St. Elizabeths Gets the Green Thumbs Up

After years of preparation and political wrangling, DC's famed (but rarely visited) St. Elizabeths may at last have the authority it needs to begin a titanic redevelopment effort to turn the one-time insane asylum into the next headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security. Thanks to a pair of approvals over the past two months, the General Services Administration (GSA) has prevailed in their effort to relocate the DHS to the vacant St. Elizabeths West Campus, in Southeast Washington DC. According to GSA, the only hindrance now is to allocate the funds and select the team.

In December, the agency received a favorable Environmental Impact Statement concerning the project; the following month, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) sealed the deal with their approval of the GSA’s master plan for the site. In all, it’s a green light for the first relocation of a federal government agency east of the Anacostia - and one that paves the way for the District to pursue their own redevelopment initiatives in the surrounding Congress Heights neighborhood.

DHS’ workforce is currently housed in 70 buildings at 40 locations throughout the city, which, in the words of the report, “adversely impacts critical communication, coordination and cooperation across components.” Hence, over the course of five years of research, GSA determined a move to St. Elizabeths “to be the only reasonable alternative.” It’s a maneuver that will require the construction and renovation of some 4.65 million square feet of office and shared use space, plus construction of a new Coast Guard headquarters and the requisite parking.

According to the GSA’s own legally-mandated environmental assessment, any strain on the eco-system related to the move would be negligible at best. Though the report does point to “moderate” impact on streams, wetlands, groundwater and vegetation at the site, it finds them tolerable and expected, given the large influx of population, vehicles and infrastructure that will accompany DHS.

Approvals in hand, the federal government expects actual construction to commence by the third quarter of 2009. Mike McGill of the GSA detailed just what steps remain before shovels hit the ground at St. Elizabeths. "We have to get an appropriation in the Fiscal Year 09 Omnibus Appropriation Act passed by Congress. Right now, we’re operating under a continuing resolution that expires March 6th," said McGill. "The present FY09 budget asks for $346 million for St. Elizabeths. That would cover the cost of construction of Phase I, the Coast Guard Headquarters and the cost of design for Phase II. Assuming that we do get that appropriation, we would then advertise this summer for proposals from general contractors, select a contractor and have them under contract before the end of the fiscal year [on September 30th]."

What's not to be crazy about? For one, locals fear the project may become a high-security fortress that fosters no interaction with the local economy. Others decry potential harm to the environment, government assurances aside, that such a massive build-out would risk. But preservationists have been fit to be tied about changes to St. Elizabeths historic character.

The NCRC report makes no bones about damage to St. Elizabeths buildings, despite the fact that the West Campus was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1990. It almost guarantees “direct, major, long-term, adverse impacts on [St. Elizabeths] historic buildings,” including the demolition of an unspecified number of the century-old (or more) structures. Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had previously included St. Elizabeths on its 2002 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places, wrote the following in a Washington Post editorial designed to rebuke the GSA’s feel good assessment of the hospital’s prospects as the DHS headquarters:

“[DHS] needs and deserves a consolidated headquarters – but this campus isn’t the place for it. The National Park Service calls the GSA plan ‘wholly incompatible’ with the preservation of St. Elizabeths. What’s more, the government’s own projections show that after all the tearing down and building up and paving over are done, the St. E’s campus still would not provide all the office space that DHS needs…in the meantime, a unique urban asset would be wasted, a historic treasure would be turned into a fortress and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spark revitalization in a long-neglected neighborhood would be lost.”

Since the West Campus is a federally-owned parcel, the District's own, typically stringent Historic Preservation Review Board has no bearing on what happens to the structures on site; however, the preservation thread was one picked up on the following month, in the NCPC ruling – albeit without the same level of tenacity. After taking into account the historic nature of the West Campus and its contribution to the evolution of modern medical and psychiatric care, the security needs of both the DHS and its staff were found to trump the historicity of the present facilities. At the same time, the NCPC stressed that the gross majority of the vacant buildings on site will not face demolition and, in fact, receive their first renovations ever in their decades-long history.


“[St. Elizabeths] includes 82 contributing buildings, 62 of which are on the West Campus. Fifty-one of the 62 contributing buildings would be rehabilitated in the accordance with the Final Master Plan,” states the NCPC report. Measures will also be undertaken during construction to ensure it would “minimize impacts to historic landscapes.” At the same time, the few West Campus areas left open to the public over the past decades – the Point, the Cemetery, and Hitchcock Hall – will remain so, and receive infrastructural overhauls. Overall, the NCPC sees the project as boon to not only a historic landmark that has been vacant since 2002, but to a part of the District that has been isolated from the rest of DC development for far longer.

