Future Starchitects Redefine Eastern Market Metro Plaza

If you add up their respective ages, they barely break 100, yet five Catholic University School of Architecture and Planning seniors are proving that the one about “age and wisdom going hand in hand” may be a tired old adage at that.

Masterminding a radical redesign proposal for the Eastern Market Metro Plaza for their senior Comprehensive Building Design Studio (CBDS), in which faculty-directed student teams form “architecture firms” and compete against other “firms,” Connor Smith, Ron Elmo, Scott Gillespie, David Edwards and Chloe Rice are approaching their studio project in true “Vitruvian” style.

“Architects in general need to know a little bit about everything,” said Rice, a former politics major and daughter of a New York architect and landscape architect. “In his Ten Books on Architecture, Vitruvius said we need to know history; we need to know physics; we need to know everything.”

Left Brain Right Brain

Applying those principles to their work, the five students - who named their firm GEERS Architects (an acronym of the first letters of their last names) - parlayed a $100,000 DDOT-funded proposal to build a 1,000 s.f. information hub for the Eastern Market Metro on a tired and defaced triangular park site diagonally across from the Metro station, into a different concept entirely. Recognizing that the 50,000 s.f. site also had the
potential to include exquisite but low maintenance grasses and gardens (including a meditation garden), Japanese Maples, flowering trees, a sustainable water harvesting system, bike hub and coffee bar, the students expanded their design in this regard and also determined it should encompass a site of similar size and dimension across the street. In short, what was initially a plan for a single information kiosk, which Rice quipped usually looks like a “space ship” that has been dropped onto a site, would become a 100,000 sf oasis - or urban destination - replete with lush landscaping and key lighting for safety during nighttime use.

“These spaces are very open but there are dark areas and someone had to have time to mess up those benches,” said Michigan native Dave Edwards, who’d originally come to the university for a summer program as a high school junior. Pointing to remnants of a heavily vandalized park seating area, Edwards and company emphasized that a comprehensive lighting system could also serve to connect the two Eastern Market Metro Plaza sites to surrounding restaurants, Barracks Row and Capitol Hill.


Confluence of Clients

“When DDOT came to us, in their eyes they had one client, and that was the tourist,” said Ron Elmo, a Philadelphian who admitted he was equally smitten with art and business, which propelled him into architecture. “But we soon realized that the other client was the resident,” he added, noting part of the design studio process for them as seniors is to learn to interface with the community: to work with the varied clients and agendas a professional architect might face.

Per studio director and Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture Rauzia Ally, area residents and businesses are truly on board with the depth and scope of the expanded Eastern Market Metro Plaza Project. It is also possibly the first CBDS project that could bridge the gap from concept to reality, with DDOT funds to be supplemented by the community. Ally said that construction documents and permitting will be addressed during the summer, with a projected autumn build date if everything is on course. “This community is very active, so they don’t feel they’ll have a problem raising the rest of the money,” Ally said.

A Little Competition

In addition to GEERS architects, 17 other student firms have considered the Eastern Market site, each creating their own buildable architectural design proposal, according to Scott Gillespie. Raised in New Jersey where he and his father were card carrying disciples of “Bob the Builder,” Gillespie says, “In freshman year, they told us that architects design the stage that people live their lives on. When you’re designing, you’re creating spaces, and I always try and picture what it would be like to walk through that space, as I did with Eastern Market.”

According to Connor Smith, “architecture changes your perception of everything around you.” A Manhattan resident with New Jersey roots, Smith was bitten by the architecture bug during a high school year abroad studying art and architectural history at Cambridge University. He is credited by his GEERS peers for generating the site’s more sustainable moves, including the use of materials such as Turfstone in its water harvesting system and a green roof for the information hub.

And The Envelope Please
On May 6, celebrated architects from around the U.S. will come to CUArch to select the winning design – or designs – with a composite design not out of the question in terms of proceeding with the execution of the project. Overall, Gillespie said, “It’s nice to see the community is thinking what we’re thinking.”

Debonair Student Housing in Woodley

Just when Woodley Park residents thought they were safe from college kids, tucked safely across the bridge from rowdy Adams Morgan, a new development, the Debonair, will bring the college students right to their doorsteps. Debonair, by developers Ashbourne Developments, will bring 11,000 s.f. of student housing to 2608-2612 Connecticut Avenue, which currently sports a drycleaner and surface parking lot in the rear. Groundbreaking for the project is April 20th at 11 AM. The four-story residential building, directly next to the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro entrance, will have one level of parking, accessed from 24th Street. DCMud reported the project last June, but recently Boston University signed a long term lease for the apartment building as a home for its student interns. According to Crispin Etherington, founder of Ashbourne Development, "BU is currently located in a building two blocks away and several other universities have housing in the Woodley Park area." In a press release, project architect Todd Ray of Studio27 Architecture said, "the building is designed to complement the existing urban fabric." The structure is described as having an "historically influenced limestone and brick" facade with "three bays of oversized balconied windows." The owners of the Debonair Cleaners at 2610 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Shahram and Maria Taginya, hired Ashbourne in 2009 to create a residential building directly behind their storefront. The cleaners will stay in place during construction and a neighboring space has been leased by an unnamed Italian restaurant, which will open late summer 2010. The student housing construction is expected to be ready in time for the spring 2011 semester. Monarc Construction will serve as general contractor. 

