Curbed DC by Michell Goldchain

This past December, the D.C. Court of Appeals vacated the Zoning Commission’s approval of the McMillan Sand Filtration site redevelopment only one day after the groundbreaking. Part of the issue was that the court found that the Zoning Commission did not adequately address how the redevelopment would impact the nearby neighborhoods.

Vision McMillan Partners (VMP), the development team behind the planned redevelopment of McMillan, later issued a statement saying that despite the blocking of the project, VMP was still “significantly encouraged” by the court’s agreement that the project is consistent with the District’s Comprehensive Plan and the Future Land Use Map.

Last week, VMP was unable to attend a hearing scheduled with representatives from the city due to the meeting being postponed. Despite this, VMP still attempted to justify the project with new documentation submitted to the Zoning Commission.

In the cover letter of the documentation, reported on by UrbanTurf, VMP wrote, “The Project, as currently designed, represents the only feasible alternative that can retain a substantial part of the [planned-unit development (PUD)] site as open space and make the site usable for recreational purposes, while at the same time balancing the interest in leveraging this site to advance objectives for housing, economic development, and community facilities; improving tree canopy and reducing urban runoff; and promoting high-quality design.”

The delivery for the redevelopment was slated for 2018. Plans involved 531 apartments and a 52,000-square-foot Harris Teeter from Jair Lynch as well as 146 townhouses from EYA. Plans also included an eight-acre park, 17,500-square-foot community center, and roughly 1 million square feet towards medical office space from Trammell Crow.

A new hearing for the development is scheduled for March 23.

http://dc.curbed.com/2017/3/17/14958782/mcmillan-project-vision-developer