District Source: "Pop-up proposal not perfect, but a start"

Click on the link to read the entire District Source post.

Note that the hot topic of pop-ups continues here in Bloomingdale.

This pic of a pop-up in Hill East accompanies this District Source post.

Pop-Up Proposal Not Perfect, But a Start

December 5, 2014 By: Shaun Courtney

Look for this article in the December print edition of The Hill Rag-in news stands Dec. 5.

It is hard to drive around Hill East or greater Capitol Hill for long before coming across a former two-story, brick rowhouse that has been added onto with often mismatched brick or siding and that now houses three or more units, instead of one family or a family and their English basement renter. These so-called “pop-ups” are the source of much consternation among neighbors at community meetings and in online discussion forums.

The D.C. Office of Planning has proposed a solution that could at least reduce the practice of building large additions and converting traditionally two-unit family-sized homes into condominiums and apartments. The Zoning Commission (ZC) will consider the changes on Jan.15.

The Pop-Up Proposal

The Office of Planning (OP) has proposed changes to regulations that govern additions to and conversions of homes in rowhouse neighborhoods in the District–areas largely zoned as R-4.

The new regulations would apply to neighborhoods zoned under the R-4 classification because it is those neighborhoods that have been most impacted by pop-ups and condo conversions.

“Many if not most, inappropriate upper additions are in the R-4 zone,” the OP states in its letter to the ZC.

Under current regulations, homes within the R-4 can be converted to a multi-family structure as long as there is a minimum lot area of 900 square feet per unit; so homes on deep lots or combining two neighboring properties can result in a large, multi-unit structure on an otherwise low-density street.

This has created an environment in which developers compete with residents for family-sized housing, pushing up prices for single family homes, especially those with three or more bedrooms. In the last three years the price of three-bedroom units has risen at almost three times the rate as one-bedroom units, according to OP.

New regulations would remove the ability to convert rowhouses to apartments or condos, would allow by special exception the conversion of non-residential buildings like churches or schools to multi-family units and would generally create a process for community input in a way that is not currently possible.

The regulations also restrict the height of buildings in the R-4 zone to 35 feet, a reduction from the current 40-foot limit. To build up to 40 feet, a developer or owner would need to seek a special exception, which requires zoning review.

The Problem with Pop-Ups

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Are these the regulations we’re looking for?

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Onward to Zoning

The Zoning Commission will consider the amendments to the R-4 zoning provisions when it hears case 14-11 beginning Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St. NW, Ste. 200S.

The full proposal from OP is available online by searching case 14-11 in the Office of Zoning’s  Interactive Zoning Information System (IZIS).