Construction will begin in July for Rhode Island Station, a 370,000 s.f. mixed-use development planned for the current Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. The project, by Rhode Island Avenue Metro, LLC - a partnership of Mid-City Urban LLC and A&R Development - formerly known as Brentwood Town Center, won final zoning approval in April 2007, but will not finally close and begin construction until July.
Rhode Island Station will include a series of four-story buildings with three floors of residential rental apartments above one, ground floor of retail. At its completion, the project will have 274 rental apartments and 70,000 s.f. of retail space in what is now the Metro station’s parking lot.
As DCmud reported in June of last year, the developers have launched retail-leasing efforts, but have not yet announced final tenants.
“We really spent the last year permitting and finalizing. There were two approval processes to go through because it was a joint development with Metro, so it did take a bit longer,” said Caroline Kenney, a development associate for Mid-City Urban, LLC.
She added that commuters will not be inconvenienced by the construction as protected sidewalks will keep the Metro station fully accessible.
“We are currently focusing on getting to the construction,” Kenney said. “We want to give it a vibrant feel, but be pedestrian-oriented and friendly. We want it to blend into the surrounding area.”
That may be a challenge given the somewhat decrepit buildings across from the current Metro driveway. A February 2008 Ward 5 Development Report based on records from the Councilmember’s office did show eight projects within a mile of the station, including Macy Development’s Basilica Lofts, and Menkiti Group Development’s Illora Condos, but most of the new buildings are or will be on the other side of the tracks, behind the station. Given the nature of DC’s development, however, the rest of Rhode Island Ave. probably won’t be far behind.
Upon completion in July 2010, Metro users, shoppers, and residents will also have access to 400 parking spaces in the parking garage planned for the project.
20 comments:
I hope they get the whole job of entering/exiting fixed. Right now it sucks. Adding a lot more people to the mix is only going to make it worse.
On the optimistic side though, I am very glad to see this going up. This side of town needs this big time.
It's sad that their isn't more in this plan to connect the Metro Station to the existing retail. And the convuluted car entrance into Brentwood Station iss till there, with no improvement. That's a hazard already and will bet significantly worse with new residents.
Is that because there are bigger and better plans or just because we won't fix what is broken?
Isn't this pretty low density for development adjacent to the metro one stop from noma, 2 stops from union station?
I am a new resident in this area and I am sitting here with my morning coffee and my jaw touching the floor. This is BEAUTIFUL and I am so excited to see it coming to our neighborhood. The pictures are awesome. Yes, there are some traffic flow issues, but I am sure they will be worked out. I was concerned when I read "rentals" above the retail, but it looks like high-end rentals which will be great.
Is there a plan to keep moving this cleaning sweep up rhode island towards North Capitol Street, clean the illegals from the home depot parking lot, and tie in with the safeway shopping center (with a facelift)? All would be welcome.
Thanks for posting this news and these pictures today.
Your phrase "clean the illegals" is rather eloquent. I'm glad you see cleaning up the area to mean eradicating day laborers. The issue does need a resolution however, "cleaning them up" is not the answer.
Not sure where you live in the area but maybe if you go walk around or perhaps drive around the Brentwood Manor apartments you list of 'cleaning up' will grow exponentially.
Perhaps you had mistaken this area as Georgetown or something, but this area has been very bad for a number of years. The blame for that can only be placed on the residents who have been there for numerous years.
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Getting back to the focus of this blog, any idea on what the retail will be? Please nothing similar to Downtown Lockeroom or FootLocker or Rainbow fashions.
Will the pedestrian walkway from HD/Giant be revamped? It is seriously flawed in it's current design for both pedestrians and motorists.
Any rumors that anyone is aware of?
Sadly, it seems we are still in the "we are exploring possible retailers" phase. There will certainly be a follow-up post as we learn more.
My question is when all this is done how will the deal with all of the traffic from the apartments plus the garage plus the metro buses if the red rectangles are the buses this just seems to add more of a distance from the station to the buses most of the buses are currently infront of the station ith this it seems the buses are pulled from infront of the station and up and around the corner from the station and arent there more than 7 bus shelters there now.
The opening already gained alot of traffic with the opening of the stores across the parking lot and with this it will just add to the mess. they should atleast add another way in or out of the complex.
the trouble i see is when you have large amounts of buses, school kids, other people, plus the cars going to and from the parking lot, plus the cars from the retail and apts this will be a huge mess interms of foot and vechile traffic.
