GW Approves New Foggy Bottom Residence Hall

Moving forward with plans to add density and retail to its growing mixed-use kingdom in Foggy Bottom, George Washington (GW) University today announced plans to build a new, $130 million residence hall. The dorm will be built around and between the existing West End, Schenley and Crawford residence halls that front H and Eye Streets between 21st and 22nd Streets.  The real estate construction will include ground-floor retail on Eye Street.  GW has retained Ayers Saint Gross as architect for the project.

2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan Development Sites.  Image: GWU

The residence hall adds to the university's growing list of high-dollar, ambitious real estate projects, all part of a university plan to add density and retail to the parts of Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods the university controls, via the 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan.  The Campus Plan includes 16 projects.

In summer 2011, the university started construction on a $265 million dollar, 400,000 s.f. Science and Engineering Building.  Also last year, the university announced plans to demolish townhouses on Pennsylvania Avenue and part of a large building at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, now occupied by Kaiser Permanente, to make room for a new office building.  The university will argue before the DC Zoning Commission in November that it should be granted an exception to a 90-foot height limit on part of the site and be able to build the office tower to its planned 130-foot height.

According to a GW press release, the planned residence hall will house mainly second and third-year students and have accommodations for short-term staff and faculty. Units will be two-bedroom apartments, studio apartments, or units in a concept called "affinity housing."  The affinity housing concept, according to the university press release, will "provide space for groups of students to create their own living communities." Michelle Sherrard, GW's director of media relations, further detailed the concept in an email to DCMud. "Students in clubs, organizations or athletics teams can create their own living community around their interests," she explained.  She said the housing units would feature large common kitchen and living areas and beds for 16 to 20 students.

With 270,000 s.f. of above-grade space, plans also call for 64,000 s.f. of underground space for student activities.  The University will preserve the West End, Schenley and Crawford halls, which were constructed in the mid 1920's. GW acquired the buildings between 1960 and 1997.  According to officials, construction on the new residence hall will begin in mid 2013.  It could be completed in time for fall semester, 2016.

Washington DC retail and commercial property analysis

Gensler Out, BBG-BBGM in as Watergate Architects

Interior restoration work on the famed Watergate Hotel has been quietly moving forward for weeks now and DCMud has confirmed that hotel owner Euro Capital Properties has engaged BBG-BBGM as the new architectural firm on the project.

BBG-BBGM replaces Gensler as the architectural firm working on the hotel at 2650 Virginia Avenue, NW in DC's Foggy Bottom neighborhood.  Architectural firm Gensler, which completed conceptual designs for the project, has not had any involvement since October, according to a source.

Thomas Luebke, FAIA, secretary with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) said the Commission gave preliminary approval under a courtesy conceptual review of the designs for the restoration last July 2011.  The CFA asked Euro Capital Properties to make a few minor changes.  But Luebke said the CFA has not seen plans since.  "If there is a final proposal, we would love to see it," Luebke said.  Designs submitted to the CFA last year showed very minimal changes to the exterior of Italian architect Luigi Moretti's iconic 1960 structure.

The Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 designates that exterior changes to properties within a geographic overlay area - the Watergate complex falls within that area - are subject to final approval from the Commission in order to promote design sensitivity.  Under Federal Law, the project must have CFA's stamp of approval on plans for exterior work before the DC permitting authorities can issue permits for exterior restoration work.

Final plans for the hotel must also be approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) in the Historic Preservation Office of D.C. Office of Planning.  According to city staff, HPO staff last met with BBG-BBGM in January 2012 to discuss details of the initial restoration plans, but has not received any new plans from Euro Capital Properties. 

Plans to renovate the hotel have seen challenges since the property was sold to Monument Realty in 2004.  With the hotel still open, Monument plowed forward with plans to revert the building to its historic use as co-operative residences, but pre-sales slumped in 2006 and legal problems beset the conversion.  Monument stalled and closed the hotel in 2007.  Monument's lender PB Capital Corporation foreclosed on the hotel and put it up for auction in 2009 but there were no bids.   

