Prospects Announced for Park Morton

Following last summer's Request for Proposals, Deputy Mayor Neil Albert has announced the three development teams contending for the $170 million redevelopment of the Park Morton housing project in Northwest Washington. Per the specifications of the RFP, all three are vying to reinvent the troubled public housing complex with more than 500 new units of affordable and market-rate housing and 10,000 square foot park.

The teams named by Albert are the Park Morton Partners (Pennrose Properties, LLC, FM Atlantic, LLC, and Harrison Adaoha, LLC); another Park Morton Partners (Neighborhood Development Company and Community Builders, Inc.); and, lastly, Park View Partners (Landex Corp., Warrenton Group and Spectrum Management).

"We need a partner that [is] capable of more than just building housing,” said Albert in a prepared statement. “We are looking for someone who is committed to building a healthier, safer new community. This response, especially in light of the current economic conditions, speaks volumes about the value of this opportunity.”

The Park Morton project was greenlighted under the of the New Communities initiative – a District-led program to transform blighted public housing complexes into “mixed-use, mixed-income communities." Other such developments targeted for redevelopment by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (ODMPED) include the long-gestating Northwest One, Barry Farm and the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings in Northeast.

According ODMPED, the bidding development teams will make public presentations regarding this plans for Park Morton at an unscheduled time “later this spring.”

Brightwood Tenement Set for Demolition

Plans are in works to demolish a dilapidated Brightwood housing project at 809 Kennedy Street, NW and a neighboring single family home, in order to make way for a new affordable housing complex. The developer behind the project, Washington Communities Inc. (WCI), was forced to shutter the current 2-story, 16-unit apartment building at the site - described by the Washington Post in 2008 as "a crumbling brick building" with "wet ceilings, broken lights, cracked walls, leaking sinks and defective radiators" and "one of the most troubled buildings in the city" - early last year.

WCI had ordered a buyout all of the building's tenants following complaints of below-freezing temperatures from residents, critiques from the DC City Council and a lack of funds of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (which spent a whopping $626 to “repair” the building over a three year period). The new building to be built at the former site of 809 Kennedy will include 70-units of affordable housing with rents starting at $900 per month. WCI President, Richard Deeds, did not respond to DCmud’s inquiries concerning the project.

According to DC tax assessment records, Deeds and co. have owned the property since May 2002. Their raze application, filed in December, is expected to proceed unhindered. New System Demolition and Excavation will carry out the demolition.

No Late Fees for DC's New Public Libraries

Over the course of the next year, District of Columbia Public Libraries (DCPL) will be bringing a slew of projects – including new up-to-date facilities and renovations – to neighborhoods throughout the city. Their intent? To improve conditions in low-income areas, bring the concept of the library into the 21^st century and, by extension, those that they serve along with it.

First on the block is the Washington Highlands Neighborhood Library at 115 Atlantic Street SW. The present facility will be razed next year to make way for a new structure that will feature a public meeting room, study areas, a computer lab, and separate reading areas for children, teens and adults. Budgeted between $14 and $16 million, the 20,000 square foot library is expected to commence construction in the fourth quarter of 2009. International architects Adjaye Associates are designing the new facility with Wiencek and Associates serving in an associate role. In a surprising twist for a library, the city will also be aiming for a LEED silver certification. An interim library will be installed to serve the community during construction.

The Washington Highlands project has been paired up with the construction of a new Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library. In essence, the two projects could be viewed as “twins” - both projects share the same architect, budget, LEED certification and plan to go to ground in the fourth quarter of 2009. Located at 3660 Alabama Avenue SE, the library will also include the requisite meeting rooms, children's areas, administrative offices and computer labs.

And while none of the new amenities outlined above may seem vastly different from those that preceded them, DCPL’s Public Information Officer, George Williams told DCMud exactly how and why these are structures are intended to serve their specific locales:

The Washington Highlands and Francis A. Gregory neighborhood libraries were chosen to continue the Library’s efforts to improve facilities east of the Anacostia River. The condition of the existing buildings limited their ability to provide 21^st Century state-of-the-art library service. For example, the need for dedicated space for things like card catalogs and computer labs is gone due to advances in technology improving the way we access information. The new buildings will have flexible space which allows for the Library to implement a variety of activities throughout the building without being limited by space dedicated for a specific purpose. As library use changes in the future, the new buildings will allow the Library to meet the needs of the community.

