Historic Preservation Concept for new Condo/Retail Project on Lower Barracks Row
Yellow highlight locates project
Mural promoting local shopping overlooks the building site.
Ground floor plan will be primarily retail. Project will face 8th Street (top) , Virginia Avenue (right , and L Street (left). Current plans anticipate a local restaurant on the upper right hand corner of the project (NW corner).
Major Residential/Retail Project Coming to Lower Barracks Row
By Larry Janezich
The long-awaited development of lower 8th Street, SE, moved a large step forward Tuesday night, with the announcement of a four story mixed use residential/retail project planned for the NW corner of the Virginia Avenue/8th Street intersection, on lower Barracks Row. The site is currently a parking lot, notable for the large mural promoting local shopping which overlooks it.
Alon Street, partner at Northfield Development, appeared before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee – chaired by Commissioner Nick Burger – seeking the committee’s endorsement of the developer’s Historical Preservation Application for the concept. Peter Fillet Architects is designing the project.
The project will comprise 22 condos on three floors and a penthouse level with the first floor primarily devoted to retail. The developers envision the retail connecting Barracks Row with the Navy Yard, and their current thinking is that a local restaurant (perhaps one currently residing on Barracks Row) will occupy the NW corner of 8th and Virginia Avenue.
The typical floor plan will have about seven units with bay windows. Developers plan 3 two bedroom units, 3 studio units, and 16 one bedroom units “geared for the affluent customer” according to Peter Sands, VP of Northfield Development. The plan includes four penthouse units with individual terraces. The building will be built as a matter of right – meaning no zoning adjustments and thus no PUD will be necessary. There will be 11 ground level parking spaces – required by city regulations for the project. The project will front on three streets: 8th street, Virginia Avenue, and L Street.
The developers anticipate breaking ground next March, and assert an aggressive 12 – 16 month construction timeline.
The committee voted to forward the historic preservation application to the full ANC6B’s consent calendar by a vote of 10 – 0. The full ANC6B meets next on October 13, at 7:00pm in Hill Center.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
Does next March mean March 2016 (wouldn’t that be this March)?
I like the original, all-glass design for this building better. The immediate neighborhood referents for this location are the entrance of the Navy Yard and the Blue Castle. Adding brick does not place this building in conversation with either.
I question the value of the Historic Preservation Office. Homeowners must comply with exacting standards, but commercial buildings make bizarre concessions and that’s the end of it. I’d rather the Office insist on excellence in architecture than just throw some bricks on something.
Glad this lot is getting developed, and its only a matter of time before that entire area looks like Navy Yard (which is fine b/c its south of the freeway). But it’s unfortunate that the parking is at ground level. I’d readily trade below ground parking for a larger / higher building. Hopefully when the lot across 8th St is finally developed, the developer places the parking below ground.
Below grade parking would be ideal, but it is extraordinarily expensive and very difficult to do on a small site.
It’s hard to tell from Larry’s picture, but if this building had a garage below grade, a large part of the lot would be needed for the ramp to get below grade. You’d end up adding a lot of cost for a net gain of maybe 4-5 spaces.
The geometric reality is that on-site parking requirements are extremely burdensome, particularly for small-lot infill development projects like this.
Good news! That’s a great location to add density — close to services and close to the highway where there will be minimal impact on traffic. Along with the new restaurant announcements in that immediate area, it looks like Barracks Row south of the freeway is starting to come together.
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