Greenwashing the District

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or in some sustainable backwater like, Tulsa. . . or New York, you’re familiar by now with LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Started by a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1993, this sustainable building rating program has been administered by the US Green Building Council since 1994 and has emerged as the gold standard for sustainable design.

The program certifies buildings AND accredits architects (and anyone else who cares to memorize arcane passages from the the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards on ventilation). L’Enfant Terrible has been accredited since 2006 and has won many cocktail arguments against lesser, unaccredited architects in that time.

Among American cities, only Portland has more certified buildings than Washington, but with hundreds more currently under way, Washington will soon be the undisputed champion of LEED certified buildings. A dubious honor according to an excellent and provocative new book by New Yorker and writer David Owen, Green Metropolis: What the City can teach the Country about True Sustainability. The “City” in Owen’s subtitle is New York, and the “Country” is that vast, unpopulated Saul Steinberg's “View of the World”. Owen’s thesis is simple: that thanks to its sheer density, New York City is the most sustainable city in America and that when one considers all the externalities, the most inefficient building in Manhattan is better than the most sustainable building outside of a city. Owen makes a strong case. A majority of New York’s commuters take mass transit or walk to their jobs in tall buildings served by centralized infrastructure. New Yorkers, like city dwellers all over the world, consume fewer resources per capita. If you love the country, you should live in a city.

As a counterpoint, Owen singles out Washington DC as the antithesis of New York’s compact, sustainable design. Washington’s fatal flaws, according to Owen, are L’Enfant’s plan for broad avenues and sweeping public spaces and Washington’s restriction on building height, all of which conspire to spread the city out and make density impossible. “The sprawl of Metropolitan Washington is not a perversion of L’Enfant’s plan,” says Owen, “It’s the logical result.”

But Owen reserves his most pointed criticism for the very tool we hope will make our cities greener, one building at a time: LEED. It’s a little known fact that most architects, particularly the ones who take sustainability seriously, all hate LEED. With its prescriptions and brownie points for bike racks and proximity to alternative fueling stations, LEED is — in Owen’s estimation — both too difficult and too easy. Too difficult because the process is stupifyingly bureaucratic, requiring even LEED accredited designers to hire expensive LEED accredited consultants to manage the paperwork. And too easy because even after much refinement, many designers and developers still game the system with a few cosmetic changes to achieve LEED certification with a minimum of effort, expense, or innovation.

Owen sites a 2008 study by the USGBC that LEED certified buildings rent for $11.24 per square foot more and sell for $177 per square foot more than non-LEED buildings and enjoy 3.8% higher occupancy rates. This lesson has not been lost on developers in Washington and one can hardly blame them for taking every advantage in this economy. On your next drive around the city, look carefully at the construction signs and you’ll discover how few new project are not LEED certified. But the question remains: is our city really more sustainable, or is this just greenwashing on a colossal scale?

Ripley Street North: Changing, Slowly

After changing the project name, project architect and project design, Home Properties' Ripley Street North mixed-use development, which originally received County approval in September 2008 as Kettler's Midtown Silver Spring, will appear before the Montgomery County Planning Board this week. The developers of the modified Silver Spring residential project, designed by Shalom Baranes Architects, have been working with County staff on the design since submitting new plans in January. What had been a single, mixed-use building in the Ripley District will now become two buildings, though the total density rating magically stays the same at 5.0 FAR. The review this week could put the project team on schedule to finalize the design plans, apply for permits and to potentially begin construction within a year's time, though that would be a record turnaround in this climate.

The new plan will increase the number of residential units from 314 to 385, divided between two buildings. The larger building, 1155 Ripley Street, will ascend 200 ft. and have "townhouses and residential flats wrapping a parking garage at the lower level." A respectable 20-story residential tower will rise above, according to a staff report on the project. The smaller 80 ft. building at 1015 Ripley Street will offer a mix of uses, with loft-style residential units over approximately 5,500 s.f. of ground floor retail. The plan replaces the plan for a 19-story tower designed by WDG Architecture that, at least from initial renderings, appears more inspirational than the old design.

The changes also consolidate public space from two areas, one each on the eastern and western sides of the building, to one area on the western edge, reducing the public portion of the lot to 11,000 s.f. County staff seem to think the consolidation does a world of good in making a more active public area, describing the space along Ripley Street as an "urban meadow." A public art piece themed on Rachel Carson has been "repurposed" to the new public space design.

