DDOT Planning 14th Street Facelift

Washington D.C.'s fast-growing 14th Street corridor between Thomas Circle and Florida Avenue may finally get some much-deserved street-scaping improvements soon, says John Lisle of the District Department of Transportation.

Plans that have been in the works since 2009 may get accelerated after DDOT commences on a similar street-scaping project for U Street later this year, Lisle told DCMud. The 14th Street design, which wrapped up last April at a cost of $450,000, includes iconic "twin-20" Washington Globe lighting along pedestrian walkways and "teardrop" pendant lighting for street illumination.

Included will be dedicated bike lines and pedestrian "bulb-outs" for safety. At key intersections, such as Rhode Island Avenue, Florida Avenue and U Street, crosswalks and sidewalks will get special iconic identification. Cracked cement sidewalks will give way to London pavers, similar to those required in the Downtown DC Business Improvement District. New street furniture such as garbage bins, tree boxes and bike racks are also in the works for the 14th Street upgrade.

Already, parts of 14th Street in the downtown area have gotten similar treatment. The District was able to use $3.6 million in federal Recovery Act funds in 2009 and 2010 for improved street lighting and sidewalks for a stretch of 14th Street between K Street and Thomas Circle, which got its own facelift. A stretch of 11th Street between Massachusetts and O got its own similar upgrade in 2009.

Lisle says that the city has focused on completing its "Great Streets" programs first before tackling major upgrades of other corridors. The "Great Streets" program, started in 2005 by then Mayor Anthony Williams, is working in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to jump-start retail and development on long-dormant corridors that have historically been gateways to the city, such as H Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Georgia Avenue.

The H Street "Great Streets" corridor has just completed, and includes tracks for the District's trolley car plans, while the $3.6 million Georgia Avenue "Great Streets" project is also nearing completion. Pennsylvania Avenue's Great Streets construction, running from 27th Street to Southern Ave, will finish next month at a cost of more than $25 million in federal Recovery Act money. The District has also used $4.5 million in federal funds to rehab stretches of 17th Street, NW with similar lighting upgrades and street furniture, as well as a project on 18th Street in Adams Morgan to improve lighting and pedestrian access, scheduled for completion in May.

The 14th Street Logan Circle corridor has been ground zero for the District's inner core revitalization. Whole Foods, between 14th Street and 15th Street on P Street, which opened in 2000, now anchors the corridor.
Washington D.C. real estate development news

DC Ponders Resuscitating Franklin School

The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop the historic, Adolf Cluss-designed Franklin School. According to the RFP, the District seeks to enter into either a land disposition agreement or lease with a qualified developer, though there is a "strong preference" to enter into a "long-term ground lease." The three story building is centrally located off of Franklin Square on the southeastern corner of 13th and K Streets NW.

Currently zoned for high density business and retail, the RFP indicates the developer may vary from this use and plan to request a zoning variance, special exception or Planned Unit Development (PUD). Both the interior and exterior have been designated as "historic," so the developer will have to work around both DC and federal laws, as well as the numerous DC historic preservation advocates that have long eyeballed this project, when considering the design. But, be prepared to hire on 35% LSDBE entities while requiring no more than 20% in capital from same.

The storied school is nothing if not historic, completed in 1869 by one of DC's best known architects, the site of Alexander Graham Bell's first "photophone" wireless message, and has since been used as a homeless shelter and office building. The thought to match the majestic architecture to a proper use is not new; in 2003 Mayor Anthony Williams' administration led an effort to revamp the school with an RFP, and selected Western Development to turn the property into a hotel. But the plan foundered on the shoals of realpolitik when the nearly evicted homeless men had nowhere to go.

Then-Councilmember Adrian Fenty supported keeping the building dedicated to housing the homeless, but upon ascension as mayor resolved to clear up the issue immediately.

Council Nixes Funding Plan for Stadium Parking

The DC Council yesterday failed to advance legislation to fund two above-ground (and one underground) parking garages adjacent to the new Nationals ballpark, punting (sports puns being appropriate) the issue out of the Council.  Mayor-in-wait Adrian Fenty had proposed a funding mechanism for the new garages (the city is required to provide 1225 parking spots for the stadium) that would not raise the previously agreed $611 million spending cap for the new stadium – of course, this creative accounting would require $56 million to be taken from non-stadium city funding, a method only a budget director could love. The new owners of the Nationals have proposed less expensive free-standing, above-ground parking, but Mayor Anthony Williams has proposed below-grade parking to allow for mixed-use development above the garage. The Council’s vote - for an emergency declaration to proceed – was 7 for, 6 against, which failed to meet the required supermajority for emergency measures. The worst-case scenario, if all options fail, is for the city to simply pave over the five-acre northern parcel to provide some parking spaces – a solution nobody wants. It is unclear whether the issue will next be taken up by the Council or by the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission.

Washington DC commercial property news

Mayor Proposes Moving MLK Memorial Library

In a roundtable discussion this week, DC Mayor Anthony Williams announced his plan to move the MLK Memorial Library at 9th and G Sts. to the former Convention Center site, and to lease the troubled former library. The Mayor, who has previously called for a new library on the now vacant site, has proposed leasing the building now housing the library and using the revenue to support the new, state of the art library. The Mayor’s plan would preserve the boxy 4 story building, long troubled by inadequate space, design problems, and what many view as a less than inspiring design. Preservationists have fought to keep the library as the only DC example of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who designed the building in 1972.