Tenley Wars III: The Council Strikes Back

Protracted. Excruciating. Unnecessary. These are but a few words used to describe the ongoing battle being waged by local community groups opposed to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (ODMPED) and developer LCOR Inc.'s plans for a new Tenleytown-Friendship Heights Neighborhood Library and residential development. And yet the twisting story further intensifies since DC City Councilmembers Mary Cheh and Kwame Brown have stepped into the fray.

At issue is the construction of a new Tenley Library to replace its predecessor (closed 4 years ago), updates and additions to the over-enrolled and threadbare Janney Elementary school, and, in return for these improvements, permission for the developer to build a residential complex on the site. A win-win scenario about which no one seems happy. The newest chapter involves LCOR's latest proposal to extend the residential component onto the school's green space (an ingredient mysteriously pushed by the Deputy Mayor and seemingly favorable to no one), a move that spurred Janney's School Improvement Team (SIT) to revoke its conditional support of the three-tiered agreement. Remaining undecided is the pace of renovations to the school, which the District wasn't planning to get to until 2013 despite immediate needs, hence the SIT favoring a quicker fix by the developer.

With the school's support withdrawn in the already contentious battle, Councilmembers Cheh and Brown penned a letter to Mayor Fenty expressing their wish to see the project’s library component move forward, while insisting that LCOR’s residential development be sent back to the drawing board.

“We write to ask that you permit the Tenley Library to build now and separate it from any possible mixed-use, or public/private, development on the site,” read the statement's first paragraph. “As for the current LCOR proposal, we believe that it is fatally flawed,” begins another. Cheh and Brown propose a compromise that would allow the library to be constructed with structural supports in place to accommodate any future development above. Meanwhile, the residential component would be put on hold until a mutually agreeable design is produced. In conclusion, the letter asked for a response to their concerns by Friday, November, 7^th.

The Letter hinges on LCOR's plans for the residential component, initially planned to sit on top of the library, then moved (by mysterious edict of a revised RFP) off the library and in place of the neighboring Janney soccer field. Now, two differing LCOR site plans (dated November 4th) put the apartments back on the library once again, but still encroaching on Janney green space. That in turn caused SIT to withdraw their support, as both proposals take up some of the green space now used by Janney, but add it back in behind the school, in place of the surface parking lot. According to Kirk Rankin of the Janney SIT, the SIT is opposed to any plan that would require Janney to cede any of its green space for the development.

Still with us? Good, because further complicating matters is the timing, and everyone agrees the quicker the better. And yet The Letter contemplates a two-year construction of the library, completion of which would be followed by a second construction project on the same small site, a process that may yield an architecturally challenged, ever-dusty construction site.

Cheh was not amused by the Deputy Mayor's response, or lack thereof, to The Letter. “Immediately after [receiving our letter], the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development issued a statement saying they were going ahead with it. No one has ever explained to me, ‘With what are they going ahead?’” said Councilwoman Cheh, referring to the widespread confusion resulting from the repeated relocation of the residential units.

While ODMPED would not respond to DCMud's inquiries regarding the matter, an LCOR representative did comment on the council's qualms and the impact that residential development will have on the school zone. “We’re going ahead with it and [ODMPED] is going ahead, too,” said Timothy D. Smith, Senior Vice President of LCOR. “The two [library and residential] are combined. It’s one building with a very prominent location along the street that reads ‘Library’ when you’re riding along Wisconsin Avenue…it’s probably the best way to use the land, rather than build separate apartment buildings.”

"We've been working on this steadily and people make comments in the meantime," he continued. "We were working down Mary Cheh's list of things that she wants to see accomplished when the letter was written...We have been meeting with citizens groups and modifying our plan. We do hope to gain support back from Mary."

Councilwoman Cheh, however, was not quite as optimistic with respect to the library’s future: “If they surplus property, that requires council approval. If the ward councilmember doesn’t approve of the action, I doubt very much that my colleagues would approve of it over my opposition.”

Meanwhile, a standalone library has been funded and approved and could, with Council okay, start construction relatively soon. We'll be waiting to see who blinks. Stay tuned for Episode IV: Revenge of the SIT.

