Red Sox - 0; Nationals - 1

by Beth Herman

It would appear baseball’s loss is architecture’s gain. Right around the time most high school students are clomping through chemistry and considering calculus, Marshall Purnell of Devrouax & Purnell Architects and Planners was also considering Fenway, weighing an offer from the Boston Red Sox.


“I said no,” Purnell recalled of his junior year in Michigan. “It was the ‘60s, not yesterday, and there was no money in sports at the time: $10,000 a year with a $5,000 signing bonus. It was more money than my dad was making, but I just knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to college.” Four decades later, Purnell, the former high school baseball and basketball star, would stand beside the new 41,888-seat, $611 million Nationals Park in SE D.C. as one of its architects, the first ballpark in the country to achieve LEED certification.

Matters of State


Plying his trade since 1978, the former federal agency liaison for AIA (“the greatest job in the world for a young architect”) had met his partner, Paul Devrouax, at a NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) conference three years earlier. Devrouax, who died of a heart attack on March 22 at age 67, had offered his prospective partner something none of the other firms around the country with which Purnell met when he left AIA had offered: a career instead of a job. “Paul basically understood where I wanted to go, and he wanted to go to the same place,” Purnell said. Reflecting on the beginning of their partnership, with contacts that included the Assistant Secretary of State in charge of foreign buildings, who was first an AIA boss, Purnell said he brought in two jobs the first day and spent subsequent weeks as a State Department knight errant in 15 degree-below temperatures in Moscow, Belgrade and T’bilisi. “We ended up doing cabinet drawings for the State Department for the next three years,” Purnell said, which he explained meant taking all the floor plans, elevations and the like for ambassadorial residences around the world and making sure they’re correct, putting them into English and standardizing metric numbers, for 87 nations. “It wasn’t glamorous, but it helped pay the rent,” the architect said.

State Department blessings withstanding, when Devrouax - who would become godfather to one of Purnell’s four children - and Purnell first fused professionally, they’d set up shop in an English basement near DuPont Circle. “I had just come from the AIA where I had a third floor office overlooking the courtyard, right over the president’s office,” Purnell said. “I left because I didn’t want to get too fat and happy without ever practicing architecture, but when the first snow came that winter and we had to look up over it, I told Paul we had to get out of there.”

A move two months later to 1215 Connecticut Avenue was undertaken with the two partners, an intern and a secretary (no real division of offices: just open space). Nine months later, the firm had grown to 16 people precipitating an eventual move to 717 D Street NW, where Devrouax & Purnell, with as many as 50 on staff at one time but currently settling for a navigable 18, has remained for 25 years. “Nobody in their right mind would move into this neighborhood for office space when we did,” the prescient Purnell said, reflecting on the tenuous downtown overtones of the 1980s. “But we saw what was coming. We saw the changes that were being planned for this area.”

Matters of the Heart

Claiming never to have argued in 32 years, Purnell said he and Devrouax could sometimes disagree on something but no one would know they were disagreeing. “We used to say we worked different sides of the street,” Purnell said. “Paul (who’d been a solo practitioner for five years prior to the partnership) had his base here in Washington and was an incredible supporter of D.C., and I brought in a federal and national element, but over the years they began to meld.” Responsible for some of the region’s most significant structures in addition to Nationals Park, including Pepco Headquarters, Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, the Walter E. Washington Convention center, MCI Arena, the Verizon Center, the expansion of Gallery Place and the garage at National Airport, and cited as the first African-American architecture firm to design a headquarters for a Fortune 500 company: the 190,000 s.f. addition to the Freddie Mac campus in McLean, Purnell acknowledged some early obstacles in their path. His take on race, however, is more Que Sera, Sera than The Sky is Falling. “We are who we are in this world. Race plays a role. Your gender plays a role in whatever you do, but you don’t build your life around it; you don’t build your practice around it and your talents are not based upon it.”

In a more profound example of the scars of race that Purnell recalls, however, when it came time to break ground for the 16,000 s.f. state-of-the-art King Greenleaf Recreational Center in SW, a Devrouax & Purnell project built in a public housing complex, hostility and organized protest quickly ensued from the surrounding community. Purnell noted residents were “up in arms because they thought it was the beginning of the end” – that gentrification like this may portend the end of public housing. Sitting in the stands at the ribbon-cutting, the architect said he was shaken by a woman who stood up and admitted that the reason she’d panicked when the building was going up – when she saw the design – was because she knew “no one in the city would build something this nice for us.” That’s what she said, Purnell frowned. “I was sad that she, in her life, had come to feel like that about anything – that they didn’t deserve it.”

What Matters Most

Designed in conjunction with the Kansas City-based former HOK Sport (architects), now Populous, and opening in 2008, Purnell said research for Nationals Park involved visiting a host of stadiums around the country including venues in San Diego, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Baltimore and Atlanta. “We saw a lot of good,” Purnell affirmed of his stadium safari with HOK’s Joe Spear, specifically about Baltimore’s Camden Yards. “I saw things that make that ballpark special, but I didn’t see a whole lot of things that I thought should be at Nationals Park. As an architect, and as a person, I’ve learned to look at what shouldn’t be done.”