That’s because NCPC approval – one of the final steps for the DHS relocation - means that the Fenty administration, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and Office of Planning can proceed unimpeded with plans to redevelop the District-controlled Eastern Campus into more than 2 million square feet of mixed-use development.

All of it would put an increased strain on the infrastructure of the surrounding Southeast neighborhood, tempered by proposed infrastructural improvements to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenues, SE - two Congress Heights traffic arteries that could not cope unaided with the expected increase in daily use.

St. Elizabeths West is to be built in three phases over the next 8 years – the first of which is intended to start by the end of the year. Though the District has yet to commit to a timeline for their development of the campus' eastern flank, McGill says that, “In terms of putting people in place on campus, the Coast Guard is going to be the first tenant. We anticipate that to be far enough along for them to begin moving in in 2013.”

Midtown Silver Spring Bides its Time

The long-delayed Midtown Silver Spring is again moving forward, at least in its planning, this time with Home Properties, following an early 2008 sale by the original developers, Kettler. Despite the change of hands, Home Properties is still pursuing the same WDG design for 1009 Ripley Street – one that aims to deliver two towers worth of residential and retail to the Silver Spring Central Business District. Don Hogue of Home Properties tells DCmud that though the project was fully approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board, they’re biding their time until they get it just right.

"We have final site plan approval, but we have to take it all the way through construction drawings," said Hogue. "One of the things that the Planning Board commented to us was that maybe we had a little bit too much parking. It was designed as a condominium [project], so we may be altering that…but we’re still in the very early stages.”

The original WDG plans for the Midtown – which Home will rebrand with a new title once the project moves forward – call for 314 apartments in dual, 19-story luxury high-rises and 5,380 square feet of retail space. Hogue projects that once construction begins it will be the second such project on the block, as the Washington Property Company is currently soliciting general contractors for their Ripley residential development across the street. As such, a start date for the Midtown currently remains up in the air.

“We hope to start the remainder of the architectural work this year. The goal would be to get the project ready to start when we think market conditions are right, but we’re not exactly sure when that’s going to be,” said Hogue. Nor does anyone else.

Double BZA Approvals on the SE Waterfront

The District's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) gave the green light to two prominent Capitol Riverfront projects this week that will allow construction to proceed unimpeded into 2010 and beyond.

The first round of approvals centered on Akridge’s Half Street development a block from Nationals Park. Despite a ceasefire in legal wrangling between the Akridge, neighboring developers Monument Realty and WMATA, construction on the 704,000 square foot development – which is slated to include dual office towers, a 300-unit residential building, 75,000 square feet of retail and an open-air marketplace/plaza – has yet to formally commence. The BZA’s approval clears the way for that to change, as Akridge can now clear and prep the site for its planned 2010 start date.

In a concurrent development, the BZA also consented to Forest City Washington’s plans for a second phase of construction at the so-called Yards Park. Those plans call for more than 35,000 square feet of new retail on the site, half of which will be culled from a renovation of the historic, pre-war “Lumber Shed” at M Street and New Jersey Avenue, SE. The development will also include the beginnings of a Capitol Riverfront boardwalk – the highlight of which is scheduled to be a 60-foot stainless steel monument designed by James Carpenter Design Associates. The National Capital Planning Commission previously approved the same development early last month; work on the project’s first phase, a 5.5-acre public park is already under way.

Dual MoCo Apartments Headed for Approval

Two long-gestating residential projects - The Monty in Bethesda and Bonifant Plaza in Silver Spring - will (finally) be cleared for approval by the Montgomery County Planning Board at their scheduled March 12^th meeting. Together, they'll signal the MPBD’s largest residential approval of the new year and contribute nearly 300 new residential units to the county.

Located between Fairmont and St. Elmo’s Avenues in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda, the 17-story (!), SK&I-designed Monty will usurp the present two and three-story storefronts on site, only to replace them with up to 200 residential units, 7,700 square feet of ground floor retail and a 5,500 square foot public plaza. Developer Monty, LLC - who received previously received Board approval in early 2008 to nearly double the number of units contained in the project at the expense of once expansive floorplans - will dedicate 20 the said apartments to affordable housing.

