Georgia Ave. Housing Overhaul Moving Forward

A city plan to overhaul a DC affordable housing neighborhood on Georgia Avenue, called Park Morton, is moving forward and the city will unveil its first apartment building on Friday.

Workers put finishing touches on The Avenue on Thursday

"The Avenue at Park Morton" is an 83-unit mixed-use apartment building located at 3506 Georgia Avenue NW.  City officials will gather to celebrate its grand opening  Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Completion of the building is a mile-marker for "The Park Morton New Communities Initiative", which has realized only a small part of its potential.  The $170 million initiative was established under then DC mayor Anthony Williams to replace an aging public housing complex on Georgia Avenue.  The initiative is a collaboration between the District's Housing Authority (DCHA), which owns and manages the complex, and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

Image courtesy Wiencek + Associates

The old Park Morton housing has 17 apartment buildings.  In a report on the overhaul initiative and the old Park Morton housing, the city notes "the site consists of suburban-style apartment buildings and incorporates design elements that tend to foster criminal activity."

In 2008, then-Mayor Adrian Fenty sent out a Request For Proposals for developing in the project in 2008, promising that no former residents of the complex would be displaced; the building broke ground in 2010.  The overall plan calls for 317 market-rate housing units, 206 affordable housing units, a 10,000 square foot park, and a new community center with green designs throughout.

The entire Park Morton redevelopment is being carried out by the Park Morton Development Partners (PMDP), a joint venture between Landex Corporation and the Warrenton Group. Wienecek + Associates designed the project.  Hamel Builders is the general contractor.

Image courtesy Wiencek + Associates

The building, which has 81,044 square feet of residential space and 2,388 square feet of ground floor retail, includes a mix of one and two-bedroom apartment units.  Residential space features lounge, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and underground parking.  It also will include ground-floor retail. While overall the plan calls for some market-rate housing, the Avenue is 100 percent affordable under the city's affordable housing laws.

The development was funded by a mix of city agencies and departments, as well as Freddie Mac, Prudential, Hudson Housing, and Capital One.

1-BR Unit Rendering, courtesy Wiencek + Associates

Buchanan Gardens Celebrates Grand (Re)Opening

The newly renovated Buchanan Gardens in Arlington celebrated a grand opening yesterday, after an 18-month, $32 million renovation by low income housing provider Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing.

"Buchanan Gardens was built as a state-of-the-art garden apartment community for the post-war boom in 1949," said Nina Janopaul, APAH President/CEO.  “It housed generations of families in its original condition.  With APAH’s extensive renovation we have modernized this 111-unit, 100% affordable property to 21st century standards and created committed affordable homes for the next sixty years.”

The rejuvenated development now boasts three-bedroom family units, a dozen barrier-free units, a community room, and a new playground.  Designed by Wiencek + Associates and constructed by Hamel Builders, the new Buchanan Gardens follows EarthCraft Virginia guidelines and features energy efficient roofs, windows, insulation, low flow toilets, and Energy Star appliances.  There's also a new stormwater management system and rain gardens, as well as new tree plantings.

Units will be made available to families making 60% or less of AMI, which works out to about $64,000 for a family of four.  The renovations, which broke ground in April 2011, were funded jointly by the Virginia Housing Development Authority, the Arlington Housing Investment Fund, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and grants from the Capital One Foundation and the Freddie Mac Foundation.

APAH, a leading developer of affordable housing along Columbia Pike, acquired Buchanan Gardens in 2009.

Arlington, VA real estate development news

Victory Square senior community opens in Parkside

Victory Square - Photo courtesy of Communi-k

A little neighborhood east of the Anacostia River, in Northeast DC, is set for a slew of groundbreakings and developments, including a ribbon cutting this Thursday for an affordable senior apartment community.  Victory Square, the 98-unit senior community, is just one of the many new developments - built or planned - in DC's Ward 7 neighborhood of Parkside.  The project is part of the Parkside Master Plan, a 15.5-acre area that was acquired by City Interests in 2004.   

City Interests charts a course for growth for the site near the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station. The neighborhood, home to 5,700 residents and described as poor and isolated by the Urban Institute, has seen an influx of planning and educational grants in recent years.  Greater, Greater Washington this year called the Parkside neighborhood a "place to watch".

