MEMORANDUM TTO: District of Columbia Zoning Commission FROM: Jennifer Steingasser, Deputy Directoor, Development Review and Historic Preservation DATE: June 2, 2011 SUBJECT: Case No. ZC-11-07: Request for Special Exception approval of a new campus plan for American University, filed by Goulston & Storrs, P.C. I. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION Universities are an important part of the District’s intellectual and cultural life. They have the potential to contribute significantly to the local economy and employment. When located within residential zones, the impacts of a university must be evaluated against the standards of the zoning regulations and considered carefully to avoid adverse impacts to the residential communities that surround them. Student housing, student life activities, and academic and administrative operations must be provided and arranged to avoid adverse impacts on surrounding communities, with special attention paid to ensure that the quality of life of existing residential neighborhoods is not diminished. With conditions, the American University campus plan can facilitate the fulfillment of their academic mission and not be objectionable to neighboring property. The Office of Planning recommends the 2011 Campus Plan be approved with the following conditions: Noise 1. Reduce and reorient the proposed bleachers at Reeves Field so they do not face the adjacent homes. 2. Install an alternative speaker/sound system at the Williams/Jacobs Recreational Complex fields that would distribute sound more evenly at ground level as opposed to the use of a traditional loud speaker system. 3. Install a sound wall along the western boundary of the William/Jacobs Recreational Complex fields with additional landscaping provided to butter the view of the wall from the adjoining residential properties. 4. Work with the adjacent neighbors to create an enforcement policy that clearly articulates the types of activities that are subject to its conditions and identify an AU contact person that is directly accountable for their enforcement. Number of Students 5. Accept the overall total student caps and clarify that it include all undergraduate, graduate and law students, and any student taking at least one class or course at any of the campuses covered by the Campus Plan. 6. Hold the graduate student enrollment constant with the fall 2010 figures until additional information is provided and accepted by the Zoning Commission regarding the anticipated growth and use of graduate programs. 7. Cap the law student enrollment at the University stated expectation of 2000 students. Student Housing 8. Maintain the existing percentage of university-provided student housing at 67% of the total undergraduate enrollment. 9. Reduce the unit count on the East Campus to 400 student housing beds. 10. Locate additional housing on the Main Campus as needed. 1100 4th Street, SW, Suite E650 Washington, DC 20024 phone: 202‐442‐7600 fax: 202‐442‐7638 www.planning.dc.gov Zoning Commission Application No. 11-07 American University 2011 Campus Plan June 2, 2011 Page 2 East Campus 11. Provide a 65 foot landscape buffer along the eastern property line adjacent to Westover Place. 12. Permit non-residential buildings at 2 and 3 stories within the next 40 feet and locate residential uses no closer than 100 feet to the eastern property line adjacent to Westover Place. 13. Limit retail uses to the 3,020 square feet proposed within the Visitor Center (Building 5). 14. Submit a comprehensive retail plan as an amendment to the Campus Plan that identifies the type of retail proposed and how it is integral to the campus use and not in conflict with the Comprehensive Plan. II. APPLICATION IN BRIEF Location: 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW – Main Campus 3501 Nebraska Avenue NW – East Campus 4300 Nebraska Avenue NW and 4344 Wisconsin Avenue NW – Tenley Campus Legal Description: Square 1560, Lot 807; Square 1599, Lots 24 and 812; Square 1600, Lots 1, 801, 810, and 816; Square 1601, Lot 3; and Square 1728, Lot 1 Ward/ ANC: 3D, 3E; Tenley Campus is adjacent to ANC 3F Applicant: American University (AU) Zoning: Main Campus: D/R-5-A and R-1-B (west of Massachusetts Avenue) East Campus: R-5-A and R-5-B (Massachusetts Avenue frontage) Tenley Campus: R-1-B Acreage: Main Campus: 76 acres (including the East Campus) Tenley Campus: 8 acres Proposal: Application of the American University, pursuant to 11 DCMR 3104.2, for a special exception and further processing of the campus plan of the American University’s Main Campus and Tenley Campus (years 2011-2020). In addition to updating the campus plan, American University is also seeking further processing for three projects: 1) six new buildings on the East Campus; 2) an addition to Nebraska Hall; and 3) an