Meanwhile, in Silver Spring, developer Theo Margas’ Bonifant Plaza project will be moving ahead with its planned 115,000 square foot, AR Meyer & Associates design. Sporting 72 rental apartments – 9 of which will be affordable – Bonifant Plaza will stand on the so-named Bonifant Street – a site, coincidentally, within earshot of the MCPB offices in downtown Silver Spring. Margas told DCmud in January that the meeting will be “only for the budget plan” for the Bonifant, but expects the approval to solidify a timeline for the project, which has been in development since at least 2006.

As of this writing, both projects have been earmarked for approval by MCPB staff – an opinion that the Board itself rarely dissents against.

Prospects Announced for Park Morton

Following last summer's Request for Proposals, Deputy Mayor Neil Albert has announced the three development teams contending for the $170 million redevelopment of the Park Morton housing project in Northwest Washington. Per the specifications of the RFP, all three are vying to reinvent the troubled public housing complex with more than 500 new units of affordable and market-rate housing and 10,000 square foot park.

The teams named by Albert are the Park Morton Partners (Pennrose Properties, LLC, FM Atlantic, LLC, and Harrison Adaoha, LLC); another Park Morton Partners (Neighborhood Development Company and Community Builders, Inc.); and, lastly, Park View Partners (Landex Corp., Warrenton Group and Spectrum Management).

"We need a partner that [is] capable of more than just building housing,” said Albert in a prepared statement. “We are looking for someone who is committed to building a healthier, safer new community. This response, especially in light of the current economic conditions, speaks volumes about the value of this opportunity.”

The Park Morton project was greenlighted under the of the New Communities initiative – a District-led program to transform blighted public housing complexes into “mixed-use, mixed-income communities." Other such developments targeted for redevelopment by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (ODMPED) include the long-gestating Northwest One, Barry Farm and the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings in Northeast.

According ODMPED, the bidding development teams will make public presentations regarding this plans for Park Morton at an unscheduled time “later this spring.”

First Look at the New Whitman-Walker Site

Just last Thursday, the JBG Companies received approval from the District’s Historic Preservation Review Board for their mixed-use redevelopment of the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s headquarters at 14^th and S Streets, NW. JBG supplied DCmud with exclusive renderings of the Shalom Baranes-designed, seven-story condo project. Once completed, we're told, in 2011, the untitled project will feature up to 130 residential units, accompanied by sizable base of ground floor retail – directly across from local hotspots like the Black Cat, the Saint-Ex Café and Pulp boutique.






Update: JBG is currently projecting that the 120,000 square foot 14th Street project will feature between 130 - 140 units, in addition to 18,000 square feet of retail .

SE Development Parcel Up for Grabs

Like so many properties on a Monopoly board, parcels in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood (aka SE near the stadium) have changed hands frequently over the last 5 years. What used to be one of Washington, DC's least desirable neighborhoods has transformed into some of the metro area's more interesting commodities; and now there’s another up for grabs.

The ICP Group is currently seeking inquiries for a sealed bid sale of their parcels at 810, 816 and 820 Potomac Avenue, SE. IPC had initially purchased the pair of Barrack's Row office/retail buildings and adjoining 20,000 square foot lot in 2005 for $9 million with the intention of transforming it into a multi-phase, mixed-use development. Now they've teamed with Lincoln Commercial Services Inc. and Hollywood Real Estate Services, LLC to hand it off to the highest bidder and, according to the developer, they’ve already received a number of inquiries, including “a Navy Yard-focused hotel and apartments, University Campus, retail and offices, and a childcare center for Navy Yard employees.”

Back in 2005, ICP announced three different projects within the Capitol Riverfront: 810 Potomac Avenue, the Admiral at Barrack’s Row, and the redevelopment of four historic townhomes on L Street SE. Despite receiving approval from the city for the Admiral – a 17-unit, $6 million condo project – and projecting a 2008 completion, ICP dodged a bullet when the plan was delayed, and the condo idea shelved altogether. The townhouse project has also not materialized. But despite ICP's non-development, other interested parties in IPC’s circle seem to think they’ll have no problem disposing of a property in one of DC’s hottest development districts.

“This is perhaps one of the most active sub-markets in the country for redevelopment… and also one of the few areas where development financing is still readily available, aided by federal programs along with market conditions,” said James Connelly, Vice President of Government Relations for LPC Commercial Services, a co-advisor to the bid.

The former development team will be accepting bids on the Potomac Avenue parcel until March 15th.

JBG to Build 4-Star Hotel on U Street

With their new plans for a residential project on 14th Street locked, the JBG Companies are moving ahead with their proposed "Destination Hotel" at 13th and U Streets, NW - currently the site of a Rite Aid outlet and, promisingly enough, directly across from the first shot fired in the war of U Street redevelopment, the Ellington.

