Arts vs. Parking Lot in Mt. Vernon

The District and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) are, at least for now, giving up on the Arts at 5th and Eye, the Donohoe Companies and Holland Development project, and installing a parking lot on the undeveloped District-owned site. Though the project team won the right to develop the promised high-end hotel, retail outlets and jazz club in September of 2008, no final agreement has been reached on the land exchange with the District Government since that time. The District Council is scheduled to review the revised project plan in March or April of this year, though that will not happen without an agreed upon land value.

In August, Memphis Holland, a Partner at Holland Development, told DCMud that the group hoped to have a resolution to their negotiations by the end of September. More than four months later, Holland indicates the developers are continuing to meet with the District in order to finalize a contract for the land and determine an appropriate land value. It would seem the District grew tired of underutilized land, opting for a paid parking lot in the meanwhile (not that Mount Vernon really needs more of those). The ANC had resoundingly supported the development during the RFP process, but the protracted negotiations and new surface parking lot have set some neighbors on edge. ANC Commissioner Keith Silver is protesting the DMPED's parking lot decision and the District's alleged exclusion of the community from conversations with the developers about the proposed development. According to Holland the developers had "absolutely nothing to do with the final decision by the District to have a parking lot as the temporary use for the site," but "we have been told this will not impede our objectives to develop the site, as planned, for a mixed-use development." Holland added that the group is continuing to work with project partners including Sol Melia and Boisdale as well as the neighborhood retail mix including Zenith Gallery. That said, the parking lot decision shows a lack of faith by the District government for the near future of construction and development at 5th and I Streets in Mount Vernon. 

Washington DC real estate development news

DC Seeks Developers for Georgia Avenue in Takoma

DC's Takoma neighborhood may be on the receiving end of new development, thanks to a Solicitation for Offers from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). The solicitation is for the 15,000 s.f. parcel at 6925-6929 Georgia Avenue, NW, across from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The district seeks a group to plan, finance, build and operate a project that may include mixed-income housing, community-serving retail, and cultural amenities. Responses are due January 15, 2010 at 3PM.

Currently, the property is unimproved and zoned for R-5-B, with height limits set at 50 ft and maximum lot occupancy at 60%. In the solicitation documents (PDF), the District boasts of the property's location on Georgia Avenue, "ubiquitous mass transit" in the form of a "highly-trafficked arterial" road and its relatively short distance from the Takoma Park Metro, a little more than half a mile away.

Community preferences for the parcel include residential (apartments or condominiums), child care facilities, green space (particularly setbacks), LEED standards and appealing architecture. Big no-nos are commercial uses and clubs and liquor stores; probably strip-clubs and check-cashing stores too. Hint: the solicitation indicated that these preferences should be taken into strong consideration by developers.

DC Scouts $1.2 Billion in New Development for Rhode Island Avenue

"Think of Rhode Island Avenue NE as a 'diamond' - a largely un-mined yet valuable investment opportunity."

So begins the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development's (ODMPED) Draft Rhode Island Avenue NE Economic Development Plan. Focusing on corridor's three-mile stretch through Northeast Washington, the report recommends "over $1.2 billion in new investments in housing, retail, office and public art" over the next 16 years for the surrounding communities of Brentwood, Brookland, Eckington, Edgewood, Langdon and Woodridge.

Developed under the auspices of the Mayor's Great Streets Initiative with contributions from everyone from the three local ANC 5 commissions to WMATA to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, among many, many others, the "diamond" draft hopes to realize more than 3,000 new residential units, almost 600,000 square feet of office space and over 500,000 square feet of retail along Rhode Island Avenue by 2025 – the earliest of which could deliver by 2011. In doing so, they hope to lure residents and shoppers back from surrounding counties, in order “to capture a portion of the $1 billion in retail sales revenues (and jobs) lost each year to other jurisdictions.”

As such, the plan highlights several promising projects already in the pipeline for the corridor, though delayed “until further change in the economic market”: Mid-City Urban and A&R Development’s mixed-use, 274-unit Rhode Island Station project; the H Street CDC’s 170-unit Rhode Island Avenue Gateway; and, lastly, Republic Land’s 257-unit Brookland Square development (pictured). In total, ODMPED states there are “as many as 14 residential development projects planned or proposed…[that could] include over 13,000 residential units combined.”

