Washington DC retail news
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Today in Pictures - Boilermaker Shops
3
comments
Posted by
Ken on 10/24/2012 11:57:00 AM
Labels: Capitol Riverfront, Forest City, Navy Yard
Labels: Capitol Riverfront, Forest City, Navy Yard

Washington DC retail news
Your Next Place
This beautiful corner home has been extensively remodeled after being vacant for decades. I live just two blocks away and I can attest that for the past five or six years, it was the scariest, filthiest, most haunted-looking house in the neighborhood; I wouldn't even let my dog crap in the trash-strewn yard for fear it would step on a syringe and contract hepatitis B. Now that this place has been turned into a crown jewel of the neighborhood, the crappiest scariest-looking crown has been passed down to ... crap, it's now my house! (True story: the sinkhole that's formed on my stoop as a result of a botched water main repair is so wide and deep that the mailman just tosses our mail onto the stairs from the sidewalk, lest he plummet to his death.)
A duplex condo, this unit has huge, oversized windows wherever you turn, flooding the living spaces with natural light. Maybe too much natural light - I went to this open house with my girlfriend, and when we were in the light-flooded living room I caught her looking at me up and down, as if seeing me for the first time, and muttering, "wait a second, does my boyfriend look like a Depression-era Mexican standup comedian?!" (Answer: yes.) There are gleaming hardwood floors and recessed lighting throughout, and the kitchen sports granite countertops and beautiful custom cabinetry.
Upstairs is a similarly light-filled master bedroom (check out those closets!) and a fantastic master bath featuring side by side twin basins for those late night handwashin' competitions (what, you thought no one knew about that?), and a huge glass cube shower that's equal parts Vegas and Star Trek. And on the roof is a fantastic 800-square-foot roof deck from which you can juuuuuust see the Washington Monument, which you will never ever look at, but which you can casually mention to people at cocktail parties as a subtle way to convey that despite all appearances to the contrary, you're actually quite annoying.
1600 8th St. NW #1
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths
$895,000
A duplex condo, this unit has huge, oversized windows wherever you turn, flooding the living spaces with natural light. Maybe too much natural light - I went to this open house with my girlfriend, and when we were in the light-flooded living room I caught her looking at me up and down, as if seeing me for the first time, and muttering, "wait a second, does my boyfriend look like a Depression-era Mexican standup comedian?!" (Answer: yes.) There are gleaming hardwood floors and recessed lighting throughout, and the kitchen sports granite countertops and beautiful custom cabinetry.
Upstairs is a similarly light-filled master bedroom (check out those closets!) and a fantastic master bath featuring side by side twin basins for those late night handwashin' competitions (what, you thought no one knew about that?), and a huge glass cube shower that's equal parts Vegas and Star Trek. And on the roof is a fantastic 800-square-foot roof deck from which you can juuuuuust see the Washington Monument, which you will never ever look at, but which you can casually mention to people at cocktail parties as a subtle way to convey that despite all appearances to the contrary, you're actually quite annoying.
1600 8th St. NW #1
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths
$895,000
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Vida at the Yards, Officially
1 comments
Posted by
Ken on 10/23/2012 04:10:00 PM
Labels: Capitol Riverfront, Forest City, Shalom Baranes Architects, supermarkets
Labels: Capitol Riverfront, Forest City, Shalom Baranes Architects, supermarkets

Washington D.C. real estate development news
The Crimson on Glebe Set to Break Ground
1 comments
Posted by
Franklin Schneider on 10/23/2012 03:40:00 PM
Labels: Arlington, Ballston, KTGY Group
Labels: Arlington, Ballston, KTGY Group

Having gained unanimous approval from the Arlington County Board back in May, The Crimson on Glebe, Crimson Partners' six-story 165-unit apartment building at 650 N. Glebe Road, across from Ballston Commons Mall, faces a clear runway toward construction.

