Going for the Gold (and Green) in Southeast

Another addition to the southeast construction boom, 88 K Street may soon add to the dust kicked up around the ballpark. DRI Development's project, also known schizophrenically as "The Plaza on K Street","99 I Street", and "Square 696" is joining the Capitol Riverfront development surge, green features and all. While the developer admits that plans for the mixed-use project are ever changing, the general concept is an 825,000 s.f. office building that will include 37,000 s.f. of ground floor retail space in a LEED-certified building. HOK architects may still be finalizing their renderings, but one thing is for sure, the project, whether it be one, two, three, or even four buildings, will have an approximately 8-10,000 s.f. plaza in front of it and will be designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification for its core and shell construction.

"The project will encompass a whole block, so it's a rare opportunity to include a plaza," said Teanna DiMicco, Marketing Coordinator for DRI.

The still metamorphosing project that will include a green rooftop and the use of recyclable material, will replace an existing parking lot and a building at First and K Streets that is soon-to-be demolished; the future construction site is currently owned by the developer.

“It is such a prime location, it’s close to the Capitol building and we’re trying to make it a distinctive building. It will have a beautiful plaza that will open up a nice pedestrian lifestyle by a lot of residential projects. It will really get a great live-work play environment going. I really do believe that this building will stand out, we have this whole block and it will be the only place with a pedestrian promenade," DiMicco said.

The team is currently in the permit process for the site that is eight blocks from the Capitol, five blocks from the ballpark, and two blocks from the Green Line's Navy Yard Metro Station. Delivery of Phase I, whatever that may include, is planned for the fourth quarter of 2009.

DRI's project is one of many green projects in the Capitol Riverfront area. As BID Executive Director, Michael Stevens noted in his interview with DCMud yesterday, other green projects include Nationals Park, the Department of Transportation, four new parks, and 20 M Street, to name a few.

The developer is a DC-based firm that is a subsidiary of Transwestern Commercial Services. DRI is responsible for other DC-area projects like 1899 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.