Avera Station Condos Now Apartments

The Avera Station condominiums in Falls Church has joined the long and growing list of condos that have been converted to for-lease apartments, and has been rechristened as Carmel Vienna Metro. Built by Atlanta-based Beazer Homes, the 245-unit Avera Station was fully completed in mid June, and sold to Denver-based Carmel Partners on July 1. The project had been selling as condominiums since early 2006, and had been advertised as "No. Virginia's Fastest Selling Condos." Carmel, which purchased the project free of the previous condominium contracts, would not disclose the sale price. According to Carmel, none of the pre-construction contracts went to settlement.

The project is located outside the beltway, nearly adjacent to the Vienna Metro station. Carmel, which owns and manages 45 apartment buildings nationwide, says it has already leased 50 of the units over the past month, with rents ranging from $1705 to $2420. According to on-site Manager James Mann, Carmel Vienna Metro is maintaining the "luxury homes" branding, offering "concierge services" and a flat-screen television to all tenants.

Falls Church real estate news

Imperial Intentions in Court House

Adding their share to the Byzantine world of residential development, Monument Realty's 262-unit Palatine project is opening up for occupancy as a condo-gone-rental. While the Arlington Court House area is not a good comparison to the second Roman Empire (we won't forecast its decline and fall), the building, designed by Davis Carter Scott (DCS), sits ponderously on Troy Street, and will include cast stone that looks similar to limestone, bringing a slight, well, monumental touch to the neighborhood.

A building description by former project manager at DCS, Kevin Pennington, back from the condo days of 2004 reads, "The Palatine Condominium is a contemporary twist on the neo-classical style of architecture. Perched on a hill like the palaces built by Tiberius and Nero on Palatine Hill...The Palatine is above the fray and bustle of the City below. The Palatine draws you near with graceful columns reaching toward the sky and arching together. The rich colors of the cast stone base bled upward to the comfort of the brick facade above..."

The less romantic story for the edifice is that the cast stone was, "something Arlington pushed for so the building will be a different scene in the area rather than just more brick," according to Gunn Prag, current Project Manager at Davis Carter Scott. The building sits two-and-a-half blocks south of the Court House Metro, overlooking Arlington Boulevard, and joins a list of completed projects in the Rosslyn- Ballston corridor, most of which began conceptually as condos, but have recently begun delivery as for-rent apartments.

“We are spanning two types of environments, so we go twelve stories up on the north side and then scale down to mid-rise level. We transition from the heights of the high density offices around us to the mid-rise level, a stepped-tower approach,” said Prag.

Described by project manager Glen Seidlitz at Monument as the “premier rental building" in the courthouse area, the units inside the tasteful building have all the ingredients for high-end condos, including stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, but will instead be rented at market-rate prices starting at $1790 for a studio to $5905 for a three bedroom, two and-a-half bath townhouse with a den. Leasing is underway with delivery scheduled for the ides of July.

Because of the conversion, there will no longer be double level units in the towers, although the corner balconies are still technically multi-story amenities as they are without roofs. Other condo-to-rental adjustments include the elimination of the cauldarium - or rather sauna and the conversion of the business center to a more Roman style party room. Symposiums are more fun anyway.

Douglas's Takoma Park Apartments Approved

Yesterday morning, the Board of Zoning Adjustment granted Douglas Development Corporation subsidiary Jemal’s TP Land, LLC final approval and entitlements for its paired apartment buildings at Maple and Willow Streets, NW, in the Takoma Park neighborhood. The development site sits about two blocks east of the Takoma Metro station, within a few feet of the Maryland border.

The 102,000-s.f. site sits in the middle of a block bounded by Maple, Willow and Carroll Streets and Sandy Spring Rd. NW; the future buildings will run parallel to Maple and Willow Streets, fronting Maple for 420 feet and Willow for 407 feet. The site is now occupied by three single family homes and a parking lot; the rest is vacant. In order to clear the way for the apartment buildings, Douglas will renovate and relocate the three homes to the south side of the site to "reinforce the transition between the existing community and the proposed development," according to the BZA application.

Douglas' now-approved buildings, designed by GTM Architects, are planned to top out at 40 feet, each with roughly 41,000 gross square feet, and each having 38 units - scaled back from the original 55,000-s.f. buildings with 40 units each. Douglas will have its landscapers provide more than 25,000 s.f. of green space on the site and plant a wall of evergreen trees on the north end of the lot - apparently to shield neighbors from views of the large surface parking lots that will dominate the complex. The BZA files describe the project as "incorporat[ing] details from the traditional Washington DC apartment buildings from the early part of the twentieth century. A belt course and decorated cornice line visually reduces the mass...while adding architectural interest to the building facade."