Parkside Master Plan developers say the Master Plan foresees a "major transit-oriented development, slated to bring homes, services, jobs and educational opportunity to D.C.'s Ward 7."  City Interests gained approval for Stage 1 of the planned unit development (PUD) in 2007, and Stage 2 gained approval in 2011.  The plan calls for 1,500 to 2,000 residential units, up to 50,000 s.f. of retail space, and 500,000 to 750,000 s.f. of office space.

In 2010 the Zoning Commission rejected a bid by developers to delay first stage construction of the project, putting pressure on developers to push forward with the first stage of the project, which includes the Victory Square apartment community, or lose approvals. 

Victory Square Interior with view of Nevel Thomas Elementary School

The Victory Square apartment community for adults aged 55 or older opened in June.  Of the 98 units, 35 are public housing units reserved for the the poorest of the poor.  It is developed through a partnership between Banc of America Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Merril Lynch, and Victory Housing, Inc., the affordable housing arm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. City Interests is the master PUD developer, but sold .65 acres to BACDC, a subsidiary of Merryl Lynch, to build Victory Square.  Victory Square was designed by Grimm and Parker Architects of Calverton, MD, and constructed by Hamel Builders, Inc., of Elkridge, MD.

The contemporary design includes a fitness room, an arts and crafts room, an on-site beauty salon.  It also has a wellness room where seniors will have access to wellness screenings, such as consultations with health professionals.

"It's been a long time in the making," Maurice Perry, senior vice president with BACDC, told DCMud.  Perry oversaw and managed the development of and financing process for Victory Square. "The rents in our property are relatively inexpensive compared to other apartments," Perry said of the units which are not public housing, and not paid for by housing authorities.  Rents range from $775 for a one-bedroom to $960 for a two-bedroom apartment.  Units range in size from 600 to 750 square feet.  Although the apartments have been open for less than two months, Perry said the units are now 62 percent leased.

Perry said the community was completed in affiliation with Victory Housing, Inc., an affiliate of the Archdiocese of DC.  "They do a lot of affordable housing and they will be the long-term owner of the property," Perry told DCMud.

In addition to adding to the housing options for residents of Ward 7, Perry also thought the housing project signaled good things to come for the neighborhood.  "It's a great neighborhood, residents are really involved, they care about the community, and have a lot of potential."

Victory Square Community Room

Another residential development in the Parkside Master Plan area is Mayfair Mansions, a renovation of 569 historic apartments that now serve as public housing,  by the non-profit Community Preservation and Development Corporation. DCMud reported in 2010 that 160-unit condo element - that had once also been planned for the  Mayfair Mansions project - was pigeonholed permanently.

Other residential units with groundbreakings this summer include Metro Homes at Parkside, an 83-townhome developed by Enterprise and the family of Abe Pollin, and Parkside Townhouses, a complex of 100 market-rate townhouses developed by City Interests. Also slated for groundbreaking this summer is "Park 7", a mixed-use development including 376 apartments developed by Donatelli Development.  Other retail in the Parkside Master Plan includes Ray's the Steaks At East River, which opened in fall 2008, and the renovation of a Safeway, completed in 2009.  

The Parkside Master Plan also foresees offices and health facilities.  It already includes the 227,000 square foot headquarters for the DC Department of Employment, with 700 employees, which was completed in 2010.  A groundbreaking is planned this summer for the DC Primary Care Association, a 43,000 s.f. primary care facility owned and operated by Unity Health, according to project developers.

Victory Square was built using tax exempt bond financing in the form of a construction loans from Bank of America, the DC Housing Authority, the District's Department of Housing and Community Development and tax-exempt bond financing from Bank of America. The project also received Federal stimulus dollars by way of the DC Housing Production Trust Fund. The National Equity Fund provided $4.85 million in low-income housing tax credit equity proceeds. Victory Square is located at 600 Barnes St., NE.  The ribbon cutting will be held July 26 at 10:00 a.m.  The community is located between the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station and the Anacostia waterfront, in northeast DC.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Takoma Park Progresses on Twin Developments

SGA Companies and Level 2 Development are finally watching construction progress at their joint residential-and-retail project at 235 Carroll Street NW in Takoma Park, a long dormant site that Bethesda-based SGA Companies, founded by Sassan (Sas) Gharai, purchased in 2004. Three years later, site prep was undertaken, including extensive environmental remediation and the removal of rusted-out oil drums left over from the former gas station and truck rental facility on site. Still, four years went by before construction began, last month.