Currently under design by David M. Schwarz Architects, the JBG-developed hotel looks to revitalize the Rite Aid site with a four-star, "boutique and independently managed" hotel that could include as many as 250 guestrooms, 4,500 square feet of conference space and a robust 23,000 square feet of retail. Though still in the planning stages, JBG has presented the Cardozo-Shaw Neighborhood Association (CSNA) with a tentative outline of their plans for the development, which include “a signature restaurant,” rooftop bar, swimming pool, full-service neighborhood gym, a publicly accessible arts component and requisite LEED Silver certification. Fancy accoutrements aside, JBG isn’t entirely forsaking the parcel’s past; the local Rite Aid will remain, albeit in an updated and reconfigured space. Gone, however, are tentative plans to add condos to the top floors.

JBG has yet to formally partner with a hotelier for the project – though the smart money’s on Marriott International, with whom they’ve partnered for a host of metro area co-developments. According to a statement from the CSNA, in the coming weeks JBG will “continue to participate and host community meetings with project neighbors, CSNA, ANC 1B, and other government officials, boards, and agencies, including the DC Historic Preservation Review Board and the DC Zoning Commission.” JBG will make good on that pledge, in conjunction with the CSNA, when they make the first public presentation regarding the hotel at 1835 14th Street, NW on Thursday, March 12 at 7 PM. Despite slowing their residential developmnet profile, JBG also just received HPRB approval just 3 blocks away at 1800 14th St., for a large residential building.

Eden Comes to Adams Morgan

DC developer D.B. Lee Development is planning the final architectural details for The Eden, a 9-unit boutique residential building coming soon to Adams Morgan. Designed by Bonstra Haresign Architects and interiors by D.B. Lee subsidiary Capital Design Group, the 21,000 square foot project will feature an underground parking garage. Though the developer has yet to decide whether they will market the Eden as condos or rental apartments, progress on the development is nevertheless ongoing.

"We've already started demolition of the existing townhouses. We expect to be into permit in the next couple weeks," said President Dennis B. Lee. “Once we get our building permit, it should three to four months [until construction]."

At 2360 Champlain Street, NW, the Eden backs up to the Adams Morgan's nightlife strip, and will sit across the street from D.B. Lee's last project, The Erie and a block over from the developer's 2424 Lofts on 18th Street. As a matter of right, the Eden does not require approval from the local ANC; nonetheless, the developer says it is consulting with the community on matters of design and placement. “We’re meeting with the neighbors to the north and we’ve met with the ANC…and told 

them what our project is about,” said Lee. “As soon as we get our drawings back, we’ll meet with them again to show them what we’re up to.” According to Lee, the project’s cost is undetermined, but delivery is currently slated for fall of 2010. 2424 Lofts sold out in 2007, the Erie has sold one of its eight units, and sell for above $1m each.

Washington DC retail and commercial real estate news

Southeast DC Hospital Set for Mixed-Use Expansion

Though currently in the midst of a $79 million renovation, the District’s sole hospital east of the Anacostia River - the United Medical Center at 1310 Southern Avenue, SE - will soon be expanding beyond the confines of its medically-oriented mandate. UMC Development, LLC, in partnership with CMC Realty, LLC, are reviewing five teams of urban planners to add between one and two million square feet of new, mixed-use development to the hospital’s 17-acre campus.

Following a Request for Qualifications issued late last year, UMC has narrowed their list of contenders to five: Hord Coplan Macht, Land Design, Inc., RTKL, Beyer Blinder Belle and Perkins Will –SMWM. Once a final selection is made in the coming the weeks, the chosen architects will work side-by-side with UMC to re-imagine the hospital’s surroundings with new medical offices, mixed-income housing, affordable senior or veteran’s housing, community space and ancillary retail. According to representatives of UMC, they’re in the early planning stages of a development scheme that will be a boon to both greater Ward 8 and the hospital itself.

“We are focusing on the immediate needs of the hospital for the campus. This is the only hospital east of the river and we need to make sure it offers the same healthcare choices that people living on the other side already have available. Additionally, we need to enhance the lives of the surrounding community, which is desperate for retail. Banks, drug stores and restaurants have already approached us about space on the UMC Campus,” said Noah Nordheimer of UMC. “You have a large hospital sitting the middle of the site that’s not going anywhere...We just need to build around it, enhance it and enhance the community.”

