Last week, Washington, D.C.-based Level 2 Development filed a Planned Unit Development (PUD) proposal with that city’s Zoning Commission for The Highline at Union Market, a 227,089-sf mixed-use building that will include 315 apartments and 8,472 sf of street-level retail.
It’s no accident that the word “Highline” is in this project’s name. The goal of this developer, according to its principal David Franco, is for the building to be a kind of gateway into the larger redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood to resemble New York’s City’s trendy downtown Meatpacking District, through which runs a portion the High Line elevated park.
Level 2’s apartment building is located a block from D.C.’s NoMa/Gallaudet Red Line Metro Station, which since opening in 2004 has been the impetus for development.
Franco told The Washington Post that he sees The Highline at Union Market as “the front door” of the Union Market District, which he speculates could become a mecca for “specialty retail, artisanal food, dining, and entertainment.”
Getting people interested in living in or near this neighborhood appears to be a significant part of the redevelopment plan. Edens Realty, which is transforming the upscale shopping center Union Market, has submitted a PUD for a nearby 520-unit apartment building that Level 2 would be responsible for developing and completing.
The Highline at Union Market, designed by the architectural firm Eric Colbert & Associates, attempts to create a stylish yet industrial look with the appearance of rail car-looking boxes stacked on top of which other, albeit with different, seemingly random setbacks.
The apartments within range from 400 to 1,000 sf, with some premium units available. Franco tells BD+C that a zoning change is required in order to get the density that Level 2 wants from this building.
A hearing by the Zoning Commission is likely to occur next month, with public hearings to follow this summer. If all goes well, Franco says construction could begin in the third quarter of 2016.
Related Stories
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
| Sep 22, 2010
Michael Van Valkenburg Assoc. wins St. Louis Gateway Arch design competition
Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and a multidisciplinary team of experts in “urban renewal, preservation, commemoration, social connections and ecological restoration” have been picked for the planning phase of The City+The Arch+The River 2015 International Design Competition.
| Sep 22, 2010
Satellier, Potential + Semac close investment deal
Satellier, a world leader in providing CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) outsourced services to the architecture, engineering and construction industry, announces a strategic minority investment from India-based top engineering firm Potential + Semac, ushering in the next evolution of the global architecture support industry.