Euro Capital Properties bought the hotel in 2010 with plans to turn the property into a $300 a night luxury hotel.  Euro Capital principal Jaques Cohen has said his company plans to invest $70 million in the project, according to The Georgetown Current.  Progress on the Watergate Hotel restoration again seemed to hit turbulence last fall when some residents of the Watergate complex's co-op residential units voiced opposition to the developer's restoration plans.  Neither Euro Capital Properties nor BBG-BBGM had responded to DCMud inquiries at the time of publication of this article.

 
















Washington D.C. commercial real estate news

GWU Gets OK to Demolish Washington Circle Building

George Washington University's plans for a new school of public health are moving forward. The District's Historic Preservation Review Board last week approved demolishing 2300 K Street on Washington Circle, better known as the Warwick Memorial Building, to make room for a seven-story structure that will take up the entire lot.

The new 115,000 s.f. building will stand 90 feet high and house the School of Public Health and Health Services, which has about 900 students. The University has long sought to place the school in one building, which is currently spread over seven properties amid the University and along K Street and the Golden Triangle, said GW spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard.

The 38-foot tall Warwick Memorial Building, built out of Indiana limestone in 1954 by Charles Tompkins, houses GW Hospital's oncology department and several other medical and administrative offices and includes a surface parking lot and a small park.

2300 K Street, also known as Square 39, sits astride Washington Circle, which saw the construction of the new George Washington University Hospital building in 2002 and Square 54, which became 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2011.

The new design, from Boston-based Payette, which designed Georgetown University's new

Science Center, and Ayers Saint Gross, will not include below-ground parking to minimize curb cuts.

In fact, the current entrance to the surface parking lot on New Hampshire Avenue will be eliminated. It will however include 15 bicycle storage spaces inside the building as well as 66 spaces on the exterior, with shower and changing facilities provided.

A green roof, along with streetscaping enhancements, such as concrete pavers, cobblestones and brick walks will also be included. Widening the sidewalks along Washington Circle, as well as a planting strip to discourage jaywalking, is also part of the design as well.

Sherrard said that staff and students will move out in spring and demolition will begin soon after. GW plans to have the new school completed no later than 2013 at a cost of $75 million, she said.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

GW to Demolish Last of Pennsylvania Avenue Rowhouses

George Washington University plans to demolish a group of historic townhouses along Pennsylvania Avenue, dating back to 1910, to make way for a large office building designed by Gensler.  The townhouses are nearly the last remaining historic real estate fronting Pennsylvania, excepting the Mexican Embassy. The six properties to be demolished from 2134 - 2142 Pennsylvania Ave., include tenants the Froggy Bottom Pub, Panda Cafe, Mehran, and Thai Place. 

The area lies just outside the Foggy Bottom Historic District, and the buildings are not "landmarked" as historic, so no historic review is required. A GW spokesman said "The 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan included a historic preservation plan... During that process, the properties were examined and were determined not be historically significant." Convenient.  GW's idea is to create a sizable development akin to the recently completed Square 54 - located just west, at 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue - a $250-million, 2.6-acre development of GW-owned land developed by Boston Properties. 

For this project, GW would create a similar stream of revenue by again partnering with a third-party real estate developer responsible for developing, leasing and managing the building, creating income for GW through office and/or retail leases. GW media relations affirmed, "The future space will be commercial property with the potential for retail at street level along Pennsylvania Avenue. While similar in type of redevelopment, it will be on a much smaller scale than The Avenue/[Square 54]." The large building at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, now occupied by Kaiser Permanente, would be partially demolished, with the east portion left intact, and the west portion expunged. Kaiser intends to vacate the building in October of 2012. 

The glassy design by Gensler will be 11 stories and 130' tall, with an additional 3 floors below grade for 178 parking spaces, resulting in a total of 255,550 s.f., and will target LEED Gold upon completion. The University anticipates filing an application with the Zoning Commission early next year in order to modify what was approved for the site in the overarching Planned Unit Development "2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan" and increase by 40' in height and 45,000 s.f. the remaining building at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue. An initial presentation of the project was given to ANC 2A this past Wednesday, and a second trip to the ANC should take place early next year. A Zoning hearing could come in the summer of 2012. The university aims to begin construction in early 2014.

