WHEREAS, the Historic Preservation Review Board has received for conceptual approval an application, HPA #02-249, for 3901 Connecticut Avenue, and

WHEREAS, 3901 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., is within the boundary of ANC 3F, and 

WHEREAS, the drawings submitted with the application show the creation of a sidewalk on the South property line, the addition of a planter wall on the South side extending from the building the full length the 26 foot side yard, the creation of 12 parking spaces on the South lawn of the property, landscaping consisting of 6 skyrocket juniper trees on islands separating pairs of these parking spaces, and what appears to be six parking spaces behind the building, and 

WHEREAS, on April 4, 1996, the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), designated 3901 Connecticut Avenue, including its interior lobby and Lot 2, but excluding adjacent lots 800 and 804, as an Historic Landmark in the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites, and recommended it for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, and

WHEREAS, in designating the property historic, the HPRB report states, "3901 Connecticut Avenue was designed to be experienced exclusively from Connecticut Avenue. Its lot, Lot 2, has formal and informal landscape features associated with it: the courtyard is a formal space, while the front lawn and side lawn are more informal in character. All elements of the landscape on Lot 2, however, were consciously planned as integral to the design of the building and in establishing its suburban setting, as viewed along the building's primary elevation on Connecticut Avenue." The report further states that "unlike Lot 2, Lots 800 and 804 have no legal or design relationship with 3901 Connecticut Avenue; these lots have been on separate parcels of land from 3901 Connecticut Avenue since its construction in 1927. Their subdivision from Lot 2 at the time of 3901's construction demonstrates that this land was never intended to provide a landscape buffer to the building. Santmyers' design for 3901, located entirely on Lot 2, provides for open land around the building to ensure that light and air is provided to the units. While the opportunity certainly existed for lots 800 and 804 to have been merged into Lot 2, they were not." 

WHEREAS, 3901 Connecticut Avenue and Lot 2 was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places, and that designation report states, "The green spaces at the front and side of the building were important elements in establishing the building's suburban setting as viewed from its primary elevation on Connecticut Avenue." It further states, "The front and south side of the building have informal landscaped spaces, comprised of lawns and foundation plantings. These areas are important in establishing the building's suburban imagery. The rear of the lot behind the building has a gravel parking area for the building's tenants." "The modified U-shaped plan, with projections, illustrates how Santmyers successfully manipulated the massing and plan of the building to provide the maximum amount of light and air to the apartment units. Almost all of the units at 3901 have two exposures, providing improved ventilation, natural light and views. The use of the front courtyard and small areas of green space at the front and sides of the building provided a more suburban feeling residence than could be provided by downtown apartment buildings.", and
 

WHEREAS, The 3901 Connecticut Avenue Condominium Unit Owner's Association ("Grantor"), dated December 28, 2000, executed a Deed of a Scenic, Open space and Architectural Facade Easement, to the L'Enfant Trust ("Grantee"), which in part states, "Without the express written consent of the Grantee, the Grantor will not undertake nor suffer nor permit to be undertaken: (1) any alteration, construction or remodeling of existing improvements on the Property, or the placement thereon of signs or markers, which would materially alter or change the appearance of the Facade; (2) the exterior extension of existing improvements on the Property or the erection of any new or additional improvements on the Property or in the open space above or surrounding the existing improvements (except for, subject to the reasonable consent of Grantee, the erection of new improvements, including an architecturally consistent Facade, to replace existing improvements which have been wholly or partially destroyed by fire or any other cause)." The term "Facade" as defined herein in the Deed "consists of all exterior surfaces of the improvements on the Property, including all walls, roofs, and chimneys (the existing improvements at the Property hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "Building")., and

WHEREAS, the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Guidelines, "Landscaping, Landscape Features and Secondary Buildings in Historic Districts", on page 7, states "Adding a new driveway or parking area to a front yard or area of the property that can be seen from a public right-of-way is rarely appropriate as it will significantly alter the setting of the main building," and,

