JPI's First Ballpark Delivery

The first of JPI's four ballpark projects, The Jefferson at Capitol Yards will open its doors Monday. The 448-"luxury rental" building, formerly known as "70 I" boasts of granite tops, Moen pullout faucets, "regal baths", and GE appliances. Designed by WDG Architecture, the building and its 100 I Street counterpart combine glass and brick in their façades to create 12-story buildings that were designed to resemble the historic warehouses of the old Navy Yard area.

Residents in the Jefferson will have access to a resort-style swimming pool and rooftop terrace, a 24-hour fitness center, a movie theater with stadium seating, and a sports pub complete with traditional pub games, dart boards, pool tables, as well as the trendier Wii (ask your kids), Xbox, and Playstation systems to satisfy residents’ inner teenagers and keep their competitive spirits at bay between Nationals games.

The 246-unit rental apartment building, the Axiom at Capitol Yards at 100 I Street, won’t be too far behind with delivery scheduled for next month. Rounding out JPI’s $470 million ballpark empire are the “luxury” 237 and 421-unit 909 at Capitol Yards and Jefferson at Half Street. The 909 New Jersey Avenue development will open in May 2009 and the Silver LEED certified Jefferson at 999 Half Street will begin construction this fall with delivery in 2010.

The first floor and clubhouse of the Jefferson at Capitol Yards will be available for viewing on Monday. Nosey neighbors can also check out the company’s block party on June 28th before the Nationals-Oriole’s game.

Navy Living Without the Boat (Or Ocean)

DC developer Forest City Washington is planning to build one of southeast's newest residential buildings, officially known as Building 160, in the form of a 6-story tower at 301 Tingey Street. The project will be developed using the framework of the Pattern and Joiner Shop, a woodworking plant built in 1918 and part of the historic Washington Navy Yard Annex. Developers will convert the four-story, 157,000-s.f. Joiner Shop warehouse into a 170-unit apartment building by way of gutting the interior, maintaining and restoring the facade, and building a two-floor, 50,000-s.f. addition above its roof. SK&I Architectural Design Group plans for LEED Certification, although sources indicate that it is too early to predict the level.

The building serves as the first residential project to arise in the vast development known as The Yards. With step numero-uno of The Yards, Forest City will create "Upscale apartment units featuring stained concrete and wood floors, designer kitchen and bathrooms, split level bedrooms and contemporary amenity spaces," said Sami Kirkdil, principal at SK&I.

Estimated to cost between $20 and $30 million, the lofts will offer interior parking, club and theater rooms and a furnished courtyard on the second floor for its guests. The building's ground floor has been designed to accommodate retail spaces facing the river and main streets in addition to a smattering of garden apartments. The rooftop addition will house "luxury double story loft units," according to Kirkdil and a fifth floor sky deck and 30-ft glass lap pool will overhang into the courtyard. (We're not quite sure what that means but it sounds cool.)

General Contractor bids for renovation and construction will close next Thursday. Developers expect to break ground in the Spring of 2008 and finish in the Winter of 2009.

Beating Swords into Condos

It may be an ironic time for a peace dividend, but the conversion of the Navy Yard into a downtown destination is starting to take shape - condos of course, not plowshares. PN Hoffman is leading the conversion with a 250-unit condominium project in the Navy Yard, or rather, Southeast Federal Center (pictured), beginning next Spring. The former naval gun factory will metamorphose into one of the coolest projects in DC, according to the developer, which intends to fully renovate the interior space, leaving the existing shell and giant six-story atrium - to become the amenities center, encircled by the residences. There will be "nothing like this" in the District or its environs, according to Dave DeSantis of PN Hoffman. Certainly its location one block from the water will be unique to DC's condo buyers. Architects SK&I are working on the plans for the site, which also sits next to the new DOT headquarters, but too far from the stadium for any random fly balls.

Washington DC real estate development news