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

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

GW Construction Begins: High-Minded Inside, Visible From the Outside

George Washington University (GW) is beginning work on its new Science and Engineering Complex in Foggy Bottom, with approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission secured this week. Though the site has been bustling with pre-construction activities for the last month, construction on the site can now officially move forward along with demolition of the parking garage at the corner of H and 22nd St., NW.

The parking garage was shut for good on May 20th, having waited until spring finals were completed on May 15th, when coeds cleared out for the summer. Demolition of the two garages, along with Building K, will take place throughout the summer – from July to September – followed by excavation, sheeting, shoring and foundation work to be staged in phases for the next year and a half. Two years of above-grade construction on the 400,000-square-foot, 8-story structure will busy the site throughout 2013 and 2014, before building occupancy can take place, if all goes well, in January of 2015.

By that time the $275m building, in keeping with GW's goal of densifying the campus, will feature 6 underground floors (2 for program space and 4 for parking, offering 370 spaces) and 50 percent more engineering and science space, as well as significant retail space, in keeping with GW's vision to make the area more retail friendly.

The green aspects, designing by Philly-based Ballinger Architects, have already been touted: the LEED silver project will become “the largest source of on-site solar power in the District of Columbia.” The interior lay-out proposes to encourage collaboration by intermingling schools of thought – mixing five Science and Engineering departments with four from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences— currently spread across more than a dozen buildings on campus, and also varying levels of academic achievement: freshmen, PhDs, post-docs and faculty will rub elbows.

Metro riders are less apt to get excited about the idea of rubbing elbows in transport, while getting in and out of the one-entrance Metro station on the same block. Worries have been expressed in the past regarding the net loss of 880 parking spots, compounded by the newly completed Square 54 project – a.k.a The Avenue – on Washington Circle. The Avenue includes over 1,000 parking spots, but adds 335 rental units, 440,000 s.f. of office space, and over 80,000 s.f. of retail space, including a supermarket, one block away.

A call for a second Foggy Bottom Metro access went out by a few area residents in October of last year, and the 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan requires that GW leave the area on the corner of 22nd and I St vacant, potentially for a future entrance.

Don’t look for an entrance there soon; WMATA published a study – “Foggy Bottom-GWU Station Second Entrance Demand Analysis” – in 2007 which concluded that the current one-entrance configuration of the Metro at Foggy Bottom was sufficient to handle the projected 15-percent increase in ridership through 2030. Steven Taubenkibel, WMATA Public Information Officer, used this study as supporting evidence when he confirmed that there were no plans currently in the works to add a second entrance.

Additional parking options on campus currently include space at South Hall now, and in mid-2012 an underground parking facility on the 2000 block of G Street. In the meantime, GW has raised the idea of “temporary offsite parking for GW staff at a discounted rate at the Kennedy Center, with shuttle service offered to and from [campus].”

The $275 million project – the biggest ever on GW’s campus – has been in the works since 2006 and was unanimously approved by the GW Board of Trustees in October of 2010. A significant amount of funds for the project are expected to come back in the form of revenue from Square 54/The Avenue lease payments from Boston Properties; the bulk of tenants will occupy their space this summer.

The design will feature a high bay area dedicated to high-impact, large-scale experimentation that will be cloaked to outsiders only by glass; the wonders of science and engineering will be on display to 23rd Street passersby. The high bay area will have direct access to a loading dock and a crane will be on hand to heft up to 20 tons around the facility. In addition to the high bay space, four additional research facilities will be incorporated into the SEC.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Carr Properties to Build Glass Box onto Corcoran Art Gallery

The historic Corcoran Gallery of Art is set for a significant addition in the near future, as Carr Properties and architects at SmithGroup have submitted a design concept to the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) for feedback. A recommendation will be returned by the HPRB at its next meeting on November 18th. Their recently submitted application reveals that developers are attempting to move forward with a nine-story office addition to the previously expanded northwest corner of the art gallery that was originally designed by Charles Adams Platt in the 1920s.