For example, at Camden Yards, when on the concourse for food and other necessities, people have to look up at monitors to see the game. “I couldn’t stay connected to the field,” Purnell said. “A ballgame is a long process: You want to be able to get up and walk around sometimes” without losing that personal connection to the action. “The way we designed Nationals Park, if you get out of your seat for the restroom or a hot dog, or walk over to the third baseline or the first, you’re still very close to the field. You can still see the game.”

Where the locker room was concerned, Purnell recalled a visit to Giant stadium where Barry Bonds was playing at the time. Bonds had cordoned off a corner of the locker room, with his own Barcalounger and monitor, and all the other players knew it, Purnell had observed. “He was the greatest player, he was there on the team, but I didn’t like the idea of him setting himself apart like that.” Accordingly, in the seat of the nation, a few miles from the White House and in a nod to equality and shared values, the architects first created a round design for the Nationals’ locker room, which quickly evolved into a famous oval – for obvious reasons.


Reflecting on his high school baseball years in Michigan, Purnell said he believes it helps if you’ve played the game. Understanding distances to left field, right field, center field and what plays are exciting, as well as building either a pitcher’s park where the fences are a little further back, or a hitter’s park where they’re closer, are all integral to stadium science. At one point, Purnell said, they designed the Nationals Park fence at 14 feet all the way around, but by doing that it detracted from the excitement of the outfielder going up to catch the ball. “If you put in an 8-foot fence, he can jump high into the fence and prevent a home run. Let’s don’t take away one of the most exciting plays in baseball!” Purnell declared.

Speaking to his three-plus decades in practice, Purnell said that architecture is so much a part of his soul, he “doesn’t feel like (he’s) worked in 32 years.” With the loss of his valued partner and friend, he relies perhaps more heavily upon senior designer Anthony Brown who has been with the firm for 27 years.

“With Paul, I miss his voice, I miss his presence, and like in many marriages, we finished each other’s sentences,” Purnell said. “But with Anthony,” he said, brightening slightly, “we’ve been known to finish each other’s drawings.”

20 M Street SE Secures Booz Allen Hamilton Lease

The underdog southeast ballpark neighborhood has something to boast about today: 20 M Street, SE secured a lease for nearly 30,000 s.f. from Booz Allen Hamilton, bringing building occupancy up to 70%. While other potential projects sit as big gaping holes, Lerner Enterprises and WDG Architect's 20 M Street has scored a series of victories in snagging leases from the General Services Administration, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and now from a coveted private entity. Both the BLM and Booz Allen Hamilton will move into the neighborhood this year; Booz Allen Hamilton will be the cool kids on the top floor.

The 10-story, 190,000-s.f. office building contains four levels of below-grade parking, 10,971 s.f. of retail space and was the first LEED Gold certified building for core and shell in the District. The building sits across from the Navy Yard Metro and a block away from Nationals Park. Hmm, who wants to bet how many season tickets Booz goes in for this year?


Washington, D.C. real estate development news

DC Opens Ballpark Pier to Water Taxi

The District of Columbia announced today that it is ready to open water taxi service to the ballpark. The small Anacostia River pier, part of Diamond Teague Park, is adjacent to the Nationals ballpark, and will accommodate water taxi service to Maryland and Virginia, though not to other points within DC. At least not for now.


According to the District, six charter companies will operate up to a dozen different vessels, ranging in capacity up to 149 passengers, that will operate between the new pier, National Harbor, and Old Town, Alexandria. Service will be made available for all Nationals home games and "special events." But don't go queuing up for taxi service just yet, because its not available. While the pier is "open," that applies only to charter services that choose to operate. While the District-owned pier is technically available for taxi service, potentially to Georgetown and Southwest, operators that choose to establish service have not yet begun regular service, though individuals associated with the project expect that will happen for next year's games.

The surrounding park is not nearly complete, and isn't expected to be substantially complete until well after baseball season, leaving the District's announcement, following a canceled press conference, seeming in haste. The District government paid $8.5m for the new piers, the pier will be administered by the operators of the Gangplank Marina in Southwest DC.

The District government is also building a second pier at the same location, for "environmental education" and for smaller boats, which are expected to offer ecotourism up the Anacostia River.

