Woodley Park

2660 Woodley Rd, NW

“Dear PoPville,

Since your publication has recently covered JBG’s development proposals for the Marriott Wardman Park hotel and the surrounding property, I thought you might be interested in the perspective of Woodley Park residents. This evening, I have sent this letter below to each of the officials addressed below, along with the attached position statement, supported by the signatures of 417 neighbors to-date.

Dear Mayor, Deputy Mayors, Members of the DC Council, Zoning Commission, Office of Zoning, Office of Planning, representatives of The JBG Companies, and others interested in the Woodley Park community:

We Woodley Park residents and neighbors of the property surrounding the Marriott Wardman Park hotel would like to register our opinions and concerns regarding the proposals for a change of zoning and development of that property submitted by its current owner, the JBG Companies, and by any successor owners if JBG should succeed in in its effort to sell the property.

In total, 417 neighbors (to-date) have signed a petition opposing the Planned Unit Development (PUD) to add a massive “North Lawn building” to a site that is already at its full density limit. (Any building on the site’s current open space, even if smaller in size than the currently proposed massive building, would require the DC Zoning Commission to approve a change to higher density zoning.) We neighbors also opposed the Stage 1 PUD for extensive re-development across the 16-acre site, which the developer recently withdrew. (more…)

2660 Woodley Rd, NW

Thanks to a reader passing on an update from JBG:

“Over the past several months, we’ve been meeting with local residents, businesses, and district planners to discuss and refine our plans for the Wardman Park site.

Thanks to valuable feedback from the community, we’ve made some meaningful changes to our applications. First, we have decided to withdraw our Stage 1 PUD application. Based on our conversations with District agencies and your feedback, we’ve determined that there is more work to do to develop a long-term plan for the site.

Secondly, we plan to submit an amendment to our Consolidated PUD application for the North Lawn Building that will revise the height and overall mass of the project to be more consistent with the surrounding architectural context and the Future Land Use map designation.

Finally, to better understand and weigh all available options for Wardman Park, we are going to be engaging in an active marketing process to sell the property, including the Marriott hotel. While the Marriott hotel has a long-term operating agreement with JBG, putting the property on the market will provide JBG and the community with a better understanding of all potential options for the future of Wardman Park.

With our single market focus in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for over 50 years, we are committed to furthering a plan for Woodley Park that will adhere to zoning regulations, uphold the character of the neighborhood and incorporate the input of our neighbors. We will continue to work diligently with the community and government agencies to ensure that our plans for Wardman Park establish an inclusive and aesthetically pleasing space for everyone.”