Letter
Dear Mr. Khan:
In its meeting of 22 January, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a revised design for alterations and additions to an existing single-family residence at 1444 Taylor Street, NW, to convert it to a four-unit residential building (case number SL 14-151), previously reviewed in September and November 2014. The Commission approved the submitted design with the following comments and conditions, and delegated final review and approval to the staff.
The Commission members commented that the architectural design has been much improved since the original submission, and they again expressed appreciation for the engagement of an architect for this project. They supported the most recent modifications that were made to the design to reduce its impact on the park and the neighborhood, including the reduction in the building's height and the narrowing of the rear decks. However, they determined that final approval is conditional upon satisfactory resolution of three design issues: the specification of exterior cladding materials; the design and documentation of retaining walls along both property lines and in the rear yard; and the protection of existing trees on adjacent properties.
The Commission members expressed a preference for the use of a contrasting material to the brick of the original house—proposed to be stucco and wood siding—which helps to reduce the apparent size of the addition. They requested that the project team continue to work with the staff in the final selection of materials and preparation of sample panels for the exterior of the addition. Observing that the proposed designs for retaining walls throughout the site are undocumented, particularly along the park and the adjoining residence, they requested that the landscape design be fully documented in the permit drawings. Finally, the Commission members requested that a tree protection plan—including the suggested pier footings for the rear addition—be developed in consultation with the National Park Service and the adjoining neighbor in order to minimize construction impacts on nearby trees located on adjacent property.
Please coordinate the submission of the revised permit documents with the staff, which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Mubashir Khan
Metro Construction, Inc.
715 Eighth Street, SE, Suite 2-A
Washington, DC 20024
cc: Rabbiah Sabbakhan, D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Rickey Williams, ANC 4C Commissioner