Controversial 200-Unit Project In Upper Northwest D.C. Gets Key Approval

A rendering of Valor Development's 214-unit project at 4330 48th St. NW
A Rendering Of Valor Development's 214-Unit Project At 4330 48Th St. Nw

A project that will aid D.C.'s goal of building more housing in wealthy Upper Northwest D.C. neighborhoods is moving forward, though not without a fight.

The Zoning Commission Monday unanimously approved Valor Development's plan to build 219 housing units and a 13K SF Mom's Organic Market grocery store at 4330 48th St. NW, UrbanTurf reports.

The approval vote comes after a two-day October hearing during which a host of participants testified for and against the project. More than 90 letters of support were submitted to the Zoning Commission during the process, while more than 80 letters were written in opposition.

The opposition centered around the project's size and arguments that it did not include enough affordable housing. Valor agreed to increase the proportion of inclusionary zoning units in the building from 11% to 12%. The project has also shrunk over the course of the process from 250 units to 214 apartments and five townhouses.

The development, branded as The Ladybird, sits in Ward 3's AU Park neighborhood on the former site of a Superfresh grocery store. It is part of an area west of Rock Creek Park that has not contributed the same level of new housing as other parts of the city, a trend Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration is looking to change. A road map Bowser released in October calls for more than 1,900 affordable units to be added to Rock Creek West by 2025, including a mix of new development and conversion of existing units to subsidized housing.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Washington, D.C. Newsletters
Related Stories

Industrious Takes Top Floors In Downtown Lease: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Grafton Place Scheme Comes To Market Again, Guiding At €250M

Distress Divide: How Private vs. Institutional Investors Are Thinking About D.C. Office

Lawmakers Punt On Stripping Approvals From 15 Projects In Data Center Alley

Hines Spends $170.5M On Mixed-Use Portfolio In Dallas' Bishop Arts District

Affinius Relinquishes Big Office Building Next To Capital One Arena

One Thomas Circle, The Elevated Workplace For The Way D.C. Works

DCHA Taps Executive Director: The D.C. Deal Sheet

The Multifamily Boom Is Putting HVAC Decisions Back In The Spotlight

Austin's Office Slump Is Fueling Mixed‑Use Projects

Gould Starts $25M East End Office Renovation, Seeks Tenants For Top Floors

Elme Finishes Liquidating With 3 D.C.-Area Sales