City Ridge - the Former Fannie Mae Site

The City Ridge project will transform the former Fannie Mae headquarters just south of Tenleytown into a mixed-use development including the city's first Wegmans, scheduled to open in 2022.  Roadside, which developed City Market at O in Shaw nearly a decade ago, initiated construction in 2018 and employ an impressive 5 construction cranes to cover the entire 10-acre site.  More impressive still is the need to lift and support the entire Georgian revival building to allow the old foundation to be removed and excavate a further 8 feet, supporting the existing building on micropiles and creating a new base added that will house Wegmans.  The completed project will feature 690 residential units, 153,000 s.f. of retail, and 174,000 s.f. of office space, for a "mixed-use urban village."

On top of adding Wegmans to the roster, Roadside and partner NASH (North America Sekisui House) also signed International Baccalaureate, a global non-profit that designs educational curricula, now based in Bethesda, as the signature tenant for the historic building, vacated when Fannie Mae decamped for their new downtown campus.  The successful relocation of three 600,000 pound heritage oaks from the construction site to the front yard was yet another upbeat element for the project.

click for photo gallery

Project:  City Ridge

Address:  3939 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC

Developer:  Roadside Development

Architect:  Shalom Baranes

Construction:  Whiting Turner

Landscape Architect:  Michael Vergason

Use: 690 residential units, 153,000 s.f. of retail, 167,000 s.f. of office

Expected Completion: Early 2022

Washington DC retail and real estate development news

Today in Pictures - CityMarket at O

The CityMarket at O, Shaw's latest mega project, got underway last September with the closure and demolition of the Giant supermarket, which will be replaced with a new, larger Giant in 2 years time. The new 71,000-s.f. Giant will be the first completed aspect of the project, followed by a 182-key Cambria Suites hotel, 150 condominiums and 635 apartments (84 set aside as affordable senior housing) as well as restoration of the O Street Market, one of the 5 original brick markets built in Washington D.C. The project is headed by Roadside Development, with design by Shalom Baranes and construction by Clark.









Washington D.C. real estate development news. Photos by Rey Lopez.

CityMarket at O Makes it Official Friday

Three years after signing a funding deal with the city, one and a half years after applying for federal funding, not to mention several intervening official groundbreakings, the CityMarket at O will begin actual construction on Friday.

Roadside Development and city officials will gather Friday at 10am for photographs and speeches but, for the first time, also to watch the machinery "eat a big chunk of the Giant," says a spokesman for Roadside.

Federal officials announced on October 11th that it had granted Roadside $128m for development of the market that will include a 182-key Cambria Suites hotel, 150 condominiums and 635 apartments, 84 set aside as affordable senior housing, as well as restoration of the O Street Market, one of the 5 original brick markets built in Washington D.C. Roadside officials say the project will generate 2400 jobs directly.

Friday's construction triggers the 2-year time frame promised to Giant, giving Roadside until November 18, 2013, to reopen the supermarket. Richard Lake of Roadside said the $128 HUD loan closed on Thursday. The remainder of the financing is provided by a $32m TIF funding from the city and $40m from Equity raised by Roadside.

Contractors will first demolish the Giant, then spend 6 months excavating. The new supermarket will be the first piece to reopen, followed quickly by 400 apartments and the hotel. Roadside does not yet have funding for the second portion of the work - the condos and senior center - said Roadside's Lake, but hope that financing will allow construction of that phase to begin shortly and deliver concurrently.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Shaw Giant Closes Today

The Giant supermarket has closed to make way for construction of the new Giant, anchor of the long-anticipated CityMarket at O in Shaw, with excavation planned for November, said Susan Linsky, project manager at Roadside Development. The new 71,000-s.f. Giant will be the first completed aspect of the project, as Roadside is contractually obligated to deliver a replacement within two years of closing the old store, meaning, by September 8th, 2013. "We're really excited," said Linsky. "However, there is a lot of work to do in advance of excavation." Facade support, utilities prep, etc. 

