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

Marriott & Donohoe Team Again to Open Courthouse Hotel

Marriott has opened yet another link in its impressive chain of DC area hotels, a Residence Inn hotel at the Courthouse Metro in Arlington at 1425 North Adams Street. The Residence Inn Arlington Courthouse hotel's 176 suites replace what had been a vacant lot for almost 20 years. Marriott won the RFP in 2004, began construction in September of 2007 and opened its first rooms for business in August.

The hotel is the newest in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Donohoe Construction company built the project, which was developed by Donohoe Development, designed by Leo A Daly Architects, and is managed by Donohoe Hospitality.

The new Residence Inn has LEED building features certified to meet Arlington County environmental standards boasting a green roof and chemical-free cleaning solutions - made through an in-house process that mixes tap water with salt and electricity, a process used in many hospitals and throughout Europe for, like, years.

As for economic benefits to Arlington, Chris Bruch of Donohoe highlighted the estimated $2 million in tax revenues to be generated annually and the creation of 42 new hospitality jobs, 90% of which are for Virgina residents.

Fire Works restaurant will occupy approximately 5,500 square feet at the street level on Clarendon Boulevard and open up to the Western end of Courthouse Plaza for patio dining. The 240 seat (160 indoor, 80 outdoor) restaurant will offer "upscale casual dining featuring local, fresh and organic ingredients" and is expected to open in Spring 2010. And by the way, it's a pizza place. Bruch indicated that there is still over 3,700 s.f. of ground floor retail space available and ready for a tenant.

DC Officially Gets its Convention Center Hotel

Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty will hold a very public ceremony this evening to officially ink the legislation that will kick-start, finally, the District's Convention Center Hotel. In a 5:30pm ceremony, the Mayor will sign the New Convention Center Hotel Amendments Act of 2009, granting authority to spend $182m in TIF funds and $35m in bonds to go toward the construction, operation, and maintenance of an 1160-room, 14-story hotel opposite the lonely Convention Center. Technically, the bill amends the Washington Convention Center Authority Act of 1994 to further fund the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (WCSA), which will own the hotel, and instructs the WCSA to contract Quadrangle Development to get it built, and with Marriott to operate the new hotel. The Act authorizes Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the issuance of bonds, to fund up to $206m in construction and operational costs. The remainder will be paid for by private developers. Funds derived from bonds and TIFs will go solely toward hotel expenses, and not into DC's General Fund. The District government has actively conspired to get the new beds as a rebuttal to National Harbor, which hosts a larger convention center and five, count 'em, five hotels surrounding it. Not to mention that a nice river runs by it. But back to DC, where the massive hotel will serve the convention center, and ensure the success of the convention center. Of course, it was the convention center itself that was supposed defibrillate the moribund Shaw neighborhood and spark development of the area, expectations that many of the convention center's original backers feel have not been met. Officials have maintained that construction could start as early as October, with about a three-year time frame for completion. Plans for the hotel went through many iterations before today, beginning with an even more ambitious plan that would have stretched the hotel over L Street and onto the next block for more than 1400 rooms. The city had also pursued a public-financed option that would have committed the Authority to picking up the $530,000,000 tab in full. The current version incorporates the historic American Federation of Labor Building (pictured) into the Marriott, which will otherwise overtake a swath of surface parking lots. The hotel will become the third largest in DC, and fourth largest in the region. The largest, at 2000 rooms, remains the Gaylord, at National Harbor.

Washington DC retail and commercial real estate news

Marriott Opens Hotel in Chevy Chase

Marriott opened a new Courtyard hotel this week in Chevy Chase Maryland, furthering Marriott's domination of the local hotel market. The 226 room hotel, at 5520 Wisconsin Avenue, is two blocks north of the Friendship Heights Metro near the DC border. Developers began a $35m rehab of the old Holiday Inn Hotel just last summer, with architects / designers OPX stripping the rectangular tower down to its shell, making structural repairs and rebuilding within a year.