Donald Hague, Senior VP of Rochester NY-based Home Properties and formerly a senior executive of KSI, Inc. (now Kettler), is happy with the changes. Hague claims the design now has more efficiencies and cuts down on some of the logistical headaches created by the previous design. Namely, moving the retail into another building would allow better access for service trucks and trash removal than having retail in the base of the tower. Additionally, the original plan would have had below-grade parking that extended beneath the public right-of-way on Dixon Avenue. Now, the parking is entirely within the confines of the larger tower structure both below and above grade. The above grade parking is "screened from the public" by the townhouse residential units, explained Hague. Planning staff went so far as to describe removing the spaces under Dixon as a public benefit in its own right.

Hague excitedly described the new, smaller building as having a "very cool" design, meant to look "like an old industrial building" with its "long and narrow" loft-style units. Each of the units in the four floors of lofts will have 11 or 12 ft. ceilings, and offer a "unique product" in the Silver Spring Market, added Hague. All residential units will be rentals, a minimum of 12.5% of units will be set aside for low-income housing. As for the retail space, Hague admitted there is no shortage of space in Silver Spring, but he hopes "when we finally get around" to building the project, the market may have improved. Here's hoping.

The larger building at 1155 will be required to reach LEED Silver certification, while the smaller structure need only meet basic LEED certification, though staff indicated the developers must make a "good faith effort" to go for Silver.

In March of last year, Hague told DCMud, "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." It's safe to say "the time" was neither then, nor is it now. But maybe next year. Until then, the site will continue to be home to a vacant lot and several one- and two-story structures abutting the CSX train line in Silver Spring.


Silver Spring real estate development news

Doomed Historic H Street Properties Hang On

A cluster of fifteen historic townhouses on Capitol Hill once set for demolition, then seemingly spared by the economy, has had its death warrant extended. The Historic Preservation Review Board signed a raze permit in June 2008 when the Louis Dreyfus Property Group received final zoning approval for Capitol Place, a 380,000-s.f. mixed use development with 302 residential units and 20,000 s.f. of retail. Almost two years later, however, the buildings still stand and the planned development is still just a plan as the zoning approval expires. This month, however, a two-year extension on the project's PUD (zoning) approval will go into effect, giving Louis Dreyfus more time to demolish and build.

Dreyfus's original timetable predicted demolition in fall 2008, construction within the following year-and-a-half, and delivery expected thirty-two months later. But in a recent conversation, Robert H. Braunohler, Regional Vice President for Louis Dreyfus Property Group, left the impression that movement on the project not imminent. "At this point we are actively trying to raise money to go forward with a project that will be part condo and part rental," said Braunohler, adding that the project does not have "a firm construction schedule." Thanks to the PUD extension, the developers will not need one for a while.

The townhouses, dating from as far back as the mid 19th Century, will be sacrificed as part of a deal that will allow development of the site in exchange for money to pay for historic structural survey that would potentially lead to the expansion of the Capitol Hill Historic District - an area covering from the project site to 16th Street. The block misses the Capitol Hill Historic District - a legislatively demarcated zone which ends at F Street, NE - by one block

Capitol Place, designed by New York-based Cook + Fox Architects, is in good - if not well-financed - company. The project will abut the H Street Overpass across from the recently foreclosed Senate Square Apartments, adjacent to Akridge's Burnham Place dream, and diagonal from another planned apartment building that has yet to start construction.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Ivy City's Jimmy Fund

News out of DC's (once?) blighted Ivy City neighborhood is sounding positive these days. It was a little over a year ago that the District announced it would team up with non-profit developers, Mi Casa, Inc., Manna, Inc., DC Habitat for Humanity and MissionFirst to rehab 37 vacant properties within a six-blocks radius in Northeast DC.

With nonprofit home builder Mi Casa already at work on their first units, DC Habitat for Humanity President Kent Adcock confirms that the Ivy City overhaul is on track to move into the second phase of development: 8 duplexes along Providence Street, NE. Adcock is not definitive about the completion time-line for the project, saying his organization will start with three duplexes but anticipates staying in Ivy city for three years, ultimately placing “30 to 35 families in these homes.”

