Chinatown: Monument Looks to Expand Foothold

A few lots on H Street near the intersection of 7th and H, NW are some of the last undeveloped lots in Chinatown / Penn Quarter.  If things go as planned, Monument Realty's 10-storey Gallery Tower will occupy the vacant parcel at 627 and 631 H Street NW, just a block from the corner.  The future 10-story building, with a design by architect Chris Morrison with Cunningham Quill, is due for delivery in 2014.  The site formerly housed China Doll Gourmet, which closed in 2006 and was razed shortly thereafter.

Monument Realty acquired the empty parcel in 2011 after foreclosing on the note it bought from Yeni Wong in 2010.  Wong had plans to develop the whole corner, but failed to secure financing when financial markets soured around 2008.  Douglas Development scooped up the neighboring corner lot to the west - 675 H Street NW - last year during the same week Monument clinched 627-631, from the auctioneer.  Douglas also owns the Vapiano building to the east of the Gallery Tower spot.

Gallery Tower rendering
courtesy of Monument Realty

According to one company representative, Monument hopes to expand its foothold in the neighborhood of Chinatown / Penn Quarter.  According to director of marketing Natasha Stancill, Monument's acquisition team is looking for opportunities to develop a residential parcel close to the future Gallery Tower site. She said the firm was excited about its plans for Chinatown.  "We are looking at other possibilities in the area because it is such a vibrant, exciting part of town," Stancill told DCMud.

The Gallery Tower building plan calls for two floors, or 11,000 square feet, of retail and another 60,000 s.f. office space on floors three through 10.  The project went through zoning, Office of Planning (OP), area neighborhood commission (ANC), and Chinatown Design review approvals processes when Yeni Wong controlled the property.  According to the project's development manager Pam Frentzel-Beyme, the first two floors will likely house a restaurant.

Frentzel-Beyme said the building's location would be its biggest selling point. "You can't beat being next to Gallery Place, and the design is really modern but also compliments Chinatown's history."  A lot of Chinatown's office space, she noted, is in historic buildings where tenants don't get the great views that she said Gallery Tower, with its large, modern windows, would one day offer.

The  former China Doll Gourmet was on the site

Developers describe the future Gallery Tower, with floor plates that are less than 8,000 square feet, a "Class A boutique space." "We'll be targeting the type of tenant that is not going to want much more (than 8,000 square feet)," Frentzel-Beyme said.  She said Monument would be targeting businesses with a "fun and creative employee base", such as design or architectural firms.  "They are young, they might want to grab dinner, go over to the Verizon center, but don't necessarily need 50,000 square feet of space."

Gallery Tower is now in the building permit process and Monument says it will break ground in the first part of next year.

Floor plan courtesy of Monument Realty

Floor plan courtesy of Monument Realty

Floor plan courtesy of Monument Realty

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Design Details Released for DC's Highest Rent District in Chinatown

Developing the only unused and deteriorating corner at 7th and H Streets, NW in the heart of Gallery Place - Chinatown has long been on many minds. Finally, a design by Sacha Rosen of R2L:Architects, which combines the preservation of the six historic structures on site with contemporary new additions, has materialized and is moving through the approval process. Granted unanimous ANC2C consent last Wednesday, Rosen will introduce the design to the Historic Preservation Review Board on September 22nd. Of the design, Rosen said, "This is a very contemporary, but respectful treatment of [the site's] important historic fabric." 

Owned by McCaffery Interests and Douglas Development, the property includes the corner site (801 7th St, actually two buildings combined in the early 1900s), an adjacent structure to the east (675 H St), a rear carriage house, and two buildings on 7th Street to the north of the corner (807 and 809 7th St). The joint venturers obtained the last piece of the puzzle - 675 H St - at foreclosure this past February, for $9.1 million. Rosen explained there will be a new one-story addition on top of 675 H St, and a two-story addition on top of the rear carriage house, however nothing will rise above the existing four-story corner building except for a rooftop mechanical penthouse (set back on the new construction portion). Structurally unsound portions of 807 and 809 7th Street will be demolished and replaced with new four-story additions. New facades, set back from the historic real estate along 7th and H Streets, will be primarily glass; a glass elevator will also be contained within, rising up to a rooftop deck. A four-story atrium will enclose an existing exterior courtyard between 675 H St and the rear carriage house. The entire project will contain approximately 60,000 s.f., and Rosen said that the project's main objective, in addition to honoring the history of the intersection, is to "make the overall development as flexible as possible to accommodate an exciting mix of retail and office spaces." Owners are asking for some of the most expensive retail rents in the city at the site. R2L is also currently working on designs for the Wonder Bread building in Shaw. 