A Scaled Back Utopia on U Street

Robert Moore of Georgetown Strategic Capital LLC (GSC) and Eric Colbert & Associates have gotten the go-ahead from two of the District’s governing bodies – the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) – to move forward with their mixed-use Utopia development at the southwest corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Utopia has been in the approval queue for more than a year, but only now able to move through the approval process after obliging several variance requests. As such, the building will no longer feature a rooftop pool, and will top out at 90 feet, instead of the proposed 100. The building’s design was also tweaked to allow for varying levels of density throughout the parcel, which occupies two adjoining historic sites at 1912-1944 14th Street NW and 1400-1418 U Street NW.

Nonetheless, the project is still an eagerly anticipated addition to the U Street corridor. GSC intends to bring 230 rental apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail – an amount that will double the amount of shopping and dining on the block – to complete what it has dubbed an “urban living experience.” Accordingly, Utopia is being pitched as the new home base for young professionals who clog the area on Friday and Saturday evenings – not surprising, given its proximity to Donatelli’s similarly-envisioned Ellington building (and election night’s impromptu Obama street party - aka "Change-fest '08"). The project will include an affordable housing component, the extent of which is yet to be determined.

As of now, the project is still on track to hit its intended 2009 start date, with grand opening scheduled for 2011.

The Washington Hilton Gets Nod to Expand

Washington's second most notorious hotel, the Washington Hilton, has sailed through the Historic Preservation and Review Board's (HPRB) approval process with their plans for an 11-story residential addition. With a unanimous 6-0 decision in the bag, the hotel's current owners, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group, can move ahead with their intent to bring 160 new apartments or condos to the historically-registered landmark at 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW. The project received historic landmark status in July, triggering the HPRB review.

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP have been tasked with designing the addition to what is consistently designated one of the Washington area's more aesthetically challenged edifices (up there with Dulles Airport's Jetsons-influenced terminal). Their design will “echo its curvilinear form” – although it will be comprised mostly of glass, in contrast to the Hilton’s concrete-on-concrete facade. According to documents submitted to the HPRB, there is no firm start date for construction, but work on the Hilton is described as “a multi-year project that will occur in phases so that the hotel can continue in operation as the work proceeds.” The cost is expected to total more than $100 million.

In addition to construction, several other elements of the hotel will be renovated. Landscape architects Rhodeside & Harwell will be redesigning the hotel pool, courtyard and residential terrace, while the hotel’s 110,000 square feet of meeting and conference will undergo a dramatic reconfiguration and possibly see the addition of a new restaurant and coffee bar. Parking will also undergo a shift as a new entrance/exit to the residential garage is installed along T Street NW. The residential addition is expected to be sold as condominium units.

Prior to last week’s approval, the project – and the prospect of a massive construction project along Connecticut Avenue, blocks from Dupont Circle – was predictably quick to draw the ire of local citizens associations, including the Kalorama Citizens Association, the Dupont Circle Conservancy, and the Dupont and Adams Morgan ANC, all of which have cited almost-certain complications relating to the project’s bulk, design scheme and traffic.

“Apparently, under zoning law they’re allowed to have some additional amount of FAR [floor area ratio] – which we’re disputing,” said Matt Forman, Executive Vice President of the KCA, whose organization has filed an appeal with the zoning board to contest the addition. “It then comes down to a question of [changing the] design. I didn’t think it was ever going to be a question of HPRB denying the entire project.”

Built in 1965, the Washington Hilton was purchased by Lowe and the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund in May of last year for $290 million. The renovation plans were announced almost immediately afterwards. Paris Hilton could not be reached for comment.

Washington DC commercial property news

First Project Underway at Minnesota-Benning

Mayor Fenty and officials from the Office of Property Management were on hand today to break ground on the new Department of Employee Services (DOES) headquarters - soon to be erected at 4058 Minnesota Avenue NE. This is the second such project in the immediate area, as just last month, Donatelli Development announced they would be developing a $108 million mixed-use project on an adjoining parcel.

The new 229,000 square foot DOES building will include a "one-stop employment and business center," a community meeting room, a local retail incubator and, of course, enough office space for roughly 500 employees. A green roof is also in the works.

Designed by DC-based architects Devrouax & Purnell, construction of the $48 million facility is being overseen by EEC of DC, Inc. and Forrester Construction (one of the few local development companies that say they are actually hiring at the moment). The new headquarters is expected to be completed in early 2011.

