The Zoning Commission voted 5-0 on May 22 to take proposed action to rezone 1401–1405 Fifteenth Street NW (Case No. 24‑16) from RA‑5 to ARTS‑3, referring the matter to the National Capital Planning Commission for a 30‑day review and directing the applicant to file draft findings and conclusions within two weeks.

The proposed map amendment would change the zoning of the landmarked Grace Reformed Church property in the Logan Circle/Near Northwest planning area to allow more nonresidential uses while keeping the site’s historic protections in place. Office of Planning staff and the applicant said the change is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s future land‑use map and Generalized Policy Map; Office of Planning recommended approval and DDOT filed a report with no objection.

The matter matters locally because the site is a designated historic landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and sits within the Fourteenth Street Historic District; supporters said rezoning will allow adaptive reuse to remove a long‑standing vacancy, while opponents said an active congregation is ready to buy and preserve the building as a church.

Jessica Bloomfield, attorney for the applicant, told the commission the application seeks a zoning map amendment for the parcel at 1401 to 1405 Fifteenth Street NW, currently zoned RA‑5, to rezone it to ARTS‑3 and to extend the existing ARTS‑3 district that abuts the property. Bloomfield said the property is improved with the Grace Reformed Church, Sunday school and parish house and that all of those structures are designated historic and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She said the application does not propose demolition and that any exterior changes would require Historic Preservation Review Board approval.

Lewis Kelly of Monument Realty, the property purchaser, told the commission Monument bought the property in April 2025 from the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ and that the site has been vacant since 2022. Kelly said Monument’s intended reuse is a restaurant that would permit adaptive reuse without material alteration to the historic exterior. “To be clear we have no intention of demolishing any portion of the exterior of the historic structure,” Kelly said, adding that the ARTS‑3 zone would permit neighborhood‑serving commercial uses that the current RA‑5 zoning does not.

Brandice Elliott, presenting the Comprehensive Plan and racial equity analysis for the applicant, summarized Office of Planning’s finding that the future land‑use map designates the site medium‑density residential and moderate‑density commercial, and that ARTS‑3 is not inconsistent with those designations. Elliott noted the ARTS‑3 zone limits nonresidential FAR to 2.5 and that ARTS‑3’s matter‑of‑right scale (up to about 65 feet and 4 FAR, 4.8 with inclusionary zoning) is lower than RA‑5’s residential maximums; she said the change would reduce development pressure that could otherwise threaten the historic fabric.

Philip Bradford of the Office of Planning told the commission OP has discussed the case with Historic Preservation Office staff and recommended approval, saying the map amendment “on balance would not be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan, including when viewed through a racial equity lens.” Bradford reiterated that rezoning is separate from historic review and that the site’s historic protections remain: “The structures will remain within the historic district and on the national register and retain all the protections of a historic designated site,” he said.

Three public witnesses opposed the rezoning during the hearing. Pastor Chris Mormon, who said his Grace Capital City Church has sought to purchase and restore the property, urged the commission to consider offers from congregations. “We are here. We are willing, and we are prepared,” he told commissioners. Selwa Roosevelt, a member of the Roosevelt family, described the church’s ties to President Theodore Roosevelt and said she wants the space to remain a place of worship. Britney Sawyer, a historic preservationist, also testified in opposition and said a congregation had expressed interest in buying the building.

Commissioners asked the applicant about prior contact with Historic Preservation Office staff; the applicant said Monument had met with HPO staff, including Steve Calcott, who told them the landmark designation covered the exterior and structural assemblies rather than interior finishes. The applicant also said it sold the adjacent parish‑house townhouse to a residential developer who plans two residential units while the church itself would be used for commercial purposes under the applicant’s stated plan.

After commissioners discussed the policy questions and heard the testimony, Commissioner Wright moved to approve the map amendment for proposed action; Vice Chair Miller seconded. The commission recorded a 5‑0‑0 vote to take proposed action, directed the applicant to file draft findings, facts and conclusions of law within two weeks, and referred the case to NCPC for a 30‑day review. The commission noted the case would not be processed as a summary order because there was opposition in the record.

The commission’s action is procedural (a proposed action on a map amendment) and does not itself authorize any alteration of the landmarked structures; any future exterior modifications would require separate review and approval by the Historic Preservation Review Board. The record now proceeds to NCPC review and subsequent final action by the Zoning Commission after the draft order and the NCPC comment period.