tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post5450595585779313451..comments2024-03-25T18:50:15.135-04:00Comments on DCmud - The Urban Real Estate Digest of Washington DC: HPRB Votes Down 16th Street Mixed-Use Church and Office Building DesignKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08295461340042242438noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-79774291384528881872012-05-29T13:34:35.079-04:002012-05-29T13:34:35.079-04:00I too am relieved that Stern is going with a faux-...I too am relieved that Stern is going with a faux-historic neo-modernist skin. I shudder to think what a non-modernist revival building would do to K street's uniformly monotonous aesthetic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-29323027021455321092012-05-29T12:23:50.358-04:002012-05-29T12:23:50.358-04:00I'm relieved to see that Stern isn't propo...I'm relieved to see that Stern isn't proposing some silly, faux-historic building, but these renderings certainly don't make the latest proposal look very interesting (other than the flourish over the entry, which is welcome, but seems to have little to do with the rest of the building). I wish I had seen the earlier proposal -- a copper facade sounds interesting! I don't think height is really an issue here. I see no reason that the building shouldn't be allowed to go to the maximum height permissible under the law.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-67554360494552138612012-05-27T18:16:24.100-04:002012-05-27T18:16:24.100-04:00The other buildings along 16th street are higher o...The other buildings along 16th street are higher or lower depending on the topography. This particular building is lower than some of the others, so the developer was asking for the cornice line to be equivalent to the 90 foot line that others enjoy. HPO said no and thus the HPRB said no.<br /><br />This, despite the fact that, as the applicant noted, the HPRB had granted its approval to similar proposals in years past. Why is this case different?<br /><br />Finally, the author should note that the room was packed, not for this case, but for those of us who were interested in the McMillan case that was to follow.<br /><br />I personally liked the original proposal that was 11 stories that the HPO nixed last fall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-53718524602194689142012-05-26T18:54:16.858-04:002012-05-26T18:54:16.858-04:00The law does NOT limit HPRB review to "what i...The law does NOT limit HPRB review to "what is visible from the street," but if the additional stories were truly not visible from public space, they surely would not have cared.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-32117975724262262542012-05-25T23:22:40.269-04:002012-05-25T23:22:40.269-04:00Almost every name in this story is misspelled, and...Almost every name in this story is misspelled, and the author misunderstands a basic point -- the HPRB does not grant "exceptions" - that's up to the Board of Zoning Adjustment. I'm sure the author meant well, but he/she got almost everyting wrong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-86766698221512455132012-05-25T18:15:38.462-04:002012-05-25T18:15:38.462-04:00I agree with Colin. The building right next door r...I agree with Colin. The building right next door raises to greater heights but is not included in the 16th Street district. The commissioner who claimed "That's the law" is woefully ignorant of it. The HPRB is limited to what can be viewed from the street. If the upper floors cannot be seen while standing on 16th Street, then there's no issue from a historic preservation standpoint. Any other discussions about height then fall to appropriate body, the Zoning Commission.Adam Lhttp://www.twitter.com/AdamLDCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-66922180463546898622012-05-25T16:28:18.376-04:002012-05-25T16:28:18.376-04:00Look at the picture and the buildings it is next t...Look at the picture and the buildings it is next to. Does anything about that scream historic to you? And the White House is buffered by Lafayette Park. It is not particularly close to the OEOB either (you can't see one from the other).Colinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-28857167640545038962012-05-25T15:15:51.721-04:002012-05-25T15:15:51.721-04:00just a bunch of office buildings...and the White H...just a bunch of office buildings...and the White House, Old Exec, etc. etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-24384369736171314152012-05-25T14:58:18.787-04:002012-05-25T14:58:18.787-04:00Absurd. There is nothing special or historic about...Absurd. There is nothing special or historic about that area -- just a bunch of office buildings.Colinnoreply@blogger.com