Of the changes at 235 Carroll Street in the Takoma Park Historic District, Sara Green, Commissioner of ANC 4B 01, has no complaints. It's the site next door, at 231 Carroll St, also being developed by SGA and Level 2, that is giving her some grief.

The developers' plans for the adjacent site (231 Carroll) were approved, with suggested refinements, yesterday, June 30th, by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), and now await final approval by the Historic Preservation Office (HPO).

Although Green submitted in her testimony to HPRB yesterday, "Everyone I have talked to is excited about seeing a vacant and ugly lot on our 'main street' developed, and this design has several very appealing and creative features," her concerns lie with the back of the building at 231, not the appearance from the front.

Along the new "main street," the two buildings will be distinctly different, thanks to community feedback and HPO recommendations, as the HPRB Staff Report by Anne Brockett details, "The design for [231] has changed dramatically in its exterior appearance since submission. Initially it was proposed to match the design of 235 Carroll."

In the interest of visual diversity, the newest plan for 231 Carroll St is a 5-story complex with 60 residential units, 35 underground parking spaces, and a retail component, designed with a "warehouse-inspired aesthetic" using predominantly red brick. In contrast, 235 Carroll St is a longer but shorter building, with 4 stories, 84 residential units, 70 underground parking spots, and 6,500 s.f. of ground-floor retail, featuring "yellow brick with panelized bays."

The two residential-and-retail complexes will be connected by a glass "hypen" of sorts that at once connects and separates the two buildings, which Commissioner Green appreciates, as does much of the community, according to her.

Of 231, the staff report explains that "large, street level openings have brick arches and are covered by a corner canopy suspended from metal rods. The upper story windows are 6-over-6 hoppers with steel lintels and sills. The side elevation along Cedar Street continues the warehouse materials and detailing of the main block and then at a setback and lower wing changes to a mix of stucco bays and hardiplank-sided recessed balconies. Along this elevation, the northernmost corner loses its top floor for a terrace, thus stepping down toward the adjacent historic home on Cedar."

It's the "step down" plan, on the corner of Carroll Street and Cedar Street, where Green's concerns are focused.

In her testimony to the HPRB yesterday, Green stated, "The Takoma Central District Plan specifically addresses height. It states that 'new commercial and residential buildings should be no more than 2-4 stories in height to match existing residential scale' and to preserve Takoma’s 'small/town village character'."

She continued by saying that, "The Takoma Overlay District permits heights of up to 55 feet, but as I also understand it, you have the ability to reduce the height, as needed, on case-by-case basis."

Yet, overall, the project has been well received by both ANC4B and a majority of the immediate Takoma Park community. Green also asserts that Sas Gharai of SGA, and Jeff Blum of Level 2, have worked diligently with concerned parties, and have revised the design at 231 Carroll into something commendable. Still, she believes, it could be better, and specifically, shorter.

Meanwhile, the complex already underway at 235, dubbed Ecco Park early on, had planned for condos but turned rental in the spring of 2008. The project was also once in the hands of Ellisdale Construction, in the summer of 2010, but is currently being built by Hamel Builders; Hamel Builders could not be reached this morning, and Ellisdale would not disclose any information on the change.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Strong Hearts, Crumbling Brick

By Beth Herman 

For Eva Martinez and daughters, standing tall among the ruins became literal and personal when their environment was allowed to deteriorate to almost unrecognizable conditions in a low-income Mt. Pleasant apartment building. As the previous owner sought to convert the St. Dennis Apartments, at 1636 Kenyon St. NW, to market-rate condominiums by hasty and aggressive buy-outs, neglect and other measures to force tenants out, the intrepid Martinez women stayed the course for two years as sole residents of the building, "…enduring broken doors and windows, demolition crews, unlit hallways and other hazards," according to a National Housing Trust account.