Beyond merely underlining Rhode Island Avenue’s Grade-A potential for mixed-use development, the draft plan also delves into suggestions for sustainable building practices, public art installations, small business development, job creation, safety improvements and smart growth transit options – the latter of which includes a proposal for new MARC station at Eastern Avenue and Wells Street on the Prince George’s County border near Mount Rainier (though previously suggested alternatives, like a Rhode Island Avenue street car line, rapid bus transit service, or extension of Metro’s Yellow Line are no longer being considered at this time.)

As the “diamond” draft is broken down into four distinct sub-areas - 3rd to 12th Streets NE, 12th to 18th Streets NE, 18th Street to South Dakota Avenue, NE and South Dakota to Eastern Avenue, NE – residents are encouraged to peruse the recommendations made for their specific neighborhoods and submit comments to Great Streets Coordinator, Derrick Woody. ODMPED will hold an open forum to discuss the plan during the week of September 7th “to formally receive any other comments on the plan before it is finalized.”

This is the second such draft plan released by the Deputy's Mayor's office in as many months; in early May, they posted their proposed plans for redeveloping the Florida Avenue Market into "vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood."

Santos Tapped to Lead ODMPED

Oh, Neil Albert, we hardly knew thee. In a move that surprised few, Mayor Adrian Fenty has appointed Valerie Santos the new Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (aka, the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Czar), following Albert’s recent promotion to City Administrator. Santos' appointment will be subject to a vote by the DC City Council at as-of-yet unscheduled confirmation hearing.

Unlike her predecessor, who rose to the Deputy Mayor post from the heart of economic development that is the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, Santos is a dyed-in-the-wool real estate maven, having served as a vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, a manager at Ernst & Young’s real estate division and as a Masters student in Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government before entering the lucrative civil service field to become her old boss’s Chief Operating Officer.

So just what does a Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development actually do? Here’s what Neil Albert told DCmud in a 2008 interview:

I see myself as convener of private sector and the natural community residents who sometimes have needs that complement each other and sometimes oppose each other. In many cases, my role is just to be the arbitrator…Our job is bringing the balance between the haves and the have-nots in DC, so we have the big law and lobby firms and the non-profits and the associations who are squeezed by real estate taxes right now, but that add to the flavor of DC. Instead of them having to relocate to suburbia, we step in and try to provide incentives to keep them here.

Among the overdue projects that Deputy Mayor Santos will be tasked with “arbitrating” in the coming year are, according to ODMPED, the Southwest Waterfront redevelopment, CityCenter DC, the O Street Market and the goings-on along the Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road corridor. That’s on top of her duty to oversee the “cluster of agencies” that fall under ODMPED’s purview, including the Department of Small and Local Business Development, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Office of Planning and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

And in a possible case of Sotomayor fever, Santos had been publicly known as Valerie Santos-Young right up until…well, this announcement. 

Washington DC real estate development news

District Announces Contenders for Downtown School Redevelopment

In their second announcement in as many weeks, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Planning has revealed the teams vying for redevelopment of a DC public school – this time for Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School at 1050 21^st Street, NW. The school was "the first modern school in the District built for African-American students,” is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was the last DC public school to host a First Child when Amy Carter attended in the 1970's. Much like last week’s announcement of competitors for the Hine Junior High School site near Eastern Market, ODMPED says the proposals they’ve received include "various combinations of new housing, office space, hotels and neighborhood-serving retail" for the surrounding K Street/Foggy Bottom area.
The Stevens project has only seen three would-be development teams: Peebles Development LLC/The Walker Group; the Moddie Turay Company; and, lastly,the Neighborhood Development Company, in partnership with Equity Residential (which also has a bid in for the Eastern Market school) remain in contention. After initially soliciting the project in late 2008, the Deputy Mayor’s office has apparently knocked two-thirds of the responsive developers – including the Capitol Hill BID, Akridge and Donohoe Development – out of contention. 