Formerly known as Greater Southeast Community Hospital, the facility was acquired by Specialty Hospitals of America in 2007, the parent company of CMC Realty – a move funded in part by $79 million approved by the DC City Council “to help with the purchase, buy equipment and improve infrastructure.” Additions to the hospital itself, including construction of a new MRI Center, continue at this time, but according to UMC, the parties “would like to have a shovel in the ground within 12 months” on the mixed-use component of the redevelopment initiative.

UMC will be holding private meetings with potential architects and their teams over the course of the next months. Presentations will be publicly unveiled at a community forum currently scheduled for May 6^th at the United Medical Center Auditorium.

JBG’s Whitman-Walker Revamp Approved

A few redesigns later, the JBG Companies and Shalom Baranes Architects have now received approval from Washington DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) to move forward with their redevelopment of the Whitman-Walker Clinic headquarters at 1800-1818 14^th Street, NW into a 130-unit residential project.

Following a December denial from the HPRB, JBG this month presented revised conceptualizations to the Cardozo Shaw Neighborhood Association (CSNA), who previously voiced concerns –along with the Board of Zoning Adjustment, ANC 2B, Dupont Circle Conservancy and local residents - about the project's design and accessibility.

"The previously proposed large glass facade would overlook a very busy and noisy 14th street - and its useful to note that several busy establishments, including the Black Cat nightclub, are directly across 14th Street. On paper, the use of glass was creative and may look nice, but the real life application and impact of so much glass is the creation of a sounding board for street noise,” said CSNA President Bryan Martin Firvida, following this morning’s approval. “There was [also] the general feeling that the November 2008 plans displayed a poor connection between the old and new buildings. This was addressed by JBG in the current plans by different use of masonry and a complimentary vertical design."

JBG’s initial plans call for the 7-story residential building to measure in at 120,000 square feet with a sizable base of ground-level retail and “high design, efficient [residential] units." The as-yet untitled development could still hit its targeted groundbreaking date of late fall 2009, and the project remains scheduled for a 2011 completion – a date the CSNA looks forward to seeing

"It’s always exciting to see another project move forward in the U Street neighborhood, especially with a developer that is committed to working with the neighborhood throughout the life of the project,” said Martin Firvida. “Ultimately, this project will bring new residents, new activity, and a new experience to the west side of 14th Street. Where we currently have a mix of buildings and parking lots, we'll have a full block of daily activity and life.”

Broker's Open Cocktail | Fabulous Penthouse

Three Teams Compete in SW Fire Sale

Officials from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development held a community forum at the now vacant H20 nightclub on the Southwest Waterfront last night to highlight proposals from three development teams vying to revitalize land currently occupied by Fire Engine Company 13 at 450 6^th Street, SW and a neighboring parking lot. The three teams present at the meeting originally submitted their proposals last June. According to Mayor Fenty, a final selection is expected “late next month.”

Each of the three teams would relocate the fire station from its current 6^th Street location to the 4^th Street corner in order to provide for better access and response time. Team 1, Potomac Investment Properties (City Partners and Adams Investment Group, formerly submitted as E Street Development), intends to“animate E Street,” according to Jeff Griffiths of City Partners. Griffiths said that his vision is for the station to occupy the lower two floors of a 10-story, 191,000 square foot office tower with a prominent fire-engine red facade, in keeping with the building’s primary use. The Beyer Blinder Belle-designed edifice would also sport 3,000 square feet intended for community use by Kid Power and the DC Central Kitchen. The building would be topped off by a green roof and feature LEED silver certification.

Phase II of construction would see another 9-story, 301,000-s.f. office tower on top of the fire station’s present 6^th Street location, with a ground floor retail base. Phase II, like its predecessor, would include a green roof and LEED silver certification. In between the two corner-to-corner projects, the team would “create synergy between the two parcels” with improved streetscape and landscaping.

Team 2 (JLH Partners, Chapman Development and CDC Companies) would place the station infrastructure on the bottom two floors of a new 103,000-s.f. office building. Bachelor number 2, however, noted its advanced scouting efforts for potential tenants, including the General Services Administration (hellooo stimulus). But the real centerpiece of their development scheme was their plans for 6^th Street, where they propose a 208-unit, extended-stay hotel adjacent to an 11,000-s.f., publicly-accessible atrium that could be utilized for arts purposes, including performances by the Arena Stage and Washington Ballet.