With the support of city council member Jim Graham, and seeking pro-bono counsel from the firm of Arnold and Porter, Martinez and her two daughters, Eva Aurora and Anabel, believed low-income residents had the right to remain in their Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, filing suit against the owner for failure to comply with TOPA, or D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. According to reports, a settlement was secured with an option to purchase the property at market value, with the National Housing Trust Enterprise Preservation Corporation (NHT/Enterprise) chosen to guide them in obtaining financing to acquire and renovate the property.

For Principal Michael Wiencek and project manager Maybell Laluna of Wiencek & Associates, veterans of housing revitalization and historic and adaptive reuse projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the 1920s-era historic registry St. Dennis Apartments provided an opportunity to preserve history, and perhaps paramount to that, to restore dignity to its former residents, most of whom had left unaware of the means available to claim the 40-unit, five-story building for themselves (unit count was 32 following renovation).

“It had a nice presence and a very attractive front despite very significant issues of structural deterioration at the rear and within the building,” said Wiencek of the firm’s involvement beginning in 2008. Brought in during the continuing economic recession, the project percolated with the architects and planners but was placed on a slow burner, according to Wiencek, with monies filtering in from different sources on varied timetables.

Stabilizing history

Ultimately permitted in mid-2010, due to water penetration and other forms of neglect, the St. Dennis required a “complete gut” of all the interior walls, except for bearing partitions, all the way down to the shell of the building.

“The only things we were required to save were the corridor walls and existing unit entry door frames because they were historical,” Laluna said. Receiving historical tax credits as part of its extensive funding package, an historic consultant was hired to develop the project’s scope and documents which helped navigate D.C.’s copious historic review protocol.

Discovering a litany of problems that mounted almost exponentially during demolition, Wiencek said the rear wall was essentially just crumbling brick. To demolish and rebuild it, however, would have resulted in considerable construction waste and added an additional $600,000 to $700,000 to the project, making it “undoable.” In a bold effort to stabilize it, a patented limestone parging system consisting of limestone, Portland cement and polymers, and involving the scraping of loose mortar and brick material down to a hard material and embedding of a fiberglass mesh for tensile strength, was undertaken. “It’s a hard structural finish that holds all of the existing masonry together,” Wiencek said. Because it’s a 1920s-era structure, masonry walls are 16 inches thick at the ground floor and about 12 at the top, consequently much time was invested with engineers and contractors to ensure the safety and viability of the process.

Targeting sustainable elements, Wiencek said unlike the Wheeler Terrace renovation, geothermal heating and cooling was not an option due to the site’s narrow dimensions and additional budget constraints, though a mechanical system with a higher SEER rating was ultimately used. The owners had to be very creative in the way they put this project together, Wiencek and Laluna recalled, noting low-VOC paint, formaldehyde-free cabinets, Energy Star appliances, a low-albedo roofing system and low-flow fixtures were mandated.

Revealing that prior to the renovation, the St. Dennis apartments were “moldy, filthy and rat-infested,” though people needed to live there because of its prime location, bus lines, and affordable housing aspects, Wiencek talked about the emotional toll of having to call a place like that “home."

“The big idea is that we’re saving this building that would otherwise have gone to relatively high-end condos and displaced a lot of affordable housing tenants,” Wiencek said. “Through a lot of hard work by the owners and contractor, Hamel Builders, we’re getting to build an amazing new building within the historic shell so that the residents can afford to come back and live there. It gives residents a much broader and more positive outlook and really changes people’s lives,” he said, noting construction should be completed this summer.

This story is dedicated to the memory of Eva Martinez.

Buchanan Gardens Groundbreaking Tonight

Developers will launch the redo of Buchanan Gardens tonight at 5pm. The sprawling affordable housing complex built in 1949 will undergo $32m in renovations at the hands of low-income housing provider Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). The buildings will be gutted and renovated over the course of the next eighteen months.

Financed through loans and grants by the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the Arlington Housing Investment Fund, and with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and grants from private foundations, the housing will be available to those making 60% of AMI or less.

