District Re-Shuffles SW Redevelopment Initiatives

Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference yesterday to highlight the District’s shuffling of several government facilities to expedite redevelopment – despite the apparent delays that have skewed timelines on several of the named projects, including the Consolidated Forensics Laboratory, the MPD First District Headquarters and Fire Engine Company 13.

“We promised to keep these projects moving and get them finished as fast as possible,” said Fenty. “We are continually working to manage our public facilities more efficiently. In many of these cases we will save millions of dollars over the long term by moving our operations out of leased space and into government-owned facilities.”

The first project facing such a move will be the Metropolitan Police Department’s First District HQ, which will relocate from 415 4^th Street, SW to one of the District’s recently closed public schools, Southwest’s Bowen Elementary. In the seven months since the school was shuttered, the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization and the Office of Property Management renovated to make a building once inadequate for fifth graders suitable for crime scene investigators. A figure for the cost of said renovation was not disclosed by the Mayor.

Following the move, the police facility’s current incarnation in turn will be razed to make way for a new $220 million, six-story, 240,000 square foot Comprehensive Forensics Lab (originally solicited as the Consolidated Forensic Laboratory). The building, which had initially been scheduled for construction last December, will consolidate the now disparate offices of the Chief Medical Examiner, Public Health Laboratory and MPD Forensic Services Division following its expected completion in late 2011.

Fenty also provided an update on the status of the proposals for the redevelopment of Fire Engine Company 13, just around the corner, at 450 6^th Street, SW – a site the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced it was vetting for a new firehouse, along with 465,000 square feet of mixed-use development, last June. According to ODMPED, they are still evaluating the three submitted proposals (from JLH Partners, Chapman Development, and CDC Companies; Trammell Crow, CSG Urban Partners, and Michele Hagans; and Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners, and Adams Investment Group) and will make a selection “late next month.” In the meantime, they’ll be holding a community meeting outlining the pitches tomorrow, February 25^th at 800 Water Street, SW.

Lastly, Fenty announced new plans for a 30,000 square foot MPD Evidence Warehouse at DC Village, a family-oriented emergency shelter on Village Lane, SW that was closed following accusations of "inhumane" conditions. It was noted that the District hopes to save additional funds by moving their current stock from leased space to the government-owned parcel.

Q-5 Townhomes Double Up In Shaw

Once just one of the many corner parcels crying out for redevelopment in the District's Shaw neighborhood, the intersection of Q and 5^th Streets, NW, is currently in the midst of its first upgrade in over fifty years. It is there that local developer Patrick Vailes has christened a traditional rowhouse and adjoining vacant lot as the site of the Q-5 Townhomes.

Designed by McDonald Williams Banks Architects, the Q-5 Consists of two homes at 503 and 505 Q Street, NW. 505 Q is a complete renovation of a historic home at the site, while the corner home at 503 Q was built from the ground up on the the site of a former gas station.

Despite the difference in ages, the design of both homes will be thematically consistent, but with slightly different interiors. 505 Q will measure in at 1,885 square feet and sport three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, and a third-story terrace. 503 will be significantly larger at 2,545 s.f., with four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, and large roofdeck with downtown DC views. Both will feature the ubiquitous stainless steel accouterments, granite countertops and gated, rear parking.

This is Vailes third such redevelopment project in the immediate area; he previously undertook similar projects at 146 W Street, NW in LeDroit Park, and 4127 8^th Street, NW in Petworth. Work on the Q-5 is slated for completion this coming April.

Round II for West End Library Development

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development is gearing up to issue a Request for Proposals for one the District’s more controversial – Square 37 in the West End.

Currently the site of both the West End Branch Library and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Operations Division, the site generated a heap in controversy in 2007, when the City Council passed "emergency legislation" to sell the lot to Eastbanc for redevelopment. In the face of opposition by the likes of Ralph Nader, public space advocates, and neighbors, the Council quickly rescinded the sale and promised their constituents that due time would be given for community input prior to redevelopment, while neighbors have continued to grouse about the underutilized site that functions more as a homeless shelter than a library, sitting incongruously between the Ritz-Carlton and other high-end condominium projects.

And while community angst has gone from overwhelming to negligible in the intervening two years, the City has held up their end of the bargain. In March 2008, numerous local bodies – including the Foggy Bottom/West End ANC 2A, Dupont Circle ANC 2B, the West End Library Friends, the DC Library Renaissance Project, and the Foggy Bottom Association - participated in a public consortium, where guiding principles for development of Square 37 - not to mention the entire West End - were established.

The ambitious “West End wish list” is divided into both macro and micro, if mutually exclusive, categories, including “livelier streets,” “more residential housing,” “public agencies [leasing] our public real estate assets rather than selling to or swapping with private parties,” making “everything...as green as possible,” and “all public facilities should stay public.”

