Within the past few months, there has been a rise in the number of zero-parking developments in Washington, D.C. Just last march, SB-Urban's Blagden Alley project was approved for 121 residential units with zero parking spaces, and last February, PGN Architects' 1401 Florida Avenue NE development was also approved for 28 residential units with zero parking spaces. Now, Douglas Development is hoping to do the same, but it looks like the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) might just cut their plans short in order to stop this trend from continuing. "This parking thing is really an issue," said BZA Chairman Lloyd Jordan at Tuesday's hearing. "This thing is starting to multiply and multiply and mushroom."
Douglas Development's proposal to the BZA was for a 200-room, 13-story hotel at 1011 K Street NW. District Source reported that the hotel will offer amenities like an exercise room and two conference rooms as well as a restaurant/retail space in the first two floors. The structure will be composed of four restored late 19th-century properties. With a hotel this size, the development is required to have 64 parking spaces. The developer's argument for having zero parking spaces is that their targeted residents won't need them because they will be millennials without cars. Additionally, they argue that guests and staff will be able to park in local garages or will be able to use bike share passes. Jordan said that there are a variety of projects relying on the same downtown garages and that there are already too few spaces to go around. According to District Source, both the Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation support the proposal. The developer will return to the BZA on July 28 with more evidence for the parking variance.
· 13-story K Street Hotel Seeks Approval without Parking [District Source]
· Car-Free Housing a Reality for Shaw's Blagden Alley Project [Curbed DC]
· H Street Project Gets Go Ahead With Zero Parking Spaces [Curbed DC]
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