The new Marriott Courtyard is designed to meet the Gold LEED standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council, using low-VOC materials, solar-powered trash compactor, a reflective roof, and HVAC systems that don't use ozone-depleting refrigerants. Very cool. In addition, "100 percent of its energy" will be provided from wind power through the use of renewable energy credits by purchasing energy through an alternative provider, which in turn sources energy from an assortment of wind farms. Michael Ward, VP of Development at Grosvenor, said the hoteliers expect the alternative energy to cost the hotel an estimated $6,000 per year in increased charges.

Designed as one of Marriott's "refreshing business" concepts, the hotel replaces the traditional check-in desk with "welcome podiums" (an inn-convenience?) and business-oriented lobby. The hotel was purchased in 2004 by Grosvenor Americas, managed by Bethesda-based Hospitality Partners, and operated by the Courtyard, a sub-brand of Marriott.

The original hotel was built in 1970; the new Marriott comes online at a propitious moment, with the opening of Wisconsin Place, a large mixed-use project, now beginning to open for business.

Chevy Chase real estate development news

DC Passes Convention Center Hotel Bill

The District Council today passed legislation that authorizes and helps finance a new convention center hotel. The bill provides for District financing of nearly 40% of the costs of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, which government and civic leaders have sought for years to provide services to support the city's investment in the convention center. The project has been on-again off-again for several years, with builder Quadrangle Development Corporation reducing the one-time size of the project and negotiating with the District, which by one recent plan would have funded the entire project in order to help kick start the neighborhood and use of adjacent Washington Convention Center. Council members have been motivated to alleviate the Center's obvious Achille's heal - its dearth of hotels in the immediate vicinity - while distancing themselves from the cost of the project. Councilmember Kwame Brown (at-large) said in a press release that though today's legislation was "not ideal," the overall result was positive. "We went from a 100 percent publicly financed hotel to a deal that requires the developer to fund the majority of the costs." The mayor is expected to sign the legislation, which could get construction going as early as this fall. Development of the four-star hotel is expected to cost more than $500 million.

Washington DC retail and commercial real estate news

Zoning Considers Long-Awaited Plan for Michigan Ave and Iriving St NE

If all goes well, Marriott will team with a developer to replace a parking lot with a 314 room hotel at the intersection of Irving St. and Michigan Avenue, NE, adding a gym or grocery store, fixing the dearth of retail nearby, and adding much-needed services and improving the look of the intersection. That's the developer's pitch, anyway. This and adjacent parcels, boxed in by Catholic University, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, and Trinity University, have long gotten the notice of developers for its large stable workforce and lack of services and housing.

Local partner H Street Community Development Corporation and planners from WDG Architecture and Mariani Architects met before the Board of Zoning Adjustment last night to consider Conference Center Associates I, LLC's consolidated PUD for Parcel 121/31 in Brookland. The developers are seeking to change the unzoned property to a C-3-A zone. The project also includes a commitment from Marriott International.

Phase 1 of the proposed two-stage PUD consists of a 314 room suite hotel and conference center as well as a four-story above-grade structure with 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space at- and below-ground, and approximately 400 parking spaces on the upper levels.

While the zoning commission raised points on traffic flow (planned left turn access to retail from eastbound Michigan Avenue - an issue raised by DDOT in a report submitted to the zoning commission), and the likelihood of successful retail on the below-grade site, comments were overall positive.

Commissioner Peter May noted the problems with duality of the street as both a parkway and retail center, it "feels high speed." His comments highlighted concerns raised by several Commissioners over allowing left turns from eastbound Michigan Avenue. DDOT's representative indicated that the agency had initially sought to restrict access from Michigan Avenue and felt they offered a "reasonable compromise" with their "right-in, right-out" traffic plan. DDOT conceded that a left turn on streets he compared to an "interstate freeway" were "not completely impossible," but the safer option was the right-in, right-out traffic pattern supported by signage and potentially an island at the entrance.

