Developer EYA has presented revised plans for a 200+-unit residential building just north of the Takoma metro which lowers the amount of parking in the building and preserves green space in front of the station.
The building has also shrunk by one floor and is now four, rather than five, residential levels, with the top story set back.
The updated plans have received support from the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Old Takoma Business Association and the Sierra Club. "The thing that was important to us and smart growth folks," says EYA senior vice president Jack Lester, "was reducing the residential parking ratio. We were at .87 [spaces per unit] and now we're at .67 spaces per residential unit. The wonderful thing about parking is that developers don't want to build it and smart-growth folks don't want it." (The Coalition for Smarter Growth said in its
letter of support that it was "pleased" to see the lower number, "though [it] could be lower still.")
The project will replace a surface parking lot next to the Metro station. It will have approximately 200 units, a mix of two bedrooms, one bedrooms and studios. Lester says that 20 percent of the units will be two bedroom and the other 80 percent will be studios or one bedroom. As per D.C.'s inclusionary zoning rules, 10 percent of the units will be set aside at below-market-rate rents.
The project is one of a
few that are beginning to transform downtown Takoma. "I've been involved in Takoma for more than a decade," Lester says. "It's really amazing the changes that are occurring demographically. I'm not saying that's good or bad, but there is a real desire for a more—or continuing—vibrant Takoma...and that's really starting to happen. We're really excited for the support for this project and hope it contributes to the vibrancy of the neighborhood."
WMATA is expected to vote on and authorize the contract for the project this month.