Continuing a disappointing recent trend of short Civic Design Review committee agendas, next month’s meeting will have but one new project on the docket, an 81 unit mixed-use building in Mount Airy. A proposal at 6915 Germantown Ave. isn’t really so new though, as we’ve covered several possible projects at this location over the years. Previous efforts to redevelop the property next to the Gorgas House have come to naught, but maybe this latest effort will be different?

Back in 2021 we covered a proposal for a five unit building on the parking lot behind the Gorgas House. The Historical Commission approved the project after the developers agreed to break the single structure into three smaller ones. Two years later, we were excited to report on a drastically reimagined project as the developers added the sizable adjacent property into the equation. This added maybe 15K sqft to the property, allowing for something with a much larger footprint. They presented a 72-unit mixed-use project with a curved facade, green brick, dark paneling, and large windows, which combined to create a contemporary vibe that we expected would need some revisions. And indeed, before the Historical Commission would bless the proposal, the developers made some changes to the facade materials. Alas, this didn’t result in the building actually moving forward.

Perhaps the only thing more fun than looking at the renderings of the evolving plans for this site is seeing the different renderings’ takes on the historic Gorgas House, which has barely changed since before 1957. Okay, if we’re really looking to dial up the fun, let’s look at the latest and greatest plans for this site, designed by BartonPartners. While the most recent plans have included a curvy facade along Germantown Avenue, the new structure will look a bit boxier, with part of the front of the building brought forward a bit toward the sidewalk. The unit count has been upped to 81 and the parking has been reduced to 11 spots. This roughly 7:1 parking ratio is a pleasant surprise in Mount Airy. We also appreciate that the surface parking spaces, tucked behind the building and accessed off a side curb cut on Gorgas Lane, won’t be visually obtrusive.

This by-right project needs to go through the CDR process, it will need Historical Commission approval (again), and will also need sign-off from the Planning Commission because it sits within the Mount Airy and Germantown North Subarea of the Germantown Avenue neighborhood commercial overlay district. While CDR is a non-binding design review process, the suggestions might have more of an implied heft to them, as they may be considered by other City agencies. The use of the higher quality materials along the facade should help, especially with the brick wrapping around the corners and all the way up to the top floor.

At most, this project will go through two rounds of CDR as it makes its way through an extended approval process. We wish the developers well on this unusually long path for a by right project. Indeed, this sort of moderate density combined with commercial would seem to be exactly what City Council was aiming for when they up-zoned this land from single family housing back in 2019. After some false starts over the last few years, let’s see whether this vision can finally get implemented and level up a well located but underused lot in a great neighborhood.