Utopian or not, ODMPED’s pre-RFP statement encourages prospective developers “to address all stakeholder concerns and requirements and demonstrate creative ways to incorporate them into their development plans.” While ODMPED’s outline stops short of specific requirements (i.e., zoning, parking quotas), bidders will be required to incorporate plans for a new library and police facility in their vision for Square 37.

And, perhaps having learned a lesson from more recent community involvement debacles, ODMPED’s statement puts prospective developers on notice that the selected developer, not the Deputy Mayor, will be the one tasked with talking the community down regarding their list of demands for the West End. “If an offeror believes strongly that its development plan should include elements that are not desired by the community,” it reads, “then such offeror must convince the community that the proposed plan better serves the community’s interests.”

ODMPED will be accepting pre-bid queries from both developers and local residents concerning the RFP until Monday, February 23rd at dcbiz@dc.gov.

Designing the Mall's Next Museum

DCmud has obtained a list of architects now vying to design the newest addition to the Mall, and to the Smithsonian's downtown repertoire - the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC), a 350,000 square foot edifice slated for construction at 15^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. According to Museum Director Lonnie Bunch, Washington DC's newest museum will "help all Americans see just how central African American history is for all of us."

At present, there is no shortage of architects willing to take a shot at designing for what is, essentially, one the last "vacant" parcels abutting the National Mall - and also one of the closest to the Washington Monument. Current bidders on the $300 million project include Diller Scofidio and Renfro, Devrouax and Purnell Architects, Moshe Safdie and Associates, The Freelon Group, Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Foster and Partners and Moody Nolan Inc. There is no word on when a final selection will be made, but construction is currently slated to begin in February (which also happens to be Black History Month) 2012.

Those interested in scoping out the NMAAHC’s exhibits in 2009, however, will have to hit the road; the museum’s inaugural exhibition, Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits, will travel the country until work on its permanent exhibition space is complete. The collection is currently on display in Detroit, with future bookings planned for San Francisco, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago and Cincinnati all the way through 2011.

The museum was made possible by legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush in December 2003. The same act charted the museum under the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution, and it was that body’s Board of Regents that selected the 5-acre site bounded by Constitution Avenue, Madison Drive and 14^th and 15^th Streets, NW to be home of the first national museum “devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life.” Having already completed a preliminary Environmental Impact analysis, the Smithsonian is currently undertaking what it labels as the “architectural programming phase” of development, during which the space and system requirements integral to a fully functioning public institution, such as the NMAAHC, will be established, and then relayed to the prospective architects for inclusion in their designs.

Washington DC real estate development news

Tyson's Developer Thinks Condos

With its fourth high-rise approaching completion, the Towers Crescent office park in Tyson's Corner is finally a reality. Now the developer behind the project, the Quadrangle Development Corporation (QDC), is testing the waters for an additional three buildings that would add upwards of 900 residential units to Fairfax County, while re-branding Tyson's as a place to live and not just the site of the nation's tenth largest mall. "The County has been seeking to encourage more residential development at the center of Tyson's Center - making it more of a 'live, work, play' 24-hour environment," says George Boteler, who oversees leasing operations for Quadrangle. "Right now, there's over a 100,000 people who work in Tyson's Corner; only about 17,000 live there. The County is anxious to increase that, as a way of combating congestion."

The three planned buildings would include between 750-919 units, for a total of 919,000 square feet, and stand next to their cubicle-filled brethren along the Towers Crescent Drive – a stone’s throw away from the Tyson’s shopping complex. The buildings - 1860, 1870 and 1880 Towers Crescent Drive (pictured) – would receive a significant marketing boost once they complete their planned pedestrian overpass. Designers hope a bridge over Fashion Boulevard will provide an infrastructural link between the development and their more than 300 neighboring shops and restaurants, and help in changing the perception of Tyson’s as one of the most unfriendly and perilous neighborhoods for pedestrians in the metro area, if not the universe. The McLean office of Davis Carter Scott is handling designs for the project.

Originally, the entire Towers Crescent project had been envisioned as office space; that changed in late 2007, when Fairfax County allowed the developer to substitute the aforementioned residential units in place of 300,000 square feet of office space. "It was a three for one density bonus - three square of feet of residential for one square foot of commercial," says Boteler. "The development of even more mixed-use project was viewed as beneficial." It was a logical adjustment, but one that was immediately followed by the housing market's shift from boom to bust. Nonetheless, Quadrangle is still dedicated to getting towers five, six and seven in the ground in the near future. Says Boteler: "The market will dictate [our timetable], depending on how long it takes to work through the overhang of condominiums on the market today. We're ready to start on design and development on the buildings, so whenever the market shows signs of life [we'll begin]...The plan is to build it regardless of whether it starts as apartments or condominiums, but to build it to a condominium standard."

