Arbor Place No More

Abdo Development's planned Arbor Place, an outer New York Avenue project first destined to offer up to 3500 condominiums, then retooled as a subsidized housing project, is now clinically dead according to the Washington Business Journal (WBJ).

Just last July, Abdo asked the DC Zoning Commission for consolidated approval of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and related zoning map amendment. At that time, Abdo had significantly downsized the planned development and was working with the DC government to subsidize the first phase of construction. Abdo told the WBJ that the $1.1 billion mixed-use workforce housing project under current fiscal conditions was "next to impossible."

The 16-acre triangle bordering New York Avenue, Bladensburg Road, and Montana Avenue, NE, is now dominated by warehouses and dilapidated commercial buildings near the National Arboretum. In filing for last summer's Zoning Commission hearing, the developers admitted that scaled-down "new application reflects changes to market conditions." The original PUD called for approximately 3,500 residential units, 148,120 s.f. of retail, 4,294 parking spaces, one acre of open space and an overall floor area ratio (FAR) of 4.98. The drastically smaller new plan offered approximately 1,400 residential units, 1,254 parking spaces, 69,883 sf of retail, 2.71 acres of open space and a less dense FAR of 2.46. It would seem, not even a down-sizing could save the ill-fated development.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Clark to Add Residential to Lonely Atlas District

Metro area developer Clark Realty is moving forward with their planned Arboretum Place project - a 430-unit condo/apartment development at the tail-end of the H Street corridor - aka the Atlas District.

Described by the developer as a "multifamily luxury apartment community," the project will sit on a 5-acre vacant lot located at 1600 Maryland Avenue, NE. A firm timeline for the project has yet to be established, but Clark’s publicity contact at PR firm Tomb & Associates, Joy Lutes, tells DCMud that "Clark's intention is to move forward with the project and break ground after the first quarter." Designs for Arboretum Place are being handled by the Preston Partnership.

In furtherance of the project’s “luxury” qualifier, the developer plans to outfit the community with a pool, a business center, a gym, entertainment space and gardens – amenities competitive with other H Street developments like Senate Square and, eventually, Clark hopes to attract local retailers, though it is incorporating only about 5,000 s.f. of retail space on the site. In a neighborhood best known for outlets like “Fish Sandwiches” and “Alex Carry Out,” it will likely be a welcome and necessary change.

But nothing on H Street happens quickly: note the talk of development at places such as Capitol Place (on hold), the District's H Street Corridor Revitalization Plan, the H Street trolley line (always pending), and the District's Starbust reorganization plan for the nightmare intersection at Maryland Ave / H Street / Benning Road, to name just a few of the ambitious projects that have garnered far more time and money in outreach and planning than actual construction. Maybe next real estate boom.

Washington DC retail and real estate development news

DC Zoning Approves Abdo’s Newly Named "Arbor Place" New York Avenue Project

Abdo Development’s massive plan to develop 17 acres of auto lots and underutilized space at the intersection of New York Avenue, Bladensburg Road, and Montana Avenue NE took a significant step forward in mid-February, when the DC Zoning Commission gave its stamp of approval to the company’s $1.1 billion residential mixed-use planned unit development proposal.

Abdo (with partner Broadway Management), envisions building at new town center called "Arbor Place" (so named after the nearby National Arboretum), which will include eight 11-story residential towers (some possibly with rooftop swimming pools) containing approximately 3,600 residential units (mainly condos, with some rentals possible), plus 130,000 sf of retail facing new York Avenue, a grocery store, and the 42,000-sf "Arbor Club" health club/day car center open to public membership - all surrounding a three-acre park. Pricing is expected to be in the $450 to $475 per sf range, with about eight percent of the housing reserved as affordable housing. Abdo is currently working with WMATA to get a bus stop at the development, but will also provide a shuttle to the nearby Rhode Island metro station.

The developer plans to finish acquiring all the land by June 2007, with demolition starting in mid-2008. If all goes on schedule, the residential buildings will be ready for occupancy in late 2010.

Note: We know, we know - you all want pictures and designs. As soon as we get our hands on some, we will be sure to put them up!