"[The final] three teams have presented some interesting ideas and demonstrated the capacity to get the project done,” said newly minted City Administrator Neil Albert via press release.  The three teams and ODMPED reps will be on-hand to present their competing plans at a community meeting on June 11th. The forum will be held at the Francis-Stevens Education Campus at 2425 N Street, NW and begin at 6:30 pm.

Blighted Brightwood Apartments Born Again

Mayor Adrian Fenty and Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser made their second joint appearance of the week in Brightwood today, this time to announce the commencement of major renovation procedures at 6425 14^th Street, NW – a long empty, dilapidated apartment building formerly owned notorious DC landlord, Vincent Abell.

"After essentially two decades of inactivity, frustration and blight…the District of Columbia government finally seized control of the property [in 2008]," said Fenty. "Don’t forget, it had been owned by countless private sector landlords [and] slum lords…People who just had no interest at all in making this the type of fantastic residential apartment building that it was once was and that it will be again.”

To that effect, the District has teamed with Blue Skye Development to repurpose the now-gutted apartment complex for the Tewkesbury Condominiums - a 30,000 square foot, 26-unit condo building that will, according to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, be comprised of 51% affordable housing.

“We want to promote home ownership,” Deputy Mayor Neil Albert told DCmud of the decision to make the building a for-sale property for the first time in its fifty plus years of existence. “It was originally conceived as a condo project and we were able to get financing for it. Again, there’s a level of affordability that’s going into this building. It’s not a luxury condo building…It’s easier to get that financed than your mid-level and high-priced condos”

Purchased by the DC government early last year for $3 million, after filing suit against its owner for “numerous building code violations,” the total cost of the renovation will come in at $4.6 million. New amenities slated for the complex, as outlined by PGN Architects, include “a community room, roof deck, energy-efficient aluminum windows...as well as outdoor spaces directly behind the building.” With selective demolition already underway inside the complex, the development is scheduled to be open by March 2010 – a full year later than the District initially anticipated when they acquired the property.

“[These] haven’t been easy projects. The reason some of these projects have taken a long time is because there’s a lot of trouble and legal trouble that the city’s been dealing with,” said Muriel Bowser of the numerous concurrent, affordable housing initiatives under way in her ward. “But this administration has taken a ‘can do’ approach. Not 'we can’t,' not 'we won’t,' but that we’ll figure out how to get it done.”

Fenty and Bowser teamed-up earlier these week to oversee demolition at 3910 Georgia Avenue, NW, future site of the 130-unit Georgia Commons project, and for the opening of the Neighborhood Development Company's Residences at Georgia Avenue in March.

Builder Selected for New SW DC Crime Lab

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced yesterday that is has awarded Whiting-Turner a $133 million contract to construct the District's new Consolidated Forensics Laboratory (CFL) at the former site of the Metropolitan Police Department's at 415 4th Street, SW. Designed by HOK Architects, the six-story, 287,000 square foot crime lab will house the forensic arms of not only the police department, but the Department of Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as well. According to ODMPED, the new CFL will "coordinate crime, public safety and health investigations to help law enforcement solve crimes quickly without having to rely on other laboratories with competing priorities." Coming in at a total cost of $220 million (including “specialized equipment”), ODMPED states that the “firm-fixed price contract includes abatement and demolition of the old building as well as a 35 percent set-aside for Certified Business Enterprises.” A date for the demolition has yet to be scheduled, but work continues abreast just around the corner from the CFL site. Early last month, the District officials selected Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners and Adams Investment Group to construct to two, new mixed-use buildings – including a new fire station – just a few hundred yards away on two parcels adjoining 450 6th Street, SW.

Washington DC real estate development news

Benning Station Yanked by DC

The much vaunted Benning Station project has lost its main tenant and developer in a recent twist that leaves its future in doubt.