Fenty and company used the occasion to kill two birds with one microphone, as he also used the opportunity to announce the appointment of Joseph Walsh as the new Director of DOES. Walsh was poached by the District from his last post as Director of Policy and Planning in the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development under Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Here’s to hoping Mr. Walsh likes this job more than his old forty-syllable job title once the paint dries on that new HQ.

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.

Still No Goal for Poplar Point Stadium

With several District-sponsored projects in Southeast announced in recent months, just what 's been happening with the biggest of them all - the Poplar Point Soccer Complex? Michael Durso, Project Manager at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (ODMPED), spoke to DCMud about the status of the long-awaited project. "There is nothing happening right now and no bid has been issued," he said.

Nevertheless, he assured DCMud that the release of any bid for the 27,000 seat, $150 million (before cost overruns) stadium would be preceded by a very public announcement from ODMPED when and if one is issued.

This much, however, is certain: while projects across the river on the Southeast Waterfront continue to pile up, Poplar Point appears to have been left in the proverbial lurch (one only has to look as far the District’s barren Poplar Point website for evidence). Of course, given the less than desirable performance of Nationals Stadium and DC United’s 2008 drop in attendance, it stands to reason that the City isn’t jumping at the chance to fund another stadium that – at best – would only be three-fourths full. Of course, old man economy isn't making it easy for new (and expensive) development these days either.

Nonetheless, ODMPED appears to still be testing the troubled waters that surround the project. After obtaining a Congressional edict that transferred the land to District control, the Deputy Mayor's office has courted developers and participated in community meetings that discussed the stadium’s potential environmental impact. However, the city remains intensely interest in Ward 8 these days, as evidenced by the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths campus - a deal that also boasts the lucrative relocation of a massive amount of federal infrastructure.

Adding another layer of red tape to the matter is the fact that outspoken Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry has said he'll approve no plans for the Point that don't include a stadium. This could very well be a contributing factor to the Council's failure to reschedule a hearing on the stadium following their summer recess. In other words, if the stadium can't move forward, neither can Poplar Point.

While we wait (and wait), all would-be hooligans would do well to check the nifty, HKS-designed renderings for the proposed complex that come to us courtesy of the official website of Major League Soccer.

Alexandria to Beef Up Potomac Yard

A committee convened by City Manager James K. Hartmann is sponsoring a public meeting tomorrow concerning the further redevelopment of the Potomac Yard segment of Alexandria. Redevelopment is currently being considered for three portions of the area, Landbays I and J and Landbay G (see map, at right), with other projects interspersed throughout the sprawling 24-acre stretch of land just west of the river for which it was named.

The Potomac Yard Planning Advisory Group (PYPAG) envisions Landbays I & J as the future home of 679 units of housing, 275,000 square feet of office space and 25,000 square feet of retail. A proposal penned by Potomac Yard Development (PYD) - which seeks “227 townhouse and urban loft units with neighborhood parks interspersed” - is currently under review and will go before the Alexandria Planning Commission and City Council by spring 2009. PYD had initially petitioned for 330 units on the site.

Landbay G is under the control of developer MRP Realty, which has proposed 414 residential units in two multi-family buildings, 800,000 square feet of office space, 80,000 square feet of retail, and 625 hotel rooms “in two hotel buildings” (possibly a Hyatt) on the 13-acre parcel. That makes for a total 9 new buildings for the site, ranging in height from 52 to 110 feet, plus an open town plaza. A decision on MRP’s proposal is also expected in early 2009.

These dual redevelopment efforts have been coupled with several smaller, more centrally located projects that are either currently underway or well into the planning stages. Potomac Greens, which is 85% complete, will feature 227 residential units surrounded by preserved wetlands. The Greens is also under consideration as the site of a future Metro stop.

Another PYD project in the area, the Potomac Yard Fire Station is also well into the build-out phase of its $7 million redevelopment. Once completed, it will feature 60 units of affordable housing above a brand-new fire station, 168,000 square feet of office space and 91,000 feet of open recreational space.

Plans on hand also call for the easternmost portion of Potomac Yard, Landbay K, to be reconfigured into a public park that will feature "70% passive recreation" (open lawns and plazas) and "30% active recreation" (basketball and tennis courts, trails, playgrounds, etc.). A dog park and pedestrian bridge will round out the pedestrian-friendly flourishes at other points in the development.

