D.C.’s planning and zoning commission is set to hear a proposal that would allow 130-foot buildings to be stacked on top of the tracks behind Union Station.
The proposal would create a new zoning designation for the development called Burnham Place, named after Union Station architect Daniel Burnham. Developer Akridge, which bought the air rights above Union Station’s tracks in 2002 for $10 million, plans to build a mixed-use development atop two 20-foot-high platforms on both sides of the H Street bridge.
The area would be called “Union Station North,” and its zoning would allow for the developer to cram enough stuff into the approximately 3 million square feet of space to make the project economically viable (otherwise known in the development world as project density).
The project calls for office, residential, hotel and retail space. The hearing before the zoning board is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