Retail Concerns
Commissioner Konrad Schlater said about the project that he knew "it had been on the drawing board for a long, long time" but that with Marriott as a partner it had a "high likelihood of success." Schlater proceeded to express the commission's skepticism that a grocery store would be willing to accept sub-grade space. The Ward 5 ANC has been supportive of the project largely because of the need for retail in the area. Robert Reinders, of Marriott International, said a small grocery (like Trader Joes) "makes sense," but there could be no guarantees. Sean Stadler of WDG Architecture acknowledged that, "getting a retail tenant is sometimes challenging these days." Uh, yeah, we've read that somewhere before. Another option for the space would be a Health Club, something the nearby Washington Hospital Center favors because, according to Reinders, they currently have no on-site facilities for their more than 14,000 employees.

Local ANC members Ronnie Edwards, Commissioner for ANC5C-11, and Anita Bonds, Commissioner for ANC5C-01, both praised the project team for their work with the community, specifically the ANCs. And as part of the love-thy-neighbor quid pro quo, Marriott will provide "community benefits," in the form of meeting space for Ward 5 ANC throughout the year. (Note to other developers: pay attention here)

The marching orders were given to continue a dialogue with DDOT on the traffic concerns, to find a more physically appealing design for the parking garage, develop an alternative layout for the hotel's pent house suite because of concerns over the height, and to resolve issues raised by a report on the current trees on the property.

The next Zoning Commission hearing on this project is scheduled for July 27.

Renderings provided by WDG Architecture

DC Officials Pitch New Plan for Convention Center Hotel

The DC City Council’s Committee on Economic Development was briefed today on a new scheme devised to underwrite the fully-approved and shovel-ready, if financing challenged, Marriott Marquis Hotel. The city's newest plan for the mostly vacant property next to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center would get construction going by mid-October.

Today’s hearing was spurred by legislation introduced by Mayor Adrian Fenty, himself described as "tired of waiting" on the project, this past spring that would have effectively removed the project’s developer, Quadrangle Development Corporation, and made the new Marriott wholly city-sponsored. In the intervening weeks, officials from the Washington Convention Center Authority (WCCA), the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCF) have been feverishly working on a fiscal reconciliation that would preserve the public-private partnership.

"Given current economic conditions and the lack of liquidity in the capital markets…the District, led by the Washington Convention Center Authority and its partners at Marriott and Quadrangle, was forced to pursue alternative plans, including an option whereby the Authority would finance 100% of the hotel by selling bonds,” said recently appointed (though still unconfirmed) Deputy Mayor Valerie Santos. “We’ve made considerable progress on a new financing proposal, such that the new hotel would once again be largely privately financed.”

The crux of the proposal depends of the Committee’s authorization of an additional $22 million in city-backed debt to get the project going. This deal, presented to the District by the development team only last Thursday, would ensure that more than 60% of the hotel’s $537 million budget come from private funds, with DC footing the bill for the remaining costs. At present, lawyers from the OCF are currently exploring whether the project could also qualify for stimulus funds under the American Investment and Recovery Act, thereby offsetting the District’s burden in a year of record high spending.

The sense of urgency behind the proceedings is well founded, as Greg O’Dell, head of WCSA, said his operation is continually losing business to other comparably-sized convention centers, such as those in Denver and Indianapolis, which have on-site hotels and hospitality amenities. Furthermore, city officials also view continued development at Prince George’s County’s National Harbor as a direct threat to the Convention Center’s revenue stream – a feeling that has only been exacerbated by Disney’s recent announcement that they’ll be building their own mega-hotel/meeting space just across the river. That leaves the District, in the words of Councilman-at-Large Michael Brown, directly “behind the eight ball.”

Both the public and private sides of the development team will now spend the next two weeks finalizing the in-and-outs of their proposal before returning to the Committee on July 14th for a final vote. In the meantime, Committee members repeatedly stressed that the project’s fast track status will not delay other city development in the pipeline or cause any fiscal belt tightening.

“This will not cause us to postpone any projects that are already authorized…Nor will this require expenditures from the general fund. This is not going to be publicly financed deal,” said Committee co-chair and Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans. This would not be the first partnership for Marriott and the developer, Quadrangle and Marriott jointly built a 224 room hotel together in Bethesda in 2004.