Look for a star-studded ground breaking featuring 200 volunteers, an appearance by grinning former President Jimmy Carter and other yet-to-be -announced celebrities on October 4^th of this year.

In the meantime, northeast residents can stay up-to-date on project developments by attending the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) public hearing on May 6^th at the Housing Resource Center on the first floor of 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE.

In addition to getting a sneak peak at what Habitat has planned for 1817 Providence Street, NE, DHCD Senior Public Information Officer Angelita Colón-Francia says that first-time homeowners can attend the meeting to learn about purchasing options.

As Adcock explains, the majority of “the families we’re serving are below 30% AMI - for a family of four, that’s $30-31,000 max.” The sale of the first homes will guarantee that “no one should have to pay more than 25% of their income at 0% interest” to own a home. By acting as their own bank, Habitat can sell their homes at cost to area families.

It also helps that, according to DHCD’s Ivy City Special Demonstration Project web site, the District is subsidizing the acquisition price for each property. "The request for proposals committed $3 million in gap financing to the developers through DHCD. There is limited profit gain for the developers involved; therefore, the District’s commitment to provide gap financing is essential for the developers to complete the project.”

According to Adcock, Habitat is in the midst of “negotiating on an additional 15 lots with the District and 5 rehabs” on top of their current 8 home projects. He says we could see as many as 30 Habitat buildings and “full gut rehab” jobs coming to Ivy City before Habitat’s ready to call their portion of the Ivy City Special Demonstration Project a wrap. These next phases will sell at up to 80% AMI to bring a mixed-income vibe to the neighborhood.

In typical Habitat fashion, future residents will be invited to help build their own homes. Habitat has been working with Trinity Baptist Church and local ANC Commissioners to reach these potential homeowners.

“I think this project is just a demonstration about how collaboration and partnership really works,” says Adcock proudly. “In and of ourselves, we’d have trouble getting into a part of the District like Ivy City, but because the District jumped into help, we’ll really be able to help rehab and turn a part of the city around.”

Washington, DC Real Estate and Development News

Reflecting Change on the Mall

On Thursday, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved changes to the reflecting pool area of the National Mall. Modifications to the celebrated vista will include a fresh source of water, revitalized pedestrian walkways and, of course, increased security measures, though NCPC officials assure us the new security features will visually improve the site.

In what NCPC staff report called "a comprehensive rehabilitation," the Commission voted to approve the National Park Service (NPS) plan to upgrade the Elm Walks by repaving the walkway and adding better lighting and seating. On the immediate north and south of the reflecting pool NPS will add pavers to replace the dirt paths. A less obvious upgrade will be the water source that fills the reflecting pool, which will switch from potable (treated) drinking water to tapping the Tidal Basin. In the works is a plan to dig a trench and lay a plumbing system that will pump water from the Tidal Basin directly into the reflecting pool.

According to David Levy, Director of Urban Design and Plan Review at NCPC, this feature and the repair of leaks in the pool will result in a cleaner, "more sustainable" and less wasteful water supply. Levy says the same changes will eventually be applied to Constitution Gardens to the immediate north.

This being DC, enhanced security is also on order. But in a welcome change, NPS will use natural boundaries as entry barriers to the Lincoln Memorial, lowering the floor of the reflecting pool to create a natural barrier for crazies driving land vehicles approaching from the east. "The most brilliant part of the whole design, is that they will use the edge of the reflecting pool as part of the barrier...This is the kind of innovate security that NCPC encourages, you get increased security without impacting public space," says Levy. Unless of course a terrorist manages to obtain a DC Ducks vehicle, but odds of that are pretty low. Once the changes are in place, NPS will remove some of the protective bollards and all of the temporary planters now on the site for an overall aesthetic improvement.

Washington DC real estate development news

Gales School Update

One law suit and three deadlines later, the District's Department of Real Estate Services (DRES) last week closed out the response period for its Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the historic Gales School at 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. With three responses in hand, DRES will set to the task of picking a winning private company or non-profit to renovate the historic building (circa 1881) and operate it as a homeless shelter, capable of serving upwards of 150 people each night. Previously the District ran the building as a homeless shelter between 2000 and 2004.