Ballpark: Build It and They Will Come, They Might Even Stay

It's a good thing that the Nationals' standing as perhaps baseball's worst team ever will likely have no effect the residences of the surrounding neighborhood. The Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) has issued its second quarter residential statistics for 2009, showing how desirable the area is to reside in, and it looks like the cliched Costner-ism of "build it and they will come" is working...for some more than others. EYA's Capitol Quarter townhome development appears to be the leader of the pack of with "88 of 113 (market rate) units sold" - though sales began in the fall of 2006. With prices starting at $630,000, EYA can be content with its position as the only new single-family home project in the area, and their only competition in the area are the dreaded c-word – condominiums – and its Capitol Quarter has generated a slew of favorable media coverage for its tre trendy green construction practices and subsequent “LEED for Homes” certification. Proof positive that condos are indeed still on the sluggish side, Texas-based developer JPI’s pair of Capitol Riverfront condos. Or at least they were considered as condos before the Big Crash - The Axiom at Capitol Yards, The Jefferson at Capitol Yards and Faison's Onyx on First (pictured) – are now all renting as apartments. But according to the BID, the buildings have achieved 60% occupancy of their collective 960 units. That leaves approximately 384 empty units on the market, despite the fact the first completed building, The Jefferson opened its doors one year ago this month. It’s presumably that same dearth of buyers that made JPI go rental with their third area building, 909 at Capitol Yards; so far with less success than its predecessors. According to the BID report, only “25% of the 237 units” at 909 – but the project began renting only in the spring of this year. The developer has been trying to court the young, urbanista demographic for the building by advertising amenities like yoga studios, communal Nintendo Wiis and a residents-only bar/pub. JPI's tentative plans for a fifth and final 415-unit apartment building at 23 Eye Street still remain on the table, at least officially. Valhal Corporation’s Capitol Hill Tower Condo-op is still trudging along with "80% of 344 units sold." That would seem an admirable rate of occupancy had the building not opened early in 2006, with sales almost a year before that. Not mentioned in the BID stats is the Cohen Companies' Velocity condo project, the 200 unit condo nearing completion, but for which sales are reportedly not, well, high velocity. Nonetheless, the BID reports that, in total, there are now “an estimated 1,863 residents living in the Capitol Riverfront , with over 2,000 residents expected by the end of the year.” You could be one of the lucky 137 by year's end. Ghost town or boom town? You be the judge. 

UPDATE: Says Ted Skirbunt, Director of Research & Information Systems at the BID: "JPI’s buildings were always going to be rental from the beginning. The only building thus far to convert from condos to rental apartments is the Onyx."

Washington DC commercial retail and real estate news

Artomatic Does Southeast in Style

High culture and high-rise office space don't often collide, but they did today as DC arts organization, Artomatic, opened the doors on its landmark 10^th anniversary exhibition at Monument Realty's new 275,000 square foot, LEED silver-certified building at 55 M Street, SE in the Capitol Riverfront. With galleries on each of its nine-stories, this year's Artomatic celebration overlooks Nationals Park and the city's monumental core, while featuring the work of more than a thousand artists of just about every discernible sort – painters, sculptors, videographers, musicians, tattooists, poets, dancers and more. And, to wash down that load of multimedia, bars, retailers and vendors -- including the Hard Times Café, Red Bull, Cake Love, Busboys and Poets and the Flying Dog Brewery – are scattered throughout. The city legislators present, including Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, touted this year’s festivities as the beginning of the “new 20003.”

“We’re no longer an emerging neighborhood. We’re here,” said Capitol Riverfront BID board member and Cohen Companies Executive Vice President Eric Siegel – who, in his acting his role with the latter organization, helped develop the Velocity Condominiums project a stone’s throw away at 1025 1^st Street, SE.

BID officials are projecting that Artomatic will draw some 70,000 visitors to the neighborhood (now dubbed “The ‘Front” for short) during its five-week run. The exhibition is open to the public starting today, Friday, May 29^th at noon. The opening gala will begin around 8 PM tonight and feature a fire dancers, 24 bands and performances and a discussion with PostSecret creator Frank Warren.

Artomatic 10 will close up shop on July 5^th, but until then, the exhibition will available for perusal on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 pm – 10 pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 12 noon -1 am; and Sundays from 12 noon – 10 pm.

And, having just returned from the sneak peek, let me state it plainly: it's pretty kick-ass.

Washington DC commercial property news

Canal Park Gets New Architect, Timeline

The Capitol Riverfront BID yesterday announced that OLIN, a Philadelphia-based landscape architectural firm, has been selected to supply designs for the long in-the-works Canal Park – the pedestrian-friendly makeover of what is currently a school bus storage lot spanning three blocks between I and M Streets, SE and one of the proposed touchstones of area's redevelopment.

Unfortunately for green space aficionados, this means the project’s managers at the Canal Park Development Association (CPDA) will be throwing out the park designs previously approved by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) in 2006 and starting back at square one - a process that will involve re-submitting plans anew to that very same body.

"We should be done with the schematic design in about 12 weeks. Then we’ll start interacting with Commission of Fine Arts and NCPC at that point,” said Chris VanArsdale, Director of the CPDA. “We won’t be done with the [final] design for 10 months, 12 months. So when the design is sufficiently complete, we’ll bid it out.”

According the Riverfront BID and VanArsdale, the site will be begin to be cleared in early June with construction planned in early 2010. Newly announced amenities planned for the Southeast redevelopment initiative include “a new pavilion, a cafe and a possible summertime fountain and wintertime ice skating rink.” The CPDA is currently in negotiations with the BID about possible operators for those park components. Funds for the project are being drawn from $13 million in City Council appropriations, as well as private donations.

