Today in Pictures - CityCenter

Work on CityCenterDC continues.  The project's plans for nearly 700 units of housing, 185,000 s.f. of retail, and 520,000 s.f. of office space are now rising well above ground.  Below are recent pictures of the site. 

Retail, Fountain, Ice Rink Slated for Washington Harbour

Work to upgrade the retail offering of Georgetown's Washington Harbour has begun, owners MRP Realty and Rockpoint Group LLC announced today.  Washington Harbour is undergoing a $20 million exterior renovation led by architecture firm Gensler and general contractor Clark Construction, after a flood pushed out the restaurants that once lined the riverfront pavilion. Some of the most significant changes are slated for the lower level. Those upgrades include retail storefront improvements and a revamped fountain with lights and animated jets that will double as a 12,000-square-foot ice skating rink in the winter.

Work on the lower level is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2012, and the fountain will be completed by the end of this summer.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler Architects

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Today in Pictures - Rosslyn Commons

JBG Companies began construction on Rosslyn Commons exactly one year ago tomorrow. The Rosslyn apartment project will include two apartment buildings, the Sedona and the Slate, and 25 townhouses, with 55 units of subsidized housing. Despite a catastrophic wall collapse during excavation, digging is now complete and general contractor Clark Construction is now building up. Both apartment buildings are expected to be LEED Silver Certified, and both residential towers will include a rooftop pool and rooftop fitness center. Bethesda-based Architects Collaborative designed the building.













Arlington, VA real estate development news

Clear Sailing for Southwest Waterfront Development

The Congressional Budget Office weighed in just before the holidays with a strong endorsement of the proposed rezoning of the Southwest Waterfront, further bolstering H.R. 2297’s already favorable chances of passing into law when the Senate reconvenes next session.

If (when) passed, the bill would bring the District one step closer to a dramatic revitalization of the largely moribund Southwest waterfront, bringing it in line with the rapidly-developing Southeast waterfront, and creating what planners hope will eventually coalesce into a “second downtown.”

The bill, introduced by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, has already passed the House and gone through Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee markup, and clarifies the vague and somewhat archaic restrictions governing the waterfront. The District has always technically owned the land, but was barred from selling it, which for all intents and purposes made commercial development impossible. The recent CBO report found that empowering development in the area would have no adverse effects on the federal government, thus clearing the way for the 2.5 million-square-foot blockbuster PN Hoffman-Madison Marquette hotel-office-retail-pedestrian mall project.

The Hoffman-Madison First Stage PUD, as reported on this site, breezed through its NCPC hearing back in October. Bob Rubenkonig, a Hoffman-Madison representative, said Hoffman-Madison is busily preparing for 2012 public meetings, with the Second Stage PUD forthcoming very soon - hopefully in February, according to Hoffman VP Shawn Seaman.

The $2 billion, 2.5 million-square-foot project, dubbed “The Wharf,” takes its cues from Baltimore and Seattle's waterfront promenades, and will feature around 1200 residential units, almost 400,000 s.f. of office space, and 200,000 s.f. of retail space. Over half the site will be public space, much of that a pedestrian-friendly, privately-held waterfront avenue, “Wharf Street,” which will replace Water Street, will feature walking lanes, bike paths, and a streetcar. Development plans also call for a four thousand seat theater, a maritime history museum, and three hotels – a four-star, 268-room hotel from Carr Hospitality and InterContinental Hotels Group, and two others from the JBG Companies.

Developers have also agreed to a community benefits package that will set aside 30 percent of the first 500 units of housing - half earmarked for households making less than 60% AMI, and half earmarked for households making less than 30% AMI. Beyond the 500-unit mark, 20% will be reserved for "workforce housing," i.e. police, firefighters, teachers making 80 - 100% AMI. This unusual formula is the result of the Southwest Waterfront Redevelopment Clarification Act of 2010, which exempts a portion of the development from the District's affordable housing requirements. Furthermore, a quarter of the retail space will go to local businesses, and a third of everything sold in the retail spaces will come from local merchants. Design is being spearheaded by Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, while construction is being handled by PN Hoffman and Clark Construction.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

GW's New Science and Engineering Building Breaks Ground

Tomorrow night, a ground breaking ceremony will kick off three years of construction by Clark on the new $275-million, 400,000-s.f., 8-story Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) for George Washington University's Foggy Bottom campus. GW hopes the new facility will "strengthen the university’s reputation as a premier research institution."