The Planning Commission's “work session on Potomac Yard applications” is being held this coming Thursday, November 6^th at 6 PM within City Hall’s Council Chambers. Seeing as Planning Commission Chair Eric Wagner also heads up the PYPAG, this should be excellent forum for interested residents to voice questions. A separate, aesthetically-related review board, the Potomac Yard Design Advisory Committee, is holding another public forum on Wednesday, November 12^th at 7:30 PM in City Hall’s Sister Cities Conference Room.

Then There Were Three at Howard Town Center

It may be slightly less exciting than the McCain-Obama matchup (only slightly), but the contenders for the on-again, off-again Howard Town Center project have now been narrowed to just three: Archstone-Smith, Armada Hoffler and CastleRock Partners. A Howard University representative yesterday confirmed that two other bidders associated with the $30 million project - Monument Realty and the Trammell Crow Company - have been ruled out by the University as potential developers.

This marks Trammell Crow's second loss of the HTC project. When the HTC was first proposed in 2003, the development company walked away with a $56 million contract - only to watch it fall through when the Duke Plan, a new zoning overlay for the area, was introduced, and some have suggested that Trammell Crow may still have an actionable claim against the university.

Development on the 2.2 acre parcel is said to include a 300-unit apartment complex, parking and 70,000 square feet of retail, which must include a grocer under the terms of the RFP. The Howard Town Center project will be built at the current site of several Howard-owned properties at 2100 Georgia Avenue that have fallen into disuse. A recent Howard acquisition at Georgia and W Street, the Bond Bread Building, is also to be utilized in the redevelopment efforts. Howard acquired the building from the District of Columbia this spring in a land swap long opposed by the tenants of Bond Bread, which had sued the city over their rights to the building. Howard issued an RFP for the project (again) last May. Group Goetz Architects will be designing the project for the winning developer, a design that is strongly encouraged to be LEED certified.

Howard’s Communications Department would not discuss a date for the selection of a development team, but construction is planned to begin in August 2009.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

District Announces 4 Hill East Bids

The government of the District of Columbia announced today that four real estate developers have submitted bids to develop the Hill East Waterfront, a 50-acre, District-owned property that surrounds the former DC General Hospital.

Mayor Fenty issued an RFEI for the land on May 14th, announcing it was seeking a developer to create 2,100 market-rate and 900 affordable units with 2,000,000 s.f office space and 67,000 s.f. of retail space - a total of 5 million square feet of development. At the time, the District anticipated a price tag of $1.1 billion for the development, and required bids in by October 31st.

The four teams announced today are:
New Hill East Joint Venture, led by Urban Atlantic. The team includes Vornado/Charles E. Smith; Trammell Crow; Elm Street Development; Blue Skye Development; Brickstone Development; Eagle Vision Ventures; Dynamis Advisors; Sun Edison and Ellis Denning Development.

Hill East Development, led by the Franklin L. Haney Co. The team includes Donatelli Hill East, LLC; Chapman Development; Combined Properties; Banneker Ventures; and Tudor Holdings.

HDG Waterfront Partners, led by Hunt Development and Mosaic Urban Partners. The team includes Abdo Development, the William C. Smith Cos.; EYA Development; and Jair Lynch Development Partners.
East Banc

Hill East is one of three major redevelopment sites that make up the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, an ambitious 20 year plan to turn the Anacostia River banks into a more developed mixed-use neighborhood. At the time of the RFEI, the Mayor predicted that major District-developer planning would start in early 2009, although today's announcement was more cautious, stating only that a developer "could be selected" by early next year. Issuing the RFEI in May, Fenty stated that the District sought a developer that “takes advantage of the opportunities of the river. We want the development to serve as a gateway between Capitol Hill and the Waterfront so people can walk down to the Anacostia River, which is hard to do now."

The Hill East site is intended to be a low-impact, LEED certified, mixed-use development. The project will include residential, retail, and office components and will extend Massachusetts Avenue and other streets within the site to tie the new neighborhood into the existing community; including, apparently, the correctional facility, which will remain. The District government has vowed to better integrate the Hill East project into the surrounding neighborhoods and the District at large, citing its measures to connect the parcel by bike path to the Capitol Riverfront, and by cleaning up the Anacostia River to finally make it a place for (legal) recreation.