Team 3 (Trammell Crow, CSG Urban Partners and Michele Hagans) highlighted their ability to unify the 4th Street intersection. CSG principal Charles King said CSG had submitted a proposal for the fire station three years ago, with the intention of transforming it into a DNC headquarters or hydrogen fuel station (insert hot air joke). Further, Trammell Crow is nearing completion on its million-s.f. Patriot Plaza project across the street. If accepted, the new buildings would be thematically consistent.

As if that wasn't enough to seal it, their Gensler-designed office building/fire station would top out at 190,000 s.f. and feature a number of upgrades for the firefighting staff, including additional truck bays. Meanwhile, their plans for a 306,000-s.f. office building on 6^th Street would include 16,000 s.f. for a mixture of retail and community purposes. Team 3 plans to secure financing for the project by sharing parking with Patriot Plaza, and said that with initial funding secured, they could begin construction as early as 2010. “We don’t enter into partnerships we can’t finish or finance,” said King.

Another Addition to Affordable Arlington

Helping to cement its place as the most affordable-friendly county in the region, the Arlington County Board yesterday approved up to $35 million in financing to facilitate the purchase of Buckingham Village 3, a 140-unit, 16-building historic development on the 300 block of North George Mason Drive. In the same session, the Board also approved a 75-year lease of the property to the Telesis Corporation and National Housing Trust-Enterprise Corporation (NHTEC), which will “begin to renovate the property within 12 to 24 months, then operate and manage the dwellings.” The price of the lease was not disclosed by County representatives.

The County is billing their purchase from 4319 North Pershing Drive Apartment Investors LLC, as “one of the…most ambitious efforts to date to preserve affordable housing on a single site.” 

Following the completion of renovation procedures on the 5.4-acre site, Telesis is forecasting a mixture of rental and ownership opportunities available at Buckingham Village and is pledging to contribute to a new community center. As stated in the terms of the county’s lease, all of the residential units on site will be earmarked as affordable housing for at least 75 years.

In addition NHTEC, the Telesis team, which was selected after a 2007 RFP, includes architects Wiencek and Associates, CTA Inc. Consulting Engineers, general contractor Harkins Builders, property managers Neighborhood Partners and general counsel Bean, Kinney and Korman.

While Village 3 may have been the sole subject of the County’s landmark action, it is not the only development in store for Buckingham Village as a whole. In June 2007, the Board approved a $7 million loan from the County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund for construction of 100 new affordable units in Village 1, while Paradigm Development leveled Village 2 to make way for 69 "luxury" townhouses - since rebranded as the Buckingham Commons. The latter move sparked protests from local advocacy groups, including the Arlington Green Party and the Matthew 25 Network, and subsequent legislation – including historic protections for Village 3 and the Telesis deal – are likely to be viewed by some as peacemaking tactic.

Mini-Boom on College Park’s Main Street

While College Park may be lacking in restaurants, nightlife and shopping, it is flush with something rarer: warm bodies in need of shelter. As the seat of the University of Maryland, the Prince George’s County hamlet has a virtual guarantee of student rentals. But given the general lackluster quality of most College Park amenities, two local developers are thinking of solving both problems when it comes to new residential projects on CP’s busiest artery – Baltimore Avenue (Route 1).

The Mark Vogel Companies received the go-ahead just last month from the College Park City Council for their aptly-named Varsity at College Park development – a mixed-use project that would see 258 residential units erected above 20,000 square feet of retail space. Possibilities for the retail space, which would be located next to a similarly styled, college-centric residence hall include a restaurant, coffeehouse and variety of small businesses uses.

The Varsity project, which was also endorsed by College Park Mayor Steve Brayman, barely eked through the approval process, due to concerns over harm to a nearby streambed. Vogel has since committed to spending roughly $750,000 on improving and fortifying the nearby creek. Though the developer has yet to secure all of the financing for the multi-million dollar project, construction is still slated to begin this coming June.

While the Varsity is planned to matriculate next to College Park landmarks like the Town Hall and, um, Jerry's Subs, another similarly-scaled project in the area will remake one. Formerly known as the Starlight Inn, owner Star Hotels, LLC is aiming to revamp their parcel on the 8700 block of Baltimore Avenue with the StarView Plaza – likely welcome to most as an addition to a route best known as the home of Jiffy Lube. The plans for the StarView prepared by Grant Architects include specifications for a 2.4 acre facility intended to include 177 residential units, along with 32,000 square feet of office and retail space. Additional amenities will include a pool and a green roof to accompany its LEED silver certification.

The six-story project was approved by the City Council last September and is currently slated to take on tenants in the fall of 2010. Folger Pratt will serve as general contractor, once the project gets underway, it is estimated, this coming November.

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