Soto Proposes a New Design for the Reeves Center!Early Process Sketches to Latest 3D Renderings The redevelopment of the Reeves Center is an incredible opportunity to celebrate Black culture and the legacy of the African American community in our City. We propose a matter-of-right development that promotes pedestrian activity, provides high-quality affordable housing, expands job opportunities, and celebrates the legacy of Franklin D. Reeves, Mayor Marion Barry Jr., and Black culture in our Nation’s Capital. Our plan is to implement 250 apartments, 46 condos, 100,000 square feet of office space, a 150-room hotel, plus retail and public spaces through this redevelopment. We live and work in this neighborhood, therefore implementing meaningful design gestures that will benefit the rest of the community was our main priority during the design process. Oftentimes, while working remotely, the collaborative factor that comes from being in the same office is missing. The Reeves design proposal has re-ignited that spark for us, by encouraging us all to pause and look at the bigger picture as a team. We aspire to create the same “pause” along the bustling U street Corridor - as residents and visitors interact with the revitalized Reeves Center. Amongst the Soto team, many conversations about our experiences in pedestrian-friendly, urban developments allowed us to explore what works best in these kinds of spaces and why. Experimentation took place in the form of continual design charrettes - one of our favorite parts of the design process. Early on we could feel the team’s enthusiasm spread like a ripple effect. This creative process alluded to the significance of this project overall – as we continuously refined each other's ideas while never steering away from one key concept: invitation. Being cognizant of the site’s historical context has informed several of our design choices and creative vision. Our development is organized by a series of carefully crafted pedestrian spaces that connect U Street with V Street and 14th Street, and unites all the buildings in the Parcel. These spaces and buildings are shaped to maximize visual connectivity and pedestrian access, creating a new, vibrant node for the DC community. This project is huge for us not only because it is a large-scale project with a deeply rooted historical context, but also because of its proximity to us. It is home. It is a place that we frequent as a firm, but especially for people like me, who live close by - this project is our neighborhood. Pedro Camargo, Project Coordinator The potential for economic growth through the Reeves revitalization is beyond what we can imagine. The DC metropolitan area is already known for its walkability by residents and visitors alike - attracting about 20 million people from all over the world each year. Walking into a location like the Reeves Center is ideal for this area. There are a multitude of viewpoints and interactive access points that speak to the livelihood of DC. By collaborating with Legacy Community Partners, a real estate development firm formed to respond to changing development patterns, we will be able to create new opportunities within our community. The Reeves revitalization project is projected to increase foot traffic by 976 people per day and deliver approximately 4,000 jobs. We are honored to share our vision with the rest of the community and build upon the historical narrative of the Reeves Center.
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