Albeit a few minor bumps regarding a roof stairwell that was a little too high and a little too close to the building's facade, Douglas' project has smoothly sailed through the application process, taking just 18 months from start to finish. The Historic Preservation Review Board, required to approve because the site since it lies in the Takoma Park Historic District, gave their assent in February of 2007, and the Office of Planning gave its benediction on November 5th.

A few neighbors complained of potential "flooding, traffic and street parking, [an] absentee landlord, crowding of existing homes and noise and the loss of green space," but the Office of Planning weighed in, saying that the project would have a "positive impact on the immediate neighborhood."

The project site sits across from the long-awaited Ecco Park condominium project, which SGA Architects had designed and planned for development at 235 Carroll Street, purchasing the site of the former gas station and remediating the soil in 2006, but which has yet to see construction begin despite several predictions of an imminent groundbreaking.

SE Developer to Go-it Alone on Robinson Place

Southeast will soon see a new pair of buildings staring each other down across Robinson Place, SE, if zoning gives it the nod today. District-Properties.com intends to build a condo building at 2825 Robinson Place, and an apartment building across the street at 2836 Robinson Place, applications for which will be reviewed today at a Board of Zoning Adjustment hearing. District-Properties currently awaits a decision before the board regarding their application for a special exemption to build these multi-family projects, a process necessary in R-5-A zoning districts.

BZA found minor flaws with each building after their last hearing on January 15th. According to BZA's review of the condo, District-Properties.com needs to "refine the project so that the building's articulation and facade are compatible with the neighborhood." Their comments on the apartment building were similar: "The board felt that the building's design does not mimic the characteristics of the neighborhood and appears not to be in harmony with the surrounding buildings." Overall, the board saw the aesthetics of the two buildings a tad too ornate. In response to these comments, District-Properties.com had to submit revised plans by last Tuesday in order to allow the Office of Planning adequate time to file their supplemental comments.

District Properties was founded in 2002 by Mohammad Sikder; over the past six years, the firm has matured in the development world from renovating single family homes to developing multi-unit condominiums and apartments. But unlike many development firms who hire outside help for the process, Mohommad likes keeping expertise under his own roof - excepting the tedious subcontracting work. Speaking with DC Mud about his plans for Robinson Place, and his focus on keeping the work in-house, Sikder stated "I have architects, engineers, project managers and assistants. We have acquired the land, designed it and will develop it ourselves. Our whole team works together."

Their plans for Robinson Place call for the two residential buildings on two vacant lots near the intersection of Jaspar Road and Robinson. The condominium will be a 3-story, 17-unit building with 11 two-bedroom and 6 three-bedroom units, on a 19,525 s.f. lot; plans include landscaped areas surrounding the building, 17 surace parking spaces and a brick cladding facade. The apartment building will also be 3 stories but will have one less unit and one less parking space on a 17,500-s.f. lot. Both will top out at 40 feet. The Office of Planning recommended approval on January 8th.

2300 Pennsylvania Gets DC's OK

The Zoning Commission took final action yesterday and approved Chapman Development LLC's plans to build a new apartment building at 2300 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. The official plans call for a 118-unit building which will house 100% workforce housing for those earning 60% AMI. The 59-ft. building will wrap around a 6,000-s.f. courtyard bounded by Prout Street, Pennsylvania Ave and two public alleys, and residents will get the luxury of having 8,000 s.f. of retail on the ground floor. The approval clears the way for razing existing structures on the site.

Saul Centers to Demo Building This Week

Saul Centers Inc. is now ready to move forward with its Clarendon Center project. Yesterday, the development firm received demolition permits for the two-phase development which will consist of a 12-story apartment building, two office buildings and some landscaped open space on two blocks on Clarendon Blvd. and Wilson Blvd. at their intersections with Highland and Garfield Streets. All three buildings will have ground floor retail.

