Valor Development Moving on New Residential near H Street Corridor

Developers are set to break ground this month on an $11 million dollar residential project that will bring 84 new condominiums to DC's H Street Corridor.  The five story building will  replace vacant church buildings at 1350 Maryland Avenue NE, at the intersection with 14th Street and south of H Street.

1340 Maryland Ave. - Rendering: Valor Development

Will Lansing of Valor Development, project developer, told DCMud plans call for one and two-bedroom units and a roof deck.  Former plans called for a mix of retail and residential, but the latest of the iteration of the project is residential only.  Eichberg Construction is the general contractor on the project and the architectural firm is PGN Architects.  Launched under the moniker The Maia, the name of the project has also changed, Lansing said.  The building's new name is The Maryland.

"I think it will be a nice [building] for that neighborhood," Lansing told DCMud.  "For the most part, that neighborhood is all row houses, a scattered bunch of small condo buildings, but otherwise mostly apartments, so we’ll be pretty much the only condo inventory coming online in that neighborhood for a while."

DC's District Department of Transportation (DDOT) says it expects to start streetcar service with 10 stops along a two mile stretch of H Street by 2014.  The city also says this first of several lines in the proposed future $1.5 billion DC Streetcar project, when it goes online, will raise property values all along the H Street corridor.  Now, two retail clusters anchor the east and west ends of the corridor, and The Maryland is on new developments are sprouting up beyond the street too.

*Amanda Abrams contributed reporting for this story.

14th Street Post Office Development Ready to Begin

A few months ago, there were stirrings that a lively bistro concept featuring modern Southern fare from New York-based Chow Down Inc. was en route to an infill site at 1407-1409 T Street, NW, just off 14th Street. Though that plan has died, construction is expected to be underway in the next few weeks, with the owner now developing the space into two 2-story buildings designed by Steve Karr of Rockville.

John Dempsey of Chow Down Inc. had been interested in buying the 4,000-s.f. property, consisting of a historic post office and an empty lot (postal truck driveway), from owner/developer Ron Eichner of New Legacy Partners. But after a storm of sorts in response to a liquor license application, Dempsey withdrew his offer.

Eichner believes potentially incoming entrepreneurs have no cause for concern regarding liquor licensing or neighborhood backlash. A bakery interested in the site wouldn't serve spirits, and the second interested tenant, a well-known local restaurateur, would most likely serve beer and wine, but with "reasonable" hours, said Eichner, clarifying that the establishment is "not a bar type."

The new plan is actually the old plan. Despite having listed the property for sale – resulting in more than one interested buyer wading deep into purchase territory over the last few years – Eichner had originally intended to develop and lease the property. Eichner's agent, Karen Nelson of Blake Dickson Real Estate Services, explained that selling was considered only after numerous inquiries from eager buyers. "Every single call I got was 'would you sell'?" said Nelson.

The property is still listed, for $2.2 million, which is twice what Eichner paid in June of 2008, however, Nelson reiterated that "the idea was never to sell."

With a building permit issued and financing secure, Eichner said he expects 9 months of construction to begin, by Eichberg Construction, "in the next few weeks." The project includes the adaptive reuse of the long defunct post office, a compact limestone structure built in 1940 and run by African-Americans, with the primary local post office located around the corner at 1438 U Street (which happens to also be for sale/lease). There will also be a second-story addition set back 15' on top of the post office.

A new 2-story building will be constructed on the slim empty space, now gated and filled with old furniture. The exterior of the new building will be visually distinct from the limestone post office, with the use of glass, metal and dark gray stone.

Located in the U Street Historic District, plans were approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board back in September of 2008, and as a modest by-right development, Eichner did not have to go through the Office of Zoning for approval.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Lacey Condos Grand Opening

The Lacey, a new condominium in the U Street neighborhood, will have its first public grand opening party this Thursday, from 6:30-9:30pm. The Lacey is a new 26-unit condominium at 2250 11th St. designed by Division1 Architects and developed by a partnership of Imar Hutchins and Division1. The ultra contemporary project took the place of the empty lot next to the fabled Florida Avenue Grill at 1100 Florida Ave., itself a bit of a Washington institution. The catered event is being co-sponsored by Washington Humane Society.

