Paradigm Begins New York Ave Apartment Project

Paradigm has ordered its army of construction vehicles into Mount Vernon Triangle to begin work on the hefty 390-unit rental building at 425 L St, NW. Indeed, ground had broken on what project manager Jimmy Dotson calls a "bold, urban building with all the modern comforts of home." Under construction is a mass of brick and glass that will eventually total fourteen stories, sitting on three levels of below grade resident parking. Along with the standard amenities (gym, roof deck, common rooms) the building will feature a few unique touches like the hybrid and electric car refueling stations to be installed in the parking garage. The barren surface parking lots that have sat vacant are now occupied by machinery and the warehouse at the eastern corner that has remained unused for years will soon be razed. The apartment building, built in partnership with Steuart Investments, was designed by Architecture Collaborative, Inc., while Collins & Kronstadt of Silver Spring holds the title of architecture of record. Developers expect initial delivery in the spring of 2012, with completion of the building wrapping up later that fall. Paradigm has apparently taken heart from the nearly sold out condo projects (CityVista completed sales this fall) and the largely stabilized new apartment buildings that surround it. Donohoe Construction is well into construction of 218 rental units directly across the street.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

JBG Moving Forward With Rosslyn Commons

The JBG Companies is set to stack two more high rise buildings into the crowded Rosslyn setting very shortly. Approved by the Arlington County Board in the summer of 2008, the plans call for 25 four-story townhouses and two high rise apartment buildings offering 454 units and 12,635 s.f. of retail, construction of which is expected shortly. The new development will replace eight existing brick garden-style apartment buildings (totaling 84 units) between Clarendon Blvd. and 16th Road North with the town houses and two L-shaped towers (12 and 13 stories respectively) designed by Bethesda-based firm Architects Collaborative. Fifty-four of the apartment units will be marketed as affordable housing. Both apartment buildings are expected to be LEED Certified.

The boldly designed buildings will be a striking composition of “tan-brown, reddish brown and pink-brown brick with gray-blue to gray-green metal frames.” Rising a dizzying 128 feet, the townhomes (a more manageable 50 ft) will help step the development gracefully down into the surrounding garden-style apartment complexes. The super-block will be split by a landscaped pedestrian plaza, creating a foot-traffic thoroughfare halving Clarendon Blvd. and 16th Road North. The internal courtyard will be advantageous for tenants looking to spill cafe and restaurant operations into the public space, creating a bustling central plaza where residents, commerce, and leisure will come together.

While no time table has been made public, Paradigm and Clark Construction are expected to offer general contracting bids by October 7th with the expectation that construction would begin shortly after. Rosslyn Gateway, Central Place, and Potomac Yards are just a few of the other JBG projects planned for Arlington in the near future.

Update: Since publishing the story, JBG reached out to DCMud with additional details on the project. Balfour Beatty Construction, Clark Construction, Facchina Construction, and SE Foster Construction have all submitted bids on the project. The exact number of units is as follows: 474 total units and 55 affordable units. The red and grey building is designated as Tower One and the combo of dark and light gray is Tower Two. Both residential towers will include a rooftop pool and pool deck, rooftop club room, and rooftop fitness center. Tower Two, which is "a more modern design...with neutral colors, clean lines, boutique lobby, European-styled kitchens (flat panel kitchen cabinets with modern door pulls, white Corian or quartz countertops, dark/light cabinets (with dark or light hardwood floors), alternating by floor" could be marketed as for-sale condominiums depending on the state of the market when delivery nears. JBG confirmed that they in talks to bring a cafe with outdoor seating into the retail space. The project is expected to earn LEED Silver. Construction will begin by the end of the year, and the buildings will be delivered by late 2012, with the two towers delivered first and the townhomes following closely behind.

