Two weeks after publishing a short list of potential developers for a dilapidated Eastern Market school, the Washington DC government has announced that it has cleaved two of the six developers from the list. District officials
announced that Quadrangle Development and Equity Residential/Mosaid Urban Partners were off the list to develop the Hine Junior High School at 335 8th Street, SE, leaving four contenders. 
The 43-year-old, 131,300 square foot educational facility was shuttered in 2007, in order to redirect $6.2 million worth of school funds toward leasing costs for the District of Columbia Public Schools' headquarters. Developers have proposed a variety of retail, non-profit, housing and office uses for the building. The four survivors are:
1. The Bozzuto Group/Scallan Properties/Lehr Jackson Associates/E.R. Bacon Development, LLC/Blue Skye Development/CityStrategy, LLC
2. National Leadership Campus/Western Development Group
3. Stanton Development Corporation/Eastbanc Inc./Autopark Inc./The Jarvis Companies/Dantes Partners
4. StreetSense/DSF/Menkiti Group
A few lucky District officials will host a discussion panel on the property on June 10th at Tyler Elementary at 1001 G Street, SE. The meeting will begin at 6 PM and is open to the public. Eastern Market will officially reopen on June 25th.
18 comments:
That's what happens when you invest in worthless architecture, a building that is obsolete only 4 decades after it was built. Sad, but it doesn't look like we're learning any lessons here.
Here's hoping for a big turnout tomorrow night at the Tyler school at 10th and G SE (Wednesday, June 10) from 6-9 pm for community comment on these four finalists' development plans.
Everyone brings their own scorecard. Here are five criteria Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) will use to evaluate the proposals:
1. How each proposal improves and promotes what is special about this neighborhood. What makes our neighborhood unique cannot be measured by density and public space. We live here because of the historic character, the strong sense of community, and the livable, walkable scale. We will judge proposals according to how they augment or diminish these characteristics.
2 The accommodation each plan makes for the flea market on the north end of the site and for a weekend town square-style gathering place at the northwest corner of the site. We recognize that providing this might cost a developer points in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or TOD (Transportation-Oriented Development) schemes that reward massing of buildings at subway stops, but we recommend a one-time refinement to the LEED/TOD scoring systems to strongly favor a flea market and a weekend gathering place/town square on the site. We reject the idea of putting such a gathering place in the middle of Pennsylvania Ave SE.
3. How each plan protects the residential character of the neighborhood. This is commercial development, but having a school at that this site has always served to tone down commercial activity just enough to keep this neighborhood from tipping over into a commercial hub. What we like and what we want is: A residential neighborhood with commercial offerings that complement the residential nature of Capitol Hill.
4. How each plan attracts bicycle and foot traffic but not a lot of cars. We favor a plan that has not one more parking slot than is necessary for the condominium residents and retail on the site. We would like to see a comprehensive traffic management and parking plan that takes a holistic approach to promoting the use of public transit, while managing automobile access and parking where it must occur in ways that protect the residential areas that are nearby. As commerce on the site thrives and increases pressure on parking, we envision matching increases in parking protections for neighbors.
5. How the developer accommodates community ideas about community programming such as: (1.) Consolidating Shakespeare Theater’s props, costumes, rehearsal space and housing for visiting actors; (2.) Tiger Woods Foundation Learning Center; (3.) Pre-school space with a playground during the week that can be used as a town-square gathering space on weekends, located at the northwest corner of the site; or (4.) Programming partners of the developer.
Wow, it sounds like none of these proposals have any merit. The last thing this neighborhood needs is more housing and more people. As for a day care center, that's a nice idea but it brings traffic onto the corner with pick ups and drop offs. Just not safe. The jr. high kids at least were bussed in.
I'm not looking forward to what the developers want to make out of Seventh Street.
The folks that made the proposals have some really hideously ugly projects under their belt already. Maybe the neighborhood would be better off if we chose to do nothing rather than commit to a case of hideous? Afraid to leave my name.
Ha, I just got the title. Like it.
"hideously ugly" is redundant, you dumb idiot
Great title!
I feel old now though.
Weirdly, the meeting itself was a big success. Who would have guessed that? Well over 200 people showed up, all four presentations had a lot of merit, IMHO, the questions were pointed but to-the-point and respectful. No kidding, the whole community was involved in a contructive way, and as a result, the development moves forward with minimal disgruntlement.
The "lucky city official" who drew the short straw and was assigned to run the meeting was Jose Sousa, and he did a fantastic job. Eastern Market is the home of John Phillip Sousa, but after tonight, Eastern Market residents have a second reason to say, "Sousa rocks!"
Ugh, thanks for the posting but really, would it have hurt to include a link to the DC government announcement? Where can those of us unable to attend these sessions see the materials? Thanks!
Sorry John, there wasn't one immediately available. Here's the link to when they narrowed it to 5:
http://dcbiz.dc.gov/dmped/cwp/view,a,1368,q,609815.,dmpedNav_GID,1790,.asp
See, you thought we just pulled our info out of press releases, but no...
It makes no sense to select a nonprofit "Leadership Campus" that fails to reflect the history and culture of the community and serves no economic value. I do not understand how this will benefit the community, promote economic development, and provide a better quality of living for the community which should be the ultimate goal.
Hi, John Mitchell:
Saturday the city posted the presentations made by each of the developers. Here they are:
http://www.dcbiz.dc.gov/dmped/cwp/view,A,1365,Q,609675.asp
Thanks, that's great!
Ken Jarboe is a relentlessly helpful ANC-6B commissioner. He sent around a note Sunday morning reporting (as you may already know) that the DMPED website where the developers' presentations are posted is not working, but he is on it. Patience. That link will work....eventually.
Oh yeah, I agree with anon that the last thing we need in this neighborhood is more people. In fact, let's relocate all those damn people there now, that will dramatically improve the neighborhood. I'm sick of living in a city and having people around to get in the way.
Is anyone else having success downloading the proposals from the DC website? My browser can't seem to get any of files -- or at least all of the files: they start to download but never finish.
John Mitchell, your wish is my command. The city site can't quite seem to get its act together, but CHAMPS have posted the four presentation, and seems to be working like, well, a champ!
Try this: CHAMPS website at
http://www.champsdc.org/
As before, hat tip to ANC-6B Commissioner Kenan Jarboe for providing the link.
The "nonprofit campus" concept is a joke, and it would be a horrible waste of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve our neighborhood. Any of the other three proposals would be wonderful. (I especially like the DSF proposal, which would bring a Hotel Monaco to Capitol Hill.)
Does anyone know when construction is to begin, or be finished?
I like Street Sense best, too. It brings in the Kimpton Hotel, it brings in the excellent Tiger Woods Foundation to work with DCPS kids in junior high and high school (its already very successful with kids in Anaheim), it houses the Shakespeare Theater (a big local arts group) and it builds the smallest buildings.
Nothing not to like so far, but maybe I'm just gullible. Judge for yourselves.
This Saturday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm,
The DSF Group - Menkiti Group - Streetsense team
cordially invites you to an open house to discuss the
redevelopment of the Hine Junior High School Site
When: Saturday, June 20
11:30am-1:30pm
Where: Hill's Kitchen
713 D Street SE
2nd Floor
Refreshments will be provided by
acclaimed chef, Robert Wiedmaier.
PS: Construction won't start for years and years. Probably Spring 2012 before a shovel hits the dirt. Thanks, Councilmember Wells, for prematurely closing Hine so we can enjoy a vacant school building in the middle of the neighborhood for FOUR SCHOOL YEARS. What a dope Wells is.
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