Category: The Bike Estate

The Bike Estate – Strand Residences in Deanwood Adds 86 Units of Affordable Housing and 38 Bike Parking Spaces

The Stand Residences hopes to revitalize Nannie Helen  Burrow Burroughs Avenue
Rendering:  The Warrenton Group

The Bike Estate scours local blogs and government websites for information about bike facilities in new, recently opened, or planned residential or commercial buildings. The following is recently-filed development applications with the D.C. Zoning Commission.

According to Urban Turf, the replacement of the Lincoln Heights / Richardson Dwellings communities in Ward 7 will contain an 86-unit mixed-use development near the Strand Theater at 5129 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in Deanwood.

The Strand Residences, a long-planned development, includes approximately 17,000 sqft of buildings along Nannie Helen Burroughs and Division Avenues. One six-floor building contains one and two-bedroom units. Plans also call for new ground-floor commercial space and the renovation of the decades-vacant historic Strand Theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, adjacent to the project site.

26 Bike parking spaces are along the wall closest to the Theater
Rendering:  The Warrenton Group

With regard to bicycling, the project appears to have adopted a more progressive position.  Located less than 500 feet from Marvin Gaye Park; the 1.6 mile Watts Branch; Washington Parks and People’s Riverside Center, HD Woodson High School and its Aquatic Center; and the Marvin Gaye Trail; the current plans call for a total of 38 indoor bicycle parking spaces, with 29 for long-term and 5 short-term spaces for residents. The site plan has four indoor short-and-long term spaces for community and retail use.

While the plan suggests that bike parking is secure, it does not provide details on controlled entrances, lighting or other amenities like a repair station. Also, the plan does not appear to include outdoor bike parking or bikeshare. The bicycle parking is located on the ground floor and shares that space with 17 vehicle spaces.

The Bike Estate – Proposed 100 Florida Avenue NE Project with “Bike Lobby” Makes Changes

Artist’s rendering of residences of 100 Florida Avenue NE
that open directly on the Metropolitan Branch Trail
Image: MRP Realty

A public meeting between Mid-Atlantic Realty Partners (MRP) and the Zoning Commission held April 24, 2017 provided an update to the proposed 100 Florida Avenue NE project, also known as Washington Gateway Phase Two, which abuts the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT).  In good news for MBT users, MRP will expand the hours of operation until midnight and provide additional trail maintenance.

The project would contain commercial and residential towers with 72 long-term bike storage spaces and an elevator that would allow the use of two bicycles at a time. The elevator would connect to a building lobby, which would be specially-designed as an entrance to the MBT.

The two-story lobby would allow the public and building tenants to access the trail. The lobby would also contain seating, a trail-themed kiosk, a drinking fountain, a repair station, and space of 24 bikes. Bike ramps and an elevator would allow users to access the trail from Florida Avenue and provide access lobby amenities. 

A rendering of the proposed two-story bike lobby
Image: MRP Realty
Detailed drawings and examples of the
proposed bike lobby
Image: MRP Realty

The initial plans for this project included a lobby; however, it would have closed for public use at 9 pm. In a letter dated May 1 from the firm Holland & Knight, MRP stated that as part of the Planned Unit Development process the hours of operations would be extended to midnight.

During non-operating hours, the lobby would be secured by conceal overhead doors but the trail would be accessible to building tenets. Also noted in the post hearing submission, the project will maintain the trail and improvements made to it along the frontage between the North and South towers along the MBT.

The Bike Estate – November 30, 2016

Artistic representation of 4620 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Image: Urban Investment Partners

The Bike Estate scours local blogs and government websites for information about bike facilities in new or recently opened residential or commercial buildings. The following are recently-filed development applications with the Zoning Commission.

National Bank of Washington

The long vacant National Bank of Washington at 14th and G Streets NW filed preliminary plans for the construction of office and retail space with the Board of Zoning Adjustment to construct an addition to the landmark National Bank of Washington.

The building was to become a museum dedicated to the Armenian genocide; however, a legal battle between the family that owned the building and developers caused years of delays. Eventually, the legal issuers were resolved in 2014.

Image: Lincoln Property

Plans call for a total of 58 bike parking spaces: 44 long-term bike parking spaces, with additional 9 spaces, shower and locker facilities located on the first basement floor. An additional 5 short-term spaces will be located on G Street NW. (Urban Turf)

4620-4626 Wisconsin Avenue NW

At 4620 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Tenlytown, Urban Investment Partners issued a Planned Unit Development application for a project that will contain 130 to 140 residential units and 12,000 square feet of retail. The project also contains 74 vehicular parking spaces and approximately 92 bicycle parking spaces.

