Looks like another corner of 14th and Spring Road is getting redeveloped: developers have purchased the old Carolina Restaurant building on the northwest corner of 14th and Spring after we heard about the new condo and ground floor retail coming to the southeast corner. The idea is two build a five story building with ground floor retail and four levels of apartments.
On the Spring-Perry listserve, ANC commissioner Michael Halpern posted a bit about the plan. The developers are requesting a parking variance from the city: the building would be required to have a certain number of parking spaces but it may not be possible to fit them, thus the variance request. (This is a similar situation to the southeast corner, I’ll write more about that later today.)
Here’s what Halpern has to say, in response to the question “Is this the Carolina restaurant?”
Yes. They are going through the permitting process for a building with a ground floor retail level and four floors of apartments. Most of what they want to do they can do by matter of right, but they need to request a parking variance from DCRA, which will consider input from the ANC. This gives us an opportunity to give them feedback on other aspects of the development.
With regard to parking, my understanding is that because the building will have an address on 14th street, occupants will NOT be eligible for a Residential Parking Permit.
That feedback process an allow residents to ask for concessions, like improvements to the sidewalk or donations to local charities. The idea is that if someone needs a variance, the ANC can ask for something to offset that, or they can oppose it.
The building has been unoccupied for quite some time, at least a year. Nice to see something going there, though I hope the retail is something nice and useful, not a cell phone store or something lame.