Williams also pledged that the local community “will play an integral role” in development of the new libraries. The architects for both projects were selected by a committee comprised of select DCPL staff, an independent architect, and community members handpicked by Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry and Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander. Additionally, the services and programs to be offered by both facilities have been outlined using feedback from a series of “Hopes and Dreams” community meetings that occurred earlier this year. Local ANC boards have also been encouraged to submit their thoughts on the matter. The architects behind the projects plan to hold public meetings regarding plans for the libraries as soon as next month.

Both the Washington Highlands and Francis A. Gregory projects are currently in the early design stages and no renderings are available at this time.

Meanwhile, Northwest is also getting two newly-updated libraries – one in Mount Pleasant, the other in Petworth.

With the first phase of renovations complete, the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library at 1600 Lamont Street NW will soon undergo significant interior renovations. Utilizing designs by the CORE Group and HMA2 Architects, the new facility will retain many of the library’s historic flourishes, while maximizing the amount of space available – for a total of 21,288 total square feet. Beyond sheer size, new improvements will include a new “common, accessible entrance for all residents,” an enhanced children’s section and updated, state-of-the-art infrastructure. The renovations are expected to be completed next year.

The Petworth Library at 4200 Kansas Avenue NW is also scheduled to receive an upgrade, beginning in January 2009. The plans on hand call for mostly superficial renovations – a facelift for the exterior, window and door restoration, roof repairs and new masonry. DCPL is currently accepting bids from contractors interested in the project, which are due no later than November 17^th.

These four new additions join the previously announced Watha T. Daniel/Shaw, Anacostia, Benning and Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library (more on that coming very soon) projects, which are currently at various stages of development.

UPDATE: DCPL will be holding a "community gathering" on December 16th to showcase designs for both the Highlands and Gregory projects. Architect David Adjaye will be in attendance. A location and time are forthcoming.

Project Taken to New Heights on Georgia Avenue

Like a snowball rolling downhill, the number of residential developments on Georgia Avenue is getting bigger by the minute. The latest project on the boards is The Heights at Georgia Avenue by the Neighborhood Development Company (NDC) - a 100,000 square foot mixed-use building that will feature 100% affordable housing. Besides adding 69 new apartments to the Petworth real estate market, the project at the intersection of Georgia Avenue & Lamont Street NW will also add roughly 10,000 square feet of retail to the mix. The developer is currently engaged in talks with a hardware retailer about the site and hopes have a sit-down restaurant in place when The Heights opens its doors in early 2011.

The Heights' all-affordable status has put it in a unique position with the District of Columbia. This week, Councilmember Jim Graham will introduce a bill before the City Council that aims to grant the project an exemption from property taxes for the next 40 years - provided it maintains an at least 50% margin of affordable housing in that time. The proposal should be voted upon sometime this fall.

NDC president Adrian G. Washington told DC Mud that ANC approval for The Heights at Georgia is forthcoming. “We’ve met with the ANC on several occasions and gotten a letter of support from the single-member district commissioner…We’re actually going tomorrow and we hope they will formally approve it.”

The Georgia Avenue site was acquired by a partnership of NDC and Mi Casa Inc. – a DC-based non-profit that specializes in restoring aging properties and converting them into affordable housing. The Heights will be their second brand-new new construction project (the first being the Rittenhouse Project in Brightwood). The building is being designed by architect Graham Parker and will come in at a cost of approximately $25 million. Construction is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Heights is only one of numerous projects currently in development in the Petworth neighborhood. Up the street at 4136 Georgia, Formant Development's proposed 57-unit, 7 story condominium tower is still scheduled to go to ground in 2009. Meanwhile, Donatelli Development’s Park Place is currently under construction and their proposed project across the street at 3801 Georgia recently issued a BID to contractors. These twin projects are joined by the massive redevelopment just up the street of the Park Morton public housing complex.

UPDATE: The Heights at Georgia Avenue's final address has been confirmed as 3232 Georgia Avenue NW - across the street from the NDC's Lamont Lofts project that was completed in 2005.