The site is bounded by 19th street, Independence Avenue, the Anacostia River, and the Historic Congressional Cemetery. The entire site consists of 67 acres, but development will take place on only 50 of those. The land, also known as Reservation 13, is owned by the General Service Administration, but was given to the District under the 2006 Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006, a “Transfer Act”. As DCmud reported in April of last year, 12 acres of the property were to be given back to the Federal government for a congressional mail facility.

As the only developer going solo on the project, Eastbanc's strategy seems like a chancy way to approach the DC government's selection process, but Joe Sternlieb, Eastbanc's Vice President for Acquisitions, thinks it gives the company an edge. "We put in an unconventional proposal for a development approach...We're not proposing specific development, but rather an approach for the city to work in partnership with us to redevelop the site. Because of that, it doesn't preclude the city from selecting additional developers." Eastbanc developed the Ritz Carlton residences in the West End and Georgetown, 3303 Water Street in Georgetown, and large scale commercial spaces throughout Georgetown, and is now building 22 West, in DC's West End.

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

DCMud Reviews the Capitol Visitor Center

Last week, DCMud became the first media outlet in the world to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the new US Capitol Visitor Center (take that, Matt Lauer). The Visitor Center is scheduled to open to the public on December 2nd, the product of an 8-year, $600m, 580,000-s.f. construction project. Conceived originally as a tourist-friendly entryway that happily banished the surface parking lots and delivered the eastern lawn of the Capitol closer to the status quo ante of Frederick Law Olmsted's design, the Visitor Center now serves as the only public ingress to an increasingly restricted, post-9/11 Capitol.

Described by its detractors as a "monument to waste", and its defenders as better, cheaper and more justified than DC's new ballpark (with an expected 40 year life-span, at that), the project will be open to media scrutiny starting next month.

At 580,00 square feet, the RTKL-designed Visitor Center is nearly three-quarters the size of the newly expanded Capitol. Of that, 210,000 square feet will be accessible to the public; the rest is dedicated to private meeting space for the House and Senate. In all, it represents the 9th addition to our nation’s most recognizable building and the single largest incremental building project since the structure was (arguably) declared complete in 1863, after the Statue of Freedom was added to the Capitol dome.

Stretching from the eastern edge of Capitol steps to 1st Street, the street-level roof of the three-story Visitor Center will serve as the main pedestrian common, replacing the congressional parking lot. The landscape has now been transformed into a plaza that recalls Paris’ Louvre Museum with two raised skylights surrounded by long, shallow reflecting pools, providing both an architectural feature and strikingly bold views of the Capitol dome from within. At the rear, in view of the Supreme Court and Jefferson Building, the misting fountains from the site’s previous incarnation have been retained and will be turned on once again for the first time since the 1976 Bicentennial. The original, ornately designed parking lot lampposts have been preserved, albeit with a fresh coat of paint and in a slightly new configuration.

After a trip down a grand outdoor staircase and across the new visitor’s reception green – which features historic, recently transplanted Capitol trees - visitors will be ushered into the Center itself. Painstakingly designed to be architecturally true to the old Capitol, down to the flawed marble that mimics the original material, and statuary that once sat under the dome, the entry hall is impressively grand for a structure invisible from the street. While it may lack the architectural awe of the original Capitol, the grandeur of the dome, or the detailed beauty of the original frescoed ceilings, it is the Center's ability to move masses of people on a continuous basis that prevailed as the Center's design theme. Unlike the older portion of the Capitol, designed to stupefy the People with a building worthy of its ambitious and newly codified experiment in government, every feature within the Visitor Center is composed and synchronized to give 2500 sightseers per hour the full Capitol experience without venturing above ground, and shortening the epic wait time that tourists sometimes encounter.

As a start, eight magnetometers replace the one that tens of thousands passed through yearly. Once inside, visitors are free to explore at their own pace or queue for a “timed visitor’s pass” to secure a guided tour.

