Already a presence in the blossoming NoMa district next door,
Paradigm looks to extend their influence into the neighboring Mount Vernon Triangle with the construction of a commodious 390-unit rental building at 425 L St, NW. Paradigm's nearby student-housed
Washington Center opened a few months ago, and the company continues to manage the imposing Meridian at Gallery Place just down the street. According to Paradigm project manager
Jimmy Dotson the new property is intended to be a "bold, urban building with all the modern comforts of home." The building will rise fourteen stories above ground, and root itself three levels deep into the earth to provide below grade parking for residents.
Like the majority of newly built rental buildings these days, amenities include a top level pool and club room, as well as an expansive lobby and fitness center. Dotson conceded that sustainable aspects are not a major focus on this project, and that the building will not be credentialed as green, but at least a few unique, environmentally conscious features like hybrid and electric car refueling stations in the parking garage are being worked into their plans. Few travelers up New York Avenue will miss the surface parking lots that will be replaced, or the warehouse at eastern corner that has sat unused for years.
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| Parc Rosslyn |
Collins & Kronstadt of Silver Spring, MD is the architecture of record, but responsibilities for the design have been mostly shouldered by the team at
Architecture Collaborative, Inc. in Elliot City, MD. Collins & Krondstat and Paradigm are familiar partners; as the firms collaborated in an effort to bring to life
Parc Rosslyn in Arlington, VA, completed in 2008. This most recent design process was at least partially governed by the aesthetics of their soon-to-be neighbors like CityVista Apartments to the west and Yale Steam Laundry to the north on New York Avenue. Inspired by their surroundings, designers have forged an angular but sleek amalgamation of brick and glass, with accents of steel, granite, and metal paneling. The color scheme will wedge its way into the middle of the spectrum, somewhere between the light-tan bricks of City Vista and Yale's richer-toned burgundy bricks. Paradigm Construction will undertake general contracting responsibilities, and is in the process of awarding subcontracts.
Building permits are to be finalized soon, and although developers have not yet officially closed on the pending financing, Dotson says team is in "very good shape" to square away the remaining logistics and put a shovel in the ground by mid to late September. If things go smoothly, developers expect their first delivery in the spring of 2012, with completion of the building wrapping up later that fall.
Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News
13 comments:
Nice to see new housing going up. But, what is with that giant driveway? Looks like something out of Crystal City.
Agreed, the driveway is awful - similar to their driveway along Mass Ave, no doubt.
where's the ground floor retail and buildout to sidewalk that are essential in a walkable, urban neighborhood?? Don't want this to be another lifeless canyon like the mount vernon area on mass ave. Guess this is what you get when you choose architects from the exurbs - suburban architecture.
I had the exact same thoughts as all three previous posters. Also...where the heck is this building? Give us an address or something!
P.S. Just saw the address hiding in the first paragraph.
I also feel that they are missing the boat by not adding ground floor retail in this development - especially along the New York Avenue side of the building but I will disagree with some commenters regarding the driveway in front of the building. That block of L Street NW is already heavily congested with the cars from the residents of City Vista and shoppers at Safeway. Most of the time I go by, there are people double-parked in front of Safeway and in front of the City Vista units that reduces the street into a single lane. Having the driveway as part of their entrance moves some of the congestion that their residents would add to an already busy L Street off into their own property. Still plenty of room for retail even with the driveway.
Boring and ugly. Sigh.
During a presentation of this project at a recent MVSNA meeting residents were concerned about a suburban style driveway and expressed the desire for it to have a good relationship with the street. The recessed space isnt that big and would provide a wonderful opportunity for some sort of small outdoor cafe space. Unfortunately the owners arent interested in ground floor retail to many resident's dismay. It seems a giant waste to put a fancy gym in there (when we alreadt have a fancy gym 1 block away + a couple small specialty gyms also 1 block away) and forgo the retail. The foot traffic is there & only growing. I hope the Steuarts reconsider, its not too late!
There is nothing "bold" about that building. It's just another in an increasingly lengthy list of massive, boring NoMA projects.
ugh, another driveway? like tommy wells said, stuff like this is making those stretches of mass ave. (and now ny ave.) the mediocre mile.
this sucks.
there are people advocating and working tirelessly for no pay to help make this city a strong walkable city. then you get exurban architects with 1950's mentality that design shit like this, make tons of cash, and drive away leaving us with a vapid urban core. jokes on us.
may it be redesigned or plagued with problems.
Another apartment building in Mt V Triangle?? Let's see, we already have:
Meridian at Gallery Place
Mass Courts
Avalon
425 Mass and 401 Mass (formerly, The Dumont) -- 550 units
City Vista (over Safeway)
and some others in Chinatown.
And I agree with many of you -- the architecture looks like it belongs in the burbs (where the architectural firms are located).
Retail should be clustered for critical mass and success. Continuing the retail on K Street and 5th Street are the logical choices.
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