Although some Corcoran staff may occupy offices in the new building, it will act and operate separately, generating lease revenues that will assist the Gallery in its effort to grow the collection and the College of Art's endowment. While operating separately, the structure is technically intended to be an addition, as original plans have always called for an expansion of the Gallery in this direction; the addition will be connected to the original 1890s building through a stairwell and partly cantilevered over the Clark Wing.

In August, the Corcoran Gallery granted Carr Properties a long term ground lease of the site on which developers will apparently build, own, and operate the new offices. Unless an extension is requested by Carr, if all the required public approvals are not secured prior to December 15th of next year, the lease will automatically terminate. The property's street address is 1700 New York Avenue, NW, fronting New York Avenue to the south and E Street to the north. Rising several stories above the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the top floors of the addition will offer panoramic views of the White House, the National Mall, the Capitol, and the various surrounding monuments. In addition to office space and a basement for storage, the expansion will also increase parking availability at the gallery, with three levels of garage set to sit below the new building.

The recently submitted designs by SmithGroup go in a much different direction from previously submitted plans. Hartman-Cox had received approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and the Historic Preservation Review Board as far back as 1988, but never followed through on their plans for a 120,000 s.f. addition. Again in 2008, Hartman-Cox resubmitted similar renderings on behalf of the Corcoran Gallery, but HPRB called the firm's aesthetic of choice "clearly historicist, [and] perhaps more in vogue in the 1980s than at present," advising the architects to reconfigure the building's design so to more "clearly reflect its own identity and purpose." Smith heeded this advice with hopes that their starkly modern and minimalist stylistics will be better received by HPRB; but developers know that regardless of the outcome, a long road of applications and meetings and approval decisions lies ahead.

Washington D.C. 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

GW Looks to Bury Law School Buildings

In 2006, Sherry Rutherford, former managing director of real estate planning and development at GWU, was quoted as saying the University's "mantra [for development] is up not out." She was referring to the strategy for increasing density on the Foggy Bottom campus in anticipation of their growing student population, without expanding beyond their current borders and encroaching on their residential neighbors, but to kick off their campus redevelopment action, GW has proposed a construction project that opts to build down and out. In 2006 the Zoning Commission approved the University's Campus Plan and First Stage zoning (PUD) for its Foggy Bottom campus. The plan laid out provisions and guidelines - how future development on the campus would play out, and also highlighted 16 specific locations fit for new construction, renovations, and improvements. The first stage plan also specified that all campus development projects henceforth would come back for a second stage PUD. Yesterday, the University applied for their first second stage PUD under the Campus Plan, and Zoning agreed to set down the hearing as a "contested case."

George Washington University intends to develop a plot of land (the northern half of Square 103) that has only recently become entirely controlled by the University (Lot 18 being the previously missing piece) through a land swap with Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. One Zoning Commission member found this selection of property, a plot of land not originally highlighted by the Campus Plan, to be "ironic." Further, the proposed development will go down, not up, by burrowing "23,281 s.f. of academic and administrative program space for the Law School" beneath the ground, along with a 392-space below-grade, four-level garage. Also going down will be several existing buildings on site, either during this initial or subsequent phases of development. While a portion of the Law School staff and administration will be relegated to a window-less, below-ground work space, the proposed development will provide the rest of the school body with "an attractive and sustainable improvement to the campus and surrounding streetscape...[that] incorporates sustainable design features intended to minimize stormwater runoff and encourage its reuse." The "attractive" surface improvements more specifically include 58 surface parking spaces, 64 covered bicycle parking spaces, and a covered entrance pavilion. The project was co-designed by architects at Perkins & Will and Shalom Baranes Associates. Wiles Mensch Corporation has undertaken civil engineering duties, and Oculus shouldered landscape-design responsibilities.

University developers intend to begin excavation of the property later this Fall, or as soon as the Zoning process allows, and expect that the construction period will last roughly 18-20 months. Phase II of this project calls for development in the skyward direction, but offering only that the project will consist of an in-fill, above ground building "which will be the subject of a future second-stage PUD application and Campus Plan application." As one can imagine, the Zoning Board expressed concern over the proposed above grade parking lot, and also voiced their wish to be better-informed about the specifics of the future above-ground developments. This and more will be discussed at the next Zoning hearing, scheduled for next month.