Washington DC real estate development news

NoMa Celebrates First Hotel

Not so long ago, there wasn't much reason to go to NoMa, and no place to stay if you did. Now, at least the latter problem has been solved. Representatives of Marriott International, the Finvarb Companies and the DC government came together today to cut the ribbon on the NoMa district's first hotel - an 8-story, 218-room Courtyard by Marriott with 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail and a direct connection to the Gallaudet University Metro. Elizabeth Price, President of the NoMa BID, told DCmud why the new development is an important stepping stone into the continued redevelopment of Northeast neighborhood.

"This...will really start to change us from an office dominated neighborhood to more mixed-use. It's a place that will attract visitors and tourists, but also support the office space." said Price. "It’s very attractive [to them] because it’s affordably priced, it’s one stop from Union Station and it’s close to the Metro. It has a lot of appeal for many different types of users.”

In addition, in-house amenities like a swank bistro, business center and swimming pool, guests at the $53 million first hotel will also have the privilege of flaunting their eco-awareness from atop the Courtyard’s green roof that will consist of “100 percent grass when fully grown” and offer a world-class view of the Capitol (or the sexy Florida Avenue/New York Avenue interchange, depending on one's orientation). But green initiatives aside, all the parties involved were prideful of another first that the hotel represents, as the District’s first Hispanic-owned Marriott.

Ray Bennett, Senior Vice President of Lodging and Development for Marriott International, touted the project as the latest fruit of his company’s “Diversity Ownership Initiative,” which has more than 300 new, minority-owned locations in the pipeline. Included in that figure are another five locations that the hotelier is pursuing with Bobby Finvarb and his development partners on the NoMA project: Harmon, Wilmot, Brown and Bagwell, LLP and Welburn Development, both of which are local, African-American owned businesses.

According to the NoMa BID, the new hotel, at 1325 2^nd Street, NE, will also soon be getting a new neighbor, as work labors along right next door on developer StonebridgeCarras’ large-scale Constitution Square project.

“[That project] continues to grow and that’s where we’ll have our first Harris Teeter, along with residential, hotel and office space,” said Price. She also provided a status update on Akridge’s Burham Place development behind Union Station, saying that the project and is still “several years away” and that the stimulus-funded restoration of the DC landmark it shares space with would likely have to conclude before work could begin.

In the meantime, for those keeping tabs on development in the area, that’s one down and many more to go. But, for a more up close and personal look, check out NoMA for yourself when the BID’s Summer Screen Festival starts up on June 10^th.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Archstone Ponders More Residential for National Gateway

Of all the large-scale projects in development at the National Gateway, Archstone-Smith's "luxury residential towers" in Potomac Yard has been the least talked about - despite the 1.5 million square feet of LEED certified office space currently going up in the same neighborhood. Now the developer is seeking an "extension of time to...submit a building permit for two land bays and park concept design plan" from the Arlington County Board at their April 25^th meeting.Archstone acquired a large swath of the Meridian Group’s National Gateway project for an undisclosed sum in May 2007 with the intent of bringing 691 residential units to the site. But Archstone has yet to move soil in their 135,402 square foot parcel bounded by Jefferson Davis Highway, Potomac Avenue and Crystal Drive, nor has an architect been formally linked to what is being called the “Archstone National Gateway,” though permitting records indicate that they have taken on Tishman Speyer as a development partner. 

"We’re still in the drawing stage, but we should have something by the end of the month as far designs and proposals go," said Joshua Custer, Archstone-Smith's Marketing Coordinator. In all, planners hope for an eventual 1500 residential units with the recently opened 386-unit Camden apartments and 479-unit Eclipse condominiums, which began sales in 2005 and still have nearly 100 condos left to go. Ouch.

As for other adjoining pieces of the National Gateway pie, Camden Property Trust has already delivered there, while another nearby parcel was sold off to Marriott International for development under their Renaissance and Residence Inn brands is already well into construction.

For Meridian’s part, they are well on their way to realizing the 1.5 million square feet of office and 200,000 square feet of restaurants and retail included in Phase I of their National Gateway. That project is set to deliver this coming November.