If Towers Crescent's prime location adjacent to the mall is any indication, they shouldn't have trouble dealing with either of those options. In the coming weeks, months and years, the site will be on the receiving end of two huge boons to the Tyson's area: WMATA’s addition of a Tyson’s Corner Metro station – planned for completion in 2013 – and the Hilton Hotel Corporation’s relocation down the block to competing office development, BF Saul’s Park Place II. Delays aside, Quadrangle may have real estate's three guiding principles - location, location, location - in check for quite some time.

Tysons Corner commercial real estate news

"Home Again" Hones in on LeDroit Park

Seven years and a new mayor later, the Vacant and Abandoned Housing Initiative is still flush with properties for redevelopment. Established by former Mayor Anthony Williams in 2002, the initiative – better known to the public as “Home Again” – was tasked with converting “vacant and abandoned buildings into quality, affordable homes.” Now, two years after being awarded a bundle of unoccupied LeDroit Park properties, aptly-titled DC developer, the Neighborhood Development Company (NDC), is gearing up to begin work on the first installment of their “Home Again” redevelopment projects at 1915 6^th Street, NW.

Currently a vacant lot straddled by several historic LeDroit Park homes, NDC is aiming to reinvigorate the long vacant parcel with a new three-story “historicist” condominium development. Designed by PGN Architects, the building will outwardly appear to be a brick townhouse with “a rusticated base, precast accents and wood windows” and measure in at 1,300 square feet. The project is currently scheduled to begin construction in July 2009 - after missing the mark last September. NDC previously accrued the approval of both the LeDroit Park Civic Association and Historic Preservation Review Board in summer of 2008.

Diminutive though it may be, the 1915 6^th project is just the first of ten “Home Again” properties under the control of NDC; next up for development will be duel derelict structures, just outside of LeDroit proper, at 902 and 904 T Street, NW. In all, NDC plans to squeeze 22 units – 4 of which of will be priced at affordable housing rates – out of their LeDroit Park lemons.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Yards of New Retail in Southeast

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has signed off on Forest City Washington’s (FCW) plans for the second phase of development at their previously announced Waterfront Park - the public space component of their sprawling 42-acre development in Southeast, The Yards.

The centerpiece of the project is the rehabilitation and restoration of the so-called “Lumber Shed” – a 19,000 square foot, pre-war industrial building that will be re-purposed as a new retail pavilion. The Shed, included on the National Register of Historic Places, will be improved with walls of glass so that, according to the naval-gazing NCPC, its “concrete structure [will be] revealed and retained.” Two similarly-styled new retail buildings will be constructed next door and serve a combination of “restaurant, shopping and neighborhood retail uses.” Both of the newly constructed retail pavilions – measuring in at 6,288 and 10,277 square feet - will feature second story terraces intended for outdoor dining. Architecture firm Gensler is handling designs for both the renovation and new construction.

Phase II of development at the Park will also include the beginnings of a future Southeast Waterfront boardwalk. FCW has commissioned a “70-foot polished stainless steel structure” from designer James Carpenter that will serve as an “iconic statement about the rebirth of the Navy Yard Annex and Southeast Federal Center as The Yards, and the rebirth of the Anacostia Riverfront itself.” According to NCPC documentation, this “visual marker” will reflect the sky and water during the day and will be softly lit internally at night.”

Other improvements planned for the Waterfront Park’s 1100 foot span between the north bank of the Anacostia and Water Street, SE include multiple street art installations, newly planted trees, a bicycle network and a connection to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Despite the quantity and quality of FCW’s plans for the Waterfront Park and surrounding retail, they, in fact, have yet to definitively acquire the all of the parcels on site, including the Lumber Shed. According to the developer, it’s a unique kink of their deal with the federal government, who years ago utilized the site as a naval annex.

“The arrangement with the General Services Administration [is that] we acquire individual parcels, whether there’s an existing building on it or its open land where the GSA had formerly demolished a building,” says Gary McManus, FCW’s Marketing Manager. “There’s a takedown schedule for that. So once we start development on it, then we acquire the site. But that hasn’t happened yet, because we have yet to start construction.”

The NCPC previously ok’ed FCW’s initial plans for the Waterfront Park in February of 2008. McManus tells DCmud that their first phase, currently under construction, “will be done by 2010, probably mid-year. [A final date] on the park pavilions will have to do with retail leasing, but there seems to be alot of strong interest in locating down there by river for riverfront dining...we’re anticipating late 2011 or 2012 [for Phase II].” The project’s third and final phase remains unscheduled at this time, but is currently set to include the development’s maritime components, including piers.

