A 48-unit building will replace a Zipcar lot at 1617 14th Street NW, after going through a lengthy historic preservation process. The seven-story development will break ground the last quarter of 2013, its design team says.
Hickok Cole Architects estimate construction of The Corcoran at 14th will take around 14 months and hope to deliver the structure by the end of 2014.
"The building right now is targeted to be a rental apartment building," Laurence Caudle, the firm’s director of housing, says about the project. "Being a small boutique building, there isn’t targeted to be much amenity space…because obviously the neighborhood has a lot to offer."
The mixed-use residential building will have close to 38,000 square feet of space, including 4,000 for retail, and 15 parking spaces. It also plans to offer luxury penthouse units with extended balconies and private terraces.
Although the site is currently a car lot, it falls in the Greater 14th Street Historic District. More than six neighborhoods in Washington have historically protected zones, in which every development project has to go through an approval process.
"It requires going through the Historic Preservation Office and approval by the Historic Preservation Review Board," Caudle explains. “So the process requires that you get community support for your project.”
In June 2012, the city's Historic Preservation Office found the conceptual design compatible with the historic district.
Luis Velarde writes about business, investments, real estate, and urban development. His work has appeared in the BBC World Service, Voice of America and others.