The Crimson will also feature approximately 2,200 s.f. of ground floor retail space along Glebe Road; however, no decisions have been made yet as to a potential tenant. "With this amount of retail space, we'll probably wait until closer to delivery before we sign someone in there," says Chambers.
The site, formerly a Goodyear tire store, is located on one of the area's longest blocks, and developers, as part of an agreement with the County, have agreed to build a 220-foot extension of North Tazewell Street at the rear of the property to ease resident access without disrupting traffic on Glebe. Developers also secured increased density for the building (which was originally five stories) by agreeing to build to LEED Silver standards, and by contributing a half million dollars to the county's Affordable Housing Investment fund, $75,000 to the public art fund, and $42,000 to the utility fund.
The L-shaped, KTGY Group-designed building will feature a small internal courtyard for residents, and a varied facade of neutral-toned brick, laminate cladding, metal panels, and manufactured stone and glass, with a residential entrance and lobby along North Carlin Springs Road. The average unit size will be just over 700 s.f.
Crimson Partners and Washington Real Estate Investment (WRIT) acquired the site for $11.8 million in June 2011; construction is expected to cost approximately $43.5 million. Crimson is also working on the 65-acre Dulles Station project along the toll road.
Arlington, VA real estate development news
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Community Matters!
Q&A with Susan
Stine of Redteam Strategies
By Beth Herman
As owner of interior design and strategic planning firm
Redteam Strategies, Susan Stine is a long time resident of D.C. landmark The
Westchester, 4000 Cathedral Avenue NW. She has served and continues to serve on
many of the building’s committees, including as former chairman of the house committee that oversaw the comprehensive redesign of the building’s public
spaces, completed in 2010. DCMud spoke with her about old vs. new and her
traditional outlook on what it means to live in the District.
DCMud: In the last five years, D.C. has had this huge push to build new apartment buildings—part of the urban planning concept known as Smart Growth America. It’s building around public transportation - building up urban areas so it’s a work/live/play scenario. There’s now a lot of new product on the market, largely for rent, but what about people who want a different kind of lifestyle and wish to buy?
Stine:
Washington has some very significant older apartment or condominium buildings that
are beautiful, and The Westchester has the lowest fees and biggest apartments per
square foot–and it’s on 11 acres—it’s a real, established community.
DCMud: In what sense?
Stine: People
say that you buy here because of the square footage but stay because of the
community. We have people at the Westchester who have moved around within the
(five building-) campus four and five times. They purchase up or they purchase
down. It’s a real community within Washington, D.C., and there’s something to
be said about buying into that.
DCMud: In 2010, we reported on a
kind of democracy in action major Westchester renovation,
where residents were given a voice and got to vote for their favorites.
Stine: Unlike
many newer buildings, a few older communities and particularly The Westchester are
more likely to involve its member-owners in processes such as major renovation
decisions. We embrace transparency because we think that makes the community
better and stronger. In 2008 we began a major redesign executed through
surveys, workshops and focus groups, with each household getting to vote on key
components of the project. You generally don’t find that in newer properties.
DCMud: So there are opportunities
for involvement on many levels.
Stine: You’re
living in history, you’re living in a community, and you’re getting a lot of
square footage—plus you’re still convenient to downtown. When you go into a new
apartment building, you’re right smack downtown and your community is outside
of your building—it’s on the street. Do you meet your neighbors? You might meet
them on the treadmill, but that’s it. People buy into older, established
communities like this because of the history, and they become a part of it.
DCMUD: Speaking of history and design, do you have a favorite venue in the District?
Stine: It has
to be the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum,
which underwent the most beautiful restoration about 10 years ago. Then five
years ago, a canopy was created there to join two buildings together. I go all
the time to restore myself because it’s filled with art and feeds my soul.
Washington D.C. design news
Washington D.C. design news
Friday, October 19, 2012
GW Approves New Foggy Bottom Residence Hall
6
comments
Posted by
Unknown on 10/19/2012 02:59:00 PM
Labels: Foggy Bottom, George Washington University
Labels: Foggy Bottom, George Washington University

