The future of Tenleytown

Tenleytown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. The neighborhood is largely residential and fairly walkable (rated a 92/100 on WalkScore). It is bisected by Wisconsin Avenue, a 4-plus lane wide commercial avenue. The neighborhood is well-served by transit, with multiple bus routes and the subway via Metro’s Tenleytown-AU station. There are restaurants, specialty retailers, grocers, and cafés.

The neighborhood is very family focused: single family houses, a library, public and private schools, churches, parks, and recreation centers. The public library was just rebuilt and Janney Elementary was expanded. There were plans to combine the developments, but those were defeated due to community opposition. The combined development would have included a few dozen affordable housing units—something that is lacking in the neighborhood.

Other developments include Cityline DC, a mixed use development completed in 2003 at the Tenelytown Metro station, which includes condominiums and specialty retail stores (Best Buy, The Container Store, and Ace Hardware).

A few neighborhood shops have closed over the past decade, including a comic book store and a CD/game exchange. Within the past couple of years, a few new restaurants have opened, but there has been no new retail, housing, or office space.

However, when walking along Wisconsin Avenue (what the 2006 DC Comprehensive Plan calls “Main Street”), there are seemingly random changes to density, with an office building and restaurant on one block followed by a car dealer or suburban-style CVS on the next. Further, there are architectural and design contrasts that make the neighborhood seem disorganized.

All of the density, setback, and height changes can create disunity and represent a missed opportunity to achieve one of the goals of the 2006 DC Comprehensive Plan: make neighborhoods healthier and more livable. That could include bringing jobs, housing, and leisure together via mixed-use/planned-unit-development (PUD). In fact, the Comprehensive Plan says:

“The low density commercial area on the eastside of Wisconsin between Albemarle and Brandywine would specifically benefitfrom streetscaping and façade improvements. The Metro station entrance locatedon the east side of Wisconsin Avenue at Albemarle Street is poorly designed anduninviting. Improving the public realm in this location would contribute to thevibrancy of the block as a whole and improve pedestrian safety and comfort.”

Additionally, a 2004 University of Maryland Planning Studio found: “The commercial area’s redevelopment is partially hindered, however, by a lack of a clear and distinct identity.” And, “The commercial buildings of Tenleytown also fail to consistently mirror the polish and uniform maintenance of surrounding business districts.”

The District Department of Transportation analyzed the Wisconsin Avenue Corridor in a 2005 study. This report focused on improving pedestrian safety, congestion, and noise pollution.

Additionally, the study analyzed the impact of further developing the corridor. In one scenario, the number of residential units climbs from 290 units today to 4,875 units. This would cause the level of service for Wisconsin Avenue to drop to “F” along all segments.

In 2002, the DC Office of Planning authorized the Upper Wisconsin Avenue Corridor Study (UWACS); a revised version was adopted in 2005. The key items that the Office of Planning wanted to address include: add affordable housing; enhance the “vitality of street life”; make building frontages consistent; improve pedestrian access and flow; add green space and parks; better utilize historic features; and better enforce traffic and parking regulations. The community has voiced opposition to many proposals in the past, and is generally weary of the impact of new development on schools, safety, and traffic. The study suggests that there is “market potential” for significant growth over the next 10 years with up to 400 new residential units in Tenleytown.

Since 2005, however, there has been little movement in redeveloping Tenleytown. American University students, neighborhood residents, and the strong DC-area economy continue to show the need for a unified, well-studied, and well-articulated small-area plan.

In 2011, the Office of Zoning (mapped by the Office of Planning) proposed some changes to the zoning along Wisconsin Avenue immediately surrounding the Metro stop, including more mixed-use development.

Currently, there are two projects just outside, and two within, the study area. To the south, at Wisconsin Avenue and Newark Street, Giant Food and The Bozzuto Group received final approval and are set to begin construction on a PUD, named Cathedral Commons, to include mixed residential, retail, and office space. To the north, at Wisconsin Avenue and 42^nd Street, Safeway and Clark Realty Capital have proposed replacing the existinggrocery store and adding town-house style residential.

Just north of the Tenleytown Metro, at Wisconsin Avenue and Brandywine Street, Douglas Development Corporation submitted a PUD proposal to develop two properties. The plan calls for retail on the ground floor and up to 5 floors of residential above. According to this filing, the last proposal for development of the same lots was in 2005. American University plans to remodel or newly construct several buildings at Tenley Circle as part of its Campus Plan.

Consider the following:

What if other vacant or under utilized lots were redeveloped as well? Should the developments be mixed-use, commercial, or residential? Would redevelopment allow the neighborhood to become a leader in rainwater capture or solar energy production? Could and should Tenleytown fulfill the potential for 400 new residential units, as proposed in the UWACS? What demographic should developers target? Are there adequate public facilities? Is there transportation capacity along Wisconsin Avenue, or would the level of service fall to “F” as the Wisconsin Avenue Transportation Study suggests?

If the study area remains unchanged or little changed over the next 10 years, and as neighboring areas promote growth and revitalization, would Tenleytown become economically depressed? Would population growth reverse?

Tenleytown could be a unified, well adjusted, and walkable neighborhood with recreation, retail, and restaurants. Residents and the District of Columbia have recognized the need to redevelop parts of Tenleytown for at least 10 years. There has been little movement over that time. Intersections still pose hazards to drivers and pedestrians alike. Different setbacks and store façades continue to make the neighborhood look disorganized. There are still undeveloped and underdeveloped lots along Wisconsin Avenue. Rainwater management issues also persist.

Stakeholders could continue to resist development, but instead, they should take a more active role and help better define the neighborhood. Residents, students, and business owners alike should organize and provide a vision for the neighborhood. No matter what, Tenleytown should live up to the 2006 Comprehensive Plan and be a healthier, more livable neighborhood.