Clarification: In light of the accusations in the comment thread below, DCMud once again reached out to GW's Real Estate Development team in hopes of clarifying in discrepancies, this time with success. Suzy Cora of the University's development department confirmed that the factual validity of the published article is sound, and that no corrections needed to be issued. She did point out that although the words "contested case" were uttered during the set-down hearing, Board members quickly realized they could not officially classify the application as a "contested case," because no formal party has come forward in opposition yet. She also explained that the underground square footage being used for academic programming will not house staff and or administrators that sit in an office or behind desk all day, but instead for storing cataloged law journals that will be accessed by various staff and students for research purposes, only for a few hours at a time.

Washington D.C. Retail and commercial real estate news

Whole Foods in Foggy Bottom

Various real estate blogs are reporting that Whole Foods has signed a lease agreement with Boston Properties to occupy 37,000 s.f. in their Foggy Bottom development. The site on Washington Circle, known as Square 54, has long been rumored as a prospective house for the upscale grocer, but Boston Properties had declined to comment on the possible tenant, maintaining a Whole Foods policy of not commenting on leases and plans.

The grocery store will be the closest full-service supermarket to many Georgetowners, providing stiff competition for the newly opened Safeway just north of Georgetown. The former hospital site will provide 335 apartment units and 440,000 s.f. of office space, on a 60-year lease from George Washington University to Boston Properties. The residences are expected to open in early 2011, with Whole Foods thought to open in mid 2011.

Washington DC real estate development new

GW Site Wrapping Up

Thanks to a recent topping out, Square 54 now dominates the corner of Washington Circle nearest the Foggy Bottom Metro. A little more than two years after breaking ground, Boston Properties and general contractor Clark Construction are well underway building and filling the new mixed-use campus. Gossip about tenants includes a Whole Foods filling a large portion of the retail, though the only officially announced leases belong to law firm Hunton & Williams, NIH Federal Credit Union and lunch time favorite Devon & Blakely.

Square 54 will bring 335 rental units, 440,000 s.f. of office space, an open central courtyard and retail plaza on I Street, over 80,000 s.f. of retail space (including the mystery supermarket), and over 1,000 underground parking spaces. The project is a partnership between Boston Properties and George Washington University, which owns the 2.6-acre site. The site was formerly part of GW Hospital; Boston has a 60-year ground lease on the land.

The residential portion will include 292 market-rate rental units and 43 units set aside for affordable and work-force housing. According to the developers, the residential portion of the project will deliver in May 2011 and begin leasing in January or February of that year. Residents will have access to approximately 250 parking spaces and at least three car-sharing spaces will be available for resident use.

The commercial/retail building will deliver in March 2011, according to Richard Ellis, a Project Manager for Boston Properties."All of the retail space is currently accounted for," according to Ellis. Ellis's calculations generously include the 15,000 s.f. under lease negotiations with a potential grocer, though he declined to comment on the Whole Foods rumors. Hunton & Williams signed on for 190,000 s.f. of office space in the commercial building and according to Jake Stroman, a Senior Project Manager at Boston Properties, the total leased office space and space under lease negotiation is 315,000 s.f., leaving 125,000 s.f. of office space up for grabs.

The project was designed by Connecticut-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, LLP and Sasaki and Associates, the architect of record was Hickok Cole; Boston recently hired design team Carlyn and Company Interior Design to work on the residential interiors.

Washington, DC real estate development news

West End Marriott Coming Soon, Maybe...

In the heart of the George Washington/West End neighborhood, a Marriott Courtyard Hotel could soon replace a parking garage, sandwiching a new nine-story building between offices and residences on an already crowded block. Designed by WDG Architecture and developed by Allstate Hotel Partnership, the project received original approval in 2006, but has since faced a lawsuit from an unhappy ANC chair and, of course, an extended finance drought. Recent efforts to obtain a general contractor, however, suggest the project team is gearing up to begin construction in the near future. But then again, maybe not. The 125,000 s.f. hotel will bring upwards of 150 suites to the GW neighborhood. Project Architect/ Manager at WDG, Nelson Lobo, said the hotel is "a very urban project, unlike other Courtyards...it's not a little three-story building in the middle of nowhere." The building has a "contemporary design," added Lobo, and "fits in with the GW area." That's not what many a Foggy Bottom neighbor thought during the zoning process. The ANC and other Foggy Bottom civic organizations opposed the development, expressing concerns about the increased traffic and the likelihood of blocked streets during construction. 

