ANC Commissioner Appeals to Councilwoman Nadeau on Meridian Hill/16 St Project
For Release: July 23, 2018
Contact: Amanda Fox Perry
ANC Commissioner Appeals to Councilwoman Nadeau on Meridian Hill/16 St Project
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Amanda Fox Perry (ANC 1C08) is asking Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau to request that the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment defer any action on a major development project in the Meridian Hill Historic District because it will have serious and consequential impacts on the surrounding neighbors and because it violates DC’s Comprehensive Plan. ANC1C opposed this project five times when it was before the Historic Preservation Review Board, and has twice voted unanimously to ask the BZA to oppose this project, on May 23, 2018 and July 11, 2018.
The BZA application (No. 19689) seeks special exception relief to construct a 9-story, 110-unit luxury residential building and a 10,000 square foot conference center on a small, green lot next to the historic Meridian House and White Meyer Mansion, west of 16th St. NW, opposite Meridian Hill Park. The conference center would belong to the Meridian International Center, a global leadership organization that is headquartered in the mansions. The BZA held a hearing on this application in June and is scheduled to make a decision on the special exception requests on Wednesday, July 25th.
The ANC and community oppose the project because: (1) it violates DC’s Comprehensive Plan, including the Generalized Policy Map and the Future Land Use Map (FLUM), which indicate that this site is only appropriate for small, low-rise apartment buildings; (2) Meridian International Center claims to be a private school for the purpose of obtaining the special exception relief needed to build the conference center, but it is overwhelming a catering establishment and one of DC’s top wedding venues; (3) the DC Office of Planning’s endorsement of the project relied solely on the self-serving assertions by the developer that there would be minimal impacts on the community without any independent studies; and (4) the Office of Planning simply ignored any reference to the Comp Plan throughout its dealings with the community and overall consideration of the application.
“In light of the recent discovery of the Comp Plan’s land use designation, the unanimous and sustained ANC opposition, and the countless valid concerns that the community has raised over the years, Councilwoman Nadeau is more than justified in requesting that BZA not act on this case,” said Commissioner Fox Perry. “We want the Zoning Commission to apply the correct, Comp Plan-conforming zoning to this property and have the Office of Planning independently evaluate the impacts.”
Commissioner Fox Perry has also reached out to Office of Planning Director Eric Shaw requesting that OP join in asking the BZA to postpone the decision-making meeting scheduled for Wednesday, citing the same reasons she has raised with Councilwoman Nadeau.
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