Bids on the Tenley/Janney solicitation have closed, and Mayor Fenty has announced the three bidders vying to take on what may be one of the most anti-development neighborhoods in DC. The RFP had been extended to January 4th to allow developers extra time to craft proposals to build a library, renovate the school, and work in private space to hopefully subsidize the program.
The three firms officially asking for the nod were: LCOR, See Forever Foundation in partnership with UniDev LLC, and Roadside Development. The latter has been working intermittently for several years on the project in an effort to appease both city and vox populi, but the sale or lease of public land for private development proved the third rail of city politics, leading to the request for bids. District officials plan to hold a public meeting in February to get responses from the public on all three site-plans.The 3-acre site, at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Albemarle Street, used to be home to the old 15,000-s.f. Tenley library, demolished late last year, and the upgrade-needy Janney School. The biggest concern for local residents has been the mixed-use library/residence idea that has been deliberated for some time. Although many of the Tenley homeowners have argued against the residential portion of the project, each bidder included variations of the plan in their proposal; with housing units ranging from 120 to 170 across the board.
“The Tenley site is a great opportunity to achieve some of our most important public policy goals: Building better schools, creating affordable housing and encouraging development at transit stations and along major transportation corridors,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil O. Albert. “We are excited about the responses to this solicitation as we are just beginning to take a closer look at the proposals.
"What we tried to do is take all the input that we got from the community, and incorporate their concerns, as well as the Office of the Deputy Mayor's requirements, to come up with something that delivers on what the RFP asks for and what the community would like to see" said Armand Spikell, Principal at Roadside Development. Roadside completed the Cityline Condominiums across the street and 2005.