Also does anyone know how many buses go through there per hour.
Please bring in real retail that people want. No more AJ Wrights or DTL or Footlocker type stores. We need a decent coffee shop, deli, sitdown restaurant, cafe/bistro, drug store. The stores at both of the shopping centers are inaccessible to pedestrians so a drug store or small organic grocer like Yes would be excellent for those of us who walk and take metro.
FYI: The dirt lot just southeast of the project now has a lot of low-end retail- they added a plaza to the north of the Giant a few years ago- including an Anna'a Linen's, AJ Wright, and Rainbow, I think.
I agree the pedestrian situation is horrible here. So is the problem of illegal immigrants. It is saddening that everyone is worried about being politically correct and not doing something about the "ILLEGAL" immigrants (illegal aka breaking the law).
I am very happy thought that this is being built. This area desperately needs things like this. Hopefully we'll have a nice place to sit and eat and maybe some nice clothing stores.
I agree with Jess, I hope this is planned well with pedestrians in mind. This is the city, we want to walk everywhere. If I wanted to drive I'd move the burbs.
Hopefully this will encourage the owner of the Safeway shopping center to redevelope their site. The shopping center sucks and the Safeway would do more business if it was right on RI Ave. And I wish Mt. Calvary would pack up and move to PG. Might as well sense most of their congregation lives their.
"So is the problem of illegal immigrants. It is saddening that everyone is worried about being politically correct and not doing something about the "ILLEGAL" immigrants (illegal aka breaking the law)."
There's plenty of "legals" breaking way more laws then those dudes are by trying to get some work for the day. How about the gangs and people that go around raping, mugging, and beating innocent people up in broad daylight.
Someone I know got their ass kicked and their jaw kicked in, in front of the metro stop at 3pm on a Wednesday while some of the neighbors just stood in line waiting for the bus.
I'm glad you're worrying about the "illegal" immigrants.
I would love you to go into a court of law and say, "oh but illegal immigration is legal because there is this other guy who shot someone and he is a united states citizen." You're argument makes absolutely no sense.
mediocre bad guy...do you even live anywhere near Home Depot? Your profile says Paris. I have seen these guys pee in public, get into fights, cuss at people going by (yes I have seen this in person).
Also your statement:
"the gangs and people that go around raping, mugging, and beating innocent people up in broad daylight."
All I can say is MS-13 and La Eme. Both gangs who are majority illegal immigrants.
Thanks for strengthening my point.
Sorry, I see you are or were a student in Paris.
You live in Mount Vernon Square and don't see what goes on every day in the Home Depot parking lot huh?
It's not about "cleaning the illegals". It's about cleansing them. You know, ethnic cleansing.
Good luck with that cleansing. Very effective in the Balkans, Iraq, at driving up property values.
Can you people stop talking about illegals. I would love to hear interesting comments about this specific project but instead all you guys can discuss is illegals. Gee...
I hope this project helps spread the gentrification to this part of the city. We need it badly. I'm tired of nail salons, sporting good stores, braiding shops, liquour stores that have plexiglass and piss-poor selection, rainbow fashions... I could go on. We need some stores that serve young urban professionals. We need more variety. There are enough stores that serve poor people and section 8ers.
I live over at 3rd and R.I. and just found out about this new development. I am so excited! A couple years ago there were plans of apts/retail going up in the empty lot by the Safeway (behind the Mc Donald's) and there's that one poster by the empty lot at 13th and R.I. that says 'hot enough yet?' I'm hoping this metro development leads the way for those and other projects in the area to get going. I'm also hopeful the developers will be able to bring in a decent restaurant or two since that area has none. I'd gladly take higher-end fast food/cafés like a Chipotle or Starbucks. I was so disappointed back when the lower-end retailers went in next to Giant and were then followed by the AJ Wright :(
you arrogant, bratty yuppies wont be happy until DC becomes another San Francisco or NYC.......or like Boston, where poor folks and black folks alike are out of sight and out of mind.....you want high end shit? Move to Georgetown, Logan Circle, NoVA or some other high end neighborhood west of 16th St NW......then again, yall tried to gentrify columbia hts and we all see how that worked out hahahahaha....
Now all we need to do is move Mt Calvary out and we will be all set.
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