addition to the Mary Graydon Center. Relief: Special exception approval pursuant to 11 DCMR § 210, Colleges and Universities Zoning Commission Application No. 11-07 American University 2011 Campus Plan June 2, 2011 Page 3 III. SITE DESCRIPTION M Main Campus A S S A UPTON ST NW C T The Main Campus, located at the convergence of H IN U D S A E L Ward Circle, Massachusetts Ave, and Nebraska T L T S S A T V N Avenue, includes three separate subareas. The E W W N N W “traditional campus,” where most of the university T 47TH ST NW S W N facilities are located, is a 59-acre area generally H T E 8 V 4 A bounded by Massachusetts Avenue on the north, A K S RODMAN ST NW A Nebraska Avenue on the east, Rockwood Parkway R Katzen B E and residential development on the south, and Center N University Avenue and residential development on AU Main Campus the west. An adjacent property to the north is owned and occupied by Wesley Theological Seminary. Forty-three buildings, containing over 1.7 million square feet of floor area, accommodate residence East halls, athletic facilities, academic buildings, and Campus student activity space on the main campus. A central quad, flanked by primary academic NEWARK ST NW buildings, provides a formal interior open space; N E W with residence halls located further north and south. M E X I Several new projects are being proposed for the MACOMB ST NW C O A NW main campus over the next 10 years including new V E N campus housing, expanded athletic and student LOWELL ST NW W 4TH ST activity facilities, and a revised internal circulation 4 plan. The area referred to as the East Campus is a second sub-area of the Main Campus, located at its eastern edge (and shown in a hatch pattern on the adjacent map). This 8-acre area is bounded by Nebraska Avenue on the west, New Mexico Avenue on the south, and Massachusetts Avenue and Ward Circle on the east and north. The Westover Place residential community is located to the immediate east. Other nearby uses include the Department of Homeland Security across Massachusetts Ave. to the north, Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, Embassy Park residential community, Horace Mann Park, and a commercial area to the south on New Mexico Avenue. The East Campus is currently being used as a parking lot with approximately 900 parking spaces. Six new buildings, which would contain a mix of residential and administrative uses, are being proposed for this area as part of AU’s current further processing request. Finally, the third subarea of the Main Campus is a narrow, L-shaped property located on the west side of Massachusetts Avenue. This part of the campus is improved with the Katzen Arts Center, Nebraska Hall residential building, and a surface parking lot, accessed from Nebraska Avenue. The Ft. Gaines residential community is located to the immediate north of these buildings. Temple Baptist Church abuts the property to the east along Nebraska. A 150-bed addition to Nebraska Hall is proposed for further processing as well. Tenley Campus The Tenley Campus is an eight acre site that is bounded by Nebraska Avenue on the east, Warren Street on the south, 42nd Street on the west and Yuma Street, N.W. on the north. This portion of the campus is improved with five main buildings. These structures comprise the former Immaculata School, purchased by AU in 1985 and subsequently adapted for University needs. The entire campus was nominated for designation as a historic district by the Tenleytown Historical Society in 2011, including Capital Hall. A historic landmark application was separately filed for Dunblane Hall. These applications are currently pending review by the Historic Preservation Review Board. Zoning Commission Application No. 11-07 American University 2011 Campus Plan June 2, 2011 Page 4 W I Current use of the Tenley Campus consists of S C O N residence halls with approximately 487 beds, a W S N I N T service building, surface parking lots, and open S A V D E space. The northeastern corner of the Tenley N N 2 W campus adjoins Tenley Circle and single-family 4 detached houses border the Tenley Campus on all four facing streets. The Tenley Campus is located one block south of the Tenleytown/American YUMA ST NW University Metrorail Station on the Red Line, with AU Tenley Campus entrances at Wisconsin Avenue and Albemarle Street. Other University Controlled Properties American University also owns several other properties in the vicinity which are not the subject of this request. These include the Washington College WARREN ST NW of Law site, located north of the main campus in a former office building at 4801 Massachusetts Ave N. W N E Other office and retail space locations include 3201 V A A K W New Mexico Avenue NW and 4200, 4228, and 4620 S N A R T VEAZEY ST NW B S Wisconsin Avenue NW.