Douglas Development will begin construction next month on a pair of buildings (totaling 99 apartments) and three single-family homes in the Takoma Park Historic District. The project is expected to take 15 months, with a scheduled completion date of spring 2016.
The apartments, at 6918 Willow Street NW and 6925 Maple Street NW, each have three stories with a basement and roof deck. The 99 apartments--studios, one- and two-bedrooms--are split equally between the two buildings (50 and 49 units).
According to a Douglas Development representative, the project is all-residential, with no retail component. There will be 92 spaces in a parking lot; each of the single-family houses will have parking spaces.
The project will have a total of 102 residential units, including the three single-family houses. Of that total, 11 units will be designated affordable housing, split 10 apartments and one house.
The Douglas Development representative said the company already owned the two-and-half-acre lot in Takoma Park. It worked with the historic preservation board and the community to come up with the best use for the property.
Three early-20th-century houses existed on the property. Two will be relocated to a different part of the site. The third was in such poor condition that it was demolished; the developer is committed to rebuilding it to historic design standards.
Bruce Yarnall with the Historic Preservation Review Board said that at its December 4 meeting, the HPRB approved the developer’s revised concept plan, which calls for a brick exterior, red tile roofs and multi-pane windows.