Demo-teams arrived on the site yesterday, and began picking apart the old E-Trade building 'by hand.' Full demolition won't begin until Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority gives an official phone call to SCI, approving site work within 50 ft. of their metro tunnel; SCI expects the phone to ring soon, but for now they're content with doing demo work outside the 50 ft. line. Mary Beth Avedesian, the Vice President of Acquisitions & Development at SCI, explained that because the E-Trade building abuts the Leadership Institute building, it makes sense to begin picking apart their connection by hand, so as to avoid damaging the neighboring historic structure. Unfortunately for pyros and those who just really enjoy a good explosion, the building will come down using a high reach demolition unit with a hydraulic crusher that will munch away at the building, bit by bit.

Although the County has yet to give "Excavation, Sheeting and Shoring" permits, which will initiate the start of construction and allow for foundation digging, Saul Centers anticipates that permit in February.

New Rentals Break Ground in Alexandria

Trammell Crow Residential has just broken ground on Alexandria's newest apartment building, the Alexan Carlyle, at 800 John Carlyle Street, roughly two blocks from the Patent and Trademark Office headquarters. The 280-unit rental complex is a $94 million joint-venture split between Trammell Crow and Olayan America Corporation as an institutional investor.

The 2.8-acre site is planned to house a resort-esque, luxury apartment building amply loaded with amenities typical of "luxury" buildings: A swimming pool, clubhouse, mini-gym and billiards room among others. Virginia-based Cubellis DCA served as the architects and has reportedly created the architectural pu pu platter of buildings, integrating three separate architectural styles within the 5-story building: Classic federal architecture reminiscent of Old Town, an art-deco panache and an urban loft approach. The first units will be completed by the fall of 2009.

"The Carlyle neighborhood of Alexandria is the perfect location for TCR's latest Alexan luxury rental community, Alexan Carlyle. The new PTO headquarters is just two blocks away and is adding jobs at the rate of about 1,200 per year. Plus residents will have easy access to two Metro stations as well as all the shops and restaurants of Old Town Alexandria," said Sean Caldwell, Managing Director at Trammell Crow Residential. PNC Bank is financing the construction of TCR's newest addition to Northern Virginia.

Alexandria Approves Madison Development

Trammell Crow Company (TCC) had a good week in Alexandria last week. Special Use Permits for The Madison were approved by the Alexandria Planning Commisssion, and on Saturday the City Council reviewed and unanimously approved the permits to build.

The next step for TCC is to finalize the site plan design, which is being headed up by civil engineering firm Christopher Consultants and architect Cooper Carry. Once complete, both the Zoning and Planning departments in Alexandria will take a final look at the technical details, which is more demanding than the general concept designs. Jeff Miller, Senior Vice President at TCC, predicts a ground breaking date in the first quarter of 2009, anticipating that this stage will take anywhere between eight and twelve months.

The Madison's two buildings have been planned to hold about 344 residential units, determined last August to go rental. The concept plan includes the construction of a new street to dissect the block connecting Fayette and N. Henry streets, splitting the site into northern and southern halves. The northern half will house 206 units and a roughly 9,000-s.f. courtyard for residents. The southern half will house a 138-unit structure and an 8,000-s.f. park open to the public. TCC will also provide about 521 parking spaces available for retail and residential uses.

The Madison is located at 800 North Henry Street: it will house 23,000 s.f. of ground level retail and passive open space at the intersection of North Henry and Madison Streets. Recent delays in approval had resulted from the project's falling under the jurisdiction of the upcoming Braddock Road Metro Area Plan.

The Condo Gods Giveth, and Taketh Away

It might be tempting to analyze recent developments in the Rosslyn/Arlington condo market and make broad pronouncements on "The State Of The Market," but we’ll leave such baseless articles to the Washington Post. We’ll just go with, "You win some, you lose some." Early this week, a planned grand opening for 1325 Pierce was canceled by the Dittmar Company, and instead the company has decided to move forward with the building now being apartment rentals. Originally, these 19 units, which feature 2 or 3 bedrooms and balconies, were to start selling in the $600s, but they are now being listed for rent starting from $2350/month. When contacted, a Dittmar representative confirmed the "reverse conversion" to rentals, asserting it was done to take advantage of the "strong rental market for 2 and 3 bedroom units." However, all is not lost, as just around the corner from 1325 Pierce near Ft. Myer is a new upscale condo project named Scene Cityhomes by Centex Homes. These units are expected to include secured parking, gas fireplaces, walk out balconies, stainless steel appliances, etc. - not to mention interior "translucent walls" for those always wishing they had x-ray vision. Units will range in size from 900 sf to 2900 sf, and prices are expected to start from the mid-$400's for 1BR/BA to $1million for the penthouse 2BR/2.5BA. Delivery will be in 2008.

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