Washington D.C. real estate development

Donatelli Downsizes Petworth Metro Building

Developers Willco Residential and Donatelli Development are moving forward with their initiative to revitalize a stretch of Georgia Avenue marred by vacant lots and blighted businesses. Billing itself as “the first luxury, boutique residential property in the Columbia Heights/Petworth neighborhood,” the project located at 3801 Georgia Avenue NW will - according to a BID issued by Donatelli on September 22 - feature 12 rental units of 1 or 2-bedroom, 850 square foot apartments. Additionally, the concepts on hand call for the construction of a “sit-down” restaurant and 5,000 square feet of retail space. This announcement marks a change to the initial plans that projected 49 residential units and space for only 1 to 2 retail outlets. Now that the scale of the building has been pared down, the developer is posting no requirements for affordable housing and, as such, “will offer luxury urban living at lower price points than larger competing luxury properties.” Accordingly, they expect a successful leasing effort and a low vacancy rate from the get-go.Christopher Donatelli, President of Donatelli Development spoke to the reasoning behind the loss of the residential space. “Anytime you have an empty lot like that you can come in with a quality development is a good thing,” he said. “We’re going to get some retail in there…Trying to get a good development there at the Metro seems to make a lot of sense.” The new building is directly across the street from Donatelli’s 161-unit Park Place development above the Georgia Avenue/Petworth Metro - due for completion this winter - and is being designed by architects Eric Colbert & Associates (see DC Mud's previous coverage of Park Place). The project is expected to go to ground in May 2009.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

DC Selects Georgia Avenue Developer

Washington DC Mayor Fenty arrived by Smart Car today to announce that the District of Columbia has selected Donatelli Development and Mosaic Urban Partners as the development team for three parcels of land on Georgia Avenue. The lots are located one block north of the Petworth Metro station, at 3813, 3815 and 3825 Georgia Avenue. Development plans have not yet been finalized, but Mayor Fenty said today he expects the final product to include retail, restaurants, and market rate and affordable housing. Echoing his oft-repeated calls to fire up development on the neglected corridor, the Mayor insisted today that DC has "gotta have economic development on Georgia Avenue" for the benefit of the whole city, and that the project would complete by the fall of 2010. The city has not yet reached purchase terms with the development team. Donatelli Development has an extensive track record with the city, and, with DC-based Gragg & Associates, is nearing completion on Park Place, a 161-unit residential and retail building almost across the street. Donatelli also owns an adjacent vacant lot, on which it plans a 49-unit condominium building, though timing remains uncertain said Chris Donatelli. This will be a first for development partner Mosaic, a firm based in DC. Mosaic partner Calvin Gladney, a former NCRC staff member, said that partnering with Donatelli allows them to "integrate retail strategy," and "achieve a better end result for the community." Gladney was a bit more circumspect than the Mayor regarding timing, quickly noting that "there are so many variables", including financing, though partnering with Donatelli will certainly streamline the underwriting process. The project will convert two small neglected buildings and a vacant lot, all District owned, into a mixed use project on two separate sites. Architect Bill Bonstra, partner of Bonstra Haresign, the ubiquitous firm chosen to design the project, said that the project would feature a green roof and locally based retail, and that there was "a real push to do a community-minded project." 

The new building on the now vacant lot will rise three stories at street front, stepping back for a fourth and fifth floor. The selection of developers was unusually swift, with the District having solicited bids at the end of April, with a due date of July. Two teams submitted bids for the project. The mayor's office hopes the project is well timed, coming as the Petworth neighborhood struggles to fulfill the expectations of a revitalized mixed-use corridor. On May 23rd the Mayor stood nearby to announce that Georgia Avenue development was finally taking hold, highlighting Donatelli's Park Place, and Jair Lynch Development Partners' 130-unit apartment building at 3910 Georgia Avenue. But Park Place will not complete until next year, and Jair Lynch has encountered financing, title, and zoning hurdles with its project, and has been reluctant to even give a start date. And while the Neighborhood Development Company is also well underway on its own apartment building just to the north, many of the expected success of Georgia Avenue have yet to be initiated, and a bevy of apartment-turned condominium low-rises that expected to benefit from the retail surge that never happened remain unsold. But the prospect of five new developments all rising within a few blocks is undoubtedly a new direction for Petworth, and an event that may make an honest man out of the Mayor.