Washington DC real estate news

First NoMa Hotel to Open Next Week

NoMa’s first hotel, the new Courtyard by Marriott at 1325 2^nd Street, NE, will open its doors to the public on April 15^th, according to the NoMa BID. The 8-story, 218-room project represents a number of firsts for the burgeoning development district: not only will it be the first new hotel to open along the greater North Capitol Street corridor, but it is also the District’s first majority Hispanic-owned hotel and Marriott’s first metro area entry under their revamped Courtyard brand.

The amenities that go along with Courtyard’s conceptual makeover include a lobby with separate “welcome pedestals” (instead of a traditional front desk) and a 52-inch LCD screen that provides guests with items like local weather readings and directions to nearby attractions. Dining options are supplied by a new restaurant entitled The Bistro (Tagline: Eat. Drink. Connect.) featuring free wi-fi and a 24-hour in-house convenience store called The Market – a name that Marriott has miraculously been able to trademark. A gym, business center, swimming pool, green roof, 2,800 square feet of meeting space and a direct connection to the New York Avenue Metro station round out the project. An Au Bon Pain location occupying just some of the project’s 10,000 square feet of street level retail has already opened for business; the other retailers set to share space in the hotel have yet to be publicly disclosed.

The Finvarb Companies are the majority stakeholder in the project via Marriott’s Diverse Ownership Initiative. Other investors include Dave Wilmot of Harmon, Wilmot, Brown and Bagwell, LLC, Craig Welburn of Welburn Hospitality, Thomas Hopkins and Dr. Barron Harvey.

A Marriott Monopoly

Marriott International Inc. is expanding its domination of the Washington DC metro hotel market. Their latest acquisition is a 2.4 acre triangular parcel in an Alexandria Virginia office park, where they plan to roll out one of their least established brands - the so-called Springhill Suites - maintaining a virtual monopoly over business travelers at the bustling junction of Telegraph Road and Eisenhower Avenue.

Located at 2950 Eisenhower Avenue, the new hotel will fall at the western end of the Alexandria Tech Center and stand just a stone's throw away from the Capital Beltway. This newest Springhill Suites will measure in at five-stories and 152 rooms, made up of 106 king suites and 46 double queen suites. Amenities planned for the site include an indoor swimming pool, lounge, small conference room, a gym, an outdoor terrace and shuttle service to the nearby Eisenhower Avenue Metro Station. Designed by architects Davis Carter Scott, the project is expected to come in at a cost of roughly $13 million.

The project was unanimously approved by the both the Alexandria Planning Commission and City Council in mid-November. Marriott already has a hotel in the Alexandria Tech Center – a 98,000 square foot Marriott Courtyard that bookends the opposite side of the development.

The Planning Board staff praised the Springhill project as providing “an enhanced gateway to the Alexandria Tech Center and the Eisenhower Valley with an open space plaza and interesting building design,” but also chastised them their intention to use chintzy motel building materials – in this case a synthetic stucco called StoCreativ Granite.

Any qualms were abated, however, with promises of new jobs, an expanded “commercial tax base,” LEED certification and – a point not lost on urban planners - $13 million in promised new tax revenue to be generated by the hotel over the next decade. A number of local associations, including Carlyle Eisenhower Civic Association, the Cameron Parke Home Owner Association, the Eisenhower Partnership and the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations, have also lent their approval to the project.

Marriott describes the Springhill Suites brand as “a prototype…geared toward the younger business traveler” with less expensive, yet large rooms with accompanying work space and internet access. In addition to the neighboring Courtyard location, the Tech Center’s newest tenant will also join a Strayer College location and a cluster of mid-rise office buildings along Eisenhower Avenue. Construction is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2009.

In addition to the planned Springhill Suites location, the hotelier also has plans in the works for double hotels on one block in downtown Crystal City and another under construction in Arlington’s Courthouse District, as well as several in Arlington and Washington DC. Lacey

Marriott Digs in Around DC

Marriott International, Inc. is planning an extended stay of its very own in Crystal City's Potomac Yards. As part of development deal with the JBG Companies, a parcel bounded by Crystal Drive, Potomac Avenue and 29^th Street South will soon be home to not one, but two new Marriott- branded hotels – the Renaissance Inn Crystal City Potomac Yards and the equally tongue-twisting Residence Inn Crystal City Potomac Yards.