Though the strip of land set to host the park was initially to be transferred from the District government to the now dissolved Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, the CPDA has reached an agreement with government authorities that will allow them to oversee the park well beyond its projected 2011 completion. “[The land is] still technically under the control of the DC government, but we have a license agreement with the District to develop and maintain the park,” said VanArsdale.

One of the key features of the park that will remain intact, despite the change of design teams, is its goal of accruing “zero net energy.” According to the BID, OLIN will be exploring green features like stormwater management systems and “solar panels on lightpoles and possibly neighboring buildings” to make the project as low impact as possible. Michael Stevens, Executive Director of the Capitol Riverfront BID told DCmud last year that "Canal Park will be a model of environmental sustainability, it will catch storm water runoff from surrounding blocks, capture, filter, recycle, and reuse the water on sight. We are hoping to capture it on the rooftops of other buildings as well. A lot of that was planned before ballpark."

Half Street Digs Itself Out of a Hole

After weeks of speculation, construction is underway at Monument Realty's Half Street residential project. The prime real estate sits directly across from the Nationals' ballpark, was dug in the first months of 2007, with Monument's 275,000-s.f. office project rising on the northern portion of the crater. But when the remaining 2-acre hole sat vacant as the market was free-falling and funding of residential projects evaporated, speculation ensued about its demise. The hole became metaphorical as well as literal once it was revealed that Lehman Brothers, in a hole of its own, had an equity stake in the project.

But after 18 months without activity, construction is now underway on the site. Workers now seem to be assembling a subterranean parking garage at Half and N Streets SE - presumably a component of the hotel and 340-unit residential buildings planned for the site. And while the developer will not be able to hit their original target of a 2009 completion date, it does seem that rumors of the project's death have been greatly exaggerated.

"Monument is pursuing financing for the residential projects at the corner of N and Half Streets, SE. Clearly the changes in the market have made that task more difficult, but we have not made any plans to refill the excavated hole," says Monument Executive Vice President Russel Hines. "In addition to the office building [55 M Street SE], which will finish up in January, we are also building a portion of the garage that extends under the residential buildings – so, yes, there is some construction underway at this time."

In a related item, some portions of the Half Street project could be getting a new address, if a measure before the DC City Council goes through. According to the Washington Examiner, a vote next week will determine if a three-block portion of South Capitol Street (that also happens to border locale célèbre, Nationals Ballpark) will be renamed “Taxation without Representation Street.” Among those most directly affected by the switch would be Camden USA – which just happens to have a $105 million mixed-use project in the planning stages that fronts the avenue in question. We can see the signs now: Taxation without Representation Street Lofts now available! Have fun with that one, marketeers.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

DC's Most Expensive Vacancy Up for Lease

The District's Office of Property Management (OPM) has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the former printing plant at 225 Virginia Avenue SE - a property that has lain dormant since it was first acquired by the city. Originally intended to a 1^st District Police substation and evidence warehouse, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) secured a 20-year lease for the 421,000 square foot site from Washington Telecom Associates LLC in 2006. After two years of paying $6.5 million in annual rent (nearly $550,000 a month, folks), they've finally given up the ghost on a project that has succeeded in doing, well, bupkis.

Granted, after the District balked at the cost of re-outfitting 225 Virginia as an operational station, they were able to make space for the MPD at two properties they owned outright. But, curiously enough, they seemingly thought of nothing to do with the hulking building they had leased until recently. According to the developer brokering the deal for the District, M.L. Clark Real Estate, the five-story building comprises “one of the largest blocks of contiguous spaces immediately available within the District of Columbia." What’s more, it’s one of the only original buildings near the new Nationals Ballpark that has yet to be redeveloped. The neighboring lots that once surrounded the massive installation are now Washington Nationals parking lots or Capitol Riverfront construction sites (soon to be mixed use residential and retail developments) – all of which makes this one hot piece of property just off the I-295 exit ramp.

The building and accompanying parking lot are on the block for $80 to $85 million, depending on the options exercised under the terms of the sublease. Due to confidentiality agreements in place, representatives of M.L. Clarke Real Estate were unable to comment on the number of proposals received so far, per the confidentiality agreement, but they did, however, hold a pre-submission site visit for interested parties this morning, in association with the OPM. The project team assembled by M.L. Clark also includes architect Yves Springuel and Tischman Construction. The deadline for proposals for the site has been set for October 3rd.