Following a bolstered reputation will be the return of a portion of the building's costs in the form of future grants and contracts supporting faculty research, foresees the university. The rest of the $275 million will be generated through Boston Properties' Square 54 ground lease, as well as philanthropic gifts.

Over the summer, demolition of what was the university's parking garage took place on the site at 22nd and H Streets, NW. Removal of the demolished chunks of concrete will continue for a couple weeks, allowing sheeting, shoring and excavation work to be underway soon.

The building, the design work of Ballinger Architects and Hickok Cole, will rise 8 stories, and go down 6, with 2 stories of program space and 4 stories of parking below grade. The complex will be ready for occupancy — by five Science and Engineering departments and also four Columbian College of Arts and Sciences departments — in 2015.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Beltway's Tallest Building to Launch in October

Hoffman Management Inc. will soon build the tallest tower, within the capital beltway, in Alexandria's low-lying Eisenhower Valley East.

Hoffman recently awarded the general contractor position for its Hoffman Towers, a component of the expansive Hoffman Town Center, to Clark Construction Group. Clark is accepting bids from subcontractors through early September, and expects to begin construction on the residential towers in October.

The towers, designed by Davis Carter Scott, will consist of three high rise components - 33, 28 and 22 stories tall. The 33-story tower is 396' tall; a mere six feet taller than Monday Properties' 1812 North Moore St, which is currently under construction and set to deliver first quarter 2013. Yet the Hoffman Towers will rise up in a valley that is only 18' above sea level, whereas 1812 North Moore - a 390' tall, 35-story office building - might loom larger, as it sits on ground in Rosslyn that is near 100' above sea level.

When completed, the Hoffman Towers will contain 1,197 apartments (55 affordable) and offer 1,162 parking spaces, at block 11 and 12 of the Hoffman Town Center.

Block 11, closest to the beltway, will house a new 50,000-s.f. Harris Teeter; the grocer has a contract ensuring its occupancy in the building by December of 2013, when phase 1 of the project is set to deliver - a feasible timeline if construction is soon underway.

Construction of block 12, closest to Eisenhower Avenue, will coincide with the City's redevelopment of the Eisenhower Ave Metro station, and a new Metro Plaza - paid for by the development team - which will serve as a public gathering place of sorts, near 19,000 s.f. of new retail (in block 12) broken up into several spaces, including some 200-s.f. "retail pockets." The project is located across the street from AMC Hoffman cinemas, already the region's highest grossing theater.

The development site plan has not been approved or released by the City of Alexandria; the City is waiting on comments from one last reviewer, after which the plan - with notes of concerns to be addressed - will then go to the development team for agreement.

Alexandria, Virginia real estate development news

Retail, Coming Soon to The Avenue in Foggy Bottom

The Avenue is the newly completed $250-million, retail-centered mixed-use project taking up 2.6 acres of George Washington University's property at 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  The occupies the southeastern corner of Washington Circle, where the old GW Hospital once stood. Leased to Boston Properties as the developer, The Avenue, also known as Square 54, incorporates 80,000 s.f. of retail space, which will soon begin occupancy and create a new retail center in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

Incoming retail tenants will join three already in place at The Avenue: Devon & Blakely, a gourmet deli, opened in April; NIH Federal Credit Union, opened in May; and Citibank, which opened last week.

The soon-to-arrive retailers are as follows:

• Whole Foods Market – The high-end grocer with lowly, grassroots beginning in 1980 in Austin and world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods (redemption through $20 beer class offering every Thursday in Logan Circle) will occupy approximately 36,000 s.f. across two levels beginning September.

