Hello Cupcake II

For cupcake fanatics in DC (apparently there are a lot of them), the knowledge that Dupont Circle's Hello Cupcake has been planning to expand to Barracks Row amidst the escalating cupcake frenzy is welcome news. But diversifying the catalog of cake and frosting combos is not the only thing that goes into a new location, as the new store will open with national expectations. While Penny Karas, founder and owner of Hello Cupcake, juggles the tasks of a small business owner, her husband Bill Bonstra and his colleagues at Bonstra Haresign Architects are working to make sure customers at Hello Cupcake's newest location (705 8th Street SE) will consume their sugary treats in a comfortable, colorful, and intelligently designed space.

The original

Bonstra and his team were responsible for the interior design of the first Hello Cupcake store that earned the National 2009 IES Capital Chapter Lighting Award of Merit and also won design awards in each of four categories of the AIA/DC Chapter Awards program. Bonstra said he wasn't exactly surprised, but still humbled and delighted: "We knew we had done something good, but to be recognized by your peers is fantastic." The interior space that Bonstra created on Dupont Circle seems like an upscale and modern take on an airy Candy Land dreamscape. The new space in Southeast will be a continuation of the same, says Bonstra. "The new store will be consistent with the brand that has been developed, and will play on some of the same design themes, but will also be unique, as every project and space is new and different." Bonstra will also adhere to the same LEED and Green Restaurant Association standards that governed many of the design decisions the first go around.

Hello Cupcake or Hello Kitty?

Like the Dupont Circle location, the Barracks Row cupcakery will feature lively signage, generous and inviting windows, and colorful sidewalk furniture. While the previous location was a retail space in the ground floor of a large office building, Hello Cupcake's newest venue replaces Capitol Hill Bikes in a three-story historic row-house, featuring residential units on top of the ground floor retail space. With all this, plus the addition of several planters and flower boxes, Bonstra believes his wife's new location will add "needed vibrancy" to the historic facade and the southern portion of Barracks Row. The new store has the luxury of a basement floor, which will allow Karas to jump-start the nationwide shipping operation she had included in her business plan from the beginning.

Hello Cupcake II interior rendering

Karas hopes that she can tap into some of the baseball fans that shuttle to Nationals' stadium from the nearby Barracks Row eateries. Baseball game traffic won't be back until next spring, but cupcake consumption on Barrack's row should happen before then as construction is set to finish before the first of the new year. Bonstra says that his team is in the process of securing all necessary building permits, and that some minor demolition has already begun. Energized by a few cupcake induced sugar highs, Prill Construction Group is moving speedily ahead as they oversee general contracting work.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

SE Development Parcel Up for Grabs

Like so many properties on a Monopoly board, parcels in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood (aka SE near the stadium) have changed hands frequently over the last 5 years. What used to be one of Washington, DC's least desirable neighborhoods has transformed into some of the metro area's more interesting commodities; and now there’s another up for grabs.

The ICP Group is currently seeking inquiries for a sealed bid sale of their parcels at 810, 816 and 820 Potomac Avenue, SE. IPC had initially purchased the pair of Barrack's Row office/retail buildings and adjoining 20,000 square foot lot in 2005 for $9 million with the intention of transforming it into a multi-phase, mixed-use development. Now they've teamed with Lincoln Commercial Services Inc. and Hollywood Real Estate Services, LLC to hand it off to the highest bidder and, according to the developer, they’ve already received a number of inquiries, including “a Navy Yard-focused hotel and apartments, University Campus, retail and offices, and a childcare center for Navy Yard employees.”

Back in 2005, ICP announced three different projects within the Capitol Riverfront: 810 Potomac Avenue, the Admiral at Barrack’s Row, and the redevelopment of four historic townhomes on L Street SE. Despite receiving approval from the city for the Admiral – a 17-unit, $6 million condo project – and projecting a 2008 completion, ICP dodged a bullet when the plan was delayed, and the condo idea shelved altogether. The townhouse project has also not materialized. But despite ICP's non-development, other interested parties in IPC’s circle seem to think they’ll have no problem disposing of a property in one of DC’s hottest development districts.

“This is perhaps one of the most active sub-markets in the country for redevelopment… and also one of the few areas where development financing is still readily available, aided by federal programs along with market conditions,” said James Connelly, Vice President of Government Relations for LPC Commercial Services, a co-advisor to the bid.

The former development team will be accepting bids on the Potomac Avenue parcel until March 15th.

Construction Begins at The Admiral Condominium Near Navy Yard

ICP Partners, a nation-wide developer now expanding in DC, has started prep work on the site of what is supposed to be a 17-unit condominium building at 801 Virginia Avenue SE. The Admiral will be located just south of the Southwest-Southeast Freeway at the end of the historic 8th Street "Barracks Row" corridor on Capitol Hill. This project, which has been endorsed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as pro-environmental for its green roof, will also contain 17 below-grade parking spots, 3,200 sf of retail, and 5,000 sf of office space. Units will have "high-end" finishes, with some offering balcony views of the Capitol. Architecture by Bonstra Haresign includes a small wood-frame structure with public roof deck, facing the Southwest Expressway. Completion is expected in 2008.

Washington DC real estate development news