Wiencek+Associates and Hamel Builders will transfigure the 111-unit building into a more modern, greener version of itself, with new energy efficiencies and water saving features. Construction is expected to complete in December of 2012. APAH purchased Buchanan Gardens in December of 2009.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Sorg Gearing Up to Turn Former Church into Condos

A new condominium is one step closer to fruition on the site of a vacant lot and historic church at the corner of 10th and V Streets. Sorg and Associates passed the deadline to accept general contractor bids this week for the Logic Project, a 37-unit condo that will build out the empty lot and convert the church; public records say the church will be converted into office space. Scheduled to break ground the first quarter of 2012, the plan is for a six-story, 37 unit condo building at 2105 and 2107 10th Street. The site is owned by architect Suman Sorg and is listed under the name Morning Bright LLC, one of the former names of the Baptist church. Built in 1896 by Paul J. Pelz (who also designed Healy Hall and contributed to the Library of Congress), the church has been called a handful of names, including Seventh Day, Trinity Methodist, Zion Church, True Deliverance Church of God, and Morning Bright Baptist Church. The church was abandoned in 1992.Though Nikki Sorg, Director of Business Development - and "Vice Chairperson" for the Board of Zoning Adjustment - was mum about details of the project, she confirmed that the church is being restored. Sorg acquired the property in 2003 for $1,300,000 and has performed some remediation work to the badly deteriorating church. Hamel Builders is among the general contractors competing for the job. "It's a nice building that will feature market rate quality units," said a project estimator for the company. "I think it would be a major impact for the community." The Logic Project is an addition to the handful of Sorg designs in the area, which include The Visio and Murano, two condo projects on 10th Street between V and W Streets, the Solea, as well as The Beauregard, 49 unit condominium at 2100 11th Street, both of which were developed by Robertson Development.

Washington, D.C. real estate development news

"The Avenue" (Park Morton Phase One) Unveiled

Once again, neighborhood-blog fiends have a reason to saturate the online comments board with rabid debate over the merits of affordable housing. Yes, more Ward One "workforce housing" construction is set to get under way early next year, as the DC Council recently approved a loan injection of $16.5 million to jump-start the Park Morton redevelopment project. With a bit of pomp and optimism, developers have officially dubbed the first phase of the project "The Avenue." The much neglected area could certainly use an infusion of pride and confidence in addition to this desperately needed residential development. Located on the southwest corner of Newton Place and Georgia Avenue, 83 apartments will be built on three parcels of vacant land. Twenty-seven units of the 7-story building will be reserved as "public housing," while the remaining units will be classified as "affordable housing," serving residents with up to 60% of the area median income (AMI). Last month, in accordance with the Georgia Avenue Overlay District, The Avenue was reviewed and approved for construction by the BZA.

The broad-scoped $130 million, 500-unit Park Morton redevelopment project is a dual partnership between the Warrenton Group and the Landex Companies. Wiencek & Associates Architects & Planners are currently completing the designs for the phase one building. General contractors Hamel Builders will carry out the construction, which could begin as early as December 1st. But in all likelihood, ground will break sometime in January of next year. Once started, construction is expected to last 14 months. The PUD application process for the subsequent phases of the redevelopment plans will begin in tandem with initial construction, with the goal of transitioning rather smoothly and quickly from phase one completion to phase two construction. The general intention for the entire redevelopment project is aimed at securing quality living quarters for the current public housing tenants (phase one) that will allow the construction of the new higher density residencies (later phases) - the proportion of purely public housing in the area diminished as the planned mixed-income projects come to life. Upon the completion of all phases, the new housing will follow the rule of thirds, units divided evenly between public housing, affordable or workforce housing, and market rate housing.

The hope of developers and the design team is to amass a work of architecture that exudes modernity and sophistication, to challenge preconceived notions about "affordable housing" by using high quality materials and employing an elegant design on the exterior as well as the interior. The focal point of the design is the central corner of the building at the intersection of Georgia and Newton, where a two-story glassy entrance way, accented by a timber curtain wall, attracts the attention of the onlooker. A cutout top level terrace disrupts the plain single-box shape of the brick building, giving texture to the building, and drawing the eye up along the cornerstone of the design (pun intended). When addressing the Georgia Avenue frontage, like any good painting, the canvas is partitioned into a foreground, middle, and background, or more appropriately a bottom, middle, and top. The bottom floor is pronounced by large glass and metal, protruding store fronts that will house retail upon completion. The brick middle section is accented by boxy, extended bay windows, while the top of the building dissolves plainly and gently into the skyline. The opposite building frontage along Newton Place is an asymmetrical doubling of the Georgia Avenue design elements. The bay windows are stepped down to the first three levels so as to better transition the building across the alleyway and into the neighboring townhouse facades. This allows for a milder, friendlier, more residential feel on Newton place, and a slightly bolder, urban flavor on the more commercially-geared Georgia Avenue.

