Summer 2002
Zoning Commission Approves Two Key Projects
GW to Donate $500,000 for Feeding Program
By Greg
Licamele
The DC Zoning Commission cast a unanimous vote last month to approve
GW’s amenities package for the Elliott School of International
Affairs project, bringing to a close months of negotiations that will
provide a series of benefits for the Foggy Bottom community. The commission
also approved the final design of a new 700-bed residence hall planned
for the corner of 23rd and G streets.
As part of the amenities package negotiated with the West End Citizens
Association (WECA) for the Elliott School project, GW will donate $500,000
over five years to a feeding program for poor and elderly Foggy Bottom
residents. Charles Barber, GW senior counsel, says the Foggy Bottom
Feeding Foundation will be administered by three WECA members and two
GW representatives. According to the Zoning Commission’s ruling,
the $100,000 a year must explicitly fund the feeding program and not
administrative costs.
“We’ve always considered ourselves as part of the community,”
Barber says. “We consider this an opportunity to further our contributions
to the community.”
A site for the program has yet to be determined, but Barber says meetings
are ongoing to discuss that and other specific arrangements. Barber
says the feeding program must be in place by the time the certificate
of occupancy is granted for the Elliott School, which is expected in
August. If the program is not in place, then pursuant to language approved
by the Zoning Commission, the first $100,000 must go to an existing
food program.
Also part of the approved amenities package is 5,000 square feet of
retail space available for community use. Barber says GW will negotiate
lease agreements with one or more vendors for the 3,300 square feet
in the new Elliott School and the 1,700 square feet in Mitchell Hall.
If the University is unable to find appropriate vendors within one year,
GW would be required to operate the space under its own authority.
Among other approved amenities:
• GW will write a letter to the city requesting a traffic light
at the corner of 21st and F streets and if approved, the University
will donate $10,000 toward installation.
• GW will increase to 120 the number of classes it offers to students
and faculty of the School Without Walls high school.
• One graduate student will be provided at the West End Public
Library to perform community outreach as part of the student’s
academic program.
The Zoning Commission will hold a final vote on wording of the agreement
at its June meeting.
“In substance, the Zoning Commission has approved the project,
which we are very gratified about,” Barber says. “It allows
the building to be completed and once a certificate of occupancy is
obtained, to be occupied according to the plans we have set forth.”
With this approval by the Zoning Commission, the site becomes part of
the Campus Plan as directed by the Board of Zoning Adjustment in a recent
order.
Steps from the US State Department, this facility, comprised of eight
levels of academic facilities, residence hall space, and three levels
of parking for 200 vehicles, will house the Elliott School and Executive
Education programs. The academic spaces vary for teaching in a multitude
of venues including theater/auditorium spaces, seminar rooms, classrooms,
and offices. The residential component consists of one-, two-, and three-
bedroom suites, as well as common areas and recreation rooms.
Barber notes the 193 beds and residence hall quarters are scheduled
for an August move-in, while the academic portion of the building at
1957 E St. is planned for the spring semester.
The Zoning Commission also approved the final design of a 700-bed residence
hall proposed across the street from the Lerner Health and Wellness
Center. The DC Commission of Fine Arts also granted design approval.
Barber forecasts groundbreaking this summer after the Department of
Consumer and Regulatory Affairs grants construction permits. Construction
on a row of townhouses adjacent to the Smith Center has already begun.
“With these approvals, the University has obtained the zoning relief
which it sought,” Barber says. “We are now out of the Zoning
Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the first time in
a long while. We’re happy to have achieved what we think is a fair
result for all concerned at the University and in the community.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
