Residents in Southwest Washington are up in arms about a proposed zoning change that would nearly triple the height allowed for a new building in their neighborhood.
The project, on Delaware Avenue and M Street Southwest, is for a proposed 11-story residential tower on part of what is now church property. In exchange for the land, the developer Trammell Crow is building a new church for the St. Matthew’s Lutheran parish. The project also includes a new community center.
The kicker for those who live adjacent is the rezoning would nix the old height limit of 40 feet and allow for the proposed height of 110 feet.
“This is an all-out effort to change the zoning regulations and quite frankly profit from the return,” said Michael Krause, who lives in the Carrollsburg neighborhood.
Others say the building doesn’t blend in with the neighborhood, which is dotted with townhomes and nine-story towers, all set back from the road.
“This is [11] stories with a penthouse. And it’s going to sit right up to M Street,” Gail Fast, president of the Carrollsburg Condominium Association.
The zoning commission is scheduled to vote Monday on the project.
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