Half Street's Hole Story

Washington DC's Monument Realty seems to be on top of their game at the ballpark, delivering a 275,000-s.f. office building by the end of the year, owning several other parcels of prime real estate near the stadium, and now having settled their lawsuit with WMATA and Akridge to acquire even more - namely, much of the Half Street real estate they don't already own. So why has Monument left its most visible site empty for 18 months? Monument began digging the nearly 2-acre hole across from the ballpark entrance, at the corner of N and Half Street, SE, back in January of 2007. The cavity is the future home to the residential portion of Monument's Half Street project - a 340-unit residential development. According to the developer, financing for the project is still, well, in a hole, but will soon get built. Russell Hines, Executive Vice President of Monument Realty, said the timing of the dig had to coincide with Monument's adjacent office building. "When we excavated the hole, we did it as part of the office building. It was more efficient to dig both at the same time. We knew we weren't building the residential portion at the time because we weren't done with design or pricing. So we got GMP pricing bids earlier this summer and have been working with and talking to lenders. We are still working on financing for the residential buildings. We started construction but haven't advanced it; we are down at the bottom of a hole. We are looking to be back under construction this year and then complete the project 20 months out," he said. 

Half Street, however, is just one part of the developer's ballpark holdings. The developer has three other sites. Monument owns 50 M, on the Northeast corner of M and Half Street, across from the metro, a site which they are marketing as a build-to-suit or a free lease development. "We have been getting interest from tenants on that - smaller buildings and smaller associations," he said. Monument's other holdings are the product of their June settlement with WMATA. The developer will create two more large office buildings on the hotly debated sites that will replace the old Domino's on the corner of M and South Capital Street and the BP gas station at the corner of N and South Capital Street. According to Hines, Monument will soon begin the zoning process for these buildings. "One of the things it (the settlement) did was finish off a puzzle; there were a bunch of pieces we owned that have come together. Over the next year, we'll be taking both through the zoning commission approval process and that process takes from 6-10 months, maybe as long as a year," he said. Hines added that the developer will spend most of next year designing and marketing the properties, but will keep an eye on the market. "At that point when we have zoning, we will see where the market is and what we want to do. We have no immediate plans. We have a whole office building to lease on the Metro - we wont run out and build another until we get the first one going." Half Street's office building is "nearing completion," but has not yet signed any tenants. The entire 775,000 s.f. Half Street project, being built by Clark Construction, will ultimately deliver a 200-room hotel, 50,000 s.f. of retail space, and about 340 residential units designed by Shalom Baranes. 

Monument has remained steadfast that despite some challenges, the company is overall healthy. Founder Michael Darby recently told the Washington Business Journal, which had published an article highlighting financial setbacks of the developer, such as its conversion of several condominium projects into apartments, that "we are not in trouble," and that "we have not had trouble finding construction financing for the residential building in the first phase at our Half Street project." (WBJ, June 6, 2008). But with so many impecunious developers stung by the twin evils of lower consumer expectation and heightened financing restrictions, many industry watchers are spooked by any apparent sign of distress. Not so, Monument insists; the show will go on.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Onyx on First Opens Its Doors

It's time for another ballpark area opening: The Onyx on First by Faison Development and Canyon-Johnson will open its doors Monday. The developer has been giving small tours of the fourteen-story, 266 unit apartment building at 1st and L Streets, SE for the last few weeks, but will officially open the leasing office next week. The $60 million project, near the Navy Yard metro, offers units sized from studios to two bedrooms.

Onyx apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances, stained concrete floors and full size washer-dryers. The community, which sits two blocks from the Nationals Stadium, includes a roof deck with a pool, WiFi in common areas, a fitness center, 24-hour concierge service and a clubroom with billiards.

Designed by Esocoff and Associates, the project was originally planned as a condominium building with prices in the high $200 and $300,000's, but went rental earlier this year. Construction began in November 2006. RAM Partners, LLC is the property management company.

Monument v. Akridge - Everyone Wins

In a Solomonic decision, the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) today agreed to sell the controversial Southeast Bus Garage properties at the ballpark - skirmished over by Akridge Development and Monument Realty, LLC - to both developers. WMATA's decision ends a legal fracas for control of the property WMATA bestowed upon Akridge, an award Monument claimed was improper. The site is located at the corner of Half and M Streets, just one block from the new Nationals ballpark and across the street from the Navy Yard Metro station, and includes a bus garage and employee parking lot. Akridge will pay over $46 million for the 69,607 s.f. bus garage while Monument will pay over $22 million for the 27,558 s.f. parking lot. 

Today's sale is the culmination of an ongoing saga spurred by Monument's lawsuit against WMATA's sale of the properties to Akridge last fall. Monument, which already controls the other side of Half Street, contested the sale and in February won an injunction prohibiting sale of the garage, pending further consideration by the judge. Monument Realty had originally planned 100,000 s.f. of retail for the site on the western side of Half Street, the main strip leading to the ballpark, which would have added to their 275,000 s.f. of office space, 50,000 s.f. of retail and 320-unit residential project already underway on the eastern side of Half Street. 