Construction, by Clark, will be in several phases and split between the east and west parcels. The east parcel, which is mainly comprised of the Giant, will be topped with affordable senior housing (84 units), and an apartment. Although the Giant will deliver first, the other two components of the east parcel will deliver last, likely in late fall 2014 or early spring 2015. The second phase of the real estate project, to deliver immediately following the Giant, will be the west parcel's 181-room hotel, a 400-unit apartment unit and several retail outlets (around 16,000 s.f. in all); likely completion date of these components is late fall 2013, or early spring 2014. A condominium, also on the west parcel, will be included in the last phase. The 1-million-s.f. urban infill project will be built on a parking podium consisting of over 500 spaces. Roadside believes the project will “serve as a catalyst for the revitalization of the Shaw community, one of Washington's oldest commercial, residential, and cultural districts.”

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Shaw Giant to Close September 8th to Make Way for CityMarket at O

The Shaw Giant will close September 8th in order to make way for CityMarket at O, Roadside Development's $260 million dollar project that will rebuild 2 full blocks in Shaw with 87,000 square feet of retail (including the Giant), 629 residential units, and 500 parking spaces. The project had received demolition permits early this year and a HUD financing commitment in April, leaving just the final administrative hurdles to clear before beginning work on the long awaited project.

Under the terms of the agreement with Giant, Roadside Development was required to give Giant officials a 60-day notice to vacate, which it planned to do once the funding was secure and in place. While Roadside officials offered a "no comment" on the notice, Giant Store Manager Patrick Aryee tells DCMud that Giant corporate officials informed him yesterday that the store would close September 8th. Once Giant closes, Roadside has 2 years to complete the project to let Giant back in the space. Roadside Principal Armand Spikell told DCMud this spring that Roadside would likely issue the 60 day notice by July.

The closure is therefore sure to be followed quickly by frenetic construction and add vigor to revitalization in Shaw that has already gained steam with such projects as the Marriott Marquis, Progression Place, and a new pair of Marriotts. The new Giant Foods will be one of the larger nearby supermarkets at 55,000 s.f., with 13,000 s.f. underground, burying such items as the loading dock which now mars 9th street.




The buildings are being designed by Shalom Baranes Architects and built by Clark Construction.

Washington DC real estate development news

"Things Are Moving" for O Street Market

Think Eastern Market meets City Vista if you're trying to imagine what the CityMarket at O will look like, the $260 million dollar project to help revitalize Shaw's business district. "It will embrace an unusual combination of 19th century charm and 21st century technology," said Armand Spikell, Principal of Roadside Development about the Shaw project that will transform two city blocks in Shaw.

Though Roadside had applied to raze the Giant at 1414 8th Street at the end of January - the first of many permits - the demolition date is still hazy, though Spikell projects the store will close this summer. Between now and then, the group has been digging around the foundation and adding steel braces to support the historic market building.

The new Giant Foods will be larger than the Safeway that now resides in City Vista. 55,000 of the 87,000 s.f of retail space is slated for Giant, of which 13,000 s.f. will be underground. This includes the loading dock in particular. "During the initial meetings, the community stated they did not want the eyesore of the docks that take up 9th Street now. It is a very unusual move, but we've tucked all that out of sight," said Spikell.

Also out of sight are the 500 parking spaces, which will also serve as an option for the Convention Center so as not to congest the neighborhood, again at the behest of the community. The remaining retail space is slated for small local businesses, none of which have yet signed at this early date; businesses would not open doors until 2013.

"Working with metro on foundations, working on design, meeting with the community, securing funding through HUD, this is not a normal commercial venture," said Spikell, "and this all takes time." Having started in 2003, eight years later, "things are finally starting to move."

