Note that LeDroit Park resident and developer Brian Brown is quoted.
New rules on D.C. pop-up homes offer something for both sides in debate
New regulations governing Washington’s pop-up homes won preliminary approval this week, but fans and haters of the controversial structures are ambivalent about the rules.
On Monday night, the five-member D.C. Zoning Commission voted in favor of measures to reduce the maximum height of pop-ups in certain parts of the city from 40 feet to 35 feet, a win for those who abhor rowhouses that tower above neighboring residences. But the zoning commission also voted to allow developers to carve out four condominium units per pop-up, a victory for pop-up supporters.
The rules could go into effect as soon as June. The commission must take a second vote this spring to finalize the provisions — and could still make changes — prompting the anti-pop-up crowd to quickly criticize the measures.
...
Brian Brown, a principal of NextGen Development, which builds pop-ups throughout the city, called the new measures “a balanced solution” because the rules will ultimately discourage developers who do shoddy work.
For instance, any developer seeking to build more than four units will need a special exception from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Obtaining that exception, Brown said, can cost tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and interest payments on loans, all while the building sits empty.
“Some of these projects which are marginal won’t get done,” Brown said. “The developers will either get weeded out or be forced to hire a real architect.”
...
No comments:
Post a Comment