Two Savin Hill projects moved forward at the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association’s monthly meeting Monday, the last of the full membership meetings before the group breaks for the summer.
Developer James Baker earned support after adjusted his proposal for a new market and condominium on what is now a vacant storefront on Savin Hill Avenue; a proposal to renovate a large Grampian Way property also won popular support.
Baker is proposing a three-story commercial/retail building for the long-abandoned structure on the corner of Savin Hill Avenue and Sydney Street. In May, he expanded the project to include additional parking and 15 condominiums upon acquiring an additional abutting Sydney Street property.
He reduced that unit count when presenting to the civic group on Monday, now proposing nine units and 13 parking spots. Baker’s planned first-floor market is unchanged, though his team is now assessing the best uses for the two stories of commercial space above, with an eye toward community-oriented, family-friendly options.
The development team is focused on sorting through comments and survey results on the project‘s coUrbanize page. About 295 people took the survey, with 168 indicating that they would be interested in participating in focus groups. As of Wednesday morning, 83 people left further comments on the CoUrbanize project page.
The association membership voted 17 to 7 in support of John Moran’s proposal to move his Grampian Way home forward on his parcel, as well as convert it to seven condominium units.
Moran said the property, consisting of a house and carriage house, suffered from water issues and general structural problems. He proposes moving the main house forward 28 feet and restoring the facade and veranda. New additions would connect the home with the carriage house, making room for a total of seven units and twelve parking spaces.
The project needs three variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals: moving the building out of alignment with the existing structure, changing use to multi-family, and excessive floor-area ratio. It is zoned for 0.4 floor-area-ratio, and the plans would bring that to 0.57.
He has a Zoning Board hearing date set for July 27.