Washington DC real estate development news

Shaw Community, Public Officials, Set to Celebrate CityMarket Groundbreaking Wednesday

Approved by the HPRB way back in August of 2007, and then by Zoning in May of 2008, Roadside Development's mixed-use CityMarket at O project apparently has a long shelf life. Developers have regularly attempted to quell the usual doubters with news of restructured financing, and updated timelines, but will finally lay uncertainty to rest, as a groundbreaking shindig is dated for Wednesday afternoon of this week. Festivities could include some palpable political tension, as mayoral candidate rivals political-polling master Vincent Gray and the Smart-car-piloting Mayor Fenty will likely both be in attendance. After the two year stall in action, a strategy becoming evermore popular in development world, Roadside's shovel plunge at CityMarket is an important step in the revitalization of the Shaw district.

Now residents are set to receive their long-awaited attention with a one million s.f. urban infill project that will solidify, restore, and protect the historic facade of the enduring O Street Market, constructed in 1881 and now only a shell, as well as populate four lonely acres of mostly abandoned land between 9th, 7th, P and O Streets, NW with residential (over 600 units) and commercial buildings (87,000 s.f. of retail). Shalom Baranes Architects has been trusted to oversee the design process. A heavy snowstorm destroyed the roof the Market building in 2001, but architects and developers are confident the building will be restored to its original grandeur. Project architect Andrew Taylor says that they intend on avoiding a monolithic design theme, and that each building will have its own personality. "There is an effort...to create a composition of buildings surrounding and drawing attention to the Market, using modern elements that pick up on the more playful elements of the Market's Victorian architecture."


The project also includes the demolition of the current Giant grocery store, with plans for a much grander replacement. Roadside says of the planned Giant: "The new store will combine the charm of the 19th Century with 21st Century efficiency to create one of Washington's largest food stores and the East Coast's most unique and interesting shopping experiences." Stabilization of the O Street Market building for the purpose of preservation, and protection from subsequent ground excavation, is the first order of business, beginning this week. Demolition of the current Giant is next on the agenda, scheduled for later this winter, with the 24-month shot-clock commencing on January 15th, counting down the time developers have to deliver the new grocery store. The redevelopment won't be fully realized until sometime in 2013. Clark Construction is handling general contracting duties.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Shaw's Great Expectations

Shaw will have its renaissance yet. Earlier this week Alexander Padro, the President of Shaw Main Streets, provided positive updates on several long anticipated developments in the Shaw neighborhood. It should make for a busy summer and fall, beginning with Monday's groundbreaking for 1501 9th St., NW, a small development by a small business, Inle Development. It marked the beginning of the groundbreaking "season" with bigger projects, like the Howard Theater, set to follow shortly.

Inle's development will be home to Mandalay Restaurant and Cafe, a Burmese restaurant currently based in Silver Spring. Mandalay will have a ground floor restaurant with outdoor seating, a second floor bar and the remainder will be residential space for the restaurant owner and family members. The restaurant will open next summer.

Ellis Development Group and Four Points will break ground on August 22nd at the Howard Theater, marking the centennial anniversary of its opening. According to Padro, the team recently acquired and demolished a neighboring building and plans to seek approval for an alley closing so that the Theater will get a makeover and an expansion all at once. Construction should take approximately 18 months.


As we previously reported, Roadside Development will "break ground" on the O Street Market in September. At that time the developer will begin the process of bolstering and securing the existing structure with new construction likely to follow in "Spring of 2011." The two-block, mixed-use project will include 611 residential units, 86 of which will be subsidized by the city, senior housing, a 189-room hotel, a 516-space parking garage and 88,000 s.f. of retail: 57,000 s.f. Giant and 31,000 s.f. for additional vendors. The Shalom Baranes-designed project will cover two city blocks between 7th and 9th Streets, and O and P Streets and will re-open 8th Street.

Padro said this forward momentum is leading other developers, small and large alike to begin piecemeal work in other areas. Developers are "already investing in renovating some of the smaller historic buildings that are part of the larger projects." Little by little, one project at the time, Shaw's developers are bringing new energy to the neighborhood.