Moving forward with plans to add density and retail to its growing mixed-use kingdom in Foggy Bottom, George Washington (GW) University today announced plans to build a new, $130 million residence hall. The dorm will be built around and between the existing West End, Schenley and Crawford residence halls that front H and Eye Streets between 21st and 22nd Streets. The real estate construction will include ground-floor retail on Eye Street. GW has retained Ayers Saint Gross as architect for the project.
The residence hall adds to the university's growing list of high-dollar, ambitious real estate projects, all part of a university plan to add density and retail to the parts of Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods the university controls, via the 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan. The Campus Plan includes 16 projects.
In summer 2011, the university started construction on a $265 million dollar, 400,000 s.f. Science and Engineering Building. Also last year, the university announced plans to demolish townhouses on Pennsylvania Avenue and part of a large building at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, now occupied by Kaiser Permanente, to make room for a new office building. The university will argue before the DC Zoning Commission in November that it should be granted an exception to a 90-foot height limit on part of the site and be able to build the office tower to its planned 130-foot height.
According to a GW press release, the planned residence hall will house mainly second and third-year students and have accommodations for short-term staff and faculty. Units will be two-bedroom apartments, studio apartments, or units in a concept called "affinity housing." The affinity housing concept, according to the university press release, will "provide space for groups of students to create their own living communities." Michelle Sherrard, GW's director of media relations, further detailed the concept in an email to DCMud. "Students in clubs, organizations or athletics teams can create their own living community around their interests," she explained. She said the housing units would feature large common kitchen and living areas and beds for 16 to 20 students.
With 270,000 s.f. of above-grade space, plans also call for 64,000 s.f. of underground space for student activities. The University will preserve the West End, Schenley and Crawford halls, which were constructed in the mid 1920's. GW acquired the buildings between 1960 and 1997. According to officials, construction on the new residence hall will begin in mid 2013. It could be completed in time for fall semester, 2016.
2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan Development Sites. Image: GWU |
The residence hall adds to the university's growing list of high-dollar, ambitious real estate projects, all part of a university plan to add density and retail to the parts of Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods the university controls, via the 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan. The Campus Plan includes 16 projects.
In summer 2011, the university started construction on a $265 million dollar, 400,000 s.f. Science and Engineering Building. Also last year, the university announced plans to demolish townhouses on Pennsylvania Avenue and part of a large building at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, now occupied by Kaiser Permanente, to make room for a new office building. The university will argue before the DC Zoning Commission in November that it should be granted an exception to a 90-foot height limit on part of the site and be able to build the office tower to its planned 130-foot height.
According to a GW press release, the planned residence hall will house mainly second and third-year students and have accommodations for short-term staff and faculty. Units will be two-bedroom apartments, studio apartments, or units in a concept called "affinity housing." The affinity housing concept, according to the university press release, will "provide space for groups of students to create their own living communities." Michelle Sherrard, GW's director of media relations, further detailed the concept in an email to DCMud. "Students in clubs, organizations or athletics teams can create their own living community around their interests," she explained. She said the housing units would feature large common kitchen and living areas and beds for 16 to 20 students.
With 270,000 s.f. of above-grade space, plans also call for 64,000 s.f. of underground space for student activities. The University will preserve the West End, Schenley and Crawford halls, which were constructed in the mid 1920's. GW acquired the buildings between 1960 and 1997. According to officials, construction on the new residence hall will begin in mid 2013. It could be completed in time for fall semester, 2016.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A Jewel Box for Literary Gems
1 comments
Posted by
Beth on 10/18/2012 04:16:00 PM
Labels: Adjaye Associates, Design, Wiencek + Associates
Labels: Adjaye Associates, Design, Wiencek + Associates

Q&A with Michael Wiencek
By Beth Herman
Opening in June, the 22,500 s.f. Francis A. Gregory
Library, 2100 36th Place SE, was the result of a collaborative effort
between London- and New York-based Adjaye Associates, charged with the design,
and architect of record Wiencek & Associates. DCMud talked with
Principal Michael Wiencek about influences and site challenges the LEED Silver
building posed.
DCMud: You are known to specialize
in what some have called transformative multifamily housing. How did this
inform your work on the Francis A. Gregory Library?
Wiencek: We knew that Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian
for D.C., was interested in making libraries iconic, even though they may be
neighborhood or branch libraries. She has the same passion about changing
people’s lives through her libraries as we have about changing them through our
multifamily housing. Ginnie wants people, and kids in particular, to start to
view the library as an asset. Just like our housing—when we’re designing
something in a disadvantaged neighborhood, we’re always trying to do something
that raises the level of design quality people are used to. It gives them a
boost of self-esteem. In the library’s case, it draws you to it so you’re
utilizing something you may not have.
DCMud: So children factor into the
space in a very special way.
Wiencek: The
formative years really make a big difference in your life, so you’re
experiencing good architecture and by virtue of that you’re pulled into this
building.
Wiencek: In
both this library and the William O. Lockridge/ Bellevue Neighborhood Library’s
case, we replaced two 1950s brick boxes with no character, ambience or design
whatsoever. David Adjaye’s inspiration for this building was a fabric jewel
box, which appears to be how he does a lot of his designs. He works from an
object.
DCMud: Simplistically, the building
has been compared to a large, beveled mirror. What can you tell us about the
process?