Image: Urban Investment Partners

According to the project application, bicycle usage will will be integrated into the design and including 75 long term spaces and 7 short term spaces for residential use and 3 long term spaces and 7 short term spaces for retail use.

The diagram above shows the first level parking garage with 15 residential bike parking spaces at the rear of the building in the alley, 57 spaces along Wisconsin Avenue and 3 retail-only bike parking spaces. the residential spaces appear to have secure access. (Bisnow)

The Bike Estate – Foulger-Pratt Unveils its Plans for Eckington Park

Artist rendering of R St NE / MBT trail
Image: Foulger-Pratt

The Bike Estate scours local blogs and government websites for information about bike facilities in new, recently opened, or planned residential or commercial buildings. The following is recently-filed development applications with the Zoning Commission.

As reported by Urban Turf and the Washington Business Journal (WBJ), Foulger-Pratt submitted to the Office of Zoning preliminary plans for its new residential and retail property, Eckington Park.

The development will be adjacent to NoMa Green, a proposed park supported by the NoMa Parks Foundation, The project also improves the orientation of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) and lies just north of New York Avenue, NE, west of Metro’s Rhode Island rail yard and east of Harry Thomas Way. The preliminary plans show general building designs as well as describes how the project will integrate with NoMa Green, the MBT and the community.

According to Karen Goff, Staff Reporter for the WBJ, Eckington Park will be a 328-unit rental residential building that features nine, two-story artists’ lofts, a more pedestrian-friendly environment on Harry Thomas Way, and continuity with the nearby Eckington Yards project. Foulger-Pratt purchased the 1.8 acres that are within the NoMa Business Improvement District from Pepco for $12.6 million and gave 23,000 square feet back to NoMa Parks Foundation to add to the planned park space.

Amenities

The application to the Office of Zoning for highlights the project’s amenities including its proximity to NoMa Green and the addition of the “East Park” that contains a dog park and realigns the MBT. Discussed at the NoMa Green public meeting, the plan calls for modifying the current “Z curve” along the MBT at  R Street by creating an “S curve. The developers will also fund improvements for the “South Park”, the park space directly south of the building, in the amount up to $350,000 and may include food service kiosks, public art, or a performance amphitheater for the benefit of the general public.

Site ground floor plan includes an elevator for residents using bike to “South Park”
Image: Foulger-Pratt

The project includes 174 long-term bicycle parking spaces in an enclosed bike storage area in the below-grade garage and will include 30 short-term bicycle parking spaces in the public space adjacent to the site. This amount of bicycle parking exceeds the 111 bicycle parking spaces and 20 short-term bicycle parking spaces required. The plan also adds a sidewalk on R Street, which will contain a 6-foot wide continuous tree amenity zone, a 7.5-foot sidewalk, and a 14-foot wide building zone.

The site plan also calls for bike and pedestrian access shuttle elevators connecting to the below-grade parking garage and a walkway adjacent to those elevators, which abut the South Park. The developer states that it will work closely with the the NoMa Parks Foundation to integrate this walkway with the overall design of the South Park.

Vehicular Access

All vehicular traffic enters through R Street NE
Image: Foulger-Pratt

Plans for R Street NE, a connector to the downtown and the U Street corridor, maintain some clearance for users of the MBT by designing a loading berth that accommodates front-in/front-out loading access with two 30 feet and two 100 square foot platforms. Preliminary site plans suggest the vehicular movement on R Street could use the entire width of the street, potentially reducing the likelihood of bike infrastructure that provides protection to bicyclists. The Penn Center, a D.C. Department of General Services facility, and an industrial site will also continue to share R Street for vehicular access.

Site parking contains 2700 sq ft dedicated for bike parking
Image: Foulger-Pratt

All access to the development’s 124 parking spaces, which exceeds the 60 required spaces, is also through R Street. Residential vehicle parking totals 110 spaces and 14 retail spaces. Residential bike parking totals 2700 square feet and is located near the garage entrance.

Below are addition images of the project from the plan.

Looking north along Harry Thomas Way, NE

Looking west from the WMATA tracks

Looking South from R Street NE

Looking North from “South Park”

Project overview