He's out; no he's safe... The suicide squeeze began when both Monument and Akridge responded to WMATA's solicitation for the garage. Because Monument’s proposal contained an escalation clause that Metro’s offering specifically forbade (oops), WMATA disregarded the escalation and judged Akridge's bid higher, awarding the site to Akridge for $69 million. But Monument asked for the instant replay, pointing back to December 2005 when the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation (AWC) pronounced that Monument Realty was the Master Developer for the Half Street Area. Under this declaration, the master of the street had the right to develop all District-owned properties along Half Street. As Monument's holdings increased to include the eastern side of the street including the Navy Yard Metro, AWC tried to negotiate the acquisition of the bus garage to complete the package. 

Here's the Pitch...Strike One 

Monument, all the while still acquiring real estate in the area, made an unsolicited bid on the bus garage, working directly with WMATA, not AWC, which had just gained control of the area. Metro, deciding to make the call on its own, responded to Monument's offer with an Invitation for Bidders, hoping to get more out of a competitive process. But when the District asked that WMATA end the solicitation and coordinate with AWC, WMATA complied.

Strike Two 

It was then that District stepped in and proclaimed it would purchase the site and negotiate directly with developers. WMATA withdrew its invitation and agreed to sell to the District. 

Let me sleep on it.... WMATA says the District subsequently decided not to purchase the bus garage. WMATA, thinking itself free of its first-right obligation, issued a second Invitation for Bidders. This time, ten companies bid – a process that ended last September and resulted in Monument’s bid being disqualified and Akridge being awarded the site. But in drama worthy of a Meatloaf baseball metaphor, Monument sought a Temporary Restraining Order against WMATA on October 26th to enforce the District's right of first refusal as an intended third party beneficiary, claiming breach of contract, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty. The District Court threw out the tort claims because of WMATA's sovereign immunity, but did not throw out the remainder. Monument re-filed on January 2 of this year, with a revised motion for a preliminary injunction against the sale, which the judge granted at the end of February. At that time, Co-founder and principal of Monument (and former Akridge exec), Jeffery Neal, said,"The Court recognizes the merits of this case by taking the serious step of ordering injunctive relief. We are committed of the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood as evidenced by our investment of tens of millions of dollars in this project over the past several years. We've always had a grand vision for Half Street and realize the importance of the project as it is the gateway to Nationals Park. It is great to know that we still have the opportunity to make the city's goal of having a coordinated development plan. A successful project for us also equals success for the city and for The Nationals." In February’s injunction, the District Court found that WMATA was obligated, based on its own Policies and Procedures, to offer the host government (here, the District) the first right of refusal on any property it sells, priced at fair market value. The decision stopped transfer of the land until the court could review the merits of the case, and left the highly valued property in legal limbo, just as the stadium was getting ready for opening, and set the stage for today's resolution. 

It never felt so good, it never felt so right The compromise announced today will grant Monument a smaller parcel than Akridge, while WMATA happily walks away having closed a deal for about the same as Akridge's $69 million bid. And it will avoid alot of icy stares across high-priced skyboxes.

Washington DC commercial property news

JPI's First Ballpark Delivery

The first of JPI's four ballpark projects, The Jefferson at Capitol Yards will open its doors Monday. The 448-"luxury rental" building, formerly known as "70 I" boasts of granite tops, Moen pullout faucets, "regal baths", and GE appliances. Designed by WDG Architecture, the building and its 100 I Street counterpart combine glass and brick in their façades to create 12-story buildings that were designed to resemble the historic warehouses of the old Navy Yard area.

Residents in the Jefferson will have access to a resort-style swimming pool and rooftop terrace, a 24-hour fitness center, a movie theater with stadium seating, and a sports pub complete with traditional pub games, dart boards, pool tables, as well as the trendier Wii (ask your kids), Xbox, and Playstation systems to satisfy residents’ inner teenagers and keep their competitive spirits at bay between Nationals games.

The 246-unit rental apartment building, the Axiom at Capitol Yards at 100 I Street, won’t be too far behind with delivery scheduled for next month. Rounding out JPI’s $470 million ballpark empire are the “luxury” 237 and 421-unit 909 at Capitol Yards and Jefferson at Half Street. The 909 New Jersey Avenue development will open in May 2009 and the Silver LEED certified Jefferson at 999 Half Street will begin construction this fall with delivery in 2010.

The first floor and clubhouse of the Jefferson at Capitol Yards will be available for viewing on Monday. Nosey neighbors can also check out the company’s block party on June 28th before the Nationals-Oriole’s game.

LEEDing the Pack Downtown

A new office building has raised the bar for environmentally friendly office buildings in the District of Columbia. Lerner Enterprises and WDG Architect's 20 M Street, located near the new stadium, was awarded LEED Gold Certification this week. The second-highest ranking for environmental certification was awarded to the project for Core and Shell Development - the first office building in the city to receive the award. The 10-story, 190,000-s.f. office building contains four levels of below-grade parking, 10,971 s.f. of retail space that will include a fitness center, and includes such features as a high-performance glass curtain-wall and plumbing that reduces water use. Architects got additional LEED points for use of recycled materials in construction and locally-manufactured products, as well as access to public transportation. No points were given for views of the stadium.

