WASHINGTON, DC-Monument Realty Principal Michael Darby is looking to secure approvals for a major mixed-use project in Chinatown here.
The plan calls for 30,000 square feet of retail, including two Chinese restaurants, and a 400,000-square-foot office building to be built on 14 sites bordered by H Street NW between Sixth and Seventh streets. The proposal has met with mixed reaction from the Chinese American business community, according to the Washington Post.
The project would be modeled after an open-air “hutong market,” with street vendors and restaurants selling food to passersby.
While supported by some key Chinatown businesses, the plan suffered a setback on Oct. 31 when the city's Historic Preservation Board rejected Monument's proposal. The board stated the project did not do enough to preserve buildings that contributed to the Chinese presence in the city. The decision means Darby will have to seek an exemption from the ruling or amend his proposal. See story in the Washington Post.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