Having long envisioned the Benning Road corridor in Ward 7 as one of the keystones of redevelopment in eastern Washington, DC, city planners aimed to realize their goals by not only attracting new retailers and residents to the long struggling area, but local government agencies – and the traffic that comes with them - as well. To the end, the Fenty administration has masterminded mixed-use projects, like the $108 "Downtown Ward 7" project at Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road, NE that will include large residential and retail components neighboring the new, currently under construction headquarters of the Department of Employee Services. But another project in the same vein may be in danger of falling through. And now community advocates are laying the blame at the feet of those that promoted it – namely the Office of Property Management and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

Developer (and Fenty confidant) Ben Soto and DBT Development's $55 million, Bonstra Haresign-designed project was supposed to bring a new, 132,500 square foot headquarters for DC’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) to 4414 Benning Road, NE – along with 21,000 square feet of much needed ground floor retail and a future phase that would include sixty-two residential units. Then, last month, the developer told the local ANC that he could possibly be pulling out of the project, just as news came down from OPM Director Robin-Eve Jasper that CFSA would not be relocating to Ward 7 after all.

“[The] reason the CFSA lease was being pulled was that they had found a ready-to-move in space… in Ward 5, specifically NoMa,” says Sylvia Brown of the ANC 7C04. “The DC City Council passed legislation two weeks ago giving developers in that area a $50 million tax break for the next two years. When you look at the fact that Ben Soto has designed the Benning Station project for CSFA with no additional monies requested and he’s not asking for any tax subsidies, that move to NoMa contradicts what the city says about needing a ready-to-move-in space.”

The news not only raised suspicions of community advocates, but was also an unexpected surprise. Soto himself had reportedly spent $11 million of “pre-development investment” funds to ensure the CSFA’s occupancy. Furthermore, according to the Ward 7 Citizens Coalition, the Benning Station project had already received numerous letters of interest from potential retailers, including CVS, TGIFriday’s and “other neighborhood serving retail” and has been tailored specifically to meet needs of the CFSA – making occupancy by another tenant unlikely, even as the project nears the end of the District-led approval process.

“Just this morning, it was before the Board of Zoning because it needs to have some zoning variations and it’s gotten the approval of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, as well as the Department of Transportation,” said Brown. “This is a project that had acquiesced to the CSFA’s needs for an additional 50,000 square feet. How can you…negotiate that additional space to meet your particular needs and then pull out at the last minute?”

Director Jasper will be on hand to answer that question herself, when she attends a public forum concerning the future of Benning Station this evening, Wednesday, April 22^nd, at the Kenilworth Recreation Center at 4300 Anacostia Avenue, NE. The meeting will begin at 7 PM.

Washington D.C. retail and development news

Anacostia to Get its Own Boathouse Row

With the District-led attempt to bring development to Southeast Washington DC's Poplar Point now stalled for the foreseeable future, both the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (ODMPED) and the Office of Planning (OP) have now turned their collective bureaucratic eye across the Anacostia River and towards a section called Boathouse Row.

In the spring of 2008, the District agencies assembled a team to consider options for the riverfront, which has now gone public with a Planning Study for the stretch of land that runs along M and Water Streets, SE on the Anacostia’s west bank. As is, the site - largely overlooked by development next door at the Capitol Riverfront - is currently home to half-a-dozen maritime operations, including a cadre of "yacht clubs," the former Anacostia Marina, and installations servicing the DC Department of Public Works, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the DC Water and Sewer Authority. Rehoboth Beach it won't be, but for the local government, redevelopment at Boathouse Row represents a shot at making the Anacostia River a recreational destination again for the first time in half a century.

The outcome of the study hinges on the proposed dredging of the polluted and endangered river – a procedure that has yet to be budgeted or approved by the DC government. As such, the team presented two concepts for the site – one contingent on a clean-up, the other not.

Concept I, which assumes dredging will in fact take place, would see the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association expand its location underneath the 11^th Street Bridge, while the other boat clubs along the riverbank will be permitted to build-out “either perpendicular or parallel to the shore.” The team envisions three open “community spaces” at intermittent points along the river with amenities like canteens and bike rental kiosks, in addition to a revitalized and expanded Anacostia Marina for motorized watercraft.

Concept II, “a response to the possibility that dredging the Anacostia River will not take place,” assumes that the river will remain impenetrable to boats of any significant size. The locations of the various yacht clubs would be reconfigured, while the Sewer Authority’s work station would be relocated off-site in order to provide for a “continuous waterfront edge.” This plan too calls for three large community spaces along the river, but improvements to the Anacostia Marina would be significantly downsized and it would be outfitted to service only non-motorized boats.

