A proposal to turn a vacant office building into a 45-unit apartment building at 1625 Prince Street in Old Town.
Applicant 1625 Prince Street LLC is asking the city for a parking reduction, as well as modifications to the tree canopy and minimum side yard requirements. The building is less than 1,000 feet from the King St.-Old Town Metro station, was constructed in 1990 and bought by the American Society for Industrial Security in 1997, according to city property records. The proposal will go to the Planning Commission on Nov. 6.
The 41,411 square foot building and three other buildings on the property sit atop a two-level parking garage, and 1625 Prince Street LLC proposes to build 39,147 square feet of residential space into 31 one-bedroom and 14 two-bedroom units. The property is in a flood plain, and city ordinance doesn’t allow an underground parking garage for residential uses, according to the special use permit (SUP) application.
“The applicant is requesting a parking reduction of 26 parking spaces,” according to the application. “Currently 15 parking spaces are allocated for the proposed residential use, which would require a minimum of 41 parking spaces. The property is located within the base flood elevation, which does not allow below-grade parking for residential uses. Only 15 parking spaces are available for the property in the existing at-grade parking level.”
1625 Prince Street LLC says in the application that the request is appropriate given its close proximity to the Metro station.
“The Applicant anticipates that many of the future residents of the building will likely be car-less by choice, and believes that this building is an ideal location for individuals with a car-free lifestyle,” according to the SUP application.
According to the application:
The Applicant is proposing to convert the existing office building into a 45-unit multi-unit residential building. Although the proposed use is permitted by-right, due to restrictions on the location of the Property within a floodplain and limitations on the parking spaces that are available to the Applicant, the Applicant is requesting an SUP for a parking reduction to reduce the parking requirements for the proposed residential units. In conjunction with the parking reduction SUP, the Applicant is requesting modifications to the tree canopy coverage and minimum side yard requirements pursuant to Section 11-416(C) of the Zoning Ordinance. With the proposed conversion, the building will contain approximately 39,147 SF of residential GFA (gross floor area) and forty-five (45) multi-unit dwellings, including 31 one-bedroom and 14 two-bedroom units.
The approximately 41,411 square foot building and three other buildings in the office condominium complex are situated on top of a two-level parking garage that spans the block bounded by Prince Street, Dechantal Street, and Daingerfield Road. The building is located within 1,000 linear feet of the King Street Metro station. It is currently vacant, but has historically been occupied by office uses…
The Applicant also requests modification to the required side yard setback for the multi-unit dwelling. For the purpose of this application the walkway and terrace level plaza located directly east of the existing office building are included as a part of the Property. As such, the existing building is approximately 23-feet away from the delineating Property line. Due to the proposed residential use and retention of the existing building, it is not possible to comply with the required 1:2 side yard setback ratio without approved modifications. Given that this is an existing condition, the requested modification is appropriate. Finally, the Applicant requests a modification of the tree canopy coverage requirement. New plantings will be provided in the plaza area directly adjacent to existing building, but given that the existing building footprint covers a majority of the Property it is not possible for the Applicant to provide the required 25% (5,780.75 SF) canopy coverage requirement.
Walsh, Colucci, Lebeley & Walsh are the attorneys for 1625 Prince Street LLC.
The development comes amid a struggling commercial real estate market. There have been a number of office-to-residential conversions heading to city review in recent days, including a five-story property at 601 Wythe Street. Nearby, an office-to-residential conversion at 1101 King Street just started leasing apartments.
