Douglas Close to Construction on 14th Street

Redevelopment abounds along the 14th Street corridor within the mile-long strip that runs from Meridian Park through U Street and into Logan Circle, with several condo projects and new retail on track to arrive within the next one-to-two years. At the top of the corridor, at 2221 14th Street (14th & Florida Ave), Douglas Development will soon add another: a 6-story, 30-unit, mixed-use residential-and-retail project. Sasha Rosen, principal at R2L:ARCHITECTS – responsible for the design – relays that the permitting process is underway and involved parties foresee construction will start in three months or less. Per Rosen, the design for the complex has not changed since reported in November of last year, when Rosen stated that "the massing, form, and rhythm are in the Washington historic tradition, but the details are contemporary." 

Located within the Greater U Street Historic District, the project first sought approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which gave Douglas the go-ahead, and the OK to demolish the crumbling Latino Auto Sales shop on site, at the end of last year. In January, the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) also approved the project's plan, and granted the developer zoning relief, with a few conditions, including one-time mass-transportation and/or car-sharing funds for future residents, as well as requiring "that a temporary mural [be painted] on the south façade of the building,which shall remain on the building until such time as construction on the adjacent property to the south would obstruct the mural." Douglas Development could not be reached for comment this morning. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news