The D.C. Zoning Commission postponed a vote on the Science and Engineering Complex Thursday, saying they wanted more information from the University and cooperation between GW with neighbors before a vote on the project is scheduled.
University officials presented detailed plans for the school’s most expensive building at the hearing, but the commission stalled a vote, mirroring proceedings on previous large-scale projects that went through multiple rounds of questioning, such as Square 54 and the Law Learning Center and parking garage.
Commissioners asked the University to submit details on future campus development site Square 77 – at the corner of 22nd and I streets – to gain a broader perspective of campus plans and determine the feasibility of placing a second Foggy Bottom Metro station entrance at the site.
The University will file a response on the plans for of Square 77 by April 11, and a hearing before the Commission will take place April 25.
Alicia O’Neil Knight, senior vice president of operations at GW, said the 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan referenced Square 77 as a potential site for a second Metro entrance, but GW cannot afford to fund the project.
She added that there is no distinct timeline for Square 77’s development.
Two local neighborhood groups – the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the West End Citizens Association – testified against the project, saying it does not benefit the surrounding community.
Chairman Anthony Hood said he would like to see GW and local neighborhood groups, specifically WECA, work together to iron out concerns during early development stages to avoid having opposition parties testify at commission hearings.
WECA member Barbara Kahlow said the complex would adversely impact pedestrians, adding that GW should support a second Metro entrance. ANC chair Rebecca Coder also objected to the SEC proposal, saying it does not offer enough for the neighborhood, but that a second Metro entrance would boost the deal.
“GW is committed to continuing to engage in productive dialogue with all of our neighbors, including WECA,” Knight told The Hatchet.
