2026 Jackson Street NE
Proposal to turn the vacant lot on the corner of 22nd & Jackson Street NE into a mixed-use (residential and commercial) building.
Information below lifted, with immense gratitude, from the website of 5C07 Commissioner, VJ Kapur.
Overview
A vacant lot sits at the corner of 22nd and Jackson Sts. NE; right where the two streets hit Rhode Island Ave. NE
The church that owns the lot is seeking approvals for a mixed-use building on the site before selling it
Latest designs are for 31 homes, 2,100 sq ft of retail, and 5 ground-floor structured parking spaces
The project received a map amendment in October 2022, and now has a Board of Zoning Adjustment case to be heard 5/3/2023
The case predominantly centers on rear clearance from the neighboring building by the same developer, 3200 22nd St. NE
Background
The subject property is currently an empty gravel-covered lot owned by The New Macedonia Baptist Church. New Macedonia Baptist Church operated adjacent to it, in the church building at 3200 22nd St. NE, and used the vacant lot as parking and an outdoor event space. Both properties came to the church through mergers with other churches, and the church has now consolidated operations to a site in Southeast DC.
Both properties are being prepared for redevelopment. The church is no longer interested in occupying the building, and any kind of use would require substantial rehabilitation. The church has contracted with Feldman Ruel to have each property entitled for redevelopment and then sold. The proceeds will benefit the church, which will put it towards their continuing operations.
The church building itself, 3200 22nd St. NE, is planned to be residential only and has already received BZA approval as a separate case.
Proposal
The gravel lot is planned to be mixed-use, with retail/restaurant spaces on the ground floor and residences on top. There was originally planned to be underground parking, but the parking has since been moved under the second floor.
The current plans would include retail frontage buffered from the nearby detached houses on Jackson, along the corner abutting Rhode Island Ave. NE. It would include a possible sidewalk cafe within the footprint of the building (not in public space) along that corner. Parking garage access would be on 22nd St. NE, in between the retail and the planned homes in 3200 22nd.
These plans have 31 homes, 2,100 square feet of retail, and 5 structured parking spaces. This makes it comparable to (but smaller than) 2027 Rhode Island Ave. NE (located on the other side of Rhode Island Ave. and just a little bit southwest). See the table for comparison.
Community Action
The project is scheduled to be heard by the Board of Zoning Adjustment on May 3rd, 2023 during which the applicant is seeking relief from two zoning provisions, both centering on rear lot coverage:
Reduction of the 15-foot rear yard requirement for the MU-4 zone
Reduction in the 40-foot window clearance; the building’s plans contain rear-facing windows less than 40 feet from the adjacent building at 3200 22nd St. NE
ANC 5B has been asked to weigh in on this matter with the BZA and this item has been placed on the agenda for the ANC’s community meeting on March 15th, 2023.
Anyone can submit comments in support or opposition into the case record, to be considered by the BZA when judging the application. Commissioner Kapur or I would be happy to help regardless of your position, so feel free to reach out if you aren’t sure what to write. You may also choose to speak at the hearing, but you will have to submit written comments either way.
Submitting a Letter
To submit a letter:
send before 4pm Tuesday 5/2/2022 to be sure it’s received in time
email it to bzasubmissions@dc.gov
include the case number (
BZA 20872) and address (2026 Jackson St. NE) in the subjectincluding some information about your proximity to the site, or residency within 5B06 if applicable, may help strengthen the weighing of your comments