DRES issued an RFP in January and twice extended the submission deadline, originally set for February 16th and ultimately enforced last Friday, March 26th. According to a spokesperson at DRES, three responses came in by last Friday for the Gales School RFP. Over the course of the next month, DRES will assemble a selection committee comprised of staff and stakeholders such as a representative from the Department of Human Services. The committee will then request best and final offers and should have a decision by late April or early May.

Though DRES could not release the names of the applicants, there is at least one known entity: Central Union Mission. The Mission's bumpy past with the Gales School boils down to concerns over government subsidies going to religious organizations. The America Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit claiming an Establishment Clause violation - i.e. separation of church and state - because a previous agreement reportedly would have netted $12 million for the Mission, which requires homeless men to participate in religious services in return for room, board and counseling services.

David Treadwell, Executive Director of the Central Union Mission said it was his understanding that the concerns raised in the lawsuit were mostly related to cash payments suggested in the previous RFP agreement. With a new RFP, the Mission once again submitted a response, calling for an addition to the building of approximately 5,000 s.f. for a new kitchen and classrooms. Treadwell estimated project costs at $12 to $14 million, the details of which would be left to Cox Graae and Spack Architects of Georgetown.

This time around, the ACLU submitted a letter in February to the Mayor's Office and DRES, requesting a deadline extension arguing that given "the unreasonably short time frame for responding to the RFP, it appears to us that the RFP process has been designed to provide an insurmountable advantage to the Mission and its religion-infused shelter services," implying the ACLU will again oppose the transaction.

The Mission's offer will depend on its ability to raise funds for a project that ultimately will not be a revenue creator. The organization could face another lawsuit threat if the deal is perceived to contain any sort of subsidy, a problem that non-religious organizations would not face. At this point it is unclear whether or not the other applicants are secular providers of homeless services.

Arthur Spitzer, Legal Director of the ACLU, said his organization has no problem with religious organizations running social services. The problem is when those services are only offered in exchange for "hellfire and brimstone" proselytizing services. Ultimately, Spitzer said, he "hopes they have made this into a fair process" and if it is, and if the Mission wins, then "perhaps that will be OK."

The DRES will weigh the operational and financial benefits proposed by the responses to determine what is "in the best interest of the District." DRES is looking for an organization with a track record of past successes in providing homeless services, which could ultimately mean a religious entity as long as the deal is not so sweet as to raise the ire of the dogged ACLU.


Washington, DC real estate development news

Chapin Street Project Up for Review

Though projects like Nehemiah Center and 14 W seem to be DOA, at least one 14th Street corridor planned development still has a a pulse; 1412 Chapin Street, NW, has a date with the Zoning Commission tonight. Buwa Binite of Dantes Partners is seeking zoning approval for a five-story, 44-unit, residential building in the Meridian Hill neighborhood, equidistant from the Columbia Heights and U Street Metro stations. The Office of Planning staff report recommends approval of the application, which would make it the third planned PUD in the immediate area; Dantes' smaller-scale development could be the first to actually deliver.

The proposed residential building would replace a vacant lot that once held the Berkshire, a residential building larger than the proposed structure that burned down in 1996. Units will be made affordable, for 30 years, at no more than 60% AMI, and will likely cost $1,200 or so a month. Below-grade parking will provide twice as many bicycle spaces as car spaces (34 and 17, respectively) with one parking space set aside for service/delivery vehicles. The ground floor, which will include a community room, will occupy 100% of the available lot space, with the remaining above grade floors taking on a "U-shape" to occupy only 80% of the lot space.

The Commission previously expressed concerns over the PGN Architects' design, which included vinyl siding and blue tones. The updated design is for gray and copper-toned paneling, expanded use of blond brick and stone veneer bands. Though the original design for the at-risk west side of the building would not have had windows, with the exception of the interior courtyard buildings, the newest design calls for glass block panels to "enliven the appearance."

For community benefits, the developers will offer $50 SmartTrip card and subsidize membership fees for either a SmartBike or Zip Car membership for each unit upon move-in.

