Friday, January 16, 2015

WaPo: "DC residents battle over future of high pop-up condos"

Click on the link to read the entire Washington Post article on yesterday's pop-up zoning regulation proposal.

Again, this pop-up zoning regulation proposal would impact Bloomingdale, whose residential area is zoned R-4.
   

D.C. residents battle over future of high ‘pop-up’ condos

 January 16 at 8:33 AM  

Scores of District residents battled Thursday night in a lengthy public hearing before the city’s Zoning Commission over the future of pop-ups — rowhouses filled with multiple condo units and enlarged with extra stories that stick out over adjacent houses.
...
The stretched-up homes are creating big profits for small-time developers and investors who are capitalizing on Washington’s real estate boom by building in practically the only space they can — in the sky. But pop-ups are also generating angst among long-standing homeowners who cringe when their next-door’s neighbor’s building shoots up, blocking views and sunlight.
The Zoning Commission is deciding whether to support a District office planning proposal, which would reduce the by-right height of family rowhouses in one of the city’s predominant residential areas — the R-4 zone — to 35 feet, down from 40. The proposal could also bar developers from building in the R-4 zone three or more condo units in one home, a benefit that entices developers to add extra stories onto rowhouses.
...
In reaction to pop-up supporters’ concerns, Anthony J. Hood, the zoning commission chairman, asked pop-up supporter to submit their own proposals for dealing with pop-ups. 

The Zoning Commission will meet Feb. 9 to discuss the public hearing and what new research its members will need before making a vote. The commission is also looking at more lenient proposals on pop-ups, but it could take months before any final decision is made.

1 comment:

Jenifer said...

Now if we could just get the helicopters to fly at least 50 feet up, I could hear my tv, the babies wouldn't get woken, and my afternoon nap wouldn't be disturbed by the whirring, thumping, grinding of the helis who seem to think they can peer into our skylights whenever they like