D.C.’s former Polish Embassy may be converted into a single-family home

Only four blocks away from the Van Ness-UDC Metro station, there are plans to convert a historic property for residential use. In Ward 3’s Forest Hills neighborhood, the roughly one-acre site is bounded by Albemarle, Appleton, and 32nd streets NW

Currently, the site houses the former Polish Embassy, which the Historic Preservation Review Board designated a historic landmark in April 2017. The plan is to convert the former embassy into a single-family home and develop the remainder of the property into five 34-foot-high rowhouses and one 30-foot-high detached single-family home.

Originally, the developer wanted to convert the embassy for a non-profit/office use, but later decided against this. Each residential property will have “at least one parking space,” according to the zoning documents.

Along with these plans, the developer seeks to rezone the R-8 zoned property to R-3.

According to UrbanTurf, the plan is for the project to finish by 2019.

The architect behind the project is Christian Zapatka, and the developer is Robert A. Gottfried.

• Developer Plans Six New Houses at Site of Polish Ambassador’s Residence in Forest Hills [UrbanTurf]