Neighbors Gather to Hear Status Report on Hine Redevelopment
Hine Redevelopment Downsized – Shakespeare Administration Offices and IRD Non-Profit Partner Out
by Larry Janezich
Some 30 neighbors of the Hine Development met with representatives of Stanton Development Tuesday night to receive a status report on the project. Stanton partner Ken Golding announced the project has been scaled back in size and scope owing to the economy.
The bottom line is this. Overall cuts in space will result in the project being reduced by about 85,000 square feed – down to 557,374 from 642,336.
The project has been modified as follows:
Space for residents – up 100,000 square feet
Space for offices (IRD) – down 62,000 square feet
Space for retail – down 13,000 square feet
Tiger Woods Foundation is out – down 19,000 square feet
Shakespeare Theater is out (and “other”) – down 70,000 square feet
Parking – down 20,500
The Shakespeare Theater has decided to keep its administrative offices in place on 8th Street but will house its visiting performers in the development. The International Relief and Development non-profit will stay in Virginia, though Golding held open the possibility they could become a tenant at some point.
There will be a total of 162 residential units in the new plan. A total of 270 parking spaces will be allocated as follows:
Residential –138 on weekdays and weekends
Office – 83 on weekdays and 30 on weekends
Retail/Eastern Market – 49 on weekdays and 102 on weekends
The modification of the project will result in some community benefits, including an enlarged community plaza splayed open toward 7th Street, a wider east-west alley between 7th and 8th Streets, and a fully enclosed trash room to ameliorate trash related problems which vex neighbors abutting commercial corridors.
Stanton has engaged Symmetra Design as traffic, transportation, and parking consultants. Their analysis is still underway and more information will be available at the next meeting. Information on some related issues emerged during the meeting, including plans for entrance/egress to the garage for cars from C Street and entrance/egress for trucks from 7th Street.
Many of the changes seemed to meet with the approval of the neighbors. The most skeptical questions had to do with the impact of traffic and the design features for the 8th Street residential building.
With respect to scheduling, Stanton will submit a plan to the Historic Preservation Review Board in time for a March 24 hearing, and meet with ANC6b before that. Later this year, they will file the Public Unit Development (PUD) and begin the PUD process in 2012. That will be the most important opportunity for residents and community groups to have input on the project. Golding said that the overall time line for the project would be unaffected, anticipating a completion date sometime in 2015.
Stanton representatives will update the broader community on Hine at a meeting sponsored by ANC 6B on Wednesday, February 2. The meeting will be from 7:00pm until 9:00pm at Brent School, 301 North Carolina Avenue, SE.
Stanton’s plans for the site can be seen at http://hineschool.com/.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 