DCMud: Describe the site and any
site challenges.
Wiencek: The
library abuts National Park Service land at the rear with lots of trees. It’s
the jewel box sitting on the street, playing against nature. In fact if you go
at the right time of day, the building almost disappears because the glass has
some reflectivity to it and reflects the trees from across the street and in
front and in back. What everybody sees as this very structured, rigid frame
design sort of disappears.
Parking was a challenge, as it went on the old site and
there was none. But it is near main transit lines, and these libraries are
meant to be within walking distance of the surrounding community.

DCMud: What about your own
landscape? How did you come to your specialty in the area of affordable housing?
Wiencek: At
the beginning of my career (1978), I met an architect at the very end of his:
Hilyard Robinson. The auditorium at the Howard University School of
Architecture is named after him, where he was on the faculty. He was an African
American architect who started practicing in the 1930s, and did a lot of the
housing near Gallaudet University like Langston Terrace. His buildings were geared
toward affordable housing, but the results had a lot of design and respect for
the people who were going to live there. He put so much thought into this work,
and we had many talks about why he’d done what he’d done.
My father was director of personnel at NIH, and he’d
always talked about social justice. He was all about creating jobs for all
kinds of people back in the ‘60s when it wasn’t yet part of the culture. Between
the two of them, it gave me the desire to make a difference and respect people
through architecture. I hope to get the chance to renovate some of Hilyard Robinson’s
buildings.
10 Questions with ... Harriet Tregoning
One of the country's leading advocates of "smart growth," Tregoning has spearheaded the District's shift from an undirected, auto-centric hodgepodge to a bikeable, pedestrian-friendly 21st century community. If you've used a bike lane, walked home with groceries, or commuted to or from work in less than thirty minutes, you probably owe her some thanks.
1. What's a typical day for you?
Get up and get dressed; walk dogs; check text messages and answer overnight emails; bike to first meeting of the day, maybe somewhere downtown. Go on to the office and work with staff on a couple of on-going plans and projects. Head to the Wilson Building for a meeting with colleagues (from other agencies) or meet with Council staff. Grab a late lunch somewhere, maybe a food truck near L’Enfant Plaza on the way back to the office. Return calls, send emails, check Twitter, read. Then I might host one or two more meetings --with residents who have concerns about their neighborhood, a land owner who has a project they want to see if they could build in DC, or a non-profit about what we could do together to solve a particular DC problem, e.g., like producing and retaining affordable housing or helping make fresh and healthy food more available throughout the city.
After leaving the office for the day, I might attend a community meeting, give a talk, or hear a lecture- that’s how I spend a typical evening. If I am free, I might meet my husband for dinner in our neighborhood or play a quick game of tennis under the lights at Banneker.
2. What or who is your biggest influence?

