designation should be removed in the blocks surrounding Capitol South and Eastern Market so it can be upzoned. Pennsylvania Avenue is a huge missed opportunity for density. Funny how no one clamors for it there.

There is a 5-story residential building at 7th and Penn already, on the old Hine School property--it's the one with Trader Joe's on the ground floor. I would be totally fine with more mid-rise buildings like that right on Penn near the Eastern Market metro, for example replacing the single-story CVS with a building that had retail on the ground floor and condos or apartments above. It's not like the CVS--or the Tenleytown library--is a historic property, and there is a middle ground between 1-2 stories and 12-14 like Navy Yard. Wisconsin Ave is a main thoroughfare and a city-owned property there is the perfect place to build mixed-income housing. If you own a single family house on a side street nobody is going to make you tear it down and build a condo.

Cool, that's one building. There are probably 10 such buildings within five or so blocks of the Tenleytown Metro -- with thousands more units about to come online at City Vista and the plot immediately north -- yet all you hear about is that there's no density in Ward 3. Meanwhile, Metro-adjacent land on Capitol Hill is forever unchangeable because of ridiculous historic preservation, forever ensuring that the land is inefficiently used. Yet I never hear GGW writers clamor for more density there.

The whole of Pennsylvania Avenue Ave SE needs to be upzoned, too, not just Wisconsin/Connecticut in Ward 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on folks, there should be high density by metro stations. I’m not saying it will all go smoothly but I just don’t see the blanket argument increasing density on a busy road that also has busses and metro.

So Capitol Hill should be replaced by tall, dense buildings like at the Navy Yard? Capitol Hill has two Metro stations.

Is tenleytown a historic district?

Should Capitol Hill be a historic district? I say that designation should be removed in the blocks surrounding Capitol South and Eastern Market so it can be upzoned. Pennsylvania Avenue is a huge missed opportunity for density. Funny how no one clamors for it there.

There is a 5-story residential building at 7th and Penn already, on the old Hine School property--it's the one with Trader Joe's on the ground floor. I would be totally fine with more mid-rise buildings like that right on Penn near the Eastern Market metro, for example replacing the single-story CVS with a building that had retail on the ground floor and condos or apartments above. It's not like the CVS--or the Tenleytown library--is a historic property, and there is a middle ground between 1-2 stories and 12-14 like Navy Yard. Wisconsin Ave is a main thoroughfare and a city-owned property there is the perfect place to build mixed-income housing. If you own a single family house on a side street nobody is going to make you tear it down and build a condo.

Cool, that's one building. There are probably 10 such buildings within five or so blocks of the Tenleytown Metro -- with thousands more units about to come online at City Vista and the plot immediately north -- yet all you hear about is that there's no density in Ward 3. Meanwhile, Metro-adjacent land on Capitol Hill is forever unchangeable because of ridiculous historic preservation, forever ensuring that the land is inefficiently used. Yet I never hear GGW writers clamor for more density there.

The whole of Pennsylvania Avenue Ave SE needs to be upzoned, too, not just Wisconsin/Connecticut in Ward 3.

So Pennsylvania Ave heading away from the Capitol (between Eastern Market & Potomac Ave metros) has a bunch of apartment buildings that are up to 5-6 stories high. In the direction of the Capitol there are fewer, but that's because it's not only a historic district but there are separate height restrictions w/in a certain distance of the Capitol as well as restrictions on view obstruction. You might be jealous because you don't live there, but there is zero chance of 90' buildings within 4-5 blocks of the Capitol.

[Anonymous]

Tenleytown is in the city. If you want suburban living then move to the suburbs.. Even Bethesda has bigger high rises.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tenleytown is in the city. If you want suburban living then move to the suburbs.. Even Bethesda has bigger high rises.

Many Northwest DC neighborhoods are lower density than downtown Bethesda, by design. People value their neighborhood quality of life and want to keep that, not sacrifice it so that politically-connected developers can score a bigger return.

[Anonymous]

Let's refocus on a central point: Should Janney students sacrifice a chunk of their playground so that a developer can build glass condos or flats on top of the Tenleytown library?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tenleytown is in the city. If you want suburban living then move to the suburbs.. Even Bethesda has bigger high rises.

Many Northwest DC neighborhoods are lower density than downtown Bethesda, by design. People value their neighborhood quality of life and want to keep that, not sacrifice it so that politically-connected developers can score a bigger return.

But this discussion is about a location on Wisconsin Avenue adjacent to the metro and multiple bus routes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's refocus on a central point: Should Janney students sacrifice a chunk of their playground so that a developer can build glass condos or flats on top of the Tenleytown library?

Nope. So, what is the process to voice objections?

[Anonymous]

Is it necessary to take playground space to add a residential building? Maybe they add fewer floors and decrease the need for adjacent space?

Or advocate for the increased development by the old car dealership?

I don’t think the NIMBY approach is very productive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it necessary to take playground space to add a residential building? Maybe they add fewer floors and decrease the need for adjacent space?

Or advocate for the increased development by the old car dealership?

I don’t think the NIMBY approach is very productive.

Whether they add 2 or 10 floors on top of the library, they will have to build a separate entrance, elevator and stair access, loading and freight/refuse dock, etc. This will require taking space on the west (ie. Janney) of the building, with the entrance on Albermarle St.