Gateway Market: “Chicago-projects quality”

In the triangle bounded by New York Avenue, Florida Avenue, and Gallaudet University, near the Metro station named for all three, is the city’s largest wholesale food market, a key link in the economic system for restaurants and small grocery markets. Along Florida Avenue, in front of the market, is a vacant lot with a sign: “Pretty soon, you won’t recognize the place. Promise.”

At a Zoning Commission hearing last week, the developers presented a generally thoughtful plan for the site, which according to Richard Layman is vastly improved over previous designs. The plan has ground floor retail along Florida (I think), and a direct second-floor entrance off Morse Street in the Florida Market to a food court type area which will allow wholesale vendors in the market to also sell retail in what the developer called a “more consumer-friendly edge” to the market.

The whole thing still has a mall-like feel to it, a combination of the Friendship Heights mall that has stores on Wisconsin Avenue but still directs most of its traffic inward, and the second-floor National Place food court near Metro Center which, while not terrible, still draws people off the street. One of the community amenities, a public use space for the ANC and others, is currently located on the ground floor corner, which destroys an opportunity to better engage the street.

Zoning Commission members still had questions about the retail, concerned it would not succeed. Patrons have to to climb stairs from the 4th Street entrance and (I wasn’t clear on this) possibly also Florida; some of the retail spaces, and the loading dock configuration, are awkward due to constraints of the site.

Commissioner Jeffries also objected to the building’s appearance. Along Florida and 4th, it’s glass, but facing west (toward the rest of the city) is mostly a large concrete wall, which Jeffries said “has a Chicago-projects quality to it.” Chairman Hood agreed, likening the building to a storage facility.

That side looks the way it does because the Burger King (the small building to the left in the above picture) is likely a future site for redevelopment. That blank wall runs right up to the lot line, meaning a future building would block any windows (including the few that exist now). Though, as ANC 6C Commissioner Anne Phelps (who represents the neighborhood directly across Florida from the site) pointed out, there’s a chance that 3th Street NE would be restored across that area, and depending where it goes, that wall might become corner frontage.

The Zoning Commission recommended simple fixes, such as some “scoring” on the concrete to give it more texture. The Commissioners also reiterated their concerns about retail success and loading, but mainly support moving this project forward.

Layman also makes the excellent point that a warehouse style of architecture would fit the area’s context much better than a glass-and-concrete-box style.

Below are some very fuzzy screen captures of the floor plans, taken from the webcast of the hearing: