ANC 5A will have Urban Atlantic at the next public meeting on June 25, 2025, to discuss the Boys Town redevelopment project. The property sits at 4801 Sargent Road NE in ANC 5A02.

The only reason I am writing a post now is so that residents can be prepared to ask questions and provide initial feedback on this project because I am not sure if the ANC has a plan in mind for dealing with this project.

Vicki Davis, founder/president of Urban Atlantic, has briefly introduced the project to ANC 5A, and has presented to the North Michigan Park Civic Association (NMPCA) and at the single member district meeting for ANC Commissioner Timothy Thomas (5A02). Joel Lawson from DC’s Office of Planning attended the 5A02 meeting to answer questions about the Large Tract Review process.

Boys Town has been closed for about one year. They have a contract to sell the property to Urban Atlantic. The property is going to be sold to someone, if it is not Urban Atlantic (people should keep that in mind).

The property is zoned R-2 so duplexes and triplexes can be built as a matter of right. Urban Atlantic will be building duplexes in conformity with the zoning restrictions for the R-2 zone. So that means it will be a matter of right development. Therefore there will not be a public hearing.

Initial Proposal

• 12 acre site
• 153 market rate homes – final prices not yet set
• 17 Inclusionary Zoning homes at 80% of median area income
• Constructing over 1 mile of sidewalks open to the public
• 40% open space
• Improving drainage, removing large mounds of dirt that were added to front of campus
• Keeping the old Main Building of 8,000 square feet in place for an undetermined future use
• Keeping the main access road, but removing the gate, to open the site to the community
• Sharing public site amenities (undetermined at this time)

Because the property is over three acres, the project has to go through Large Tract Review by the Office of Planning (OP). ANCs and civic associations receive notice of Large Tract Review applications. ANCs and civic associations can and should submit responses to Urban Atlantic’s Large Tract Review application. As of June 18, Urban Atlantic had not submitted their application yet. They are working on their traffic study and plan to submit their application by the end of the month.

From Office of Planning:

The Office of Planning is supposed to produce a final report within 60 days of the application submission. Urban Atlantic stated they intend to submit their LTR application at the end of June. So the ANC really should have a plan for how they intend to address this application. They do not have time to dilly-dally.

Feedback

I recommend that nearby residents who care about what is happening here share written feedback with the following people:

• ANC 5A Chair Emily Singer Lucio – 5A03@anc.dc.gov

• ANC Commissioner Timothy Thomas – 5A02@anc.dc.gov

• Carmen Williams, President, North Michigan Park Civic Association – carm8954@aol.com

• Vicki Davis, Owner, Urban Atlantic – vdavis@urban-atlantic.com

• Teddy Swift, Project Manager, Urban Atlantic – tswift@urban-atlantic.com

Honestly, people should probably just email all 8 commissioners on the ANC (ANC 5A05 is still vacant). It is not at all clear how the ANC intends to handle this application. It is not clear to me that Commissioner Thomas understands that the ANC should in fact provide written feedback to the development team and OP. I think it would be beneficial for neighbors close to the site to band together to provide written feedback with reasonable suggestions, keeping the goals of Large Tract Review in mind, because there is no assurance that the ANC will pass on feedback to Urban Atlantic.

Issues I have heard raised at meetings and passed on to me by residents so far. I imagine a lot of this will be addressed in the Large Tract Review application.

Retail

The property is zoned for residential use not retail use. There is not going to be retail on the site.

Stormwater runoff

This is the biggie and people should look to see how Urban Atlantic addresses stormwater runoff in the Large Tract Review application. The two mounds in front of the campus were constructed by fill dirt brought in during the construction of Fort Totten Metro station. Apparently those two mounds of dirt cause all sorts of runoff problems for neighbors along Sargent. In addition, North Michigan Park Recreation Center also has a big issue with runoff from Boys Town. The mounds of dirt will be removed, but otherwise no real details just yet about how they will address the drainage issues in the area.

Other Environmental Issues

Residents have asked about tree canopy, how many trees will be removed/retained, new trees planted, etc. Urban Atlantic stated they have already met with a forester and will comply with DDOT guidelines. The initial site plan presented so far shows large planting areas along the perimeter of the site. Urban Atlantic said they will meet and likely exceed the required Green Area Ratio.

In response to questions, Ms. Davis said they are doing soil testing now and so far sampling has not indicated any big issues.