The size of the project matches the scale of the neighboring buildings, though approved PUD's like the wayward Nehemiah Center would be significantly larger than the Dantes project. In all likelihood, the project will gain approval thanks to the staff approval. Though Binite was reticent - "we typically shy away from media attention to any of or projects" - at a community meeting last summer, the developer indicated he hoped to gain approval this May or June and begin construction in October 2010.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Kennedy Street Woes

What could make a neighbor wistful about a large subsidized housing project that is planned for the site of a once historic building? A giant, trash-filled, oozing hole in the ground where the building once stood. One year after plans were released, Washington Communities Inc. (WCI) demolished a dilapidated, historic apartment building (pictured below) at 809 Kennedy Street in January to make way for a District-subsidized housing project. Shortly after demolition, neighbors notified authorities about a smelly, gray, leaking liquid left over after the building came down. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) investigated the property, gave the owner opportunity to respond, and is now fixing the problem with District contractors. District officials intend to file upwards of $10,000 in fines and costs for the muck-filled carcass that it was left to clean when the site was seemingly abandoned.

Michael Rupert, Communications Manager for DCRA, said his team is currently on site cleaning the mess left behind by the contractors, New System Demolition and Excavation, and will probably be busy for at least another three days. New System tore down the building, but quit before removing any of the debris when the property owners allegedly failed to pay for the demolition and cleanup. Since January, debris of brick, wire and metal have filled in the empty foundation. When the snow melted and rain came, the foundation filled with run-off, hence the ungodly smell filling the street.

Sadly, the owner tore down the 2-story, 16-unit apartment building, with some architectural significance, partially because DCRA required the demolition in response to complaints about derelict living conditions in the former housing project. The former landlord - owner of what the Washington Post called "one of the most troubled buildings in the city," and that has now left a rotting cesspool in its place - plans a 70-unit affordable housing project on site. Subsidized, presumably, with tax dollars. According to DC tax assessment records, WCI President, Richard Deeds has owned the property since May 2002. DCRA will recoup costs by placing a lien on the property, which will either be paid in any sale of the property or levied against next year's taxes, according to Rupert. Until the contractors complete draining the stagnant water and removing debris, the actual total cost is unclear.

WCI previously bought out the building's tenants following complaints of below-freezing temperatures from residents, critiques from the DC Council and a lack of funds of DCRA. Kind of makes you pine for the handsome building the city let them tear down without, it seems, much of a plan.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Dupont Trolley RFP Pulls Into the Station

The District is seeking developers to utilize a neglected piece of prime real estate 20 feet below Dupont Circle. The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development released an RFP today for the Dupont Trolley Station. Interested parties will have until June 3rd to submit a response, which would then go before the ANC for review and comment. The District had attempted to issue the RFP in December, but postponed in order to give the ANC more time to draft a statement of preferred development, now attached as guidelines for the RFP. Today's action indicates the District is looking for groups interested in using all or just sections of the underground station, but will select no more than two groups to use the area.

A previous RFP for the site devolved into a lawsuit that lasted long enough for (most) people to forget the tunnels existed. The newest RFP would be a lease between the District and the chosen team(s). Responses can be to develop either the entire sites (East Platform, West Platform and tunnels) or part of the site (East or West platform plus tunnels). The RFP suggests respondents consider the Creative DC Action Agenda and the Retail Action Strategy. Both planning tools seek to "stimulate creative use, support the creative economy and facilitate vital commercial areas."

Citing the desire for a "creative, yet sustainable use," the District makes it clear that projects should not come with ideas and empty coffers. "The District is not prepared to offer subsidy or financial assistance."

In February, the Dupont ANC2B submitted a statement to the DMPED that detailed their hopes for the future of the Dupont Underground. The ANC wants a development that "meets the needs of the present" without taking away to the potential for future use of the area as a transit station. The ANC added that the development needs to be safe and accessible to all DC residents and that the design should make the entrances more inviting. Referencing the likely application of the DC Arts Coalition for the Underground, the ANC indicated that an arts use would be acceptable as long as the project could demonstrate necessary funding for development and upkeep. At the end of the day, the conclusion was just about any use is better than the vacant state of the property at the moment.

The RFP has come back to the forefront, thanks in part to the Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground, spearheaded by architect Julian Hunt and the Washington Project for the Arts. Along with several other arts groups and galleries in the area, the group proposes a new gallery space below Dupont along the P Street near many existing above-ground galleries. In January the Arts Coalition indicated it would compete for the RFP when it is released; now we will see just who their competition will be.