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Washington DC's Retail Prices Surge

The best, or busiest, intersection in Washington D.C. is at H and 7th Streets NW, in the heart of Chinatown - at least according to those who own property on either axis. With four corners available to capitalize on the heavy traffic, only one corner remains open to incoming retailers. But it'll cost 'em. The lofty asking price for the ground floor of the future mixed-use site at 675 H St NW is just one indication that retail around the city is in high demand as retailers vie for limited retail space and rents around the city rise quickly, sometimes dramatically.

The joint-venture in control of leasing the retail space, as well as developing the site, is McCaffery Interests Inc. and Douglas Development, which obtained the property at auction in February. According to Juan Cameron, Managing Director of McCaffery, "The site commands a strong asking price." That price has been relayed, by several sources, as asking $250-$300 per square foot.

Cameron, who declined to speak on the record about price points, acknowledged that the space will "be on the high side" and asserts that the companies are "looking to set a new benchmark," but won't divulge specifics while leasing is underway. However, Cameron added that "the site has generated a considerable amount of interest."

John Asadoorian, founder and head of Asadoorian Retail Solutions, confirmed having heard an asking price around $250 p.s.f. for the corner spot, which is adjacent to the Friendship Arch/Chinatown Gate, a one-block stumble away from a Caps game at the Verizon Center.

Asadoorian did not speak to the feasibility of the high asking price at 7th and H, however agreed with site developers that the intersection is the closest D.C. has to New York's Times Square. Fuddruckers, located on the intersection's opposite southwest corner, struck a deal early in the decade for about $80 p.s.f., a price that raised eyebrows then, before the substantial investment in Chinatown in 2006.

Asadoorian notes that although retail rates have been rising in the few years following the recession, the jump in price at this location is relatively the largest. Whereas Georgetown leases have generally increased by around $50 p.s.f. in the last 10 or 15 years, the jump in price at Chinatown would be double that, and in less than half the time.

The increase in price underscores the fact that D.C. is fast becoming a vibrant spot for unique retail, as well as a foodie destination and Food Network-inspired hot spot, with a proliferation of national restaurateurs and chefs - even a barrage of food trucks.

It remains to be seen whether retailers will pay $250 to $300 p.s.f. for prime real estate in the District, but it's visible that the pace of retail space being leased is picking up.

The five-to-six blocks along 14th Street, NW between the U Street Corridor and P Street is witness to a similar retail surge, and the retail space here is "practically all leased up," tells Asadoorian. Steve Gaudio, JBG Rosenfeld's leasing manager for the District Condos at 14th and S Streets, said the 18,000 s.f. of ground-floor retail at the 125-unit complex is already entirely leased up, and construction is only recently underway.

Although Gaudio won't talk shop on pricing for the retail space, JBG, which is about to start Utopia a few blocks north, and the Atlantic Plumbing site, and is already mentioning higher retail rents than the $40-$50 p.s.f. rates that have prevailed in the area recently.

To return to Chinatown, if the final price for retail at 675 H Street is anywhere near $300 p.s.f., then the site will secure the highest per square foot retail lease in the District; higher than Georgetown, which commands $100 to $120 p.s.f. for similar-sized retail space, and higher than Union Station, which is currently the highest in the city, up to $200 p.s.f. That, in turn, may get the attention of property owners around the city, who may get even bolder with the prices they expect.

Washington D.C. real estate and retail news

OPX is in the Details

By Beth Herman

With the bling and bang of Chinatown steps from its front door, reimagining a tired, nondescript, mid-1980s limited services hotel property to reflect its robust neighbors, and also honor Asia's serenity and tradition, was not quite your grandmother’s hospitality redesign. Charged by new owner RLJ Development - which had acquired the former Comfort Inn- turned-Red Roof Inn property in June, 2010 - with transforming the property for its brand Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, OPX project designer Ryan Langlois cited the 21st century fusion that is D.C.'s Chinatown. An evolving venue defined by an international range of shops, eateries and entertainment elements from Tony Cheng's, Vapiano’s, a Thai restaurant or two, Starbuck’s and the MCI Center, to traditional Chinese jelly fish and snake soup at the corner market, Langlois said the design inspiration came from the “sights, the sounds, the smells,” of the explosive, melded Chinatown experience. Fireworks withstanding, the onus was also on the firm to integrate the quiet grace and centuries-old symbolism of Asian culture into the new design, producing what Langlois called an “organic, modern, contemporary” environment. In this vein, a strong tradition of latticework evident in Chinese architecture, intricate wood screens, shades and shutters were used to punctuate the space in various forms, restyled and updated for focal quality. Where Asian symbols and design were referenced, experts were retained to review their authenticity. 