Amenities for The Avenue building include a spacious entrance lobby, featuring a wide, monumental staircase, leading up to a glass walled fitness room on the second floor. The interplay of elevation change, sight angles, and visible space provide for an open feel. The building will also feature an open and exposed internet lounge, complete with computers and printers - enabling work but also encouraging networking and social interaction. An elevator to the roof will access two landscaped rooftop terraces, one of which will be outfitted with numerous planters for community gardening opportunities. This green roof will not only provide residents a chance at producing healthy produce, but also lower the energy bill by decreasing the solar load on the flat building top. Other sustainable aspects include the exclusion of carpet and all mold-propagating building materials, floors will be a combination of wood and tiles, and bathrooms will be purely ceramic tiles. The steel frame of the building will be reinforced with insulating sheeting to prevent temperature transfer and help maintain a consistent indoor climate. The building will be equipped with high efficiency heat pumps, and solar energy panels on the roof will provide hot water for a communal laundry facility. Builders will replace all sidewalks with brick pavers, granite curbs, and two rows of continuous planter strips, where trees, shrubs, and flowers will bring shade, color, and life to the public space. Classic twin-fixture lighting will illuminate the sidewalk along Newton in the evening, and the elimination of two curb cuts will allow for increased on-street parking. Also included in the plan is a 29 space below-grade parking garage.

Developers admitted there are challenges to producing mixed-income projects, including the task of overcoming negative perceptions about the neighborhood and the stigma of mixed-income residencies. But architect Scott Knudson explained that such a test is most effectively bested by setting a lofty bar of excellence. "The way to overcome such notions is by setting a high architectural standard and creating a building worthy of residents of all income levels," said Knudson, arguing that quality and style were not sacrificed here to meet budget. The designer's commitment to excellence extended to their refusal to compromise on small details like ceiling height and top-of-the-line kitchen appliances. Knudson says the design process for each new building will be approached and evaluated on a project by project basis; and new designs will refrain from replicating too closely the appearance of the first apartment building; "neighborhoods are richest when developed over time, and this phased process encourages both consistency and a sense of texture and variety."

Washington Real Estate Development News

Ten Years and Two Locations Later, Subsidized Housing Still Beats Private Development

Montgomery County will soon begin construction in downtown Bethesda on a transitional residence; work on the 12-unit project may start as early as this month. The diminutive project, tucked among other moderately sized residential buildings and small commercial buildings, will fit in at 4913 Hampden Lane and serve as permanent housing for the formerly homeless. After swapping land with two developers and facing many delays of its own, Montgomery County's project will actually outpace its neighboring private residential projects, at 4901 and 4917-4921 Hampden Lane. Just blocks from the Bethesda Metro station, the Housing Opportunities Commission's (HOC) project should begin construction before the end of the month, according to Construction Manager Scott Kataline. HOC will develop, own and manage the property.

In 2000, Armont Development, the team behind the proposed Edgemoor at nearby 4821 Montgomery Lane, originally proposed the idea of a land swap to provide room on Hampden Lane for the moderately priced dwelling units for its development. Montgomery County began working on a site plan for 4917 Hampden Lane in 2003 and the land swap took place in January 2004, according to John Poyer, HOC's Housing Acquisitions Manager. The county was ready to begin construction when a second developer under the name Hampden Lane Associates LLC acquired properties on either side of Montgomery County's space with plans for a now-stalled 60-unit condominium.

In order to have a contiguous site, the developer offered to swap land and reimburse the county for any costs it had already incurred. The two parties signed a development agreement in June 2005 and 4913 became the new HOC project site. HOC has since reworked the design for the new site and secured financing so that now, ten years after the seed was planted, the permanent supportive-housing-for-formerly-homeless-project will find its home at 4913 Hampden Lane.