The project was designed in 1999, but was put on hold after 9/11, and was brought back to life in 2004. Across from the Navy Yard Metro and a block away from the new, also green, Nationals Park, the building “reflects the city’s high design standards for new office construction.” Though completed, the building has remained an empty shell since construction ended in March 2007, as a tenant has yet to sign for the office building.

According to Eric Schlegel, Project Manager at WDG, the decision to "go green" was, "a philosophical change for the developer" and one that helped to create a pedestrian-friendly M Street.

"I believe that along with some other developments along M Street, the project will set a new standard for design quality in the area and bring commercial and retail activity to the neighborhood," Schlegel said.

The LEED for Core and Shell rating system is for developers, builders, and other real estate big wigs who want to incorporate sustainable, environmentally friendly designs into their new construction. Though similar to the LEED for Commercial Interiors rating, the LEED for Core and Shell category is limited to aspects of construction projects over which the developer has control, as opposed to interior design, lighting, and other tenant-related systems. Both LEED rating systems were developed as part of the U.S. Green Building Council’s effort to establish a national “green building” standard.

The project, which has central, high-speed, traction elevators, also includes the exclusive use of low-emission paints, carpet, adhesives, and sealants, and advanced storm-water management measures, high-efficiency HVAC systems and humidity control. Ok, let's repeat: New, energy efficient, close to Metro and ballpark, with a cool gym. Seems like they wouldn't even need a broker.

National's Get First LEED Stadium

Today marks a new era in both Major League Baseball, and DC history. The US Green Building Council today officially designated the National's Ballpark as the first major stadium in the US of A to be LEED Certified. HOK Sport, the division of HOK Architecture specifically devoted to the design of athletic venues, received LEED Silver status, the third-highest step on the LEED ladder. Before construction even began, developers removed the site's contaminated soil and shipped it off to Soil Safe Incorporated, which recycled it. After the site was replenished with fresh loam, construction teams buried six ginormous sand filters to prevent litter and "wash-down" water from finding its way into the Anacostia River. Also, because of the proximity to the Metro, bus and bike routes, the Green Building Council considers the site itself a contributing factor to the eco-friendly development. HOK achieved LEED Silver certification through a number of different methods. First and foremost, the stadium was designed to save millions of gallons of water. This was done in two ways: Plumbing fixtures that conserve almost four million gallons of water were used in the construction. In addition, HOK designed the stadium to use air-cooled - rather than water-cooled - ventilation systems, an upgrade that will save an additional six million gallons of water. Nats stadium also has a slew of recycling bins located throughout the ballpark; now fans can dispose of their Budweiser bottles appropriately instead of just tossing them. Roughly 20% of the stadium was built with recycled materials, and more than 5,000 tons of construction waste were recycled. For the final touch, HOK used efficient lighting, added a 6,300-s.f. green roof to collect rain water, and created signs around the park to highlight its eco-friendly aspects (we're not really sure how that helps global warming, but it was in the press release). Gregory O'Dell, CEO of the Washington DC Sports and Entertainment Commission boasted: "Creating a green ballpark was as fundamental as any requirement when we decided to embark on this mission to build a new state of the art stadium for the Washington Nationals." Now if we could only come up with an eco-friendly (and stomach-friendly) design for a hotdog.

Washington DC commercial property news

Ballpark Area Scores Another Office Building

Donohoe Realty sat before the Zoning Commission yesterday evening and got the first set of approvals on their proposed office building at 1111 New Jersey Avenue, which will sit at the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and M Streets, SE, right on top of the Navy Yard Metro station. The building had gone through the Board of Zoning Adjustment application process back in May of last year for 'essentially' the same project, but since then Donohoe acquired the adjacent Navy Yard metro site, which fronts M Street. This new addition to the site now requires the Zoning Commission, rather than BZA, to weigh in. The Commission approved the plans 4 to 0.

WDG Architecture designed the office building to sit 11 stories high, with a total of 200,000 s.f. of space within shouting distance of Nationals stadium, just south of St. Matthews Church and adjacent to the Opus office building currently under construction. The offices will sit atop three-underground levels of parking and a single story of ground floor retail. The rooftop will have dual uses: half will be a mechanical penthouse while the other half will be exposed with rooftop terraces.

WDG's Siti Abdul Rahman explained the design of the building during the Zoning Commission's last public hearing:"What we did is we created a very simple, plain, curtain wall glass, very pristine vaults with minimal architectural detail on this facade which is facing M Street...it wraps around towards New Jersey Avenue, and on New Jersey Avenue, what we did is we added a bit more texture onto the facade by creating a horizontal architectural metal banding glass. So it became a bit more texture[d]...To tie these two walls together, we added a metal vertical element and that will run down to the building and ties down to a metal and glass canopy. We also use[d] a more clear glass to benefit the retail spaces."

The next step is to get NCPC's nod - after which Zoning will give their approving order and construction permits can be sought.