3. What neighborhood do you live in?
Columbia Heights
4. What is your biggest DC pet peeve?
I don’t know if this is my BIGGEST DC pet peeve, but the bike/ped/car culture wars have been well covered.
So, TREES, specifically street trees. They have a very hard and very important job in the city. They make the city more beautiful – our streets with mature trees and a canopy that arches over the street are some of the most magnificent places in the city. They provide all kinds of shelter from the elements – protection from rain or snow, shade when it’s too hot and sunny. Compared to pavement or asphalt, they literally help to cool the city. They help manage the peak surge of stormwater when there is heavy rainfall; they provide habitat; when mature, they create both a vertical element along the street that provides both a more distinct edge, and a sense of enclosure – to drivers, the street seems more narrow, and their speeds are lower. For pedestrians, they create a physical buffer from cars and traffic.
We have a goal for the city of 40% tree canopy (we are at about 35% today), but most of our residents and businesses don’t know that THEY are responsible for watering the trees in front of their property and especially helping to establish young trees when they first get planted. They need about 20-25 gallons of water per week. So we have a very high mortality rate for our urban trees and we need help from our residents and businesses to get all those benefits that come from mature trees in our city.
5. What is the #1 most played song on your iPod?
With Arms Outstretched, Rilo Kiley
6. Favorite DC haunt?
Room 11 Patio and Banneker Tennis Courts – I probably spend the most time there after work and home.
7. What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?

8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Here!
9. If you couldn't be an urban planner/smart growth advocate, what would you be?
A book editor or publisher.
10. Name one thing most people don't know about you.
I play the cello - very, very badly.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Your Next Place
This stunning townhouse sports a limestone facade, which means that, what, it'll dissolve like tissue paper if exposed to Coca-Cola? I only vaguely remember high school science class, as I was sleep-deprived and sexually frustrated the whole time. And high. (I just got really depressed, writing that paragraph, when I realized that nothing has changed.)
The house features a one of a kind recessed arch "porte-cochere" entrance, which is French for "always leave the outside light on or a homeless person will sleep there." With almost six thousand square feet of space, this house sports four fireplaces AND an elevator - I was almost disappointed when I looked into the elevator and there wasn't another small fireplace inside. The formal dining and living rooms are "Great Gatsby"-level nice, and the kitchen is huge, with a glass-enclosed eat-in dining area that looks out onto the rolling backyard.
The master bath is incredibly glamorous; you could shoot a rap video in here. It's got more mirrors than suburban hotel's honeymoon suite (with none of the hidden cameras!), and twin vanities separated by a plush little bench, so whoever finishes getting ready first can sit there and offer super helpful unsolicited advice to the other. ("I'd never tell you what to wear, but that dress makes you look like an obese wet clown.") There's a stunning, presidential-quality office (with a fireplace), and au pair suite for the stunning eastern european you hired to take care of your kids. (I'll let you decide if "kids" in this context is a euphemism or not.) Out back is a flagstone patio, surrounded by greenery and wrought-iron fencing.
The top level is a huge entertaining area that opens onto an equally huge roof deck; I feel like the buyer of this house should have to sign a legally binding contract promisng to throw parties here. Not using such a fantastic space would be like buying the Mona Lisa and then locking it into a closet. It belongs to the world!
2328 Massachusetts Avenue NW
4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths
$3,295,000
The house features a one of a kind recessed arch "porte-cochere" entrance, which is French for "always leave the outside light on or a homeless person will sleep there." With almost six thousand square feet of space, this house sports four fireplaces AND an elevator - I was almost disappointed when I looked into the elevator and there wasn't another small fireplace inside. The formal dining and living rooms are "Great Gatsby"-level nice, and the kitchen is huge, with a glass-enclosed eat-in dining area that looks out onto the rolling backyard.
The master bath is incredibly glamorous; you could shoot a rap video in here. It's got more mirrors than suburban hotel's honeymoon suite (with none of the hidden cameras!), and twin vanities separated by a plush little bench, so whoever finishes getting ready first can sit there and offer super helpful unsolicited advice to the other. ("I'd never tell you what to wear, but that dress makes you look like an obese wet clown.") There's a stunning, presidential-quality office (with a fireplace), and au pair suite for the stunning eastern european you hired to take care of your kids. (I'll let you decide if "kids" in this context is a euphemism or not.) Out back is a flagstone patio, surrounded by greenery and wrought-iron fencing.
The top level is a huge entertaining area that opens onto an equally huge roof deck; I feel like the buyer of this house should have to sign a legally binding contract promisng to throw parties here. Not using such a fantastic space would be like buying the Mona Lisa and then locking it into a closet. It belongs to the world!
2328 Massachusetts Avenue NW
4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths
$3,295,000
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