BZA approves modular swing campus for Whittier Elementary with five‑year limit

The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved application number 21345 on a 3‑0 (two absent) vote to allow seven temporary modular structures on the Whittier Elementary campus to serve as swing space during school modernization. The board imposed a five‑year term limit on the approval.

Department of General Services attorney Meredith Moldenhauer and DC Public Schools project manager Michelle Sterling described the modular campus as temporary swing space needed for the Whittier modernization. The proposal would place several detached modular classroom buildings and supporting service areas on the school’s open field; presenters said existing trees would be protected and the site returned to public use when the project is demobilized.

The Office of Planning recommended approval. Crystal Myers of the Office of Planning said, “The office of planning is in support of this case,” and indicated the office’s staff report did not object to the relief. ANC 4B voted unanimously in favor at its June meeting and filed the ANC resolution in the case record.

During the hearing, one member of the public, Holly Oliver, who lives two blocks from the site, urged the board to deny the application citing what she described as limited outreach, high cost estimates and loss of green space. Oliver said she found only a small placard on the field and that neighbors were not adequately notified. “Green space has also been a priority for the city,” Oliver told the board, and she said the field is heavily used by local sports teams and community groups.

Applicants said they held multiple outreach sessions and community meetings since April and that they had presented to the ANC and to school staff and families. DGS representatives said the modular campus is designed to preserve the baseball field and the most significant trees and that utility, entry and service points would be off Sheridan Street so as to minimize public impacts. Project representatives told the board they expect demobilization and return of the field to public use around 2029 but asked for a five‑year condition “out of an abundance of caution.”

Vice Chair Blake and other board members said the temporary nature of the project and OP and ANC support weighed in favor of approval. Chairman Hill moved to approve the application “as caption read by the secretary, including a five‑year term limit.” Chairman Hood seconded the motion. The roll call recorded Hill, Blake and Hood as voting yes; staff recorded the vote as 3‑0‑2 to approve application 21345 with the five‑year term.

The board closed the hearing after the vote; staff recorded the order and the case will proceed under the five‑year limitation.