At the starting gate 

“When we designed this originally, we noted Fairfield Inn & Suites is more typically a conservative brand for the limited service sector,” Langlois explained, noting OPX had been involved in a rebranding effort for Marriott Corporate’s nationwide brand when RLJ approached them about the Chinatown property. Accordingly, OPX had taken a conventional design approach. “But RLJ looked at it and realized they really wanted to see more design – more Chinatown – in the project, and challenged us to go back to the drawing board and build on what we had,” he said. Helmed by Principal Ken Terzian, the 198-room, 10-story structure went under a rather large knife in a high-velocity, $7 million, nine-month renovation that began by reconfiguring a 2,700 s.f. lobby. With lessor The Irish Channel restaurant and pub occupying about 50 percent of the space at the outset, the renovation involved an expanded lobby to accommodate Fairfield Inn & Suite’s breakfast program, resulting in a reduction of The Irish Channel’s dining space and reconfiguration of its seating, but retention of its bar. In the lobby’s reception area, a bold 7-by-22-ft. graphic custom mural developed by Langlois and HG Arts greets guests. Abstract and textured, a water scene in the image of a “scaled-up” stream with a dragon atop a stone column, and another dragon that is overlaid, complement overlaying modern graphic twig patterns in turquoise and white. According to the designer, everything is printed on wall covering and “bedazzled,” or covered with thousands of transparent beads one-eighth of an inch in diameter so it all glistens. Wall washes ensure ultimate sparkle, and the mural wraps the corner and keeps on going. Simple water drop light fixtures frame the area, but do not detract from the focal point. “When you first walk in, you see one portion of it, and then when you exit the space, you see things from another side,” Langlois said, speaking to a litany of the property’s “surprises.” Included on the short list are tiled columns with upholstery wraps – or leather-like corsets– that resemble a kind of fabric wainscoting, replete with decorative fasteners that might be seen on Asian clothing. 

Eggs and vistas 

In the redesigned hotel breakfast area, as in the rest of the lobby space, windows are spacious and open to court interest from passersby. Conversely, when having breakfast, guests will be able to look out and see Washington, D.C. start its day, Langlois said. Redolent of Chinese dining halls where ceilings are typically comprised of 12-by-12-ft. squares with applied woodwork, gold trim and bright colors, the breakfast area’s ceiling insets honor the tradition. Four distinct coves are painted gold with surrounding LED lights, along with painted red gloss trim that makes up the decorative motif. Medallions spawn sculptural lighting fixtures that are 60 by 30-inch tapered drum shades, created by Langlois specifically for the project. Using decorative, Asian-style paper from The Paper Source, the designer lined the insides to create opaque objects that channel concentrated light directly down and onto the tables. Overlapping circular patterns inside the drums change color with the use of blue, green, gold, red and orange paper, creating a surprise detail for observant diners. To the side of the dining room, column-based dark brown wooden chopsticks light fixtures bring an Asian organic quality to the space, reminiscent of contemporary twigs-and-wire fixtures. The inside of the chopsticks fixtures is a “juicy saffron color – like the yellow of Buddhist monks’ robes – that’s going to glow against the brown and bronze metal trim,” Langlois said.

In the vestibule, a screen of Dacron-stuffed green interwoven patent leather panels embossed with a dragon scale texture, with polished stainless steel buttons, was inspired by Chinese temple doors. “You always see the red doors with the grid of gold buttons on them; this is our version,” Langlois said of the architects’ efforts to honor but update tradition. The top portion of the screen, with its Chinese square-in-the-circle motif trumpeted throughout the hotel (loosely translated, heaven is represented by a circle and earth by a square), is infilled by an acrylic panel of red flowers and reedy bamboo stems for an organic element. According to Langlois, the lobby business center became an adventure in scale, function and whimsy. Gilded by a specially-designed 16-by-86-inch box kite light fixture which referenced Asian kite festivals, the small space needed something more to distinguish it without overwhelming its dimension and budget. As such, the designer found a large veneer wood panel and had a canvas-wrapped print made of a stock photography image from HG Arts (colors were manipulated to match the carpet) for the panel’s right side. On the left, a series of polished, 3-inch chrome fortune cookies pepper the panel, reflecting the light from H Street. “Even if fortune cookies didn’t start in China, they are ubiquitous in American culture and associated with Chinatown,” Langlois said. Counters for laptops are made of enduring white, grey and blue-veined granite to perform well, but resemble marble. 