Arlington, VA Real Estate Development News

Mount Vernon Triangle Scores Another Development

Already a presence in the blossoming NoMa district next door, Paradigm looks to extend their influence into the neighboring Mount Vernon Triangle with the construction of a commodious 390-unit rental building at 425 L St, NW. Paradigm's nearby student-housed Washington Center opened a few months ago, and the company continues to manage the imposing Meridian at Gallery Place just down the street. According to Paradigm project manager Jimmy Dotson the new property is intended to be a "bold, urban building with all the modern comforts of home." The building will rise fourteen stories above ground, and root itself three levels deep into the earth to provide below grade parking for residents.

Like the majority of newly built rental buildings these days, amenities include a top level pool and club room, as well as an expansive lobby and fitness center. Dotson conceded that sustainable aspects are not a major focus on this project, and that the building will not be credentialed as green, but at least a few unique, environmentally conscious features like hybrid and electric car refueling stations in the parking garage are being worked into their plans. Few travelers up New York Avenue will miss the surface parking lots that will be replaced, or the warehouse at eastern corner that has sat unused for years.

Parc Rosslyn

Collins & Kronstadt of Silver Spring, MD is the architecture of record, but responsibilities for the design have been mostly shouldered by the team at Architecture Collaborative, Inc. in Elliot City, MD. Collins & Krondstat and Paradigm are familiar partners; as the firms collaborated in an effort to bring to life Parc Rosslyn in Arlington, VA, completed in 2008. This most recent design process was at least partially governed by the aesthetics of their soon-to-be neighbors like CityVista Apartments to the west and Yale Steam Laundry to the north on New York Avenue. Inspired by their surroundings, designers have forged an angular but sleek amalgamation of brick and glass, with accents of steel, granite, and metal paneling. The color scheme will wedge its way into the middle of the spectrum, somewhere between the light-tan bricks of City Vista and Yale's richer-toned burgundy bricks. Paradigm Construction will undertake general contracting responsibilities, and is in the process of awarding subcontracts.

Building permits are to be finalized soon, and although developers have not yet officially closed on the pending financing, Dotson says team is in "very good shape" to square away the remaining logistics and put a shovel in the ground by mid to late September. If things go smoothly, developers expect their first delivery in the spring of 2012, with completion of the building wrapping up later that fall.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

NoMa Bulks Up on Student Housing

NoMa's population just increased ten-fold. On Wednesday, 317 students moved into The Washington Center's student dorms - no, wait - "residential and academic facility" at 1005 Third Street, NE. Sure, it may be a large group of temporary students, but when your entire neighborhood consists of less than enough people to fill a Metro bus, you tend to count these things.

The residential center, in NoMa's sparser eastern section, is provided by a non-profit that places an international array of students into DC-area internships. The students are NoMa’s first residents in more than a century, according to the Business Improvement District, adding to the 40 or so residents that currently live in townhouses within the BID. The project, designed by Davis Carter Scott, broke ground just last spring.

The population figures may be a bit misleading, as the gerrymandered BID boundaries narrowly miss several large multi-family housing projects such as Senate Square. NoMa BID reps hasten to add that "9300 people live within half a mile of NoMa," and office buildings are going up everywhere, so don't get the wrong idea, the place is hopping. But soon technical geographic distinctions won't matter; Constitution Square - one of NoMa's largest projects - will begin renting its 440 apartments late this summer, and the Loree Grand will also soon open its doors to 212 new residents across the street from The Washington Center.

The $38m project was developed by Paradigm Development Company, and will be sufficient to provide for approximately 80% of the interns drafted by the TWC each year, who are currently housed in apartment buildings throughout the area. In addition to the college-style design elements like shared kitchens, shared rooms, high speed internet and the nostalgia-inspiring common areas, the building will also offer classrooms, offices, a large auditorium space, a computer lab, a fitness and a lounge area.