Glover Park Niteclub Comes Down

Washington DC's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has consented to a raze order filed in October by the owners of Glover Park's gentlemen's dance venue, J.P.'s Night Club. In their 20 plus years in business, the long-running, family-owned business had continually faced critiques from neighbors in the upscale community over matters of crime, alcohol licensing and, well, that other thing.

Local adversaries finally got their wish in January 2008, when a conflagration led to a dramatic fire-and-rescue operation, when eager firemen rescued a (fully clad) employee from the roof as J.P.'s went up in flames. The building was soon boarded up (not hard, it had no windows) and has remained so ever since, even as new businesses have moved into adjoining storefronts.

With the site now gutted, control of the property at 2412 Wisconsin Avenue, NW has reverted to landlords, the Alafoginis Family LP – local entrepreneurs who once ran the now defunct Chic boutique down the street. Alafoginis' representation, Deoudes-Magafan Realty of Bethesda, did not respond to several DCmud inquiries concerning future building plans. The demolition will be carried out by the Construction Guild, LLC.

In the meantime, those who still feel like supporting working mothers and college girls can still visit Good Guys across the street, which was always better anyway. From what we're told.

Apartments for the Commonwealth

Northern Virginia’s Del Ray neighborhood is set to lose 11 primarily vacant storefronts in the coming months, as the Mount Vernon Commons, LLC begins work on their so-named project at the intersection of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues in Alexandria.

The Mount Vernon Commons development aims to deliver 141 one and two-bedroom residential units, along with 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail to what is currently 3015-3111 Mount Vernon Avenue and 3026 Commonwealth Avenue. Once planned as a new condo development for Alexandria, project managers are naturally pursuing rental apartments – with a possibility that units “may revert condominiums at a later time.” Alexandria affordable housing guidelines require that six of the one bedroom units and three of two-bedroom units be available below market rate.

Once completed, the LEED-certified Mount Vernon Commons will consist of two buildings, ranging from three to four stories, for a gross of 146,605 square feet of new development. The traditional apartment units will be accented by painted brick “townhouse-style” units fronting Commonwealth Avenue, atop two-stories of underground parking. Additionally, the southern end of the development will sport 3,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space with seating and an undetermined art element.

The project was initially under the stewardship of Fairfax-based Carr Homes, which, after receiving approval from the Alexandria City Council in December of 2006, sold both the site and plans to the Mount Vernon Commons, LLC. After the change of hands, the new owner moved for a one year extension on their 2008 construction deadline, a move backed by the Del Ray Citizens Association. In accordance with the Planning Commission’s approval of the extension, the development must now break ground by June 21, 2009, or begin the approval process anew. The project is being designed by Heffner Architects, PC and built by Clark Construction.

DC Breaks Ground on Southeast Waterfront Park

A cadre of District officials, including Mayor Adrian Fenty, were on hand today to start work on Diamond Teague Park, an $8 million waterfront esplanade in the shadow of Nationals Park at First Street and Potomac Avenue, SE, Washington DC.

Construction has already begun on the park’s duel waterfront piers that, once completed, will offer waterfront taxi service and other commercial boating services to service the baseball stadium. A separate, 200-foot "environmental pier" will also host space for school groups and personal watercraft, such as kayaks and canoes. The piers are expected to be completed by the Nationals’ Opening Day on April 13^th; District officials anticipate work on the rest of the park, including a mural by artist Byron Peck and memorial to the Park’s namesake, Diamond Teague, to be completed by July. The Landscape Architecture Bureau-designed project is intended to serve as the linchpin between the ballpark and a projected 20-mile network of trails that wind through the redevelopment areas of both the Southeast and Southwest waterfronts.

The prominently located park is named in tribute to Diamond Teague, a Southeast teen who was gunned down by unknown assailants in 2003. Teague was once a member of local volunteer organization the Earth Conservation Corps – headquartered in the neighboring Capitol Pumphouse – which works to purifying and preserve the Anacostia River

“Diamond Teague committed his life to restoring, protecting and preserving the Anacostia River,” said Fenty. “This park will be a fitting tribute to his legacy and it will mark our commitment as a city to carry on his work.”

According to the Mayor’s office, funds for the project are being “covered through dedicated revenue streams tied to a number of adjacent economic development projects that surround the park.” The JBG Companies previously contributed $1.5 million toward the project; this past October, the developers behind the neighboring Riverfront on the Anacostia development, Florida Rock Properties, made an $800,000 contribution in Teague’s honor.

