A development planned on Pennsylvania Avenue near Eastern Market has been revamped and redesigned so many times it’s barely recognizable from the original behemoth concept planners had envisioned for the historic neighborhood.
But it’s still not enough for many residents who have consistently voiced their concern that the mixed-use development won’t blend in with the fabric of the residential area.
Development team Stanton-EastBanc unveiled the latest version for the one-square-block development this week at a community meeting on the project, known as the Hine School Development because it will take the place of the now-shuttered junior high school there.
Changes include: no hotel for the Seventh Street building, lowering the Eighth Street building height near Pennsylvania Avenue and replacing the fourth-floor structure with rooftop pavilions, breaking up the long façade with gaps to simulate the natural gaps in the buildings to the north of the project and removing the rooftop pavilion on the Pennsylvania Avenue building.
Still, the feedback from residents at the meeting revolved around the building’s aesthetics, according to the Eastern Market Metro Community Association blog.
“Eighth Street resident Mark Shlien struck a chord with many when he challenged [design architect Amy] Weinstein to create a building that would be as much her legacy as Eastern Market was for revered market architect Adolph Cluss,” writes Larry Janezich.
The general consensus from the opposition was that the buildings are still too tall, Janezich said. However, the project won “unqualified support” from several residents and neighbors, he said.
The next and final public event for the project before the Historic Preservation Review Board takes up the development is planned for the April 26. Stanton-EastBanc posted the latest revisions on its website Thursday.