The four-story wood frame structure was designed by NOA Architects and will be constructed by recently selected general contractor, Hamel Builders. A single-family home on the property will be demolished to make way for the new construction. The building will consist of six studios and six one-bedroom units, financed in part by federal low income housing tax credits through the Maryland Community Development Administration. The building will be built to LEED certification standards, but HOC will not apply for certification by the USGBC, given the extra costs entailed.

Residents will receive Section 8 vouchers to cover their rent and the operational costs of the building. A resident counselor/on-site building manager will provide necessary assistance for residents, ranging from job training to computer instruction. Unlike temporary or transitional housing, the project's residents "will not be on a clock that forces them to leave after a preset time," explained Poyer. The goal is to give residents services "to help them move on to a more independent lifestyle." Despite the progress on the shelter, none of the related private developments nor any of those planned for Hampden Lane have moved forward.

Bethesda, MD real estate development news

Northwest One to Get First of Many Affordable Housing Projects

This summer, construction may at last begin - fingers crossed - on Northwest One's first residential project, the SeVerna. Mission First Development, The Henson Development Company and project sponsor Golden Rule Apartments, Inc. (GRA) are working with architects Grimm + Parker to build 60 residential units to replace the former Golden Rules Center that occupied the site until its demolition in early 2009. The empty lot will be developed in phases, beginning with a 100% subsidized project at First and K Streets, NW. Phase 2, a 120-unit highrise, is still a distant vision.

The housing project falls within the District of Columbia's exulted Northwest One rebirth zone, though the site is privately controlled and not subject to the District's land disposition agreement made with developers of neighboring properties. Golden Rule Apartments, Inc. is an affiliate of nearby Bible Way Church, which owns several plots in the Northwest One neighborhood. The site at stake here formerly offered low-density housing, community center and grocery shared by nearby Golden Rules Apartments, a subsidized multi-family project the Church recently rehabilitated. The church began sponsoring affordable housing in the Northwest One community in the 1970s.

The site is also adjacent to the District-owned Temple Courts apartments, demolished by the District in December of 2008 to make way for its own Northwest One plans; namely, the first stage of its New Communities Initiative, which "provides resources so that the community, in partnership with public and private entities, can work to transform highly concentrated low-income neighborhoods into healthy mixed-income neighborhoods." The government's Northwest One initiative aims to bring more than 1,600 residential units to the former site of Temple Court and crime-ridden Sursum Corda Cooperative (picture, at left), which D.C. bought out in mid 2007, and turn the area into a model of affordable development. Sursum Corda (Latin for "lift up your hearts") was, it should be noted, designed for the same purpose, i.e., as a cooperatively-owned urban refuge to promote ownership and civic pride.

The District has already constructed the Walker Jones Education Campus, a school and recreation center, as the first installment of the $700m development. In October 2009, development partners Banneker Ventures and William C. Smith & Co. announced that the next phase of Northwest One, 300 units of housing, 30% of which would be subsidized, to replace the vacant parking lot at the intersection of North Capitol and Patterson Streets. The team announced that construction would begin this spring, though so far it has not.

The neighboring GRA project is asking for as much as $995,000 in tax credits from the District to build the project. The developers are working with PNC bank to finance the debt and equity for the project; gap financing of $1.9 million will be provided by the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development's New Communities Initiative. The total project costs will be $15.5 million with just over half, $8 million, coming from private sources.

GRA reports that its SeVerna development is moving forward with its portion of the Northwest One Initiative, 60 residential units, broken down into 48 mid-rise units and 12 two-over-two townhouses. According to Zak Schooley, a Project Designer with Grimm + Parker, the 70's era Golden Rules Center "turned its back on the community" and "wasn't successful" because of its purposeful architectural seclusion. Though the project is affordable, the architect says the mistake won't be repeated. The "goal is to begin to make this area more up and coming." You will not find any vinyl siding, according to Schooley. Instead, the architects will use "fiber cement siding and brick...to improve the aesthetics of the area." Though the interiors will not be "overly lavish" the project will be "very nice compared to what used to be on the site." Faint praise, maybe, but still an improvement.