Washington DC commercial property news

Jemal's Retail Trick on 14th Street

Douglas Development is in the process of acquiring the necessary permits to raze a vacant auto lot at 2221 14^th Street, NW. According to Douglas Jemal, President of Douglas Development, his corporation acquired the bafflingly named "Latino Auto Sale" five years ago; now, under the creative title of "Jemal's Hookers, LLC," he’s planning to scrap it for a new retail development intended to service the increasingly crowded 14^th and U Street corridor.

Though Jemal has yet to set a timeline for when the diminutive brick auto shop and adjoining parking lot will meet the wrecking ball and shovel, he has already taken on George Meyers of GTM Architects, Inc. to design a two-story 10,000 square foot retail development for the site.

"We’re getting permitted and getting it designed, so that, hopefully, when this market does turn around, we can get something done,” said Jemal. Understandable, but just what’s the story behind the tasteful moniker of his limited liability company? “Long before you were around,” laughed Jemal, “there were always hookers on that corner [at 14^th and Florida Avenue].”

These days, the intersection is decidedly more family friendly, with PN Hoffman's Union Row project just a few doors down, both Jair Lynch’s Solea Condominiums and Level 2 Development’s View 14 are currently under construction directly across the street. Damn you, gentrification.

Washington DC commercial property news

Alexandria Eyes New Metro for Potomac Yard

Just in time to reap some juicy stimulus dollars, the City of Alexandria is now exploring an additional front in their ongoing plans for the redevelopment of the city's former industrial sector, Potomac Yard. This month, the Alexandria City Council formally established the Metrorail Station Feasibility Work Group with the express purpose of "assess[ing] the technical and financial analyses required for a potential new Metrorail Station in Potomac Yard."

Both the Planning Commission and City Council expressed interest in a possible Metro expansion into Potomac Yard back in May 2008, when they undertook a "preliminary analysis of concept." That study resulted in a Washington Metro Area Transit Authority estimate that priced the project at $125 to $150 million with an operating cost of roughly $1 million per year. The hope is that a Metro outlet in the currently barren Potomac Yard quadrant of Alexandria will kick start – or, at the very least, accelerate - the redevelopment effort that aims to add 1 million square feet of office space, 750,000 square feet of retail, 2500 residential units and an undetermined number of hotel rooms to Northern Virginia.

Members of the Work Group include William Euille and Timothy Lovain of the City Council; Eric Wagner of the Planning Commission; Noah Teates of the Potomac Yard Planning Advisory Group; and Jennifer Mitchell of the Transportation Commission. The Work Group will hold its first public meeting on Thursday, February 17^th. The meeting will be held at the Sister Cities Conference Room at 7 PM.

Though the House and Senate versions of the stimulus package have yet to be reconciled with one another, both versions contain large - though differing - amounts for infrastructure spending. Once the money is routed to the State Legislature (and possibly WMATA), these seems like precisely the type of project they'd be willing to explore. Barring, of course, that it doesn't cut into the caviar fund.

Capitol Riverfront Showcase This Weekend

With passage of the stimulus bill now behind us, the Capitol Riverfront BID (CRBID) is teaming with local artist collective Artomatic and starving artist patrons, The Pink Line Project, to highlight a trio of residential properties along the Southeast Waterfront this coming weekend. Entitled “Luck of the Draw,” the festival/marketing showcase will include art installations and live music coincidentally located at three prominent nouveau Southeast developments: the Cohen Companies’ Velocity Condominiums, JPI’s Axiom at Capitol Yards, and Faison’s Onyx on First.

The free public festivities kick off this Friday, February 13th at 6 PM and run through Sunday, February 15th. Residential units and lounges at the three aforementioned properties will be populated with “photography, installation art, graffiti artists, live music, and DJs and dancing;” we can only presume that there might be a few agents on hand (wink wink) to facilitate the transition from the dance floor to the sales office. Talk about mixed-use.

The cross-pollinating event will also serve a prelude to the CRBID’s 2009 partnership with Artomatic, which will be holding a 10^th anniversary party of their very own in the Capitol Riverfront in just a few months. Artomatic had previously teamed with competing development district, NoMA, for their 2008 exhibition.

"With our 2007 Artomatic we began working with the Business Improvement Districts...and found partnering with the BIDs as a perfect way for Artomatic to better engage the neighborhoods we were in and better leverage our outreach and marketing efforts for our event," said Artomatic representative and featured artist, Patrick Oberman.

The Cost of Commuting to DC

Suburban housing places a heavy financial strain on working families in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, concludes a new publication released yesterday from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing. Beltway Burden: The Combined Cost of Housing and Transportation in the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, analyzes the inverse proportionality between the cost-savings on distant homes and expense of commuting to the District from without. The study's deduction, if not entirely intuitive, is that DC-area working families who are forced to "drive ‘till they qualify" for housing incur higher transportation costs that eventually erode their housing cost savings. Well, ya.