Transportation Demand Management

This is another biggie. We know the planned redevelopment will have a tremendous impact on neighborhood streets. The Providence campus down the street will also be redeveloped in a few years, so we know there needs to be a robust transportation demand management plan.

Sargent Road Entrance

Urban Atlantic is planning to keep the main entrance/exit on Sargent Road with the long driveway between the row of trees. They currently plan to have just that single entrance/exit. NMPCA asked them to consider having a second exit elsewhere on the campus in case of emergency. Urban Atlantic said this will be addressed in their traffic study/Large Tract Review application.

A resident shared with me that the traffic study should address the impacts of the development at the Sargent Road entrance and whether certain measures are warranted:

• All-way stop or traffic signal control
• Crosswalk markings and curb ramps for pedestrians crossing Sargent Road, for example, to cross from the bus stop on the west side of Sargent to the new development on the east.

Bus stop

There is a bus stop near the entrance to the campus in the 4800 block of Sargent Road NE. A resident shared with me that it would be useful if Urban Atlantic could upgrade the stop with a bus shelter to help encourage new residents to ride the bus. And if there is not room for a bus shelter in the existing right of way, perhaps an easement on the property for one could be granted.

Bikeshare station

There is a thought a bikeshare station could go near the campus somewhere.

One-time SmarTrip or Bikeshare membership & Information about transportation options provided to homebuyers

Urban Atlantic could be asked to provide these membership options and information to each initial homebuyer. And when they finally figure out what to do with the Main Building, they should ensure that similar provision be made for tenants/employees of that building as well.

Pedestrian Access to North Michigan Park Recreation Center

Urban Atlantic has noted that they have agreed to OP’s recommendation that they install a pedestrian walkway to access the North Michigan Park Recreation Center, which abuts the rear of the property.

Trails

Ms. Davis has stated they are opening up the campus and will build one mile of sidewalks throughout the site. She sometimes has described these as trails, other times as sidewalks. They are sidewalks. One suggestion has been to maybe build an actual walking trail around the campus.

Community Benefits

Community benefits are typically associated with planned unit developments (PUDs). This is not a PUD. It is a matter of right project. That has not stopped nearby residents and the NMPCA from asking for community benefits.

Urban Atlantic has previously stated they are looking at building a playground on the site that would be open to the public. Residents have pointed out that the rec center is basically in the backyard of the campus, so there is probably less of a need for public access to a new playground in that location. I do not know where they will land on this.

Other things I have heard tossed around include a pool (no), refresh of North Michigan Park signs, one-time enhancements to the small triangle green spaces in the area.

If people want community benefits, I think they should propose reasonable benefits in writing.

Historic Preservation

Ms. Davis often starts her presentation talking about the history of Boys Town, which was founded by Father Edward Flanagan. Before it was a school for boys in need, it was a school for girls. Residents, OP, and the ANC so far have all mentioned recognizing the historic use of the site.

Urban Atlantic plans to keep the 8,000 square foot Main Building, but at this point, it is unclear if they plan to go through the process of formally seeking historic designation of the building or if OP will suggest that they consider doing so. Perhaps there is some way to meaningfully mark the historic nature of the property besides the small plaque that is in front of the campus.

ANC Commissioner Jack Hermes (5A04) has asked Urban Atlantic to somehow recognize the Catholic history of the property.

One resident has suggested to the ANC that Urban Atlantic be asked to pay for (1) a historian to write a history of Boys Town DC, St. Gertrude’s School, and the earlier history of the site; (2) a photographer to thoroughly document the campus before its demolition, and (3) a small print run to provide copies to the DC Public Library, DC History Center, local university libraries, etc.; and (4) the historian’s expenses to present at the DC History Conference.

Main Building

Urban Atlantic said they are still accepting suggestions for how to use the 8,000 square foot Main Building. Ideas thrown around include a daycare center, affordable housing (I would be curious if this is something OP opines on), clubhouse (Ms. Davis said no). Ms. Davis mentioned that it may be some time before they decide what to do with the building. For purposes of the traffic study, she said they will assume worst case scenario. If you have ideas about the building, reach out to Urban Atlantic.

I am sure I am forgetting some things. A lot of this will probably be repeated tomorrow at the ANC meeting. For residents who care about this project, I suggest speaking up and requesting that the ANC and civic association provide concise written feedback to the Large Tract Review application once it is submitted. That may require having a special meeting over the summer.