Of koi and custom case goods 

For OPX, the challenge to transition from bold, bubbling lobby to sanctuary-like guest corridors and rooms was met with homage to organic and natural shapes, colors and textures. With water connoting restfulness and flowers a mainstay of Asian culture (there’s a whole protocol for giving, receiving, occasioning, etc. according to Langlois), a carpeted floating pond corridor was envisioned with colorful koi pulled off to the side, disappearing beneath corridor walls as they would swim beneath the edges of a pond embankment. Tree trunks are represented by dark brown columns flanking guestroom doors, and a pale yellow wall covering reveals abstract twig patterns in yellows and golds, much like branches. (Langlois did mention a nod to cherry blossoms on a wall. Though not from China, they bespeak the beauty of Asia and what’s Washington without them!) Guestrooms came with their own set of construction caveats the team had to overcome, according to Langlois, dominant among them walls that were precast concrete. “It’s great for sound, but not so great for renovation requisites like new power, Internet and other technology,” Langlois said. Addressing Marriott’s standard package for hotel rooms which includes a freestanding desk, chair, dresser, TV, full length mirror and welcome sconce in a 12 or 12.5-ft. floorplan, the designer noted these rooms, constructed years ago for another hotel and only 11-by-6-ft., were shy of necessary space. To that end, a slimmed down/component integrated custom case goods piece was designed with features like a smaller desk (scaled to laptop size) cantilevered off a chest of drawers, and a dual-purposed built-in bench accommodating luggage and providing extra seating. An open shelf beneath a wall-mounted TV houses a coffeemaker and amenity tray. Tantamount to the economy-of-space room design, an Asian theme was manifested in a headboard pattern with the traditional square-in-circle motif reflected in other parts of the hotel, this time inside a fleur-di-lis, and via the use of red accent color in a nod to Chinese lacquer ware. With the décor package for the guestrooms built upon the Marriott standard in part, carpeting is blue with a green geometric pattern overlay, but the colors flow from the corridors’ aforementioned “floating pond” theme for continuity. “You don’t want to walk in off bright orange carpet,” Langlois said of the objective to create a seamless, restful environment. “This is a unique hotel,” said RLJ Development, LLC’s Carl Mayfield, senior vice president for design and construction, speaking to the company’s catalogue of 141 properties. “It’s transformational. We’ve got a few gems in our portfolio, and this is one of them.” 

Skanska Celebrates Progress at 10th and G Streets

When is a groundbreaking not a groundbreaking? Perhaps when the project is already well under way and a small box of dirt serves as shovel fodder on the rooftop of a nearby building, which was the scene at today's groundbreaking at 733 10th Street, NW. Still, progress is progress, and the new 10-story, 200,000 s.f. Skanska building at 10th and G Streets, NW, will change the face of the site that neighbors the MLK Library. According to Robert Ward, Executive Vice President at Skanska, the new structure should top out by the end of the year.

A church, in various iterations (see demolished church, at bottom), has sat at the site since 1865. Over five years ago First Congregational United Church of Christ released an RFP for the site, originally selecting PNHoffman as the developer for what was then planned as a combined condominium, church office, and homeless shelter and later an office building. When the developer ultimately lost financing, Ward and his team stepped into the picture and have been working with PNHoffman and the congregation to rework the plan for the downtown site for almost a year. Skanska now acts as the developer, financier and general contractor with PNHoffman as non-financing partner.

Under the agreement between Skanska and the church, Skanska will spend $21 million on the build out, and the church will get 25,000 s.f. of worship and office space, and 20 below-grade parking spaces. The religious portion will be designed by Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York.