The study finds that region-wide, households spend an average of $23,000 on housing and $13,000 on transportation annually, and that increases in transportation costs start offsetting housing savings when families locate roughly 16 miles from employment centers; drivers who spend an average of 60 hours per year sitting in traffic and waste nearly 91 million gallons of fuel.

To lower the housing-transportation cost burden for the Washington metro area, the report suggests that part of the answer is “creating more housing and transportation choices...us[ing] our existing infrastructure more wisely and more intensively...and [m]ore compact development." The report predicts the addition of 1.7 million new households over the next 20 years in the DC region, half of which will occur in the outer suburbs and outer-ring jurisdictions. These areas currently are home to just over one-fourth of the region’s population, and have the highest combined costs for housing and transportation.

DCHD Auction Bidders to be Disclosed

Last week's auction of vacant property throughout Washington DC met with mostly positive reviews. But complaints were raised about its "secretive" nature, a process that jarred with Obamian notions of an anticeptically transparent government. Now the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD), which held the auction of 31 vacant "nuisance properties" on January 30th, has said it will reveal the winners. Eventually. For now, despite community concerns over the furtive sale, Angelita Colon-Francia, Senior Public Information Officer, Office of Strategy and Communications, has informed DCmud that the winning bidders "were mostly individuals, although four bidders have already stated they intend to purchase their properties using corporate entities.” Oh, the new neighbors are individuals. There goes the neighborhood.

If that is not a sufficient balm to open-government zealots, satisfaction of community qualms about just who (or what) purchased will have to wait until an upcoming, as-yet unscheduled public hearing. Recites Colon-Francia: “Per Section 42-3171 of the D.C. Code, DHCD will announce the date of a public hearing, along with the names of the prospective buyers, in the D.C. Register after it has received deposits for each property.”

Almost as interesting, DCHD has also gone public with a new Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, which is intended to “encourage private investment in the construction and rehabilitation of low- and moderate-income housing,” or, if you are a city Councilmember, go 8 out of 9 years without paying taxes. [DCMud has still not verified that last part yet] Though the update to District policy was mandated by federal law, the changes to the program will not affect current DCHD-sponsored affordable housing initiatives, including the upcoming redevelopment of 809 Kennedy Street, NW and Jubilee Housing Inc.’s renovation of various Adams Morgan properties like Ontario Court and The Ritz. According to DCHD guidleines, “the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program provides 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits to developers of new or rehabilitated rental housing for the production of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income persons at 60 percent or less of Area Median Income.”

Rockville Condo Auction: The Fitz Calls it Quits

Apparently four years is enough. Facing what could be more than half a decade of shilling condos in Rockville, the Fitz is calling it quits, and has called in the auctioneers to finish the job. Developers of The Fitz have announced their intention to auction the 40 remaining condos on February 28th, ending sales of the 221-unit condominium that began in early 2005 when the project was converted from an apartment building. Developed originally by Archstone in 2004, the apartment building was purchased by Florida-based Elad in 2005, with sales beginning the same year. Prices that once started in the low $300's for one-bedroom units will be auctioned with an opening bid of $169,900. Pity the buyers that paid in the high $400's for a two-bedroom, two-bath back in 2005. 

Representatives of the real estate developer, which is marketing and selling the units itself, report selling 20 condos in 2008, leaving a two-year inventory at 2008 sales levels, a prospect which must have made even the most Pollyanna of real estate agents gulp. Bidders will need an $85,000 earnest money deposit to earn the keys to their new unit. "The Fitz at Rockville Town Center," located at 501 Hungerford Drive, just outside the geography it takes its name from, was the first condo developed in the then-emerging neighborhood. The Fitz includes a cyber cafe, gas fireplaces, cinema lounge, fitness facility, and "resort-style" outdoor pool, and is walking distance to the Metro. Elad also converted the nearby Colonnade at Kentlands from apartments into condominiums.

Babes Goes Back to Retail?

Last week's auction winner of the Tenley condo site will build a new retail venue, according to the new owner. Douglas Jemal of Douglas Development Corporation tells DCMud that he will pursue retail usage at the Tenleytown storefront once home to Babe’s Billiards, but more recently as an aborted residential project called the Maxim Condominiums. Jemal picked up the 12,661 square foot parcel at 4600 Wisconsin Avenue, NW for a reported $5 million at auction last week, after the Maxim’s original developers, Clemens Construction, bowed out.