No matter which route the District takes at Boathouse Row, neither will be realized soon. According to the report, “Several District infrastructure projects will need to be completed before improvements to Boathouse Row can be implemented.” That includes renovations to the 11^th Street Bridge, completion of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative’s Riverwalk Trail and the possible relocation of the Federal Channel. At present they’re projecting those procedures to run until at least 2014, with implementation of either concept expected to be complete by 2020.

It should also be noted that control of Boathouse Row currently sits with the National Park Service; a formal transfer of the land to District government is planned for later this year. The entire Planning Study can be read in its entirety at the ODMPED homepage. homes are for sale in washington dc.

Fenty Takes Out Trash in Deanwood

Deanwood's trash transfer facility/recycling center was demolished this week as Washington, DC Mayor Fenty announced the District’s intent to redevelop the site as mixed-income housing. The raze of the 32,000 square foot, one-story building located at 5201 Hayes Street, NE officially kicks off the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s (ODMPED) search for a development team for the property, which they say can accommodate "up to 232 units of housing."

"Today’s demolition is a big step forward for one of our most important projects in our New Communities Initiative. The development of new housing in the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings neighborhood is a top priority of my administration’s plan to revitalize the Deanwood community in Ward 7," said Fenty via press release. The RFP is available online and proposals for the project are due on July 6^th by 4 PM.

The trash processing facility was purchased by the District in December 2008 and stands just blocks from a previously solicited ODMPED project at 4427 Hayes Street, NE. That development, also branded as part of Fenty’s New Communities initiative, is set to include 26 new residential units and 9 “replacement housing units” for area residents displaced by renovations at the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings complex. The Mayor announced on March 27^th that Blue Skye Development has been selected to head up that project.

Major Tweeking for Tewkesbury

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development just announced that four developers have submitted proposals for the redevelopment of a vacant 1950s-built, 26-unit apartment building at 5425 14th Street NW in Brightwood.

Known as the Tewkesbury, the building has been cited for over 100 violations since it was vacated in 1980's. DC bought the property for $3 million from Vincent Abell, one of the 20 less-than-savory landlords sued in April for code violations on rental properties.

Blue Skye Development, LLC and The Educational Organization for United Latin Americans Spanish Center, Mi Casa, Inc., PML Real Estate, LLC, and 14th Street Partners, which includes UrbanMatters Development Partners LLC, Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, and Emory Beacon of Light, Inc. responded to the District's May solicitation for the 30,000 s.f. property.

The District would like to see senior or, you guessed it, mixed-income housing for the site, but did not specify whether or not the units had to be condos or apartments. Over half of the units must be affordable.

“This property has been a blight on the neighborhood for more than 20 years,” Deputy Mayor Neil O. Albert said. “The response to our solicitation clearly shows that the development community -- just like the residents of Brightwood -- is eager to get this property back into productive use.”

DC's Development Pipeline

Ever since the Fenty administration took over development of the District's publicly-owned property, merging agencies and placing them under his direct supervision, it seems development of blighted blocks has been given a new urgency, even compared to that of the Williams administration - itself a great improvement over its predecessor. But despite weekly announcements from the Mayor and the Office of Planning and Economic Development, many of the projects still have to proceed through the District's infamously thick bureaucracy. But if China can cleanse its murky atmosphere in a few short months, there is cause for optimism that change is in the air here in Washington. DCMud has prepared a rundown of the largest projects now underway, properties in need of developers, and solicitations to look for in the future.

The projects listed below are still being refined. The numbers and square footage assigned to each are conceptual and are subject to change.

Projects With Developers

Southwest Waterfront by Hoffman Streuver will offer 539 market-rate units and 231 affordable units. The $1.5 billion project will also include 350 hotel rooms, 700,000 s.f. of office space and 280,000 s.f. of retail space. On July 15th, the DC Council approved a $198 million TIF/PILOT package to finance park and infrastructure improvements. Groundbreaking is not expected any time soon, with construction lasting at least 6 years.