The first view of the Visitor Center is Emancipation Hall, a grand entry meant to showcase the diversity of America’s leadership. Populated by state icon statuary such as Hawaii’s King Kamehameha, North Dakota’s Sacagawea, Montana’s Jeannette Rankin (the first female member of Congress), and Utah’s Philo T. Farnsworth (the bane of most parents as inventor of the cathode ray tube). The Hall is clad in pink Tennessee granite and intended as an alternate space for presidential inaugurations in case of inclement weather. It is from within the Hall that aforementioned skylights offer up inspiring views of the Capitol’s dome - a view sure to be emblazoned upon post cards in the gift store.

Standing front and center in Emancipation Hall is the original scale model of the Statue of Freedom, the byproduct of which now perches on the Capitol dome. The model was moved from a storage space in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, where it had been mothballed, to become the appropriate centerpiece of Emancipation Hall - having been casted by a slave that went on to win his freedom.








The first stop off Emancipation Hall is the Orientation Theater, premiering a 13 minute film entitled “Out of One, Many,” (as in e pluribus unum, as on the seal of the United States, we remind our less civic-minded readers) directed by documentarian Donna Lawrence. The film is a visual timeline of landmark legislation passed in Congress, cast across a 34-foot Imax-like screen, with sound effects that reverberate through the 250-seat theater.

The Visitor Center experience ends in the Wall of Aspirations - a state of the art museum divided into sections, each dedicated to one of the underlying principles of the founding political philosophy - virtues such as Unity, Freedom, Exploration - each with its own section and relevant historic documentation. Documents such as Abraham Lincoln’s original notes for the Emancipation Proclamation will rotate in and out of the museum as the themes themselves change. Other attractions within the museum include a 1:20 scale recreation of the Capitol dome, interactive displays and “virtual theater” recreations of the House and Senate, with live feeds of each chamber.

And what would a trip to DC’s tourist attractions be without pricey museum food? The Visitor Center also sports a 530-seat restaurant that will highlight different types of American cuisine, rotating among state and regional cuisines.

The project initially broke ground in June of 2000. Following the events of September 11th, the original $265 million budget ballooned to $621 million – a sum that went in part toward a variety of cutting edge security features to be employed throughout. Most will be unnoticed by the visitor, while some security upgrades - such as moving the truck delivery bays underground - will offer aesthetic improvement. Delivery trucks will now enter through a subterranean tunnel that curves around the norther perimeter of the Capitol, freeing the outdoor space from the vehicular traffic and pavement that has marred the Capitol grounds for decades. The Visitor Center will be open to the press later this month, and open to the public in December. Metropole

The Clarksburg Quagmire

If you don't know where Clarksburg is now, you can say you heard of it here first. Next week, the Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) will undertake a two session review of plans for, and potential approval of, the Clarksburg Town Center (CTC) that would see 1,213 units of housing dropped 35 miles northwest of the District.

The CTC is described by its developer, Newland Communities, as "a New American Classic Town" - one that was essentially dropped wholesale into a rural community when Phase I was undertaken in 2001 and brought approximately 1400 new residents to the area. Phase II, however, is a different animal. And despite the body blows to the real estate market and the general tanking of the "suburban town center" concept, the developer plans to see it through.

Aside from rental and homeownership housing, the linchpin of new development on the 270-acre parcel will be the retail hub. It will feature shopping, dining, a pharmacy, a grocery store (initially planned to be a Giant, but Newland has since parted ways with the retail developer behind the deal, Regency Centers) and the requisite parking – all amenities which are currently lacking in CTC’s present state. Extra perks also include the construction of a new public library, an outdoor amphitheater, a new 1,200 square foot recreation center, and, lastly - for that small town touch - a memorial in tribute to the town’s founding family, the Clarksburgs. Designs are being handled by Torti Gallas and Partners.

Over the past five years, Newland, the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee (CTCAC) and the MCPB have found themselves locked in a long and tedious stalemate – one that seems on the verge of breaking with next week’s decision.

While plans for the development stretch back 13 years, Newland stepped up in 2003 when it purchased the completed Phase I project from original developer, Terrabrook – after the initial Phase II plans had received the go-ahead from the County. Come summer 2004, CTCAC brought apprehensions about setback and height regulations before the Board, which subsequently held a string of violation hearings that stretched on for more than a year.