Washington, DC real estate development news

20 M Street SE Secures Booz Allen Hamilton Lease

The underdog southeast ballpark neighborhood has something to boast about today: 20 M Street, SE secured a lease for nearly 30,000 s.f. from Booz Allen Hamilton, bringing building occupancy up to 70%. While other potential projects sit as big gaping holes, Lerner Enterprises and WDG Architect's 20 M Street has scored a series of victories in snagging leases from the General Services Administration, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and now from a coveted private entity. Both the BLM and Booz Allen Hamilton will move into the neighborhood this year; Booz Allen Hamilton will be the cool kids on the top floor.

The 10-story, 190,000-s.f. office building contains four levels of below-grade parking, 10,971 s.f. of retail space and was the first LEED Gold certified building for core and shell in the District. The building sits across from the Navy Yard Metro and a block away from Nationals Park. Hmm, who wants to bet how many season tickets Booz goes in for this year?


Washington, D.C. real estate development news

Unforgettable: The New Alexandria Skyline

The forgettable glimpse you see of Alexandria today as you whiz by on the beltway could one day be transformed into a striking world of glass towers, reaching upwards of 30 stories into the northern Virginia skyline. A new mixed-use project, pending approval, would create a defining skyline for the City of Alexandria, add a revitalized metro entrance at Eisenhower Avenue and create over a million s.f. of retail and residential on what is currently a surface parking lot. Hoffman Towers, the residential and retail portion of Hoffman Town Center, will go for review before Alexandria's various planning entities throughout April. The future building sites are on the 11th and 12th block of Eisenhower Avenue next to the metro station.

The Hoffman Company's creatively named Hoffman Towers will deliver an estimated 1,200 new rental apartments and upwards of 70,000 s.f. of retail, likely to include a 50,000 s.f. Harris Teeter grocery store. The plan for Block 11 is one massive building with two towers: the east tower will reach 22 stories and the west tower, adjacent to the metro, will rise 31 stories. The west tower will measure in at 370 feet in height, making it one of the tallest building in the DC area. Five levels of below-grade parking will provide over 700 spaces. A surface parking lot will also remain on part of the block to serve the grocer - apparently state utility power lines overhead render the site unusable for construction. Block 12 will also house a behemoth, a 28-story building with nearly 800 below-grade and surface parking spaces.

Designed by Davis Carter Scott Architects, the towers received a bit of a beating from the Design Review Board (DRB) in July and November 2009. The DRB critiqued the massing of the buildings as "boxy" with all three towers at the same height and commented on the problems with the depth and frontages of proposed retail. Particularly problematic was the design for the Harris Teeter, which planners described as not being "fully integrated with the project or the Eisenhower East neighborhood" because the store faced inward, rather than fronting a main street. But since then, the developer and architects seem to have made sufficient changes to warrant a DRB approval and move forward with planning review.

The planning staff report describes the updated design as "slim, very tall towers" of masonry and glass. Though originally designed to be broader and shorter and uniform in height, the planning staff requested for a less boxy design. To avoid the "plateau" appearance, the new articulation provides a gradual step down in building height as the block moves away from the Metro. Staff said the buildings will be a "symbol of the transformation of the Eisenhower valley."

In exchange for height and density exceptions, the developer is providing 50,000 s.f. of residential space for upwards of 50 units of affordable housing. Additionally, Hoffman will donate $3.3 million to the city's affordable housing coffers. The developers have agreed to aim for LEED certification or a similar standard set by the Green Globes program.

Hoffman recently reached an agreement with WMATA on the Eisenhower Metro improvements. The development rights for the station belong to the Hoffman family, who in 1978 gave to WMATA the property that became the Eisenhower Metro. WMATA will handle station improvements through existing grants. Hoffman will redesign the area on the surface, including reworking the bus and taxi circulation and relocating the Kiss & Ride lot. Design and construction of Eisenhower Station Square, a large open public space adjacent to the new and improved Metro station, will be a joint effort.

New skyline, new residential, new metro, oh my! It sounds too good to be true, and odds are the project is a long way off. You can continue to blink as you pass Alexandria on your commute.

Alexandria Virginia real estate and development news

Design by Democracy

If it’s true that two cabinet members, 31 congressmen, 12 senators and 14 judges are counted among the most celebrated residents at the The Westchester, at 4000 Cathedral Ave NW, it may also be said that the 79-year-old co-op is steeped in democracy.


