The Hine school development near Eastern Market and subject of contentious debate in recent months, is scheduled to go before the city Historic Preservation Review Board on Thursday. But before it rules, the board will look at the recommendations of the Eastern Market Metro Community Association, which slams a range of the development’s aspects from building heights to architectural design.
The final recommendations of the EMMCA came from a series of community meetings over the last few months that stemmed largely from nearby residents’ concerns the development wouldn’t blend in with the historic neighborhood. Ever since the developer Stanton-EastBanc was forced to scrap its original plans after key tenants backed out of the project, the modified plans have been under close scrutiny from neighbors.
However, how much weight the board puts on these recommendations remains to be seen, as the preservation office’s staff issued a report on Friday that was favorable to Stanton-EastBanc.
Recommendations to the preservation board include:
- Height. The association wants height limits of: 60 feet along Pennsylvania Avenue SE, 40 feet along 8th and C streets SE, and 50 feet along 7th Street SE. The developer has requested a height allowance up to: 88 feet along Pennsylvania Avenue and 35 to 48 feet along 8th Street.
- Design: “The current design bears little resemblance to what was proposed when they were chosen,” the recommendation letter says, adding that if submitted today, the current design might not have won Stanton-EastBanc the job. The buildings proposed in this design don’t match the historic character “for such an important site in the Capitol Hill Historic District.”
- No shops on D Street. This recommendation is based on the story of Pierre L’Enfant’s first visit to what was then the future U.S. capital. “L’Enfant probably envisioned, on his first visit to what was to become Washington, this 8th Street SE carrying commerce north from the river, then turning left at Pennsylvania Avenue SE … Logically, that meant L’Enfant intended residential on D Street north of Pennsylvania Avenue,” the letter stipulates.
- The HPRB should enforce Guidelines for New Construction in a Historic District, which address scale and proportion, from the Historic Landmark and Historic District Act of 1978.