WHEREAS, ANC 3F, became aware of and submitted to HPRB staff a Cooperation and Development Agreement and an Easement Agreement, dated 2/21/99, between Tilden Gardens LLC ("Clark Construction"), WK Investors LLC ("PN Hoffman"), and the 3901 Connecticut Avenue LLC, (without resident voting) providing for Tilden, aka Clark Construction, permission to construct a 6 foot wide sidewalk on the South property line of 3901 and a permanent easement to construct an entry monument on a portion of the 3901 Property, along with other easements for sheeting and shoring, tie back and underpinning work for the benefit of Lots 800 and 804, and permanent easement for pedestrian ingress, egress and access over and across the surface parking, driveways and walkways on the 3901 property, and suggesting other development on the non-landmarked lots 800 and 804, might result in impacts on and access through the landmarked 3901 lot. HPRB staff, upon receipt of this document, notified all parties to the agreement on 4/28/00 that, "any alteration requiring a DC building permit to any portion of the building or site of Lot 2, Square 2234, would be subject to review by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. This would include construction of a temporary or permanent road, construction of temporary or permanent parking area, paving for a driveway or walkways, curb cuts in the public space immediately in front of (but not adjacent to) Lot 2, or any other construction or site work that requires a DC building permit," and 

WHEREAS, the green space on the South side of 3901 has been entirely excavated and now contains a pile of stones with cars parking along the entire width of the South lawn; without benefit of HPRB approval or a request for a building permit application being submitted to ANC 3F;

WHEREAS, the 3901 building occupies 60% of Lot 2 in Square 2234; the lot measures 240' fronting Connecticut Avenue and is 170' deep, and according to the HPRB staff report has 26.5 feet of open space on the southern side of the building, and

WHEREAS, by design Santmyers sited the building in the middle of this lot with almost equal side yards, and

WHEREAS, at its public meeting on April 15, 2002, ANC 3F, reviewed the concept drawings for the creation of a sidewalk on Lot 2, 3901 Connecticut Avenue, the creation of a planter wall, the creation of 12 parking spaces on the South lawn accessed through the driveway built for the adjoining Lot 804, and

NOW, THEREFORE, ANC 3F, opposes application HPA #02-249, for alteration to 3901 Connecticut Avenue and creation of parking spaces, and asks the HPRB to deny the Applicant's request for conceptual design approval on the grounds that:

1. These plans would compromise the integrity of Santmyers' design for a building set off by green spaces at the front and sides as important elements in establishing the building's suburban setting as conceived in the 1920s; 

2. They would radically alter the symmetry of Santmyers' design for the building to be sited in the middle of its lot bracketed by side lawns of equal width as seen from Connecticut Avenue;

3. The proposed planter wall would cut off the front lawn from the South side lawn, elements that were designated as part of a seamless whole; 

4. Covering the major part of the south lawn with pavement for parking would destroy the lawn that was integral to the historic designation;

5. The proposed landscaping scheme of a row of skyrocket juniper trees equally spaced along the south side of the building in narrow islands between parking spaces would not be equivalent to a landscaped lawn, nor would it constitute an informal arrangement, as the south lawn was designed and landmarked;

6. The mirror arrangement of identical rows of trees on the landmarked Lot 2 and the unlandmarked Lot 804, along with matching sidewalks on either side of a driveway leading to a 90 foot highrise apartment building on Lot 800, would create the impression the 3901 Connecticut Avenue, Lot 2, is related by design to Lot 804, and the placement of a planter wall extending from the façade of 3901 Connecticut to the lot line of Lot 804 as well as the parking spaces on Lot 2, accessed through the driveway of Lot 804, would further lead to that impression 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F requests HPRB require restoration of the 26.5 foot South Lawn, currently being used as a gravel parking lot, to landscaped open spaces and foundation plantings so the building can once again be viewed as landmarked from its primary elevation on Connecticut Avenue and be distinguished and separated from Lot 804 by landscaped green space and not be dwarfed or incorporated by design into the entranceway for Lot 804;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F does not object to the 6 parking spaces in the rear of 3901 Connecticut Avenue. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Approved by a vote of 5-1-1 at a duly noticed public meeting on April 15, 2002,
with a quorum present.

/s/ Philip Kogan                                                                  /s/ David J. Bardin
Philip Kogan, Chair (Acting)                                                David J. Bardin, Secretary