In the spring of 2008, when the time came to consider restoring and renovating the structure’s storied interior – its public spaces that had been redesigned once before by mid-century design doyenne Dorothy Draper – the Westchester’s board of directors elected to put democracy in action and recruit hundreds of member-owners in the decision-making process. With four distinct buildings, each with its own lobby and personality, the project was to be massive in scope and scale. Defined by elements both from the 1930s (steel fanlight windows; etched art deco elevator doors) and from Draper’s reign in the 1950s (wing chairs; crown sconces; a broad brass interior railing), the Westchester was also saddled with more random components such as an outdated mechanical unit in a closet. A June 2009 press account of the arrest of former State Department official and alleged Cuba spy Walter Ken Myers and his wife, long time residents of the property, reported that the building had “shabby carpets,” something the 13-member board of directors took quite seriously in its restoration/ renovation plans. With a preservation architect hired to mastermind a plan, efforts to redefine The Westchester without sacrificing its historical elegance would require a marshaling of innovative forces, and more than just a simple nod to its back story.

Democracy and Demography

“When we started the process, we started out with a town hall meeting,” said board member Susan Stine, noting that the eldest member of the diverse Westchester community is 102 and at the other end of the spectrum, a brand new baby is about to be born. “We showed historical photographs; we talked about the process and how you make decisions, and we talked about our guiding principles (these included maintaining architectural integrity, enhancing the feeling of community, and effecting sustainable improvements into the future).” Stine, principal of architecture and planning firm Redteam Strategies and a Westchester resident, is no stranger to commercial design and understood that “a lot of times in large companies, people don’t get the sense that they have any choice. With something as dramatic as their lobbies, they really want a lot of choice,” she said.

Feasting on Feedback

Stine admits she and the board learned a great lesson when making their initial presentation to the member-owners. “It was too much information,” she said, noting member-owners were overwhelmed by the process that included lobbies, laundry areas, basements and management offices. “We thought we were showing them a kind of concept that would go out over years, and they thought too many decisions had already been made without their input.” Extremely grateful for the feedback, the board took a step back and decided it was just as important to communicate to the owner-members and get their buy-in as it was to adhere to history and make everything beautiful. Recalling to the unfortunate carpet issue mentioned in the press, Stine realized that “everyone focuses around carpet…in my career I’ve always noticed that it’s a big decision, so we narrowed things down to just the carpet, and knew once people understood that, other decisions would be much easier,” she explained.

Surveys, workshops and focus groups soon followed, replete with old Westchester photographs strategically placed in elevators (part of the education process) and image boards on easels that reflected carpet patterns like damask or Moorish, along with color palettes, and explanations of the design concepts behind each pattern. For example, the concept behind the Moorish pattern was interpreted as “elements found in our architecture such as the porte-cochere - inspired by existing wrought iron details in entry gates, railing and grilles.” Additionally, every household received five dots they could spend in any way they wanted, Stine said, “…the dots showing the strength of their preferences.” Describing the process as “fascinating,” she said it was done over two days where residents visited the image boards, sometimes repeatedly, and got to inquire of the board about why things were done the way they were. They conferred with their neighbors, their families, and as a community, and then each household applied its dots to what it liked best. (Moorish won!)

Casting an eye to sustainability, Stine noted that the original concept was to replace carpeting with stone, but that the cost was determined to be prohibitive. To that end, she said member-residents were also concerned about overall funds, thinking they would be charged a special assessment for any changes to public spaces. Another town hall meeting addressed the issue. The chosen carpet will come from South Africa, it will be made of durable wool and nylon, on a green pad with low-or no-VOC adhesives, and have a projected 25-year lifespan.

With work scheduled to begin in July, and paint and upholstery choices on deck in its town hall design process, Stine said that The Westchester board – which also appointed resident committees for the project – is fortunate to have distinguished members of the architecture, design and communications industries on those committees. “We have so much (resident) talent and commitment here. We’d go on trips to the design center,” she recalled, affirming “you couldn’t buy” this kind of personal investment.