After the project received zoning approval in 2006, Dorothy Miller, an ANC Chair and active member of the Foggy Bottom civic community, filed a suit in the D.C. Court of Appeals against the Board of Zoning Adjustment's (BZA) approval of the hotel plan. The suit halted any planned progress on the hotel despite its completed review. But in May 2008, the Court sided with the BZA. The win for the developers started the two-year clock given to developers during which they must take clear steps to execute the planned development, by starting demolition and construction. Coming up on that two-year mark, the development team either needs to get digging or head back for a zoning extension. The group is currently deciding on a general contractor, but architect Lobo said right now the timeline depends on the financing. "It might happen in the next four months, it might happen in the next three years," Lobo said with little certainty. Our money is on the developers seeking an extension to their approved plans. For now, neighbors can continue to enjoy the lovely 420-car parking garage with the knowledge that the Marriott's future is uncertain.

Washington, DC real estate and development news

Architects’ Institute LEEDs the Way Downtown

Finally leading by example, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has gotten the go-ahead from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to pursue an extensive renovation of their headquarters at 1735 New York Avenue, NW that would see the 36-year-old office building become a LEED-platinum certified facility - making it the first such eco-friendly "do-over" in the history of the District. In the words of NCPC, it would allow the AIA's national headquarters to serve as a "national model of sustainable design and construction."

Located just a few blocks west of the White House, directly behind the historic Octagon House, the AIA’s aging HQ would make the jump from standard downtown office complex to the apex of green design by "installing three building ventilation shafts, using recycled building materials, installing cisterns [for the collection of rainwater], creating a green roof, installing operational windows, and by installing both solar thermal equipment and photovoltaic array on the roof." With those modifications in place, it’s the AIA’s belief that their rehabbed facility will be 100% carbon neutral by 2030.

One facet of the proposed renovation, however, has earned the architects a surprising thumbs down from the local West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the ANC 2A. As part of their PUD application, the AIA had been hoping to relocate their in-house book and gift shop to a new street-accessible location, adjoining their building’s front plaza. The ANC sees this as a misappropriation of the PUD process because, according to ANC 2A Chair Armando Irizarry, the “proposed public benefits and community amenities package is inconsistent with the DC law since it fails to include any amenities for the immediately impacted Foggy Bottom-West End community.”

Nonetheless, the NCPC recommended that the AIA pursue a variance from the District’s Board of Zoning Adjustment to see that their plans for a newly relocated storefront can proceed unimpeded. A hearing on the matter has yet to scheduled, but if and when the AIA is successful, their newly re-modeled headquarters will join just a handful of LEED-plantinum certified developments in Washington DC. At present, there are only three: PNC Financial Services Group Inc. / Vornado/Charles E. Smith’s Gensler-designed office building at 800 17^th Street NW, Sidwell Friends' Middle School addition in Cleveland Park and the US Green Building Council’s (who themselves administrate the LEED program) 22,000-square foot office suite in Dupont Circle.

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.

Square 54 Breaks Ground

With blue shovels in hand, George Washington University officials broke ground this morning on the greatly anticipated and hotly debated Square 54 project on Washington Circle. At its delivery in 2011, the $250 million mixed-use project in Foggy Bottom will include 333 residential units, 13% of which will be work-force housing, 440,000 s.f. of office space overlooking Washington Circle, an open central courtyard and retail plaza on I Street, over 80,000 s.f. of retail space (including the supermarket that has students salivating), and over 1,000 underground parking spaces. “Is it possible that this is the best mixed-use project in the city? I say yes,” Chairman of GW’s Board of Trustees, Russell Ramsey said. “This is about the vision for GW in ten years, in twenty years,” he said. 