The units will be affordable at 30 and 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) with many going to former residents of the Golden Rules Center and Temple Court Apartments thanks to a right of return agreement signed by the developers of projects within the Northwest One New Communities Initiative. Yvonne M. Williams, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Bible Way Church, said, "as far as I know, we may well be the first development [in Northwest One] that will enable former residents to come back."

According to Elizabeth Askew, Project Manager for Mission First Development, the team "hopes to close on financing and begin construction this summer." The general contractor for the first phase is Maryland-based Hamel Builders.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Mayfair Mansions: Condos No More

Despite the economic climate, government financed low-income housing projects have largely marched forward, but the condo bust is now hitting home in the subsidized low-income market, too. In November 2007, development partners Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) and Marshall Heights Community Development Organization (MHCDO) broke ground on the planned renovation of Mayfair Mansions - almost 600 units of affordable housing. Of the 17 buildings, 12 rental buildings were slated for interior renovation, and 5 buildings were to be renovated and converted to condos. Today the 12 rental buildings are fully renovated and occupied, but the planned 160-unit condo element of the Mayfair Mansions has now been pigeonholed permanently.

In 2005 the Mayfair Mansions Tenant Association organized a purchase of the property, selecting CPDC and MHCDO to assist with the acquisition, rehabilitate the buildings and maintain the Mansions as affordable housing - affordable mansions, technically.

The rental renovations began in 2007 and completed this past September. But, according to Paul Brown at CPDC, the condominium project, originally scheduled to deliver first quarter of 2010, is not "going to deliver this year. It probably is not ever going to deliver as a condo." Brown said the conversion to condo never happened and the building, sans renovation, still serves tenants. Brown said CPDC is working closely with MHCDO to figure out how to finish the renovations.

The partners did complete the a new LEED-eligible community center, which delivered just in time this past summer for the community to enjoy a new pool facility, computer labs, an assembly room and classrooms for services such as literacy programs.

The non-profit developers purchased the property with a $24.2 million loan provided by the District's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Additional funds for the residential renovations and the construction of a new community center came from the DHCD Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), Federal Historic Tax Credits, as well as Tax Exempt Bond financing and Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocations provided by DC Housing Finance Agency (HFA). Of the funds, $23 million went towards successfully revitalizing the 410 rental units. The $6.9 million set aside for undelivered condos, however, equates to lots of public money for development, which never happened. Kind of like Lehman Brothers.

Mayfair received a Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit because of its historic status; the Mayfair Mansions were originally constructed in the 1940s specifically for the African-American community in a time when racially restrictive covenants had a stranglehold on housing practices. The community was designed by Albert Cassell, a renowned African American architect who designed numerous milestone structures for Howard University.

Wiencek + Associates and McDonald Williams Banks Architects served as the design team. Gilford Construction Corporation and Hamel Builders Inc. served as general contractors in a joint venture.

Washington DC real estate development news

Victory Square Slowly Contemplating Construction

Last September we reported that Hamel Builders was looking for subcontractors for the Victory Square development in Parkside near the Minnesota Avenue Metro, and now they are back at it. Located at 600 Barnes Street NE, the project is being developed as a joint venture between Bethesda's Victory Housing Inc. and the Bank of America Community Development Corporation (BACDC). Bids are due by December 2nd for the senior housing development to include construction of 98 apartments to total 94,336 s.f.

The units will be four stories of wood frame over a concrete parking garage. Individual units range in size from 612 s.f. to 1,016 s.f. and include 5 handicapped accessible units and 9 visual and hearing impaired units. The parking garage will have a total of 25 spaces, 4 of which will be handicapped designated. A representative of Hamel estimated the total project costs fall in the $11 to $13 million range.

The Hamel rep. said the delays in selecting subcontractors were related to updates to the plans and slight changes in engineering, but she asserted the plans have not changed substantially in any way. Once Hamel secures contractors, the team hopes to move forward in the first quarter of 2010; construction will likely begin in March, with an estimated completion 13 to 15 months later.

Victory Square will mark the developer’s fifth so-named senior housing facility in the region, after Palmer Park’s Victory House, Potomac’s Victory Terrace, Columbia Heights’ Victory Heights and Takoma Park’s Victory Tower. The architect for the project is the local architecture firm Grimm + Parker