Zoning commissioners hear Florida Rock/MRP plan for riverfront phases 3–4; grant procedural waiver

The Zoning Commission held a public hearing Jan. 23 on a modification to the long‑running Florida Rock Properties/MRP Realty planned unit development (PUD) for Square 708, Lot 16 at Potomac Avenue SE, hearing a presentation from the applicant team and testimony from District agencies. Commissioners granted a waiver request to Subtitle Z §401.5 for a late submission of a transportation-related report and set a procedural schedule for the project record.

The proposal would replace the previously approved office and hotel buildings in the western portion of the riverfront PUD with two residential buildings (phases 3 and 4) totaling roughly 590 units, roughly 62,000 square feet of new open space in those phases and a publicly accessible community dog park. The applicant told the commission the change in program reduces parking and peak‑hour traffic compared with the earlier office/hotel plan and increases the amount and usability of public open space.

Why it matters: The site sits between the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and Nationals Park and is part of an incremental, multi‑phase effort to complete the Anacostia riverfront walkway. The commission and agencies focused on how the revised plan would preserve waterfront public access, provide community amenities (notably a permanent dog park), and meet transportation and affordable‑housing commitments.

Applicant presentation and project highlights

Christine Roddy, attorney for the applicant, and developer MRP Realty described the modification as the final two parcels of a multi‑phase riverfront PUD. "We are here this evening to present Florida Rock's and MRP's vision for the final two parcels that make up the riverfront PUD," Roddy said during the presentation.

Fredéric Rothmeier of MRP said the revised plan produces more public open space than earlier approvals. "Net, net, we ended up with less space to build on ... and we ended up with more open space than we had before," Rothmeier told the commission.

Key features presented by the team: - Residential: about 590 dwelling units across the two buildings (applicant materials list 281 units in Phase 3 and 308 units in Phase 4; materials also refer to a total of 590 units). The applicant said the two buildings would be delivered together and that affordable units (10% of the residential gross floor area) would be provided concurrently with market‑rate units (59 total affordable units across the two phases, per the applicant). - Open space and dog park: roughly 62,000 square feet of new open space for phases 3–4 (the applicant said total open space across phases 1–4 is just shy of 4 acres). The team proposed a publicly accessible community dog park of about 8,500 square feet built over concealed loading and garage access. - Sustainability and jobs: the applicant said the buildings are being designed to LEED Gold and the project team committed to local hire and small‑business participation targets through existing memoranda of understanding with District agencies. - Parking and transportation: the project reduces parking and peak‑hour auto trips relative to the previously approved PUD, the applicant said. The proposed parking supply is roughly 380 spaces (~0.6 spaces per unit). Long‑term bicycle parking provided in the plan is 151 spaces; the applicant and DDOT discussed how that figure relates to District code and zoning requirements. The applicant also agreed to fund and install a Capital Bikeshare station with a contribution capped at $90,000 (including installation and one year of maintenance, per the applicant's presentation).

Agency reports and conditions

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said it supports the application with conditions and recommended approval in its written report (Exhibit 23). For the record, DDOT's representative said the agency and applicant reached agreement on three conditions: (1) funding and installing a Capital Bikeshare station (applicant proposed a $90,000 cap), (2) meeting the long‑term bicycle parking requirements in the DCMR or otherwise reconciling the current discrepancy between zoning and the DCMR, and (3) implementing a transportation demand management (TDM) program for the life of the project. Preston Judy of DDOT told the commission, "With those conditions included in the zoning order, DDOT has no objection to the approval of this first‑stage PUD modification and second‑stage PUD application."

The Office of Planning also recommended approval. "The Office of Planning is in support of this application," OP planner Thomas said, and cited consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and the project's racial equity analysis.

Community engagement and ANCs

The applicant told the commission it engaged Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) during project development; the record includes a support letter from ANC 6D. A newly formed ANC (ANC 8F) had not submitted a written report before the hearing. Charles Stretch (ANC chair, identified on the record as chair of ANC 8F) told the commission he had just become chair and that his ANC planned to schedule a presentation for its next public meeting on Feb. 18; he asked the applicant to leave the record open briefly so the ANC could review and file a report after that meeting.

Phasing, delivery and public‑realm commitments

The applicant said it intends to construct Phase 4 (the riverside building) first and then build Phase 3; the current interim dog park north of the phase line would remain open during Phase 4 construction to avoid a period with no public dog park. The team said the loading and garage entrances would be built with Phase 4 so the garage can operate before Phase 3 is completed.

Formal action taken

The commission considered and granted a waiver request related to a late transportation‑related submission (a circulation/traffic review): the applicant sought a waiver of Subtitle Z §401.5 (authority to grant the waiver is in §401.6). Counsel explained the late filing was because the applicant had been coordinating with DDOT on an updated circulation/traffic report. "No objections," the chair recorded, and the commission granted the waiver by consent; the parties did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript.

Next steps

The commission and applicant set a procedural schedule for the record: the applicant will file requested materials and (per the commission's direction) provide a full set of plans; ANC 8F will present on Feb. 18 and may submit a report shortly thereafter; the applicant and parties will file draft findings and proposed orders in advance of a March 13 agenda slot, when the commission aims to consider final action.

Matters to watch

Transportation and bicycle‑parking reconciliation with the DCMR, public‑space permitting for the dog park, LEED certification documentation, and the ANC 8F report after the Feb. 18 meeting were all flagged in the hearing as items that will influence final conditions and the approval language. The applicant also asked for and was granted the opportunity to add refined plans to the record before final action.

The commission did not take final action on the PUD modification itself at the Jan. 23 hearing; it granted only the procedural waiver and set deadlines and a timeline for filings and final consideration.

Ending

The record on this case will be updated with the applicant's full plans and the expected ANC report after Feb. 18; the Zoning Commission has scheduled consideration of the matter for its March 13 agenda.