Washington DC real estate development news

NoMa's First Residential Projects

Union Station's finally getting new neighbors as NoMa's very first new residential developments approach completion. The Loree Grand, the first phase of the planned Union Place development, brings 212 new rental units to 250 K St., NE. The building, which began construction in July 2007, is on track to be ready for occupants by March or April. Next door Paradigm Development is hard at work on The Washington Center student housing also slated for April delivery. The new NoMa residents will have gobs of transportation options including the metro, Marc and Amtrak lines, buses, the new bikestation and, if the street cars ever get worked out, a short ride to the H Street/Atlas District. The two new residential elements will be joined by Constitution Square, which is also expected to be finished in 2010. It's looking to be a good year for NoMa. Loree Grand developer, the Cohen Companies, purchased the land for just over $1 million and has spent $45 million on construction costs with ADC Builders and GTM Architects, the general contractor and architect, respectively. The bulk of the 212 units are variations on 1-bedroom apartments with the remaining 30 units built to 2-bedroom configurations. The Loree Grand will also offer 30 affordable apartments, likely to go to artists, arts administrators, and arts educators thanks to a partnership with the Cultural Development Corporation. Though not certified officially green, the building features a green roof with self-sustaining plant life, but makes up for it with 173 parking spaces in two below-grade levels and an additional 39 spaces on an adjoining surface parking lot. The Loree sits on the corner of 3rd and K Streets with 10 stories at 90ft on the corner stepping down to 7 stories at 60ft on the north end. The design features three shades of brick with precast concrete trim-work and detailing. The the first two floors reflect traditional Washington row house designs, with unit entrances fronting K Street and 3rd Street that will also be accessible from the interior. The building includes amenities such as a 2,000-s.f. private fitness center and 1,500-s.f. "party room". On the ground floor at 3rd and K sits approximately 3,700 s.f. of retail space, which Eric Siegel, Executive VP at the Cohen Companies, says he hopes to fill with a food/wine/coffee shop along the lines of Tryst in Adams Morgan. When(ever) the second phase of Union Place finishes, residents will also have access to a child care facility. According to Michelle Pilon, a Sr. Project Manager at the Cohen Companies, Phase II of Union Place is "currently on hold," but will ultimately feature 500 apartment units and 8,400 s.f. of commercial tenant space. 

Siegel indicated the group was working on drawings now for Phase II, but it sounds like neighbors at the Loree Grand won't have to worry about construction noise for a while. Facing the Loree is 1001 3rd St. NE, soon to be home to students of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. The 140,000 s.f. project should deliver this April with 95 rental units and 14,000 s.f. for a state of the art auditorium, classroom space and one level of underground parking with 35 spaces for the swarms of interns who hit DC every year. The Washington Center purchased the property in January of last year for $8.2 million from Greenebaum and Rose. The sale also included designs for the six-story building by architects at Davis Carter Scott, whose plans needed only a few interior alterations to accommodate the student housing. According to Steve Griffin of Paradigm, the housing should be home to 1,200 students rotated throughout the year. Most units are two bedrooms, two baths at about 1,000 s.f. each; not too shabby for interns. In 2003 Greenebaum and Rose bought the land which was once home to the Capitol Cab Company. 

The Davis Carter Scott plans, which were sold in 2009 along with the property, originally called for a $20 million, six story, 92,800-s.f. residential building. In May of 2008 Greenebaum and Rose partner, Sam Rose, told DCMud, “For now, it’s a piece of land with a permit. We’re not starting until the world looks prettier." It would seem that $8.2 million looked a lot prettier than a questionable condo project. The two projects are huge improvements over the former cab company and what was at one time a major drug intersection. The Loree Grand is named after Loree Murray, a former area resident who founded Near Northeast Citizens Against Crime and Drugs to organize neighbors against the rampant cocaine trade and violence in the 1980s. The group aided the police in fighting against one of the biggest cocaine drug rings in DC that at one time operated at 2nd and K St NE, future home of urbanites and interns. Liz Price, President of the NoMa BID, said, "all this residential is a new area for us. We're really excited to build residential density in this neighborhood."