Condos at the Lacey, now about half sold, start at $319,000 for one-bedroom units and the low $600's for two-bedroom units. The building is strikingly non-traditional, with design features like floating common hallways, glass demising walls that project light throughout the building, an ultra-quiet and hyper-efficient pistonless elevator, sliding glass interior walls, and Italian Snaidero cabinets. Four glass box penthouse units crown the project, featuring multiple private roofdecks with views stretching across Washington DC. Construction of the project, which began in May of 2007 and being carried out by Eichberg Construction, is almost entirely complete; deliveries began last month.

Washington DC real estate news

NOVO to Finish Design of Kalorama Condos

NOVO Properties is one step closer to converting two apartment buildings on the 1800 block of Vernon St., NW into condominiums. NOVO has planned to modernize and redevelop these almost century-old structures for some time now but the firm just recently received the go ahead from both the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and the Historic Planning Review Board (HPRB) as of October. According to sources inside the firm, the local ANC has jumped on board as well, despite the project's ill-standing with some members of the community.

The now-vacant buildings used to hold 25 rent-controlled apartment units housing a combined total of 29,000 s.f. of space. NOVO plans to add three new units to the current mix, in addition to adding a four-floor modern bridge structure to connect the pair of stand-alone properties. Although the exterior will remain mostly as-is, the interior is planned for dramatic improvements; Bonstra Haresign has taken the design reigns and the two firms are currently in the midst of deciding the overall architectural scheme.

The property was purchased from Perseus Realty for $4 million in June of this year; though some have questioned the firm's handling of the property disposition. Some disaffected residents claimed Perseus, after offering generous stipends from $1,000 to as high as $15,000 to induce tenants to vacate their homes, used heavy-handed tactics (waterboarding?) to get residents out of the building. Councilmember Jim Graham and Mayor Fenty have investigated, but the case has all but fallen out of the public eye.

That being said, NOVO declined to comment on the record. Spokespeople for the company, however, did mention that the projected ground breaking is anticipated within the next year. NOVO is the developer behind The Takoma condominiums in Takoma Park, MD, and owns a number of medium to large sized apartment buildings throughout the DC Metro area as well as a smattering of properties located in Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA. The project will be built by Eichberg Construction.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Hashing Out New Condos on U Street

Once just a wrong turn off U Street, the neighborhood north of U continues to evolve, with sales of The Lacey set to begin this week as the developer breaks ground on U Street’s latest residential development. Designed by Division1 Architects (the architect behind Lima, one of K Streets trendiest night spots, and the acclaimed 1024 W Street), the Lacey will be impossible to miss, a strikingly ultra-modern, a 26-unit residential building that will incorporate extensive use of glass walls and concrete throughout its four stories, a clean break with the surrounding federal-style townhouses, featuring Hansgrohe fixtures and Snaidero cabinetry. The new condo will replace the parking lot next to the legendary Florida Avenue Grill - serving grits and hash since 1944 and regularly patronized by DC politicos – and is being developed by the Grill’s current owner, Imar Hutchins. 

The Lacey is named in honor of Lacey C. Wilson Sr. and Jr., longtime proprietors of the Grill. "The Lacey celebrates the vision, perseverance and ambition of two men, who symbolize the essence of this community," says developer Imar Hutchins. "It truly sets a new standard of urban living in the U Street neighborhood." Sales of the studio, one- and two-bedroom units start in the mid $300’s. The Lacey will be built by Eichberg Construction, construction began in April, completion is expected in Summer 2008. The new condo will sit only two blocks from the U Street Metro. And thankfully, the Grill will remain.

Washington DC commercial real estate news