There is no word on when Tenleytown will see the property open for business, but Jemal contends that his company will repurpose the shuttered pool hall at the site, instead of aiming for new construction. With underwriting for residential projects increasingly wanting, residential development was never likely, at least in the short term. More distantly, project approvals for the Maxim, as well as project plans by Cunningham & Quill Architects,’ transfer under the terms of the sale, leaving a clear path toward residential development for one of DC's few developer that seems capable and inclined to buy and hold.

But at least one executive of a prominent developer that examined the site thinks the only real strategy is a long term retail plan. "The problem with the site is that anyone picking it up needs to carry it for a long time. Doug Jemal, more than anyone else in the city, has a greater ability to bring in high profile retailers...You can't pay that amount ($5m) and get a short term lease; I think in a way it could be good for the site. The FAR price was high by any standard, [Jemal] was bidding like a guy who had an idea for how to utilize the site; its certain to remain retail for at least a decade." And with the tax rate on vacant property jumping from 5% to 10%, Douglas has an obvious disincentive to idling the property.

Other current Douglas projects in some phase of development include the former Wonder Bread factory at 641 S Street, NW, a mixed-use development at 9^th and N Streets, NW, the redevelopment of a Pennsylvania Avenue, NE site that neighbors the proposed Hill East project, and the Addison Row at Cheverly Metro just over the District line in Prince George’s County.

Insider Interview: Sean O'Donnell and Matthew Bell of Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

While architectural firms around the region quietly rightsize their workforce, international architects Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn have announced three new projects with the District of Columbia, including a study for the cloverleaf at North Capital Street, a master plan for Northwest’s Mount Vernon Square neighborhood and the modernization of Glover Park’s Benjamin Stoddert Elementary. Not a bad start to 2009. Oh, and they're designing the PN Hoffman-led development of the Southwest Waterfront. Enough to keep them busy for weeks. Two principals with the firm, Sean O’Donnell and Matthew Bell, took some time to sit down with DCmud.

Tell us a little about the firm and your approach to architecture.

SO: There are 35 people in this location. We also have offices in New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai. We’re an international practice and this just happens to be one of our offices. Our offices all collaborate on projects, so our work and expertise flow back and forth. I’ve worked in all four of the offices, for example, and that’s quite common. Our skill set, I think, is a little different than some of the other practices here in town. We do a lot of very large scale master planning, such as the Southwest Waterfront and on other things like Reservation 13 or Inner Harbor East. We’ve done a lot of waterfront planning across the country. That’s part of the large scale vision of the practice and we take that with us into any project, of any scale. Even when we’re doing building scale projects, like the many schools we’ve done here in the District, there’s always a larger vision of how it engages its context and the community.

MB: In DC, we’ve done the School without Walls, the George Washington University master plan, the Georgia Avenue master plan from just north of Howard, and we helped with the Wisconsin Avenue plan. We did the U Street plan and the Reservation 13 master plan that’s in development. We did the baseball stadium site study that located the stadium down where it was built. We worked with Mayor’s office on Great Streets. Right now, we’re doing the Deanwood Recreation Center over in Northeast.

You are the master planner for the Southwest Waterfront project, possibly the most prominent single development in the city. Tell us how you were chosen for that project.

MB: There was an international selection process between the Office of Planning and the developer who was eventually selected, Hoffman-Streuver. I don’t know who else had submitted, but our partner, Stan Eckstut – who was one of the founders of the firm – has made a living doing great waterfronts. He did the waterfront in Long Beach, California, the waterfront in Los Angeles and the promenade in Battery Park. We’ve all learned a lot from Stan about how to approach that kind of project.

What can we expect from the Southwest Waterfront? The only other true counterpart it has at present is the Georgetown Waterfront. What will the comparisons be once it’s completed?

SO: Well, one thing we learned from Stan about waterfronts is how important the water actually is. You need to have a plan for the water too, and not just focus on the land side of things.

MB: What happens on the water totally influences the rest of the project. I think the general feeling is DC doesn’t have, outside of the Washington Harbor, a place where the city comes right to the water. If you think about, most of Georgetown pulls back and places like the Navy Yard never really went right to the water and, for years, were industrial. And, of course, the Anacostia is silted up and never became a great port. If you go back and look at the L’Enfant plan for the city, people were originally going to come by water and then travel by canals, so it was going to be a waterfront city. It never really happened that way and the idea is to finally bring the city to the water with people living there, working there, hotels, retail, restaurants and all different kinds of activity.

How do you go about integrating those original L’Enfant designs into your plans for a modern development?