• Circa at Foggy Bottom (Late June/Early July) – American-style bistro, owned by The MHG Group of Falls Church. This location will be the third in the DC-area; behind Dupont in 2007, and later Clarendon. Circa offers over 20 wines by the glass and seasonal cocktails, including a blackberry margarita with a splash of Chambord.

• Roti (Early July) – Mediterranean-themed eatery out of Chicago. Pronounced “row-tee,” this location will join three already in the District; two more are to follow suit in the fall.

• Sweetgreen (Late June/Early July) – Fast-casual restaurant, menu-listed and mix-your-own salad/wrap options, big choices with small environmental footprint (i.e. biodegradable packaging), tart fro-yo offered in house and out of the Sweetflow food truck.

• CCLC (July/August) – day care provider

• District Commons and Burger, Tap & Shake (August/September) – two-in-one concept (sit-and-eat in restaurant or grab-and-go from the counter) from the Passion Foods group. District Commons and Burger, the restaurant portion of the dual combo, will offer boozed-up milkshakes for full-grown kids, and 20 American microbrews on tap.

Commercial tenants, occupying 440,000 s.f. of office space at The Avenue, are:

• Law firms: Bergeson & Campbell, Hunton & Williams, and Vinson & Elkins

• Financial institution: Ares Capital

• Manufacturing/Tech firm: Danaher Corporation

• Shared office space: Regus

Residential units at The Avenue are ready to be occupied as well, and to date approximately 130 out of the 335 have been leased.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Mark Center Milestones

Construction of the Mark Center in Alexandria reached an interesting if meaningless milestone last Thursday as developers paused to note the millionth man hour spent on the massive federal project. The auxiliary to the Pentagon will be one of Northern Virginia's largest buildings when the Department of Defense (DoD) and developer Duke Realty complete the project in September of 2011. The Mark Center will serve as an overflow to the swelling number of Defense employees that cannot fit into the Pentagon.

The 1.7 million s.f. building will sit on 16 acres of land, with two office towers (15 and 17 stories) two parking garages - one below, one adjacent - and a public transportation center (far from Metro, as it is) for employees and the surrounding community. Duke, along with a little help from project architects HKS Architects and WBA, the Army Corps of Engineers and Clark Construction, is expected to earn an enviable LEED Gold ranking on the ginormous project.

Following a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendation, the military is under an agreement with Duke to purchase the land once the project is built out. The Mark Center location provides enough land to allow for a substantial security perimeter, not to mention proximity to I-395 and the Pentagon. Transportation concerns have been a weighty issue for the project, located far from from the nearest Metro station, both for planners to prepare for alternate transport plans and for the community, which fears an unbearable addition to the already congested roads.

The two towers will connect on their first 10 floors, and have exteriors of precast concrete and blast-resistant glass, materials that meet security standards including preventative measures against "progressive collapse." Over 24 different users will occupy the space. The interior of the building will likely use a modular SmartWall system like that of the Pentagon, which allows for flexibility in arranging personnel.

More concerns have arisen over the required Remote Inspection Facility (RIF) - for screening packages and traffic coming onto the site - for its potentially traffic-blocking ability. The city initially requested that the facility be located off site, citing design concerns, traffic issues and worries over the safety of the community, but the Army opted to place it on site.


Alexandria Virginia real estate development news

CityCenter DC Site Under Construction

Preliminary work is underway on CityCenterDC, as construction crews arrived yesterday with earth movers and heavy equipment, installing fencing around the site in anticipation of a more public announcement and official groundbreaking in the coming days. The project's plan for nearly 700 units of housing, 185,000 s.f. of retail, 520,000 s.f. of office space have been gestating for years, and developers have been holding firm for nearly a year that this spring will mark the project's birth. Still, developers at Hines had declined in recent months to be any more specific about timelines, until announcing recently an April 4th commencement date.

But yesterday, construction crews began installing fences around the perimeter (even covering the sidewalks), with large earth movers and construction trailers bearing the Clark insignia beginning to cover the entire site. Get ready for a public ceremony soon.



Washington D.C. real estate development news

JBG Announces Rosslyn Multi-Family Start Date

The JBG Companies has said it will begin construction of its 474-unit Rosslyn apartment project on January 25th. The Chevy Chase developer plans to build 25 four-story townhouses and two high rise apartment buildings with a small retail space on the Clarendon Boulevard site that until recently held a 8 two-story apartment buildings.

