NOVO Properties last week received a final building permit for the apartment building it is constructing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, in Hill East, according to Bruce Hurd, NOVO partner.
Hurd says construction will begin with pouring cement for the garage and first floor levels of the total 77-apartment building. He expects construction to be finished by March or April of 2015, with the building ready for occupancy by May and June of 2015.
The building will be divided into an east and, yes, a west wing. It will contain primarily one-bedroom units along with some studios and two-bedrooms. Hurd says rent will range from $1,700 to $2,600 monthly. He said both wings will have entrances onto Pennsylvania Avenue.
The five-story east wing will be the “gateway to Hill East,” says Hurd, with a clock tower as the prominent feature as well as a roof deck. The three-story west wing will have all two-bedroom units and a design that “will match the townhouses nearby,” he said.
The building went through the District’s zoning process under the address of 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. But NOVO Properties, which also operates under the name NOVO Development Corp., successfully petitioned for a change to one of the most famous addresses in the country.
Hurd said the building will be all-residential despite earlier reports that it would contain retail. “There will be no retail although it [izoned for that,” he said. The neighborhood “was not suitable for retail.”
The $21 million project will have underground parking. It is located in ANC 6B.