MB: We base all of our work on what works in other places, so we spend a lot of time looking at precedents. We feel very strongly that great places are made by looking at other places, taking those ideas and using them as a basis for new ideas. I don’t think necessarily we’re trying to reinvent; rather, we’re taking the best of what you have at other waterfronts across the world and trying to make something that’s unique for DC. The L’Enfant plan is one aspect of that, but there are other ideas and other places as well. There’s an idea to connect to the Mall along 9th Street, there’s an idea to make Maine Avenue a vibrant place with active waterfront uses that ties in the existing fish market in a creative way.

EE&K designed the Inner Harbor East project in Baltimore. How would you rate the success of that project, and how would you do it differently if you were to start over again?

MB: What we tried to do there was to design a network of public places. We realized that the market might change, the buildings might change, but if you have strong idea about the kind of places you’re trying to make and you preserve those in the plan, you’ll get a general network of public spaces all along the waterfront. I think a lot of what we’ve learned over the years is that though market forces do have their effect on cities, but if you have a strong idea about place, those things will work out.

SO: When you think about the timeframe that it takes to implement these kinds of plans, the dynamic changes throughout the course of it. Battery Park City has been in the marking for 25, 30 years and we’re actually doing the last two buildings right now to complete the plan. It’s taken a generation.

MB: We try to take the long view. Stan’s been working on Battery Park City for 25 years. We designed the Hill East Waterfront in 2001 and here we are in 2009. Lots of time these master plans do take a long time for their complete realization, and we understand that.

SO: Part of our approach, though, is that since these things can take time, the first phase feels intact and complete. So while there may be 60-acres of development to go, that initial project feels like it’s not a construction site. That’s critical.

The District recently selected EE&K to design a “North Capitol Gateway,” but the details were left a little vague. Can you tell us what shape that project will take?

MB: We’re working now for the Office of Planning, looking at the cloverleaf at North Capitol and Irving. They’ve asked us to imagine different options that are more pedestrian friendly, less highway-like than what’s there now and that work better with the surrounding property owners and uses – like the hospital, Catholic University and the redevelopment of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. The NCPC master plan identifies this as a place that could have more memorials and things, so we’re trying to look at this a new gateway to the monumental core. It could be much more like a parkway, not unlike Rock Creek Park. One of the challenges is that there is a lot of green space in that part of town, but very little of it is successful. They’re seeing this as potential catalyst project, but we’re just really starting it now.

You’ve both worked on projects all over the world, giving perspective about the District's development process. How would you rate the process, especially with regard to the height limit and other procedural differences that set it apart from other parts of the country.

MB: There are plenty of cities that have tall buildings that are really ugly. If the restriction was such an economic deterrent, then there wouldn’t be developers in this town.

SO: We do work across the country, but both Matt and I live in the District. Every time I come back, I always enjoy returning to Washington. And I think the process here is really quite good. It can be complicated, but, having worked in other jurisdictions, there’s a level of professionalism here with the CFA, NCPC and Office of Planning. Their interests are the same as ours; we’re both after a very quality urban environment. The public process here can actually elevate the results.

MB: I agree. Compared to other places, there are a lot of very smart people working at the regulatory agencies here. And with all the specific experiences we’ve moving projects through the regulatory process here, they only seem to get better. I can’t really sit here and say, “This is bad” or “that’s bad.” Sometimes, it’s lengthy, but it is anywhere. Once you set that aside, their concerns are always justified. It’s that kind of balance between the imperatives of the private development world and the regulatory bodies that results in a better product. Most of these bodies recognize that good development is good, and they know that there are certain kinds of development they don’t want to do. We don’t want to do them either – drive-ins, strip malls, and that kind of thing. We share the same objectives. DC is a good place to practice.

Arlington's Affordable Housing Haven

Affordable housing developers, AHC Inc., have opened the doors on their newest project, The Shelton, at 2310 Shirlington Road in the Arlington suburb of Nauck. The developer is billing the 94-unit development as an “affordable apartment community” – one that boasts a presidential pedigree with units named after former Commanders-in-Chief - Madison, Jefferson, Harrison (we don't know which one) and Washington, respectively - and rents that range from $636 for an efficiency, up to $1401 for a three-bedroom. According to the developer, "almost half the apartments are already leased" in the 4-story, 103,138 square foot building. Bonstra Haresign ARCHITECTS and Harkins Builders rounded out the development team, which began work following the 2007 demolition of the Fairview Manor Apartments.

The Shelton is the first AHC project to wrap up in recent months, but more are on the way. Other affordable housing projects in the Northern Virginia developer’s pipeline for 2009 include their partnership with the Macedonia Baptist Church of Arlington, the planned Westover Apartments (also of Arlington) and the Jordan Manor in Ballston - which is scheduled to begin construction in March and will share the same architect and general contractor as The Shelton.

Arlington Virginia commercial real estate news