Waterfront, the erroneously named project at 401 M Street, SW, will deliver 800 market-rate and 200 affordable residential units as well as 1.3 million s.f. of office space and 110,00 s.f. of retail space. Mayor Fenty joined SW Waterfront Associates (Forest City Wasington, Charles E. Smith Vornado) in November to demolish the former Waterside Mall. The $800 million project will sit atop the Waterfront -SEU Metro station.

Clark Realty was selected in February as Master Developer for Poplar Point on the east side of the Anacostia. The number of residential and hotel units they will deliver has not yet been determined, however 30% of all residential units will be affordable. The District and the National Park Services held a public scoping meeting last month for the Environmental Impact Statement of the $2.5 billion project.

Center Leg Freeway on Massachusetts Ave, NW between 2nd and 3rd Streets is being developed by Louis Dreyfus Properties into 100 market- rate and 50 affordable residential units. The $1.1. billion project will cap the exposed section of I-395, and include 2,100,000 s.f. office space and 67,000 s.f. retail space.

The McMillan Sand Filtration Site on North Capital Street and Michigan Avenue will be developed into 820 market-rate units, 351 affordable units, and a 100-room hotel by EYA. The $1 billion project will also deliver 700,000 s.f. of office space and $110,000 s.f. of retail space. The project has long been worked over, but don't make plans for moving in any time soon.

In May the District reached a deal with Hines Archstone to develop a 400-room "high-end" hotel and 100,000 s.f. of additional retail space on "Parcel B", a 53,000 s.f. plot of land that is part of the larger CityCenter DC, the development taking up residence on the old convention center site. The entire $850 million project downtown will deliver 539 market-rate units, 135 affordable units, 476,000 s.f. of office space, and 266,000 s.f. of retail space.

On June 26th, Marriot International, Cooper Carry Architects and EHT Traceries presented plans for the Convention Center Headquarters Hotel to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Located on the Corner of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, the $550 million project will deliver 1125 hotel rooms and 25,00 s.f. of retail space. Having been scaled back from its original 1400 bed facility, the project is well past its early schedule, of construction in 2007.

O Street Market at 7th Street and Georgia Avenue will be transformed into a mixed-use development that will include 550 market-rate and 80 affordable residential units by Roadside Development. The $329 million development will replace a current Giant supermarket with a new 71,000 s.f. store and include a 200 unit hotel and 87,000 s.f. of retail space. The District reached an agreement with the developer late last month to kickstart financing. Of the dozens of projects promising to revitalize the Shaw neighborhood, this may be the first large project to actually get underway.

Skyland Shopping Center on Good Hope Road at Naylor and Alabama Avenue, SE will be developed by Rappaport Companies and William C. Smith Companies into a $261 million development with 155 market-rate units and 66 affordable units as well as 230,000 s.f. of retail space. When? Even an estimate will be fine.

City Vista, which began sales in late 2005, will bring 441 condos with 138 affordable residential units to, as well as a separate apartment building, to 5th and K Streets, NW. The project will also include 130,000 s.f. of retail space and will cost $191 million. The first condominium building completed last October, the remaining condominium and the apartment building are nearly ready for occupancy.

Early this year, Fenty signed a Land Disposition Agreement with Broadcast Center One Partners LLC, (Ellis Development and Four Points, LLC) that will bring African-American-owned Radio One to the district. The $144 million Broadcast Center One at 7th and S Streets, NW will be a mixed-use project with 135 market-rate and 45 affordable residential units as well as 96,000 s.f. of office space and 22,000 s.f. of retail space. According to Fenty's office, "the deal also sets in motion the $22 million redevelopment of the Howard Theater, a long-shuttered landmark that was the hub of black Broadway." If it gets built; the timeline remains uncertain.

Mt. Carmel (Parcel 51B) on 3rd Street, NW between K and H Streets is being developed by MQW LLC (Quadrangle and the Wilkes Companies) into $130 million mixed-use project with 267 market-rate units, 67 affordable units and 90,000 s.f. office space.