Southeast’s "Blue Castle" Property Back On Market

According to the Washington Business Journal, a much-eyed parcel of land near the Navy Yard and the new The Yards project and Nationals Ballpark in Southeast is back on the market. The almost 100,000-sf, Civil War-era “Blue Castle” building at 770 M Street SE (and the 1.6 acres it sits upon) is now owned by Preferred Real Estate Investments Inc. of Conshohocken, PA, which bought the property for $20.2 million in 2005. The current sale is being handled by Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers. Whoever the buyer is, they will inherit the current leases now being used through 2012 by charter schools Eagle Academy Public Charter and Kipp D.C.'s Key Academy. At that point, the property will most likely be redeveloped; the current zoning is for retail and office development of 214,000 sf. Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers has already reportedly received a number of proposals, though no decisions have been made at this time.

Randall School Project Update

Last November, the vacant Randall School at Half and I Streets in Southwest DC, long the desire of many dreaming developers, was purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which announced it had bought the 80,000-sf building from the DC government for $6.2 million, and hired Monument Realty to manage its renovation into new art space and apartments. However, last week the Southwest Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 6D) voted in opposition of this renovation plan, stating that the development didn’t do enough for the surrounding community. The Corcoran was hoping to gain the commission's approval before going before the Mayor’s office on June 27 (and after that the Zoning Commission, as part of the historic structure is slated for destruction), though the ANC’s approval is not required.

The Corcoran, which has outgrown its home on 17th Street near the White House, envisions using half of the fixed-up school for studio, classroom, and display space for its larger-scale art collection, while converting the other half of the building into market-rate and affordable apartments. There will also be underground parking. As part of its deal with the city, the Corcoran will offer some space in Randall to artists who used to lease space in the building. For this project, the Corcoran will sell Randall to Monument for $8.2 million, which will then manage the building. The Corcoran is donating its profit from the sale to the city’s public school modernization fund. As for the apartments, while numbers are not yet known, twenty percent of the units will be affordable housing.

JPI Announces New Residential Project for Ballpark Area

Just when you thought every available scrap of land had already been claimed around the new Nationals Ballpark area in Southeast DC, they find a new patch on which to plan another project. According to a press release just issued by developer JPI, the company is planning to build a fourth residential tower in the Ballpark zone (joining the 674-unit 70 and 100 I Street project buildings, and the 237-unit 909 New Jersey Avenue complex (pictured), which just broke ground this week). The new development – 23 Eye Street SE (on the south side of I Street, between South Capitol Street and Half Street SE) – will be a $150 million project and feature 421 residential units, plus up to 35,000 sf of retail space. Construction is expected to start in 2008. These new projects fall within what JPI is now referring to as the "Capitol Yards" neighborhood, north of the Ballpark and south of the US Capitol, below the Southwest-Southeast Freeway. 70 and 100 I Street are scheduled to be finished at the end of 2008, with 909 New Jersey Avenue set to deliver in mid-2009.

Cohen Companies Joins Southeast Redevelopment

It’s a one, two, three-phase development for the SE ballpark area. The Rockville-based Cohen Companies (working with ADC Builders) is in the process of attaining permits for its 820,000 s.f. mixed-use project that is planned for 1025 First Street SE (the former home of old-school nightclubs Wet and Edge). Three blocks away from the new Nationals Stadium, Phase One of the project will include Velocity, A Condominium, a 200-unit building with below ground parking for residents. The building will also include a central courtyard and restaurant retail space on the ground floor.

Phase Two will be identical to Velocity with another 200 condominium units. Plans for Phase Three have not been finalized, however candidates for the third building include a hotel with condos, an office building, and more retail space.

Speaking of one of many new developments in the area, Michelle Pilon, project coordinator at Cohen, said the project is an important part of the revitalization of Southeast. “The revitalization of Southeast is going to bring such vitality, urban art, and retail to the area – it will put DC into the 21st century. It will not just be this federal government city, it will have a vibe.” Construction is slated to begin on June 1st with completion scheduled for the end of 2009.

Council Nixes Funding Plan for Stadium Parking

The DC Council yesterday failed to advance legislation to fund two above-ground (and one underground) parking garages adjacent to the new Nationals ballpark, punting (sports puns being appropriate) the issue out of the Council.  Mayor-in-wait Adrian Fenty had proposed a funding mechanism for the new garages (the city is required to provide 1225 parking spots for the stadium) that would not raise the previously agreed $611 million spending cap for the new stadium – of course, this creative accounting would require $56 million to be taken from non-stadium city funding, a method only a budget director could love. The new owners of the Nationals have proposed less expensive free-standing, above-ground parking, but Mayor Anthony Williams has proposed below-grade parking to allow for mixed-use development above the garage. The Council’s vote - for an emergency declaration to proceed – was 7 for, 6 against, which failed to meet the required supermajority for emergency measures. The worst-case scenario, if all options fail, is for the city to simply pave over the five-acre northern parcel to provide some parking spaces – a solution nobody wants. It is unclear whether the issue will next be taken up by the Council or by the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission.

Washington DC commercial property news