1600 Washington Avenue, 425 16th Street and 1601 Drexel Avenue

The following summaries were generated by AI from the official documents linked below. They may contain errors. Please refer to the original documents for authoritative information.

Proposal

The applicant is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness for the total demolition of two structures — a 1-story Non-Contributing commercial building at 1600 Washington Avenue and a 2-story Contributing apartment building at 425 16th Street — and the construction of a new 15-story mixed-use building containing 210 residential units and approximately 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The existing 5-story parking garage at 1601 Drexel Avenue will be retained and incorporated into the new development. The project proposes a FAR of 3.25 and a building height of 150 feet, contingent upon adoption of pending zoning ordinance amendments.

From the Letter of Intent

The applicant proposes to demolish existing structures on the east side of the property (a two-story apartment building and one-story commercial building) and construct a new 15-story residential development with 210 residential units and approximately 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The existing parking garage on the west side will be retained.

• Demolition of two-story apartment building (contributing structure from 1938 designed by Henry Hohauser)
• Demolition of one-story commercial building
• New construction of 15-story residential building with 210 units
• Construction of approximately 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail
• Retention of existing parking garage

Staff Recommendation

Compliance Findings:

Key Issues

• Project is not consistent with current maximum FAR and building height requirements; separate LDR amendment must be adopted prior to building permit issuance
• Recycling or salvage plan for demolition has not been provided (Sea Level Rise Criterion A not satisfied)
• Renderings do not accurately reflect the submitted landscape plans
• Proposed retention of existing service alley access from 16th Street negatively impacts pedestrian character and safety
• North and south elevations are mirror images and do not account for different solar gain conditions; additional shading on south elevation recommended
• Repetitive floor plan and exterior architecture above ground floor may appear monotonous; design variation on southern elevation recommended
• Ramp and wall at northeast corner along Washington Avenue requires further development to improve pedestrian experience
• Ground floor transparency criteria not satisfied (criteria k and m)
• Proposed units do not comply with average unit size of 800 SF unless a restrictive covenant is provided
• Balcony slab on upper levels encroaches into southeast corner of site and requires a ROW permit
• Enclosed staircase, elevator lobby, and pool equipment not included in FAR drawings and calculations
• Ground floor elevation waiver needed as it does not comply with future crown of road elevation requirement

Cover Sheet

Structural Assessment

Traffic Study

Mailing Labels

Staff Report

Letter of Intent

Historic Resources Report

Architectural Plans

Landscape Plans

Survey

Checklist

Other