Washington, DC commercial real estate development news

O Street Market: The Possibility of Progress

Despite yesterday's Historic Preservation consent approval of a one-time, two-year extension for Roadside Development's O Street Market and next week's scheduled extension at the Office of Zoning, the O Street Market project is closer to birth than it has been in years, and signs of progress are appearing. The project received Zoning approval in July 2008, an approval which will expire this summer unless the extension request is granted. The project team is now working with the District Department of Transportation and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to obtain construction permits so that in September, Roadside can begin the process of bolstering and securing the existing structure. Construction will likely follow in "Spring of 2011." The Shaw neighborhood may see progress yet.

The O Street Market has stood at the corner of 7th and O Streets, NW, since 1881, now deteriorating with the roof having collapsed in 2003. Roadside Development purchased the site in 2002 and began their plans to reinvent the site and with it a key section of Shaw. In late June, 2008, the DC government announced a deal to provide a $35 million tax increment financing (TIF) to help the developers bridge a financial gap and achieve the $260 million needed for the project.

Roadside Development's founder Armond Spikell said the Shaw neighborhood has "suffered" over the years from various set backs and that "quite frankly our project is one of the sore spots in the neighborhood, as it exists." But Spikell also believes that once developed, the O Street Market project will be "no question...the catalyst to put the neighborhood over the top." The project will be an "economic engine for the neighborhood" added Spikell, providing over 600 jobs during construction and 400 full-time equivalent jobs once completed.

The two-block, mixed-use project will include 611 residential units, 86 of which will be subsidized by the city, senior housing, a 189-room hotel, a 516-space parking garage and 88,000 s.f. of retail: 57,000 s.f. Giant and 31,000 s.f. for additional vendors. The six architecturally distinct buildings, designed by Shalom Baranes Architects, will cover two city blocks between 7th and 9th Streets, and O and P Streets. The project will re-open 8th Street, lining it with retail and new residential, serving as "the hub" of the new mini-community, according to the developers.

At the Shaw Main Streets Meeting last September, a Roadside representative indicated that the current Giant would close its doors January 15, 2011. Now, Susan Linsky, a Roadside spokesman, said the Giant will not close until the group is ready to begin serious construction in "spring of 2011." Under its contract with Giant, the developers have to provide four months notice, which can only be given after permits are secured and construction financing is in place. Shaw residents can continue to enjoy their ho-hum Giant until further notice.

Construction, whenever it starts, will begin with a site-wide excavation, including the area under the historic market. There the team will dig out two levels of parking to serve the grocery, residential and hotel. The below-grade garage is a welcome improvement in urban planning, replacing the street-facing row of truck bays that hogs 9th Street with a single-purpose truck ramp for all deliveries to the hotel, residential and grocery store. Also underground will be a 14,000 s.f. "back of house" space for Giant's behind-the-scenes operations; no mysterious swinging doors to rear nether regions. Roadside is contractually obligated to complete the Giant within 24 months of vacating the space, meaning a new store could open by spring 2013.

The Grocery store will be "much bigger and a lot more interesting" than any other in city, claimed Spikell. By including the old market, the design will rebuild the 42 ft. high roof with a monitor skylight window, 150 ft. in length, down the center. Spikell hopes that as people enter the store through an area with baked goods and prepared foods they will look back at the old market, divided from the rest of the store by the skylight, and get a "special feeling from the ceiling height and all that light coming in." Beyond the ethereal elements, the store will be "much larger" than most urban customers are used to and will have "a greater offering" of products, according to Spikell. Think cheese bar and a large prepared food section.

Once the garage and grocery are finished, the team will build the hotel space and the market-rate apartments along 8th Street, followed by affordable senior housing on 7th Street and finishing with the proposed condo units along 9th Street. The team has not yet formalized an agreement with a general contractor.

Washington, DC real estate development news