Washington DC commercial property news

Fenty Announces Petworth Metro Development Opportunities

At a Friday morning press conference just north of the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro Station, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced the District's intention to solicit development bids for three government-owned properties on the 3800 block of Georgia Avenue NW. Properties for bid are 3813, formerly Caribbean Cuisine, now empty; 3815, an empty storefront; and 3925-29, a vacant lot. The former two properties will be offered as one development unit.

Mayor Fenty gave a brief, grim history of the properties prior to their purchase by the District, highlights of which included foreclosure, the demolition of a half-standing and decrepit photo lab, and the discovery of a dead body. (Incidentally, one of the only operational businesses on the block is Latney’s Funeral Home.)

What will fill the decaying block? With bids due this summer and the District’s decision not coming until fall, no one knows yet. But Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, also in attendance at the press conference, spoke of “quality retail, quality dining, and places for our residents to gather and stop taking their dollars out of our city.” Any residential development would include the requisite 30 percent affordable housing, and all projects would have to meet green building standards. Former President Clinton may belatedly get his wish for a revitalized Georgia Avenue.

Just steps away from the conference, Donatelli Development was hard at work on Park Place, its $60 million mixed-use project above the Metro. Donatelli has also purchased an empty lot with 10,000+ developable s.f. on the corner of the 3800 block. In addition, Fenty intimated that the Safeway Food & Drug across the street would undergo renovation or redevelopment of some kind.

Councilmember Bowser hopes this block of Petworth will serve as a “model for what we want to do along this entire corridor.” Mayor Fenty has long voiced support for Ward 4 development. As Bowser put it, “I like to think of this as the mayor putting the people’s money where his mouth is.”

A Common Building for Petworth

Petworth's newest multi-family, Georgia Commons, will break ground by early next summer, according to developer Jair Lynch Companies (JLC). The 130-unit apartment building with 22,000 s.f. of retail will go up two blocks north of the Petworth Metro station by JLC and development partner AHD Inc. (Affordable Housing Developer). The pair was awarded the contract to build by the National Capitol Revitalization Corporation in 2006. The $38 million project, at 3910 Georgia Ave. NW is being designed by EDG Architects and Frank Schlesinger Associates.

JLC is the only developer that has two projects accepted into the eco-friendly pilot program LEED Neighborhood Development, which encourages Smart-Growth, transit-oriented development. According to the Congress for New Urbanism, an anti-sprawl organization with similar goals as Smart Growth, the new LEED program is "a joint venture of the Congress for the New Urbanism, the US Green Building Council, and the Natural Resources Defense Council...just as other LEED systems have improved building efficiency and energy performance, LEED-ND will reward efficient use of land and the building of complete and walkable communities." According to Tania Jackson, Director of External Affairs at Jair Lynch Companies, the new LEED designation targets sustainability on a macro-level instead of just "sticks and bricks." JLC's two LEED ND projects are Georgia Commons and the upcoming Solea, a mixed-use project at 14th and Florida, NW.

When completed, Georgia Commons will hold five-stories of mixed-income residential apartments organized around a central courtyard, sitting atop one level of street retail and two underground parking levels. It will be a contemporary structure, fitting into the Georgia Ave overlay zone, which aims to catalyze retail activity. "It's contextual but contemporary," said Don Tucker, Principal at EDG Architects. The project is a bit behind its original deadline, but is said now to have the financing in place to begin construction within 6 months.

Petworth’s 4136 Georgia Avenue Condo Gets Zoning Approval

Last week, the DC Zoning Commission granted approval to Petworth Holdings LLC (Formant Development) for its proposed seven-story, 57-unit mixed-use condominium to replace the gas station now located at 4136 Georgia Avenue (at the intersection of Kansas Avenue and Upshur Street) in Petworth, just four blocks from the Georgia Ave. Metro station. There is expected to be 5,000-sf of ground-floor retail, and the roof will be environmentally "green" in keeping with the current development trend. Four of the condo units will be priced below market, with Petworth residents given first priority. There will also be 37 below-ground parking spaces. Because the 75-foot building would exceed the 50-foot height limit of the site, zoning approval was necessary. In return for the zoning exception, the developer will donate $125,000 to the Petworth Recreation Center and Clark Elementary School. SGA Architects has been selected to design the building, with current plans including a brick structure with warehouse-style bay windows from floor to ceiling (pictured). Formant does not expect to break ground for another two years, with sales following.