Washington DC commercial property news

Ballston Bus Garage Gets Final OK for Founders Square

The Arlington County Board and WMATA agreed last week on final terms of sale for the former WMATA bus garage site for the final piece of the Founders Square puzzle in Ballston. The site, at 675 North Randolph Street in Arlington, will be sold to Ashton Park Associates, LLC (APA). Though APA was chosen as the developer and executed a sale agreement in June 2007 for the entire property, the developer had since requested a phased purchase due to financing issues. Under the amended sale agreement APA, along with its managing affiliate The Shooshan Company, can purchase the property in two or three phases as long as the sale is complete as of December 23, 2011 for the agreed upon $25 million. The parties will close on the first phase in mid-November with Clark Construction set to dig-in before the new year.

The first phase, sold for an undisclosed amount, will be the home of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) when construction finishes on the 355,530-square-foot, 13-story, secure office building in 2012. To land the agency, Shooshan worked with architect RTKL Associates, Inc. to design a building that will meet LEED Silver requirements and the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings. It will be the first in Arlington to meet DoD’s new standards, featuring force protection, 82’ standoff distance and controlled parking.

According to John Shooshan, while most of the project will be financed through APA's own equity, the state of Virgina is providing a $10m grant to help defray the development and construction costs attributable to the force protection requirements under the DARPA lease. Tally another project to the list of those lubricated with government dollars, whether for leases, stimulus, or subsidies to keep development on track.

The DARPA building will be the first of the planned buildings for Founders Square, which is intended to house 26,000 square feet of retail space (8,000 of which is a standalone building that will be owned by a separate investment group and constructed by Paradigm Development), 730,000 square feet of office space in two towers, and another two housing towers with 378 residential units.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

Founders Square Readies for Demo in Ballston

It looks like Old Man Economy might have finally started taking his pills again. After gaining approval from the Arlington County Board in July of last year, the Shooshan Company's ambitious plans for Founders Square, a five-building, mega mixed-use development in Ballston, seemed about as promising as a GM-backed pension plan. But despite slippery start dates in all types of construction, Shooshan's Vice President of Development, Kelly Shooshan, tells DCmud the project is still on track for its originally scheduled 2009 groundbreaking and that the company will be seeking a general contractor before the summer is out. "We're looking to probably be bidding the project in the middle of the summer and will probably start construction sometime in the fall or early winter," said Shooshan. Located on 4.6-acre parcel bounded by North Randolph Street, Wilson Boulevard and North Quincy Street in Ballston, the RTKL Associates-designed development will replace the industrial and non-tax paying bus lot known simply as the WMATA site, a gas station, a recycling center and a tre chi-chi Super Pollo chicken joint. Founders Square is intended to house 26,000 square feet of retail space (8,000 of which the Shooshan Company has since farmed out to Paradigm Development), 730,000 square feet of office space in two towers, and another two worth of housing for a total of 378 residential units. “The buses have been gone since March 27th,” said Shooshan. “When we start the project, it’ll start with demo…the site is just a one-story building, so it’s a very small portion of the construction timeline.” “Super Pollo will be relocating to the new retail building and there are several other tenants that have expressed interest in the other two spaces in the retail building. It’s very small retail, only 8,000 square feet. The first office building is a secured office building, so it won’t have any retail in it." The secure building will, though, have enhanced security features suitable for defense-related businesses. The development’s residential units are tentatively scheduled to hit the market as rentals and all five Founders' buildings will aim for a LEED certification. In the meantime, the developer has yet to definitively budget the project, as it is, in the words of Shooshan, “evolving over time with the present market conditions.” "There’s such a large spread right now with construction prices decreasing every minute, it’s really hard to give a formula on the whole entire project,” she said. In 2008, Shooshan completed Liberty Center in Ballston, a 21-story, 469-unit residential building. Despite continued development, the rough and tumble Arlington 'hood has somehow managed to keep its street cred intact.