A partnership between GWU and Boston Properties, the 2.6-acre former GW Hospital site is, as Mayor Adrian Fenty noted in yet another groundbreaking appearance this morning, the last major development site on Pennsylvania Avenue. The developers have entered into a 60-year ground lease for the redevelopment effort; Square 54 is part of a three-part development initiative that includes the campus 20-year “grow up, not out” plan and the redevelopment of The School Without Walls. Jack Evans, Council- member of Ward 2, said the project, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, LLP and Sasaki and Associates, would bring in $12 million a year in tax revenues for the city and benefit not only the university, but also the Foggy Bottom community. While there is a history of tension between residence-hungry GW and its development-resisting neighbors, at this morning’s rainy groundbreaking, GW officials spun it optimistically, saying that the development was a positive for everyone in Foggy Bottom and welcomed neighbors in attendance. Robert Chernak, a GW official, told DCMud this morning “Beyond the project itself, the impact it has really had is on the relationship with people in the community. There was some negativity. This is finally bringing the parties together to have rational dialogue and bring together all involved. It’s about people effected in the long term.” 

 Said GWU President, Steven Knapp“Square 54 is a shining example of what GW and the city can accomplish when we work together. It represents the importance of sustainable practices and has been recognized by the Smart Growth Alliance. It will enliven the streetscape. It was thoughtfully conceived to contribute to the open space of the city.” As DCmud reported last year, GW was asked to revise the height and density of the proposed building, and the National Capital Planning Commission recommended that the Commission approve the revised proposal in April 2007. And no, a grocer has not yet been selected for the retail space.

Washington DC retail development news

Zoning Appeal for 2175 K Street Addition Postponed

The DC Board of Zoning Adjudication (BZA), scheduled to hear an appeal last week by developer Minshall Stewart Properties regarding its 2175 K Street NW project in the West End (just east of Washington Circle), instead postponed the hearing until September. Minshall Stewart had submitted a zoning application to add three stories to the office half of the existing office/condo complex at this address, but the city zoning administrator ruled that such a move would necessitate a variance from the BZA. Depending on the September appeal, Minshall Stewart will either be able to build the addition without issue, or have to go before the BZA again in November for the variance. Opposition to the addition has been voiced by both the condo side of the complex and nearby row homes to the west, which fear they will lose their views and sun to the new office floors.

West End Condos Inch Forward

TRS Inc. received approval this week from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) , one of several approvals needed to develop its mixed-use project as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 1227-1231 25th Street NW in DC's pricey West End. The lot, just north of M Street across from Rock Creek Park, is currently occupied by three office buildings that will undergo a renovation and conversion over the next year, modifying one of the office buildings (at 1227) and turning the other two structures into condominiums and adding four stories to each, permitting up to 295 residential units, including up to 8,000 s.f. as "affordable" housing. The site currently houses the Bureau of National Affairs Office, which will relocate to Crystal City.

The NCPC approval was needed because the project will rise to 110 feet, potentially obstructing adjacent federal land. The DC Zoning Commission heard arguments regarding the project in March but has not yet ruled on the matter.

Foggy Bottom’s Square 54 Project Receives Final Approval

Last week, the DC Zoning Commission unanimously approved the revised Planned Unit Development (PUD) application submitted by George Washington University and developers Boston Properties and Kettler to redevelop the 2.6-acre, former GW Hospital site bounded by 22nd and 23rd Streets, and Pennsylvania Avenue and I Street NW (the southeast corner of Washington Circle), into Square 54, a mixed-use "town center" with office, residential, and retail space. The Commission had asked GWU in March to revise the height and density of the proposed buildings, so the school took 18,000 sf off the office portion and 15,000 sf from the residential. In April, the National Capital Planning Commission recommended that the Commission approve the new proposal. The $250 million Square 54 project will feature approximately 336 "luxury" residential units (non-university housing), with over 80,000 sf of retail space (including a 27,000-sf supermarket and outdoor café space) and 440,000 sf of office space overlooking Washington Circle. There will also be over 1,000 underground parking spaces. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, LLP and Sasaki & Associates, the project will also include an open space courtyard with pedestrian walkway, and landscaped plaza for outside dining that will have gates at I and 23rd Streets. Completion is expected in 2011.

Previously: GWU Squaring Away Old Hospital Site

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news