Changes Coming to Georgia Avenue-Petworth, Dunn Loring Metro Stops

Those who suffered through the building of the Green Line remember well the disruption and dust kicked up by that long project, and celebrated the day the line was completed. While not as controversial, and in the end it will be part of something wonderful for Petworth, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is planning to close the west escalator entrance to the Georgia Ave-Petworth station for two years starting December 11, 2006 (the east escalator entrance will stay open). This is part of the construction plan for Park Place (pictured), which is being built above the station. When completed in mid-2008, Park Place will offer 156 units in a 6-story building built by Donatelli Development. Park Place will offer underground parking and private rooftop terraces for prices starting at $320,000 for a 1BR condo and $480,000 for a 2 BR unit.

In other metro stop news, on Monday the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved Trammel Crow Residential’s plan to build a 720-unit apartment building with retail on a 15-acre lot at the Dunn Loring-Merrifield station. The project calls for three towers, set around a landscaped plaza, to be built on the parking lot, along with a new six-story parking garage with 2,000 spaces and stores underneath. There also will be 1,150 additional underground parking spaces under the apartment towers. Eight percent of the apartments will be set aside as "workforce" housing for county employees and low-income residents. In addition, Trammel Crow has pledged to the county a contribution to help cover the costs that the expected influx of new school-aged children will bring.

Groundbreaking for Donatelli's Petworth Project

On Monday, July 31, Donatelli Development will break ground on Park Place, its latest project, to be built above the Petworth Metro Station at Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues. When completed in mid-2008, Park Place will offer 156 units in a 6-story building designed by Torti Gallas of Silver Spring. Donatelli Development - the builder formerly known as Donatelli & Klein - teamed up with Torti Gallas for the two anchor residential projects in the center of Columbia Heights, inviting speculation that Petworth is the leading edge of the boom that engulfed 14th St. Park place will offer underground parking and private rooftop terraces for prices starting at $320,000 for a 1- bedroom condo and $480,000 for 2 bedrooms. Reservation agreements are currently being taken, hard sales should start in October when final condo certification is issued by the DC government; the general contractor has not yet been selected.

Petworth Project Gets Nod

A Washington DC Council committee this week gave an approval to a project in the 4100 block of Georgia Avenue by allowing closure of the alley between Georgia Ave., Kansas Ave., and Taylor St. The local ANC has already given its approval for the Neighborhood Development Corp (NDC) to construct a mixed-use rental development just north of the Petworth Metro, expected to contain 72 affordable apartments, with construction to start this Fall (artist's rendering of building is pictured). Included will be 10,500 square feet of retail and 57 underground parking spaces. The Petworth construction boom comes as nearby condo projects Park Place (completion in 2008) prepares to start sales shortly, and as Georgia Avenue readies for a new rapid transit bus running from Silver Spring to the National Archives. The novel rapid transit will operate new 40- foot buses beginning the end of September, reducing the number of stops from 54 to 14, and will be equipped with an emitter that lengthens the timing of green lights to allow the bus to pass through.

Petworth Goes Condo

The DC government's efforts to revitalize Georgia Avenue may finally be paying some dividends. Love or hate the trend, Petworth is poised to undergo a transformation that will include numerous large-scale condo developments over the next several years as the wave of developments seeps untapped areas. Hitherto dominated by single family residences, Petworth has one of the more active pipeline of condo developments and apartments in the city, where Donatelli & Klein is in the final stages of the 148-unit Park Place anchor at the Petworth Metro. Other projects include a 72-unit affordable apartment building at 4100 Georgia Avenue, a condominium at 4200 Georgia Avenue, a 110-unit apartment building at 3910 Georgia by Jair Lynch, the Renaissance by Lakritz Adler (105 units), and the Jefferson, a 39-unit reconstruction that will deliver this Winter. Unlike the last generation, this round of condos is going for higher-end features, with condos like the Jefferson offering granite counters, wood floors throughout, natural stone tiles and private terraces. Another 400 units are well into the planning stages at this point.