Residents of Ward 8's Congress Heights will be getting new affordable housing, this time from a private sector project beginning early 2010. The 4th Street Vistas are 94 single-family town homes designed by DC-based architect Atelier and being developed by Unidev on a currently vacant plot of land
near the intersection of 4th and Mississippi Ave SE. The homes will offer 14 different floor plans for 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom homes.Unidev purchased the property in early 2007 and spent most of 2008 planning and designing the project, according to Project Manager Emmanuel Ogundipe. The units range in size from 2 bedrooms at 1,200-1,400 s.f., 3 bedrooms from 1,400-2,050 s.f. and 4 bedrooms at 2,050 to 2,100 s.f. The developers secured
various permits in early 2009 and the initial 35 units will be built quickly, delivering in the first quarter of 2010.Geared towards current Ward 8 residents who live in the community but rent their home, 4th Street Vista's offer workforce housing for the city's law enforcement, teachers and civil servants, according to Ogundipe. The units are priced from the $200's to the low $300s. According to Ogundipe, both Councilmembers Marion Barry and Kwame Brown had been aware and excited about the project, and the Ward 8 community supported it energetically.
The general contractor for the project is Harkins Builders.
Washington DC Real Estate News
7 comments:
ugh, garages in the front?
couldn't we at least try to follow good urban design principles?
That's the first thing I noticed as well... our alleys here in DC are one of the best features we have. It makes walking, biking, and driving so much safer to not have to worry about cars entering or exiting multiple curb cuts in a block.
All in all, nice projection. But I think also that the situation with garages could be solved differently. I personally prefer garages that are built as separate buildings. However, I think that regarding a family house the best way is to have garage connected to the house. And we should always pay attention to the safety.
Best regards,
Jay
I concur totally. DC should block any design that allows garages in the front, there is no reason for it, and it destroys the aesthetics and functionality of the neighborhood. Boo to this architect and developer for pushing this off on us. And for the record, I live in the city and don't have a garage at all, if I wanted that I would have moved to Gaithersburg where there are lots and lots of townhouses that sit on top of nasty garages.
Is 200-300k really more affordable than the existing housing stock in that area? I realize the units are new, but it doesn't seem that a market-rate house nearby would be any more expensive (and possibly quite a bit cheaper, if one were willing/able to do some renovations).
Ward 8 doesn't need more affordable housing. Too much affordable housing is the problem! This may sound ironic, but try building unaffordable housing. Where are the roll models supposed to live?
As someone who lives in one of Mr Ogundipe's renovated apartments, I can say it is buyer beware. My kitchen is a galley kitchen with no A/C. Imagine baking in the summer. New windows put in, now constantly having to check for mildew and leaks. A/C full of mildew, had to have private company sanitize it. Good luck to whoever buys his houses and have a good lawyer on standby.
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