The town houses and two L-shaped towers (12 and 13 stories) were designed by Bethesda-based Architects Collaborative. Fifty-five of the apartment units will be subsidized. Both apartment buildings (Sedona and Slate) are expected to be LEED Silver Certified, and both residential towers will include a rooftop pool, rooftop club room, and rooftop fitness center. Tower Two will showcase "a more modern design...with neutral colors, clean lines, boutique lobby, European-styled kitchens (flat panel kitchen cabinets with modern door pulls, white Corian or quartz countertops, dark/light cabinets (with dark or light hardwood floors), alternating by floor." JBG has not yet stated whether the market-rate units will be sold as condominiums or rented.

The 4-story townhouses have been designed as a buffer to blend the development into the surrounding garden-style apartment complexes, and the super-block split by a landscaped pedestrian plaza, Clarendon Blvd. to 16th Road North. JBG has selected Clark Construction as the general contractor.

Arlington, VA Real Estate Development News

GW to Add Science Building and Go Solar

George Washington University has another construction project in the works. Thanks to funding from Square 54 and low construction costs from favorable market conditions, the university has approved replacing an 8-story, 1200-space parking garage with an 8-story, 400,000 s.f. science and engineering complex with buried parking. The university also has separate plans to green its residences by adding what it says will be DC's largest single solar power network.

Although the city has not yet approved the science building, GW expects to start the $275m project within a year. The university’s project team includes Philadelphia-based Ballinger Architects, as well as Hickok Cole Architects, Boston Properties as the project manager and Clark Construction for pre-construction services, all of which are working on Square 54. The LEED-Silver designed building will double the space on the GW campus dedicated to science and engineering.

"The board’s decision to build the Science and Engineering Complex marks an important milestone in the development of George Washington into a world-class research university," said GW President Steven Knapp.

The science building, at the corner of 22nd and H streets, NW (see map, above), will feature two levels of below-ground program space, approximately 350 underground parking spaces and a retail venue on the ground floor along Eye Street.

The building is expected to be completed in late 2014 with occupancy expected in early 2015. Project planning has been underway since 2006. GW is using ground lease payments from Square 54 as part of the financing for the new project, and has been working to redistribute the lost parking as part of the Campus Plan, but has yet to release any details about where the 850 lost spaces will go.

At the same time, GW will implement "the largest source of on-site solar power in the District of Columbia," for "thermal" solar power, that is, not photovoltaic cells. The new solar thermal system will heat water for three residence halls, subtracting "about 70 tons of carbon annually," according to the school. The university intends to generate 10 percent of energy from on-campus renewable sources by 2040, and reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2025, and by 80 percent by 2040 when it reaches "carbon neutrality." The remaining carbon emissions will be "mitigated" through the purchase of local offsets, such as planting trees. "This is just one of the very fist steps we are taking" says Michelle Sherrard of GW, of the solar conversion.

Skyline Innovations, a one-year-old Washington D.C.-based solar energy company, will install the solar thermal units on Building JJ, 1959 E Street and Ivory Tower free of charge and sell the hot water the systems produce to the school for a fee tied to the price of natural gas. According to Aaron Block, Director of Market Development for Skyline, the company assures lower energy costs for the user with no start-up costs by guaranteeing a lower-than-market rate for energy, which it finances by retaining the renewable energy credits. That makes Skyline the number one provider of solar energy in DC (it subcontracts installation). GW won't reveal the amount that it saves with its thermal energy conversion.

The system works by converting sunlight to thermal energy via hot water rather than electricity. An array of rooftop panels collect solar energy and convert it to heat. A series of tanks in the basement loop into the rooftop collectors, a heat exchange allows the heat to be converted from the closed-loop system into the public water.

With all the new construction, the GW Hatchet reports that Foggy Bottom residents are angling for a new Metro entrance as the completion of Square 54 adds more users of the single-entrance Metro station.

Washington DC real estate development news