DoorDash To Open DC’s First DashMart in Frager’s former Location at 1323 E Street, SE.
by Larry Janezich
Posted May 31, 2021
Last week, ANC6B Planning and Zoning Chair Corey Holman told other ANC commissioners that DoorDash is opening a last-mile DashMart warehouse in the old Frager’s building at 1323 E Street, SE. The outlet will be the first in DC – another DashMart will open at 826 South Pickett Street in Alexandria.
DashMart is an online ordering service which opened in a number of major market centers last year. According to the company:
“DashMart is a new type of convenience store, offering both household essentials and local restaurant favorites to our customers’ doorsteps. On DashMart, you’ll find thousands of convenience, grocery, and restaurant items, from ice cream and chips, to cough medicine and dog food, to spice rubs and packaged desserts from the local restaurants you love on DoorDash.”
The service delivers convenience items and groceries in 30 minutes or less. In other areas, delivery fees are based on the size of the order but the company’s subscription service – DashPass at $10 a month – provides unlimited orders of $15 or more. Typically, deliveries occur between 8:00am and 11:00pm.
There’s a public space issue with the parking spaces in front of the building which may require a special exception from DDOT to resolve, but operations could begin next month. ANC6B may consider supporting a special exception for the parking at its virtual meeting Tuesday night. (ed. note. See Holman’s clarification in the comment below. )
The growth of the last-mile-logistics-for-everything is hot at the moment. Foxtrot Market has opened stores with on line shopping platforms and home delivery in Georgetown and Mt. Vernon Triangle. Last month, ANC6B’s ABC Committee voted to support a retail liquor license for an online alcohol (high-end spirits) delivery service which plans to operate from one of the upper floor spaces of the Hine Project at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue. At the ANC’s ABC Committee meeting some questions came up about how the business might result in an increase in pick- up traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue.
DoorDash, the nation’s largest food delivery provider, went public last year.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
To clarify, because I mumbled through it at the Executive Committee meeting, I will be asking ANC 6B to support an appeal of the building permit (and forthcoming Certificate of Occupancy) based on the fact that the claimed four parking spaces and one loading berth being provided on site are partly in public space. The four parking spaces and loading berth facing E Street do not meet the dimension requirements for parking spaces or loading berths since there is only approximately 16 feet between the entry ramp and the property line (18 feet required) and approximately 26 feet between the facade and property line (30 feet required). There are a number of other dimensional and use requirements which are also not being met as well.
DoorDash has not applied for a special exception to these requirements and ANC 6B will not be considering a special exception at the P&Z meeting tomorrow. However, we have invited a DoorDash representative to present plans for operations at tomorrow’s meetings.
I think we need thoughtful responses to the matters that Cory raises. In addition, I’m uncomfortable at the prospect of having a commercial land use in the middle of a residential block, especially a land use that will likely generate a lot of coming and going automobile traffic.
Mike Steinman
That area now has Beckert’s Park and the Lockwood residential buildings, as well as the new Safeway. There’s much more automobile and foot traffic than three years ago.
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I think we can all pretty much bet money that the sidewalk, bike lane, and crosswalk in front of that building will never again be clear if Doordash opens here. This is fundamentally a car-driven business in a dense, walkable residential area. This will not work and the burden for those living nearby will be high.
Exactly. Contrast with Safeway development, which gave great care to enhance the streetscape, front the residential portion on the residential D and E Sts, place garage off one way15th St. and entry at 15th/Kentucky/D where it has lowest overall impact on neighbors. For a by right project they really got this surprisingly right. The DD plan is terrible compared to this.