Eventually, the Office of Legislative Oversight was called in to review the case and identify exactly what was causing the protracted delays – and wound up faulting the MCPB itself in a surprising twist. According to their report, the Board had “sent confusing and mixed messages to the community, and failed to carry out a timely, thorough fact-based investigation.” Moreover, even the Montgomery County system was partially to blame as the CTC project was “subject to a regulatory process that lacked predictability and reliability” and “underlying ambiguities in the County’s laws.” The end result of the findings was a landmark for the Montgomery County regulatory system – since 2005, the County Council has had much stricter oversight of MCPB activities.

With that debacle finally settled, a final set of plans comes before the Board on November 6^th and Newland is betting its chips on this hearing. Just weeks ago, Newland sent current CTC residents postcard mailers expressing the need for their support if the project is to get approval.

And it appears that it will. County staff have already conditionally approved the plan, and while the developer has yet to make a total figure for the cost of the development public, County Executive Isiah "Ike" Leggett has recommended a $15.5 million allotment of county funds that would go towards improvement of the local infrastructure and construction of the library. Bozzuto, Craftstar, Miller & Smith, NVHomes, and Porten Homes have already been selected as builders for the massive undertaking.

L is for Lease

More office development has arrived in the corridors of power (aka the Downtown Business Improvement District). DRI Development has brought an 11-story, 170,000 square foot building to 1331 L Street NW, only five blocks from the White House. While the building primarily serves as the new headquarters of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the SmithGroup-designed, glass-faced project also has 11,000 square feet of retail space on the block for would-be tenants.

The project is energy-efficient all the way - from the LEED gold certification (a rarity for District office space) to the "hybrid vehicle preference" parking spaces. The glass facade ostensibly admits the maximum possible amount of natural light and saves on energy costs. (Although admittedly, five high speed elevators don't sound like too “green” of a luxury). The facility’s amenities include a ground-floor fitness center, a landscaped rear court, a private rooftop terrace and "a crystalline glass tower element" over the building’s primary entrance.

Once the building was completed last spring, it sold to MBA - who now occupy only a third (approximately 68,000 square feet) of their latest acquisition. The rest -both retail and office – are being brokered by Transwestern, the parent company of DRI. A Transwestern retail leasing agent, Alex Walker, says “a restaurant and possibly a café” are planned for the site, but a timeline for such developments is still up in air. With the market still in what is best described as “rough shape,” this could be opportunity to snatch up space in a prime downtown parcel that still has that new development smell. That is, if you don’t mind sharing an office with the same guys who milk you for mortgage payments every month. High speed or not, that could be an awkward elevator ride.

The Yards Parks Itself on the Anacostia

A new twist in Forest City's development plans for The Yards was revealed today as Mayor Fenty announced the addition of a $42 million dollar riverfront park - that's $42 million for a park - to the sprawling 5.5 million square feet of redevelopment already underway in the surrounding area.

"This is the project that will project the District of Columbia forward from the standpoint of renovating, modernizing, accentuating, bringing to life, and restoring this great neighborhood adjacent to the Anacostia River," said Fenty from inside the vacant warehouse that will soon house the Yards' Boilermaker Shops.

Simply dubbed The Park at the Yards, the 5.5 acre park is being designed by New York-based landscape architects M. Paul Friedberg and Partners and was touted by Ward 6 City Councilman, Tommy Wells, as the new “front porch” for the Southeast Waterfront.  If that is indeed the case, the park seems to be more country club terrace than whittling stoop - the plans currently on-hand call for “well-landscaped ‘outdoor rooms’ with seating areas,” “a riverfront courtyard” that will feature retail and dining on three sides, “a water feature” in tribute to the Washington Canal, “a great lawn” that could potentially host live entertainment and “a scenic esplanade” that will connect foot traffic to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Forest City is also in talks to bring a marina to the site.  The Mayor equated the park to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Chicago’s Millennium Park, as a draw for local residents and tourists alike “for generations to come.”

“It’s a great amenity for the city.   It’s welcoming to families. It’s welcoming to children.  It will be welcoming not just our residents, but to everyone in Ward 6 and throughout the District who come,” said Deborah Ratner Salzberg, President of Forest City Washington.  "It will be a true world-class location…to eat, play and just to relax and have fun.”

The Park represents a unique facet of development at the Yards, in more than one regard.  First and foremost, it is the product of a public-private partnership between Forest City and the District, which teamed-up to secure the federally-owned parcel from the General Services Administration (the terms of that deal were not disclosed).