Arlington Virginia commercial property news

Interns Replace Condos Downtown (A NOMA House)

The Washington Center (TWC) has announced plans to give Washington just what it needs: less condos and more…interns. The local non-profit has selected Paradigm Development Company to build out a new “mini-campus” for college students spending their summer at TWC-arranged, metro area internships. Though Paradigm, the Arlington-based development company, is perhaps best known for its Parc Rosslyn and Buckingham Village residential projects in Northern Virginia, the TWC project will mark Paradigm's first foray into from-scratch development in the District.

The $38 million dollar project will transform a NOMA parking lot at Third and K Streets, NE into a 345-bed dormitory complex, just around the corner from the Northeast BID’s only other ongoing residential projects thus far: the Cohen Companies’ Union Place.

The development will be sufficient to provide for approximately 80% of the thousand plus interns drafted by the TWC each year, who are currently housed in sundry apartment buildings throughout the area. Current plans call for the usual college-style accoutrements like shared kitchens, high speed internet and the nostalgia-inspiring “common area.” Though Paradigm representatives were unwilling to divulge the architects or general contractor attached to the project, they did say that “groundbreaking is imminent” and could begin before the end of the month.

The rise of the TWC’s student housing center does, however, signal the death knell for another project once planned for the same site: Greenbaum & Rose’s Capitol Cab Condominiums. Once slated to deliver another 112 residential units to the NOMA corridor, the project never got off, or out of, the ground. Greenbaum & Rose did not respond to DCmud’s inquiries regarding the project.

UPDATE: Washington Center representatives have confirmed that the architect on the project will be Davis Carter Scott and that a groundbreaking ceremony will be held on April 14th.

High-Style and Mixed-Income Meet at Parc Rosslyn Opening

This Thursday, the new Parc Rosslyn high-rise - located at 1531 North Pierce Street - will open its doors to the public and solidify its' place as one of Arlington County's greatest affordable housing accomplishments. The product of more than 10 years of work by the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), the Parc Rosslyn is a 15-story, 238 unit building that sports 96 units of affordable housing and amenities otherwise unimaginable in such a development - floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the DC skyline, patio grills, a business center, a concierge and, perhaps most surprisingly, a rooftop swimming pool.

"I think people will be stunned by this beautiful building," said Nina Janopaul, Executive Director of APAH. "It represents a very efficient use of government resources to create this wonderful opportunity for a mixed-income, diverse property.”

Located in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the Collins & Kronstadt-designed building satiates the area’s needs for high-density, affordable, green housing (a LEED silver certification is pending for the project) in one of the region’s biggest and busiest thoroughfares. “We’re really fulfilling this goal that the Arlington County Board had back in the 1960's to create transit-oriented development,” Janopaul told DC Mud. “We’re using density near public transit corridors - and what a wonderful thing that is for the environment, too.”

At a total cost of $68 million, more than two-thirds of Parc Rosslyn budget came from tax exempt bond-issue financing – making it the largest ever such project approved by the County. "Essentially, the term of art is a conduit financier," says Ken Aughenbaugh , Director of Arlington County's Housing and Neighborhood Division. "These bonds are sold on the market by an investment bank to others who buy the bonds as investments - usually larger corporations or mutual funds. This is a mechanism that other jurisdictions around the country use to finance affordable housing developments." The rest of the funds for the project came from low income housing tax credits and soft second mortgage financing provided by the County.

APAH originally acquired the site - which formally housed a 1940s-era, 22-unit garden apartment development - from Arlington County in 1994 at no cost, but did not begin construction until January of 2007. Residents began to move in this past July, while the finishing touches – swanky pool included – were finally completed in September. Construction was handled by Paradigm Development, the company which will also be serving as the building manager of the project.

In order to mark the occasion, Parc Rosslyn will hold its’ gala grand opening this coming Thursday, October 16^th, on site at the new building. Congressman Jim Moran (D), Chairman J. Walter Tejada of the Arlington County Board, Executive Director Susan F. Dewey of the Virginia Housing Development Authority, APAH Chairman Caroline Settles, and Executive Director Janopaul will all be on hand to remark on the occasion. The ceremonies begin at noon and will include a tour of the facilities. The event is open to the public.