Forest City Washington is responsible for the $120 million O Street SE Redevelopment by the SE Federal Center. It will deliver 354 market-rate units, 89 affordable units and 47,000 s.f. of retail space.

The Village at Dakota Crossing in Fort Lincoln by Ft. Lincoln New Town Corporation will include 327 market-rate and 30 affordable units. It will cost $110 million.

Mid City Urban and A&R Development will bring 216 market-rate and 54 affordable residential units as well as 70,000 s.f. of retail space to the area around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station with their $105 million Rhode Island Station project. First attempted as a condo project, developers have bowed to the market and substituted apartment buildings - at least in theory, as the project has yet to break ground.

The $100 million Shops at Dakota Crossing on New York and South Dakota Avenue, NE will be developed by Ft. Lincoln New Town Corporation into 29,000 s.f. of office space and 461,000 s.f. of retail space.

Lowe Enterprises and Jack Sophie Development have long had intentions to develop Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue, NE (Triangle Parcel) into 208 market-rate units, 52 affordable units and 23,223 s.f. of retail to the tune of $75 million. The fate of the project is uncertain, as higher construction costs, shrinking condo prices, and more conservative lending practices - especially in low-income neighborhoods, make such projects harder to justify.

Park Place on Georgia Avenue in Petworth will be developed by Donatelli Development into 161 market-rate units, 32 affordable units and 16,000 s.f of retail space and will cost $60 million. Purchased by Donatelli, along with partners Gragg & Associates, Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, will be one of the few developers delivering new condos in 2009.

In February, the District made a Term Sheet with Parcel 42 Partners to develop 95 affordable housing units and 8,000 s.f. of retail space on Parcel 42, in Shaw at 7th and Rhode Island Avenue, NW for $28 million.

In December 2007, the District selected William C. Smtih Companies and the Jair Lynch Companies to develop the $700 million Northwest One New Community that will deliver 1,600 units of housing on former NCRC parcels as well as adjacent DC-controlled and private properties in Ward 6. Located between North Capitol Street, New York Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, and K Street, the site is in an area that has "long been plagued by high crime and poverty", but is surrounded by the up-and-coming NoMa and Mt.Vernon Triangle neighborhoods. The development team, which also includes Banneker Ventures and CPDC (affordable housing provider), will create apartments, townhouses, and condos for all income levels as well as over 40,000 s.f. of retail and 220,000 s.f. of office space. The development will also offer a 21,000 s.f. clinic.

And further down the road...

The District issued a solicitation in early June for Parcel 69 at 4th, 6th, and E Streets, SW. The $130 million development will be an office and hotel project along the Southwest freeway. Proposals are due by September 15th.

In May, Fenty issued an RFEI for the Hill East Waterfront on Capitol Hill East. The District seeks a developer to create 2,100 market-rate and 900 affordable units with 2,000,000 s.f office space and 67,000 s.f. of retail space. The District anticipates a price tag of $1.1 billion for the development of the 50 acres surrounding the former DC General Hospital. Proposals are due by October 31st.

Proposals were due June 3rd for Minnesota and Benning Road, NE Phase II. The $107 million development will include 60 market rate, 392 affordable units and 40,000 s.f. of retail. No developer has been selected.

It is high time the District announced developer for Fifth and I Street, NW. After proposals were submitted in March, the District widdled the teams down to the final four including BG, Buccini/Pollin, Potomac Investment Properties, and a group comprised of Holland Development, Donohoe Development, Spectrum Management, and Harris Development. The winning team, whenever they are announced, will create somewhere around 170 market-rate units, 30 affordable units, 100 hotel rooms and 50,000 s.f. of retail space.

Upcoming Solicitations

The District would like to see 1,469 market-rate and 440 affordable units in Lincoln Heights in Ward 7 at an estimated cost of $576 million.

Barry Farm/Park Chester/Wade Road in Ward 8 will likely include 110 market and 330 affordable housing units and will cost around $550 million. The project is an effort to revitalize low-income properties in the historic Anacostia area.

The issuance of the Park Morton solicitation at Park Road and Georgia Avenue, NW is "imminent" according to the Mayor's office and will cost $136 million with 499 market-rate and 150 affordable units. Axis