Situated just minutes from Ronald Reagan National Airport, the new 13-story, 444,000 square foot facility hopes to attract a healthy stock of business travelers with 625 new rooms and 10,000 of meeting space. The team is also looking to draw locals to the increasingly developed Potomac Yards segment of Alexandria with a 10,000 square foot retail component that will sit atop a 500-space underground parking garage.

Of the new rooms going to market, 325 on the facility’s southern end will be dedicated to extended stay suites, courtesy of Marriott’s “Residence Inn” brand. In keeping with the project’s dual nature, the Residence Inn will have its own individualized entrance on the corner of Potomac Avenue and 29^th Street and front on an “outdoor hearth” planned for an adjoining public park.

The two-in-one project expects to clear the threshold for LEED certification - which, according to JBG, would be a first for Northern Virginia hotels. The project officially broke ground on October 22^nd at a ceremony attended by Congressman Jim Moran and Arlington County Board Member, Chris Zimmerman. At the same event, JBG also went public with news that Wells Fargo would be providing $128.7 million in financing for the project. The development expects to open the doors on the new complex in winter of 2010.

Despite the new Renaissance/Residence Inn’s position as the first new Crystal City hotels in 20 years, both JBG and Marriott aren’t content to keep their focus only the Alexandria area. JBG also owns two other large hotels in the immediate area – the Westin Reston Heights and Westin Arlington Gateway. JBG already owns Washington DC's largest hotel, the Marriott at Wardman Park - which will keep the title of DC's biggest since yet another new Marriott, the Convention Center Marriott, reduced the size and scale of the project that should begin construction next year.

Additionally, the Donohoe Companies’ Hospitality Services division is also currently constructing another Residence Inn in Rosslyn’s Courthouse District at 1425 North Adams Street. That project is significantly smaller – 176 rooms and 141,000 square feet – but is being designed by renowned architect Leo A. Daly and will be completed a bit earlier, in fall of next year. Alas, all too late to be completed in time for the Obama-nation invasion next month.

Arlington Virginia retail leasing and commercial property news

Convention Center Marriott Awaits Zoning Approval

Final plans for a new Convention Center Marriott will head before the Washington DC Zoning Commission tonight for a public hearing. Now dubbed the Washington Marriott Marquis, adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, it is expected to catch little to no flak, as it conforms to the non-residential zoning standard already in place, and has been pushed for by District officials.

Additionally, Marriott is developing the project in unison with the Fenty administration under a handy piece of city legislation entitled the Public Space Utilization Act – which allows the Mayor to "enter into lease(s) with private parties for the rental of the space above or below streets and alleys in the District." That Act, however, leaves final approval of any such lease to the Commission, which will tonight discuss how the plans on hand sync with city regulations concerning building height, off-street parking, and traffic flow – all areas Marriott’s draftsmen appear to have to managed meticulously.

The plans for Marriott’s parcel at Massachusetts Avenue and 9^th Street NW call for construction of a new 1,150 room hotel with a two-level underground garage. Additionally, the AFL building currently on the site will get an extreme makeover into a 42 room “boutique hotel” connected to the main facility at several junctures. The PEPCO power station eyesore on the block will remain (but possibly receive an aesthetic makeover) and an underground tunnel linking the Marriott to the Convention Center’s east end will be constructed. Marriott has taken on Quadrangle Development Corporation to assist in the development process and has enlisted TBS Architects and Cooper Carry Architecture to design the project. Marriott hopes to garner a silver LEED certification for their flagship facility.

It is, however, important to note that tonight’s meeting will not address the project’s second planned component one block to the north, on the opposite side of L Street NW. Sean Madigan of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development told DC Mud in 2007 that Marriott had abandoned plans to build a smaller, secondary hotel wing on that site and had instead chosen to redevelop the AFL building. The development team has yet to present any concrete ideas about what may happen with that parcel.

Tonight’s meeting is being held tonight at the Office of Zoning Hearing Room (441 4^th Street NW, Suite 220) and begins at 6:30 PM. The proceedings are open to the public, so this would be a good chance to get a head start on booking a room for 2012 inauguration.

