Washington City Paper's Aaron Wiener weighs in on DC Office of Planning's pop-up proposal

Click on the link to read the * entire * post.

You can read the earlier Bloomingdale Neighborhood blog post here.

Office of Planning Neuters Zoning Update, and Then Some

Posted by Aaron Wiener on Jun. 30, 2014 at 7:30 am

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But the Office of Planning has gone even further, proposing to impose new restrictions on additions to rowhouses and reducing many neighborhoods' potential for residential density from what's currently allowed.

                                      

The office wants to cut the permissible height of buildings in rowhouse neighborhoods from the current 40 feet to 35 feet. Anything beyond that would require special approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Such approval can be costly and time-consuming.

                                                    

Some residents will no doubt cheer the proposal, given the outrage over certain unattractive additions to rowhouses, known as pop-ups. And the change would indeed give the city some control over the aesthetics of pop-ups: If a rowhouse owner wanted to build above 35 feet, he or she would have to win approval from the BZA, which could weigh in on visual grounds.

                                                           

But other homeowners will surely be upset if they bought a house thinking they could build an extra floor up to 40 feet, only to be told now that they can't without hiring a lawyer and going before the BZA. Some might scramble for building permits to make the additions before the new rules take effect.

                        

Likewise, the new proposal would restrict the ability to convert a rowhouse into multiple units without special permission. It would also eliminate the earlier proposal to allow accessory dwelling units in converted garages and carriage houses as a matter of right, instead requiring a special exception for these units.

Office of Planning Interim Director Ellen McCarthy says the changes came in response to public criticism of pop-ups and of the proposed changes to parking regulations. "The overarching thinking was trying to be responsive to so many of the concerns we’ve heard over the past couple of years," she says.

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There's also a provision to ban camping on alley lots in rowhouse zones unless they receive a special exception. That's apparently in response to the cluster of tiny houses that's cropped up in an alley triangle in the Stronghold neighborhood, to the annoyance of some neighbors who used to park their cars there. The owners of these self-built homes aren't currently allowed to reside there. The people behind the tiny house project hoped that the zoning update would make it easier for people to live in alley dwellings; instead, this change could make it harder.

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Still, McCarthy maintains the latest version would promote more sustainable growth in the city. "I think our policy is still basically one where we're still committed to smart growth, we’re still committed to being consistent with the goals that were set in the comprehensive plan," she says. "But where there are real concerns that have been raised by people who’ve testified before the Zoning Commission, we’re trying to make sure we’ve been responsive to them."s