A project to build six new apartments in the heart of Shaw is moving forward after the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) approved the developer's request to build a larger building than the District's lot area requirements would normally allow.
The developer of 1538 New Jersey Avenue NW originally filed a request to convert a "church and residential unit" into a seven-unit apartment building. That request has since been changed to a six-unit building, and plans submitted by the project's architect imply that the church will be demolished, rather than converted.
The plans call for a three-story building with a basement with two units on each floor. Five will be one-bedrooms, and the sixth will be a two-bedroom.
The BZA approved the request for variance for the six-unit building in August, with unanimous support from ANC 6E.
According to public records, 1538 New Jersey Ave LLC bought the 2,500-square-foot property in January 2013 for $399,900. A hypothetical profit-loss scenario submitted to the BZA showed per-unit monthly rents of $1750, a little higher than the area's average rent according to Rentometer.com, which does not take the condition of the building into account.
Rachel is the managing editor of Elevation D.C. She also covers tech, business and science for publications nationwide. She lives in Brookland.