Washington DC real estate development news

The Shaw Redemption

Five metro area developers came together last night to highlight their major (and we mean major) plans for the District's Shaw neighborhood. Hosted by the Shaw Main Streets initiative, the developers on hand included Douglas Development (Wonder Bread Factory), Marriott Hotels (Washington Marquis Marriott), Roadside Development (City Market at O), Metropolitan Development (Kelsey Gardens) and Hines Interests (CityCenter DC).

Douglas Development
The keynote of Douglas' presentation was the long-gestating revitalization of the former Wonder Bread Factory at 641 S Street NW. Contrary to initial plans, the building will not be razed. The developer has obtained the original plans for the facade and will, to the best of their ability, restore the building to its original 1922 appearance. An additional story will be added to bring the building up to 5-stories and 150,000 square feet. The project has been summarily approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and is aiming for groundbreaking in approximately 7 months, following permit approval. The developer expects construction on the GTM-designed facility to take no more than a year. Once completed, the former Wonder Bread facility will neighbor the proposed Radio One development (the outline of which can be seen in the accompanying renderings).

Several other Douglas projects underway in Shaw were also briefly touched upon. The developer’s proposed development at 600 New York Avenue NW is on hold due to the current economic situation and "lack of synergy," as is their proposed redevelopment of the Howard CVS.

Other projects, however, have had much more luck getting off the ground. The former site of Popeye’s at Florida & N Streets NW will complete its expansion and renovation in the next 3-4 months and will house a Fatburger chain restaurant, a cell phone retailer and office space. Another Douglas mixed-use development at 9^th & N Streets, NW will include ground floor retail, office space and apartments. Although poised to begin construction in the coming weeks, leases for the site will not be sought until the project is completed.

Marriott HotelsThe long-proposed (circa 2001) Washington Marriott Marquis Hotel at 9^th Street & Massachusetts Avenue, NW, long envisioned as an anchor servicing the Washington Convention Center across the street, is now slated to break ground in the first quarter of 2009. Overseen by the Quadrangle Development Corporation and designed as joint venture between TBS Architects and Cooper Carry Architecture, the building comes in at over 1 million square feet. The 13-story project will feature 1250 rooms, 2-3 restaurants, a ballroom and meeting space and a 400 space underground parking garage – all enclosed under an all-glass atrium. Additionally, the Pepco power station and AFL building currently on the site will also be incorporated into the hotel’s footprint, with the latter being converted to hold 42 hotel rooms. The Marriott representative on hand described it as “one of the most complex projects we’ve ever worked on.” The project is hoping to achieve an LEED silver certification.

Roadside Development

The City Market at O is shaping up to bring big changes to the current site of Giant Food on O Street NW. The mixed-use development will feature a new Giant store that will retain the old façade of the O Street Market and was hailed, as least by the pitchmen, as outclassing the new CityVista Safeway in both style and function. Additionally, the site will give way to a new 200 room, limited-use hotel, a large-scale fitness center, a 6000 square foot independent restaurant featuring a local chef, and 600 apartments and condominiums targeted towards “young professionals.” 8^th Street will also reopen for pedestrian use between the two buildings on the site, parking for the facilities will be moved underground. Roadside showcased some interesting architectural features on the buildings, including a 2-story projection on the residential building – currently referred to as “the diving board.” The developers are currently in negotiations with the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) to receive Tax Increment Financing for the project and are hoping for a September 2009 groundbreaking.

Metropolitan DevelopmentThough Metropolitan’s Kelsey Gardens has been recently covered by DCMud, the developer still had a few surprises on hand for their presentation. Architects will employ the increasingly common urban technique of breaking the 14,800-square foot, 297-unit building into five distinct facades, in order to affect the appearance of being constructed during different time periods by different architects. Roofs of the “buildings” will be 50% green and feature both private and public terraces. The development will be complimented by 2 levels of underground parking that will feature preferred parking spaces for “energy efficient vehicles” (i.e., hybrids). The project is shooting for 2011 completion.