Secondly, it was financed through a Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) initiative, described by the Mayor’s office as “the District…selling a bond against future taxes…generated by the surrounding development."  Ahh, the 'generations to come' will be the ones paying for it. Thirdly, after Forest City completes construction, all maintenance and programming of the park will be turned over to the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID). The BID’s Executive Director, Michael Stevens, characterized their involvement as including everything from planting flowers to plowing snow.

Construction is planned to begin this January, the developer hopes to have the park open in time for the Nationals’ 2010 opener.  The Park at the Yards is the second such space planned for the immediate waterfront area (the other being Diamond Teague Park to the west) and the capstone to Forest City’s plans for 2,800 condos/apartments, 1.8 million square feet of office space and 400,000 square feet of retail at the Yards. “This is going to be one of the greatest places in America to live,” said Councilman Wells.

Washington DC retail and commercial real estate news

Law Enforcement Goes Underground in Judiciary Square

Judiciary Square will soon become a tourist mecca - once the new National Law Enforcement Museum is built on (or, rather, under) the 400 block of E Street, NW. Okay, it may not be the new go-to spot for tourists, but construction is expected to get underway nonetheless in the first quarter of 2009.

If all goes according to plan - in this case, the National Capital Framework Plan - the 90,000 square foot underground museum would extend under E Street and be accessible by two above-grade entry pavilions separated by a 100-foot wide shared plaza. Currently the site of a parking lot between District of Columbia Court Building C and United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Services, the plaza would make Judiciary Square a new draw for tourists - and give deadbeats something to do while waiting for their turn in the docket - and serve as a “natural extension” of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, already located in the square.

The placement of the museum next to the memorial that inspired it is no coincidence. The genesis of the project came in 2000, when Congress and President Bill Clinton enacted a measure calling for the establishment of such a museum. Fundraising endeavors were then passed off to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) in their roles as de facto developer, which got to work clearing the project with the seemingly endless list of local and federal authorities with overlapping jurisdictional interests.

Eight years and a million feet of red tape later, the museum will finally begin construction in 2009. Utilizing designs by Davis Buckley Architects and Planners, the museum will sport exhibition rooms, a gift shop, a theater and an underground atrium with skylights that peek into the plaza above. The mission of the museum will be to be lead visitors on a journey from “the first days of the night watch in the 1600’s” up to today’s high-tech era of CSI-styled detective work. Using exhibits designed by Christopher Chadbourne and Associates, the museum will highlight “historical artifacts, manuscripts, books, oral histories and other information that chronicle the development of America's civil society.” Or it might be like the aborted City Museum, a multi-dollar downtown museum that resulted in too few tourists too make it financially viable.

Then again, maybe not. Marcello Muzzatti, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and President of the Fraternal Order of Police of Washington, DC (DC-FOP), testified before the City Council this week regarding the project and has no doubts about its potential. "[Ward 2 Councilman] Jack Evans is really in favor of it because he knows it's a whole marketing strategy for downtown," said Muzzatti. "You've got the Spy Museum, the [Koshland] Science Museum, the Newseum - all that area, in the past 10 years, has just exploded. It is going to bring more visitors into Washington, DC and our museum, you have to understand, is completely unique."


The project has finally been approved by all the agencies with a finger in the development pie (District of Columbia Office of Planning, National Parks Service, US Commission of Fine Arts, etc.). All that now remains is to begin spending the $80 or so million that has been donated by prominent benefactors such as Panasonic, DuPont and Motorola (in exchange for product placement within the museum, of course), and police organizations such as the DC-FOP and the MPD (who recently organized a 5K run that raised $10,000 for the project). Fundraising is still very much underway and the NCPC is currently working with the adjacent courts to develop a perimeter security plan that is satisfactory to all. Clark Construction will serve as the general contractor once the project goes to ground.

For those who care, the oldest of the Judiciary Square buildings is the Old Courthouse, designed by architect George Hadfield, and originally intended to be the District's city hall. The courthouse was built in stages from 1820 and 1849. Maybe when it’s complete, they can slap the museum on tour including the Navy Memorial, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Building Museum and explore the unmined history of the rest of the Village People. Okay, maybe not, but think about it.