Designed by Cunningham | Quill to achieve LEED Gold certification, the building will feature a vegetated green roof and hexagonal glass facade - from the fourth floor up. Upwards of 4,000 s.f. of ground floor retail will be a "nice enhancement" for the neighborhood, according to Ward, who hopes to secure a restaurant tenant. Delivery is expected by October of 2011, with development costs around $85 million.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Pedestrian Party in Chinatown

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has been running experiments throughout the District like a team of overzealous transportation scientists with DC as their lab. First the bike lanes on 15th Street, then the pay by phone parking meters and now a 29-second pedestrian free-for-all played out every few minutes at the busy intersection of 7th and H Streets in Chinatown. Starting Wednesday at 10 a.m., the lights at the intersection will turn red for cars in all directions and allow pedestrians to legally cross the streets, even diagonally. Diagonally!

Apparently, the new arrangement is one of several changes the agency is carrying out to increase pedestrian safety. The 29-second period, part of a 100-second cycles, will halt all vehicles in every direction for pedestrian crossings and then traffic will split the remaining 71 seconds for vehicles to go their merry ways. Another change of note for drivers, you will no longer be able to make any turns at the intersection. At all.

John Lisle, DDOT spokesperson, said the experiment will last several months to allow people to get used to the new pattern and to help the agency determine the effectiveness. DDOT has data that recorded the length of time it previously took a vehicle to pass through the intersection and will compare the old times with the news times to see if there are any efficiencies. Additionally, the intersection last year had a total of 35 accidents, 4 of which involved pedestrians for a total of 9 injuries. Other jurisdictions, such as San Francisco, have used this model with success for its busiest pedestrian intersections.

"It may work really well" said Lisle, "and then we'll consider doing it at other intersections. And if it doesn't work, we'll roll it back." Lisle admitted that the plan would not work at every intersection. For instance implementing a no-turn policy at Wisconsin and M Streets in Georgetown would be a total nightmare.

Now we'll wait for someone to organize a flashmob dance party at 7th and H. A Lady Gaga song clip of 29-seconds would work just fine.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Foreclosure Hits Chinatown Landmark

One of downtown Washington DC's most visible buildings may soon be developed into a 9-story retail-centered mixed-use project; that is, if it's not foreclosed on. Sitting next to DC's Chinatown arch, one of the few exceptions to downtown's shiny newness is 801 7th Street. Yeni Wong and her Gallery Towers LLC were served a notice of foreclosure for the two contiguous lots at 675 H Street and 801 7th Street, NW in October for the $13,491,471 note plus attorney's fees. Wong, President of Riverdale International, reportedly paid more than $10m for the property in 2006. The lots were slated for auction on November 17th, but the sale was canceled, according to the office of David Prensky at DC's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The corner of 7th and H housed a CVS, but now sits vacant and boarded with signs promising construction that has yet to begin. Owner Wong started a public dispute by filing a law suit in September 2006 against then tenant, CVS, after the store refused to vacate the premises despite an eviction notice in the spring of 2006. Wong wanted the CVS out to facilitate the LLC's plans to develop the site for a mix of uses including office, residential and retail. According to the website of developer DRI, a Transwestern Company, 675 H Street was to become home to two buildings: one would restore the corner space and rise 9 stories over the arch, the other would be a new Class A office building behind the main storefronts. The total project would have yielded 110,000 s.f. of office space and 50,000 s.f. of retail. The planned development never came to fruition and between October 2008 and February 2009 Gallery Towers had 4 liens placed on their Chinatown property. In the meantime, Eichberg Construction briefly began work last summer after fencing off the site, but work quickly halted. 

Washington DC real estate news

LEED Platinum Office Building Opened in Chinatown Today

The redevelopment of Chinatown continues with the opening of a 12-story LEED Platinum certified office building today. The building, at 700 6th Street, NW, appropriately named "700 SIX", features the largest green roof on a private sector building in Washington DC and boasts Capitol Dome views. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Valerie Santos joined the Akridge development team in cutting the ribbon on the $150 million project, one of a mere handful of projects in the city to obtain such a high LEED certification.

Matt Klein, President of Akridge, boasted that "over 90% of the construction and demolition debris was recycled" and that "the building would consume 40% less water than a typical Washington building." The environmental standards set by the project continue a trend for new developments in the city.

700 SIX features 300,487 s.f. of retail space (7,001 SF on ground floor for retail or office and 10,400 SF of concourse-level retail space). According to Mary Margaret Plumridge, Director of Marketing & Communications for Akridge, the space is currently 1/3 leased by the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The other 2/3 is up for grabs, though Plumridge indicated that they were currently working with a restaurant group to find a good fit for the ground level, which runs directly next to the G-Street cut through between the Verizon center and the movie theater complex.