Hines Interests
The final presentation of the evening concerned the redevelopment of the site of the old convention center, Hines Interests and Archstone’s CityCenter DC project. Designed by Foster + Partners and Shalom Baranes Architects, the 10-acre site is being envisioned as “a new neighborhood for downtown.” Comprised of 4 separate parcels centered around the now-closed (and eventually to be reopened) intersection of 10^th and I Streets NW, the ambitious project is to include 400,000 square feet of retail space, 1,074 residential and hotel units, 1,064,000 square feet of office space, more than 2000 parking spaces and a public park. The hotel on the site is envisioned as a 4 or 4 ½ star facility, while the developer is aiming to lure home furnishing and fashion retailers (possibly a department store) as well – in order to serve the needs of downtown residents and not specifically tourists. The Hines representative on hand posited that the project was 85% ready to go and would be seeking general contractor in the next few weeks.

Convention Center Marriott Tiptoes Forward

In an inconclusive show-and-tell session before the Historic Preservation Review Board on June 26th, Marriott International, Cooper Carry Architects, and EHT Traceries presented plans for the long-anticipated convention center hotel. During the informational presentation, the development team presented plans for a 1,100 plus room hotel at the corner of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, across from the Washington Convention Center.

The hotel, which will likely achieve LEED Silver Certification for its use of glass and brick, will take up the majority of the block, save the PEPCO power plant that supplies the White House with electricity, and the American Federation of Labor headquarters, a historic building that will remain. The hotel is intended to bring jobs and revenue to the city through traditionally high hotel taxes while serving Convention Center guests.

Norm Jenkins, Senior Vice President with Marriott International said the project was essential to the success of the existing Convention Center which has yet to meet city performance expectations.

"This is a great hotel site, but it's a tight hotel site, and we need to get 1100 plus rooms on the site in order to satisfy the needs of the Convention Center...the city sunk $850 million into this Convention Center several years ago and that project will never be optimized until you have this headquarter hotel," Jenkins said.

Laura Hughes of EHT Traceries raised the issue of the historic American Federation of Labor building on site and explained the history of the building, which was designed in 1915 and designated as historic in the 70's. State Historic Preservation Officer David Maloney cited the building as one of his staff's main points of interest in the project.

"I think the staff does not have any major concerns at all with what's been proposed. I think it's appropriate to expect that the facades of the historic building would be restored to their historic appearance, which I think it anticipated. The treatment of the public space in front of the building is also important...The other thing that's important about the historic building is integrating it with the hotel in a natural way...It's a small building relative to the size of the new hotel, so it's somewhat of a design problem to make it look as if it fits in a continuous streetscape..." Maloney said.

He added that the staff was concerned with how the design relates to the city and Massachusetts Avenue, the over 130 foot height of the project, the building being secondary to the Convention Center and the treatment of public space along Massachusetts Avenue.

"Mass Avenue, as you know, is one of the city's important L'Enfant boulevards. It is historically a residential boulevard really with green space in the front yards. And this building, because of its nature, has very difficult servicing requirements. But their staff, as well as the department of Transportation, have pushed the hotel folks to try their hardest to make sure that there is a sense of continuous green space maintained along Mass Avenue," Maloney said.

While the meeting concluded with accolades from staff members, the board still had questions about the building's width, appearance, and name.

"My last point, slightly in the jocular vein, is why do we use all of these aristocratic French revolutionary terms like marquis and Monaco? Wouldn't it be nice to have a democracy? I mean I'm not saying you name it The Log Splitter, but I mean, maybe the President..., said Chairman Terch Boasberg, to general laughter. The developer will return in the coming months for concept review and permitting.

Steven Siegel from the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development noted the urgency of the project and said the Mayor asks about its status each week. "He asks how the projects going. And every time I tell him the date of delivery, he says that's not soon enough. So we're all working very hard to make sure that this process moves forward smoothly. And, you know, it's obviously important to the success of the Convention Center to make sure that this hotel is delivered as quickly as possible and as soon as possible," he said.

The project is on the HPRB's July "List of Cases Filed for Consideration." A final agenda for the July 24th meeting will be available on July 18th. The Atlanta-based architects are also responsible for Bethesda Row and the National Gateway Hotel Complex in Arlington County.