Bromptons Comes Back

The Bromptons at Cherrydale, a 22-unit, mixed-use townhouse condo project at 3800 Lee Highway, is making a comeback - no small feat for a project that was built in 2005, heavily litigated, nearly taken down, then built again. The Ed Peete Company began construction in 2005, soon finishing the townhouse portion of the site, but Arlington County found multiple building code violations in the multi-family portion and ordered the building torn down. Despite that, the building sat abandoned, until now. Arlington County issued a stop work order to the developer back in 2006 - and stop it did - and the unfinished hulk sat forsaken, forcing the County to issue a demolition order in November of 2007. Peete appealed the order, received an extension, but still missed the extended demolition deadline, causing the County to file suit to enforce the order - or confiscate and sell the property. But in May of 2009, Peete reached an agreement with Arlington to post a $250,000 escrow account with the County and remediate, and in December of 2009 began replacing balconies and windows to bring the structure back into building code compliance. And talk about deadlines - the agreement stipulated that the County had to the right to demolish the whole building if strict construction deadlines were not met.

According to Steve MacIsaac, Arlington County Attorney, the original construction problems were "innumerable." "There were serious structural problems with the building. The building facade created so much stress on the front it could have come down." MacIsaac says that the frame has been structurally reinforced, with new brickwork on the facade, and that county building inspectors are working with the Ed Peete Company - now officially R15, LLC - to ensure a code-friendly building. "The building will be safe," MacIsaac reassures us. It all started so well, with the building selling out in 2004, a great year to be in condo sales. At least the Cherrydale saga is expected to end later this year when the building completes. The wood-framed condominium will offer 22 units on floors 2 through 4, with 4 commercial spaces on the ground floor, located next door to the fire station. At a minimum, there will be one less eyesore on the morning drive, and commuters won't have to worry about real estate crashing down on them. Well, at least not literally. 

Arlington VA real estate development news

Camp Springs Eternal

If there are no sadder words than "what might have been," many planners must be feeling a bit melancholy these days, not the least of which would be developers of the Town Center at Camp Springs in Prince George's County. If ambition were reality, the Branch Avenue Metro would have joined other metro-oriented developments like Silver Spring or Clarendon, or maybe at least Twinbrook, but then Father Economy intervened. And though several residential projects have delivered, the promise of retail to round out the community is unfulfilled, and the site closest to WMATA's vast surface parking lots remains a sandbox.

In 2008, Archstone secured approval for a massive 19-acre mixed-use development, the Town Center at Camp Springs. The Town Center plans called for 801 rental apartments and 65,359 s.f. of retail to attract young professionals and employees of several nearby federal facilities. Though groundbreaking was supposed to begin this past fall, like so many projects, the Town Center remains another undeveloped Metro site, another victim of the times.

Peter Jakel, a Communications Manager for Archstone, told DCMud, "the project is planned for a future construction start, but we have not yet established a definite start date." An all-too-familiar chorus for a promising metro-oriented development.

In 2008, Archstone Senior Vice President Rob Seldin described his project as a sort of tipping point for the County, that drawing in young professionals and their entrepreneurial spirit would mean jobs and a new tax base. Seldin explained that, historically, "in PG County, it is typically very difficult to have housing approved, so really, what's been happening is these highly educated, highly skilled, highly compensated workers have been systematically disenfranchised, so they go to Arlington." The horror. Camp Springs would, according to Seldin, offer the same Arlington appeal to the young professional demographic and draw them into Prince George's County. But now that many college-educated, potential-homebuying, young professionals are unemployed and living at home, the Town Center at Camp Springs target market has dwindled.

The project, when begun, will deliver in three phases. Ideally, the first phase will offer 416 units, a 7,000 s.f. private club house with pool, followed by the second phase with similar amenities and 385 units. Phase three will be the retail space, all designed by The Preston Partnership, LLC. What year this will happen, no one seems willing to guess.

Other nearby metro-centric projects have fared better. Metropolitan Development's Metroplace at Town Center, situated between Auth Way and Suitland Parkway, began leasing its 397 rental units in 2006, and report being 92% leased. Across from Metroplace are two more residential projects, Chelsea Way and Tribeca, both developed by Wood Partners. Without the added value of retail from Town Center, however, Camp Springs will continue to be relegated to the category of sprawl rather than high-density metro-oriented development.

Prince George's County real estate and development news