Business & Tech

Three Lanier Projects have their Day before Design Board

Thursday, the Old Georgetown Board took a closer look and a fresh look at several EastBanc projects planned for Georgetown.

s EastBanc had three projects before the Old Georgetown Board Thursday. Two residential saw their first review, the Post Office building was back once again for further design review. All three residential projects went before the Advisory Neighborhood Commission Monday.

Georgetown Post Office

Both Stephen Vanze and Anne Lewis the loss of the for an office building that symmetrically mirrored the existing historic structure at 1215 31st St.

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"I assume you've been pressured politically and economically" to make changes, but it has "been to detriment of the design," said Vanze. He went on, "in many cases we like to listen to the neigbbors' concerns and have the applicant respond to them...I think those concerns are hurting this project."

Anne Lewis added, "each time it [the design] comes back it's losing something and we know it's not your fault."

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Martin took a moment to make a "personal statement not on behalf of his client." "From the beginning, I always felt that an office use more compatible" for the building than the residential use, which the Office of Planning required for the space. The process, said Martin, has been a "political yo-yo."

Ultimately the two board member present told Martin that he and his client EastBanc needed to revisit the original design and “somehow make it work” for the residential use.

1045 Wisconsin Ave.

The second Lanier project up for review was 1045 Wisconsin Ave., which is currently a parking lot adjacent to , the C&O Canal and the Verizon building. The project generally received positive remarks at the Monday ANC meeting and at the OGB meeting,

Architect Hany Hassan of the firm Beyer Blinder Belle brought with him a miniature "site visit" that the OGB members used to gain a sense of perspective for the height, massing and relationship of the proposed new 9-unit condo building to the surrounding neighborhood.

Lanier said he has been working to obtain access to the site for nearly 12 years and said the sale is "almost a civic gesture by Verizon" when one considers the "monetary gain versus the headache" of negotiating.

The building will appear as a four-story structure above Wisconsin Avenue and five stories when read from the canal. The current design uses stone for the entire structure to give the building its own "presence" as Hassan put it.

However, the OGB members were a little wary of the statement the developers and architect were making. Vanze said the "design is a little overwrought" though the height was fine by his standards. The use of stone throughout "isn't the correct way to go," added Vanze. 

Lewis said she felt the "massing needs to be simplified" and that the proposed penthouse was too high. She agreed with Vanze on the materials; both board members suggested using a mix of materials, perhaps stone at the base with brick or something else industrial above.

Exxon Site/3601-3607 M St.

The largest of the three EastBanc projects was also the most controversial. Gary Handel of NY-based Handel Architects designed an large residential building to replace the current Exxon gas station at the very edge of M Street next to the Car Barn and the "Excorcist stairs."

The OGB decided not to make any comments on the design until after a site visit could be arranged. The architects had hoped to receive massing approval Thursday, but will have to wait until the next monthly meeting in April to try their luck.

Many of the same neighbors who spoke at the ANC meeting Monday were on hand to give the OGB their opinions on the negative impact of the proposed structure.

Neighbors object to the height and the modern design of the structure. Concerns range from the impact on the views neighbors currently enjoy of the Potomac River to the privacy issues of a rooftop pool on the same level as some people's backyards. Additionally the massing is a major concern, neighbors suggested adopting a tapered approach for the building, stepping down from the roof to a wider building at the base to help protect views. 

Both the ANC and Historic Preservation Review Board raised concerns about the view as driver approach Georgetown. Commissioner Birch from ANC2E called the space the "gateway" of Georgetown and, while acknowledging that a use other than a gas station is preferable, he said the community has concerns about how the largely glass structure will relate to the view of Georgetown.

Tim Dennee, a staff member for the Historic Preservation Review Board, said the current design with its one long roof had a “relentless appearance to it” that was troubling for him.

No real changes to the design were in order since the OGB declined to comment. The site visit and upcoming meeting will likely result in design changes for the largest of Lanier's current Georgetown projects.


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