The website for 700 SIX describes the glass bridges and metal walls as "virtually free standing with upper-floor windows on all four sides." HOK Architecture, the project architect, is familiar to DC residents as the designer of the new Washington Nationals stadium, and slightly less so for its design of the new office buildings at 88 K Street, SE.

DC Announces New Convention Center Site Agreement

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced plans today for one of the last remaining parcels of land on the site of the old convention center. Under a new agreement, the city will allow development of a 400-room "high-end" hotel and 100,000 s.f. of additional retail space on the 53,000 s.f. plot of land now known simply as "Parcel B". This portion of the site had previously been reserved for construction of a library, but the District had not made any final decisions on the facility and did not want to further delay what is being designed as a "new city center."

(Dcmud's information on "Parcel B" is too new to have renderings - the rendering shown is of the southern parcel.)

Standing in a corner of the current Convention Center, overlooking the site of the old one, Fenty said the District reached a deal with developers Hines Archstone to lease the site for 99 years. The District had previously cemented a deal with Hines Archstone for the southern half of the site - a project estimated at $850 million that will add 350,000 s.f. of retail space, over 670 apartment and condominiums with at least 134 affordable units, and 465,000 s.f. of office space between New York Avenue, 11th, H, and 9th Streets NW.

“The one thing the District is missing that so many other large cities have is a bustling area where people come after work to shop or eat or to hang out, a city center.” Fenty said. In addition to the office, retail, and residential space, the project will include an additional 1.5 acres of public open space. There will be a park in the northwest corner as well as a central plaza between the residential buildings on the corner of 9^th and H streets.

The “B parcel", bound by New York, 9th, and what will be 10th Street, was originally considered as a potential site for a museum or library in order to attract more families. Today, however, Fenty said that while the District is still “working aggressively” with the Library Board, there is a significant amount of programming under the current plan to attract DC residents to the site."

As the master developer, Hines Archstone had the first right of refusal to lease the B parcel from the District if the city chose not to locate a library on the site.

“This area is surrounded by museums; the Newseum just opened a few blocks away, the Portrait Gallery, the Spy Museum…we want this place to provide a social atmosphere outside their homes where residents can come and sit without having to sit at a café or pay to eat or drink,” Fenty said.

Kingdon Gould III acquired a parcel on the Northeast corner of the site - the last site to reveal development plans - in a land swap that the city conducted to facilitate construction of the Marriott next to the new Convention Center. The Parking Management, Inc. president has his own plan for the site, but it must be "consistent with the entire site's master plan."

While retailers have not yet been announced, the developer has committed to devoting thirty percent of retail space to merchants with six or fewer stores in the United States, but will focus on a wide range of grocery stores, restaurants, fashion stores, and entertainment or performance venues. There are also plans for one larger retailer like Nordstroms or Macy’s; Fenty and the development teams will be meeting with companies in the coming weeks, but a final announcement is not likely for about six months.

The project will generate 3,000 development-related jobs and 2,500 direct permanent jobs. It will also generate a projected $32 million a year in annual direct tax revenues. According to developers, the District will receive more than $200 million in consideration for the land as part of the land lease including a minimum of $28.5 million in lease payments, $55 million to provide affordable housing on site, and $48 million in payments for new infrastructure. Two new streets, I and 10th, will be constructed through the site.

When asked about the likelihood of delivering the project in a timely manner given the not-so-exuberant state of the economy, Councilmember Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, said the District has not been affected by the economy and that this project’s success would be no different than that of other D.C. projects like the Nationals Stadium.

“The Southwest waterfront looks pretty good. Poplar Point is off in the distance, but Clark, the main developer hasn’t had problems getting the money they need. There is such a strong interest in the development of the District that as long as that interest remains, these projects will stay on schedule,” Evans said.

The first phase of the project, which includes the office, apartments, and condominiums, will begin in the second quarter of 2009, while the entire project will be completed by the end of 2011.

Evans added that this summer the city is planning to set up a large screen in the parking lot on-site to continually broadcast the Olympic Games. He said the city’s goal is to use the backdrop of the Chinatown arch to attract families and residents to the area.

“This is the most exciting property on the East Coast,” he said.