Green Court Shelter
AS ANC FOR 2C02, I WILL BE A PRAGMATIC YIMBY
1339 Green Court, NW
(As of 10/7/24, Planned for FY 2028)
I believe that the time 2024 to 2028, and the best interests and outcomes for all neighbors, will best be served by facilitating neighborhood input into the planning, development, operator selection, and operation of the shelter, making men's safety our first priority.
I have lived since 2007 in The Residences at Thomas Circle at 1330 Massachusetts Avenue (which abuts 1339 Green Court on 2 sides), where 152 seniors and disabled persons live in independent living, assisted living, and memory care. I am not completely new to the issues of our unhoused neighbors, having lived through the August 2021 to May 2022 violent encampment at Thomas Circle / Green Court alley, including multiple break-ins to The Residences.
The Residences did not learn of the shelter plan until November 2022, mentioned in passing by DC MPD officers during an early-morning altercation between the MPD and trespassers inside 1339 Green Court. I immediately began attending ANC 2C meetings. In early 2023, my persistence led the Department of Human Services (DHS) to task the Department of General Services (DGS) to board up all windows and doors and to install metal gates and fencing, thus at least securing the premises from future trespass.
The Residences did not learn of the shelter plan until November 2022, mentioned in passing by DC MPD officers during an early-morning altercation between the MPD and trespassers inside 1339 Green Court. I immediately began attending ANC 2C meetings. In early 2023, my persistence led the Department of Human Services (DHS) to task the Department of General Services (DGS) to board up all windows and doors and to install metal gates and fencing, thus at least securing the premises from future trespass.
YIMBY? Yes In My Back Yard
I believe that the city is going to use 1339 Green Court for some housing purpose governed by DHS, pursuant to its purchase legislation (see link, above). Yes, this will be, literally, in my back yard. I have been horrified at the tone and nature of the protests in other parts of the city about the establishment of shelters and income-based housing and want to voice different perspectives:
- Let’s center our newest neighbors’ safety as our first priority. 1339 Green Court has never been a residential property and is completely landlocked by highly vehicle-trafficked urban alleys. DHS and DGS should be accountable in assessing basic safety concerns of using this location as a residence of any kind, including fire department access and pedestrian safety without sidewalks.
- Let’s ensure that all stakeholders on the block collaborate and provide input into the design, scope, planning, development, operator selection, and operation of the shelter.
Brief History of 1339 Green Court
The building located at 1339 Green Court NW in Washington, DC, was the home of Balance Gym (formerly Thomas Circle Sports Club) from 1996 until 2021, when it was purchased by the local government to redevelop it into low-income housing.
Previous occupants include the W. F. Roberts Company (as a printing plant in the late 1930s), longtime owner Mercury Press (known as the Mercury Building), Beacon News from the Quarry Workers' International Union of North America, DC Engraving Company Inc., The University Hatchet, and the District of Columbia Board of Parole. The site was previously occupied by a building used by the Krazy Kat Klub. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
According to CoStar Group, a Washington, DC-based provider of information, analytics, and marketing services to the commercial property industry, the city of Washington, DC, paid $11 million to purchase a former gym with the aim of turning it into housing, potentially for the homeless, public documents show.
Balance Gym has owned the property since 1996, when it bought it for $900,000, according to CoStar data. The former gym is 4 stories encompassing 24,600 square feet, in keeping with the city’s search for a space between 20,000 square feet and 40,000 square feet, according to a property acquisition funds request submitted by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. Source: LoopNet