Despite the potential for a double-dip recession, condo construction in Georgetown is moving ahead full steam. On top of the planned projects at the Ket Bridge Exxon site, the Post Office, and the Verizon building parking lot (all EastBanc projects) a new project has popped up. It’s for a brand new building at the corner of Cecil Pl. and Grace St.
Right now the location is a parking lot:
The lot is owned by G.M. Steinbraker & Sons, a third generation Georgetown-based general contractor firm based out of a workshop just down the block on Grace St.
The property is going to be developed by Wilco Residential. They call the project the “Grace Street Loft”. It is planned to have seven units ranging from a tiny 446 sqf. to a spacious 1,280 sqf.
The design concept right now is somewhat modern in the style of the East Banc projects, which is to say a mix of brick with industrial-style windows.
The plans call for no on-site parking, but the developer plans to secure parking in one of the lots on K St.
Unsurprisingly, the neighbors had an initially negative reaction to the proposed plans. Primarily they are objecting to the massing of the building and its contemporary style.
Units are expected to be sold in the range of $900,000 to $1,000,000.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
Awful.
The design itself is banal, trendy, and derivative: it contains nothing original, and is completely insensitive to the site. Moreover, what happens to the people next door whose windows will be blocked out by the new development? In the UK, the “Right to Light,” a.k.a. the “Ancient Lights Law,” wisely prohibits blockage of windows that have enjoyed daylight for generations. With respect to parking, the site probably sits on bedrock, so a garage would be prohibitively expensive. In the larger context, isn’t the South of M Street district already overly congested?
The plants you see in the strip where the fence is are maintained by the people who live in the first house on the left as you go down Cecil Place. They have done a terrific job to bring some additional green to the neighborhood, and it’s a pity that not only will their efforts be lost, but they will have this hideous monstrosity looming over their home and back yard.
Also there is no sidewalk on that side of Cecil Place, which means the building will probably be built right up to the road surface. That will be great for delivery trucks and moving vans.
Great! Major construction at an insection that numerous residents of the area must use to access Wisconsin Ave or K street. Unlike rescent projects, my hope is that they will show some consideration for the residents who live nearby and not block the intersection while building. I have my doubts though.
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This is a city, not a town. Change is imminent. Get over it. If not all of the minimal impact of the first recession will hit DC hard with the second.
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This will be a million times better than a parking lot and much better than many of those awful, introverted 70′, 80’s developments in the area. Stop complaining and let them build on their property just like the neighbors did. As an aside, the windows on the adjacent property are refered to as “at risk” – you put them there knowing theres a risk that they will be blocked in the future. Deal with it.
To all those who say change is imminent and deal with it, you may have a point. However, change need not come in the form of more ugly and historically inappropriate modern architecture that East Banc puts up throughout Georgetown. I wish they could up with at least a more transitional style. We will regret all this new construction in the modern architecture style in Georgetown some day….
I agree with Bob the builder. This is better than a vacant lot. It is consistent architecture with the building directly next to it, which isn’t exactly historic. This will provide more property tax revenue to the District, and by allowing more people to live in DC, will also provide more income tax revenue to the District when both are needed. This will also create construction jobs. This development, with the proposed EastBanc development of the Exxon site and the conversion of the post office, will bring more residents to Georgetown to support local businesses. It is also an infill site near an area well-served by several bus lines and hopefully, one day, a Wisconsin Avenue streetcar route. It is locations like this where we should be encouraging new development, instead of out in greenfield sites like Potomac that require people to drive everywhere.
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