Washington, DC real estate development news

Wheaton Considers 18-Story Metro Development

Plans are finally taking shape in Wheaton to replace the existing Safeway and add as much as 500 residential units worth of new neighbors. The Safeway, across the street from the Wheaton Metro, dropped the idea of relocating to the AvalonBay development (a project now on hold) last fall and began working with developer Patriot Realty, creating concepts that are now starting to gel. New plans call for doubling the supermarket's size, adding retail and parking, and building an 18-story residence in three towers. The newly developed, LEED-certified Safeway will displace the box building and large parking lot opposite the Metro entrance, adding retail, residences and 550 parking spaces to downtown Wheaton. Initial designs insert 140 parking spaces below grade that will service retail customers and 411 residential spaces on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, accommodating residents. In an effort to hide the three-story garage between the retail and residences, the team plans to cover the garage in a skin that "fits in and doesn't necessarily look like a parking structure," according to Steven A. Robins, Patriot Realty’s attorney from Lerch Early & Brewer. Hord Coplan Macht is the Baltimore-based architecture firm planning the new building and designing the common spaces. 

Lee Driskill, a Principal with the firm and the lead architect for the project, says the mid-level garage will be blended almost seamlessly with the exterior of the upper floors. "The goal is to make the 3 levels of the garage meld with the design of the building. You will not see it." At least not from south or west, where most of the traffic runs. "This is still very conceptual, but its not going to be an open garage. The goal will be to make [the exterior walls] look integrated, potentially the majority of it will be glass. It will follow the design of the unit openings above" says Driskill. Ventilation will be likely achieved with screens on the less visible north and east sides. According to Driskill, the overall strategy is to break the massing along Georgia Avenue, separating the design into 3 vertical towers that are more apparent than actual, since structurally it will comprise one integrated, "tall and elegant" building. "The skin has been organized to have these three tower elements come to the fore." Though the county's Staff Report was largely favorable, controversy remains over the public space, an issue that could cost the developer $1m. Montgomery County requires a developer to either set aside 20% of the lot as public space, or contribute to a fund to purchase off-site space. In their review, county planners found little value in Patriot's planned outdoor space and "suggested" adjustments that removed it, a change that would effectively require Patriot Realty to buy into the off-site fund. At $35 per square foot, based on the assessed value of the land, that would cost Patriot $960,000. The modification irks Patriot, which blames county planners for the change, but, according to Robins, "it's just a question of how much it costs...and just figuring out how to pay for the land; whether its the land value or the cost of improvements." Its only money. The Wheaton Safeway development will face Preliminary and Project Plan Review this week where the Planning Board will consider the "favorable" staff report, said Robins. After that, "we still have to get Site Plan approval...hopefully we could begin construction early next year." The county will take up the issue at its next meeting on Thursday. Patriot previously built 8045 Condominiums, Crescent Condominiums, and the Portico apartment building, all in Silver Spring. 

Wheaton Maryland commercial real estate development news

Montgomery County to Update Zoning Codes

Zoning codes might not be as sexy as bike lanes or streetcars, but they lie at the core of development and impact the rate and type of growth. With that in mind, Montgomery County Planning is reworking its zoning codes, last updated in 1977, to get rid of outdated terms and rules and to include tools for today's development world, like sustainable building and metro-oriented development. Since 2008, the planning staff has been meeting with stakeholders, doing a little self-assessment and working with consultants to identify changes and additions. On April 20th and 21st the community will have the opportunity to participate in the Zoning Code Rewrite project.

At a Planning Department information session for the media today, planners were quick to make clear that only 2.6% of the County would actually see substantive zoning change; the majority of changes will take place in current commercial, mixed use or industrial zones (i.e. don't worry your single-family residential heads). As one planner said, only 4% of the County is really left to develop, so changing zoning will help contain and sustain growth. Another goal of the rewrite is to consolidate and simplify land use. At present, the code still has designations for foundries and abattoirs (slaughterhouses) and has two separate codes for mini golf ("Golf Courses, Miniature" and "Miniature Golf"). The plan is to reduce the number of allowed uses from 433 specific uses to 120 broad categories.

Additional changes would allow the incorporation of sustainable practices in Montgomery County development by wording codes in ways that are more inclusive. The staff is seeking public input on potential sustainable practices and how they can be tied into growth policies. Along the same vein, but a goal of its own, is a proposed re-evaluation of parking requirements - where, how much, and incorporating bicycles.

The department plans to begin drafting the new code in May after taking into account public input. After a year of writing the code and working through related policy issues, the team hopes to have a complete code ready for public review some time between July and September 2011.

Montgomery County, MD real estate development news

Southwest Safeway: Hello, Goodbye

While neighbors bide their time, waiting for a new Southwest Safeway to open at Waterfront Station, the old Safeway will likely stick around a little longer; at least its corpse will. Developers have now applied for a raze permit for 401 M Street, SW, beginning the process to demolish the old building. The store closed its doors for good April 6th and the new Safeway will show its wares to new neighbors with a "sneak peak" on the 15th and grand opening on April 16th.

According to Craig Muckle, Spokesperson for Safeway, the team does not expect demolition to begin until sometime this summer, though an adjoining wall between the old and new stores will come down prior to the new store's opening.

Safeway's newest store at the Southwest Waterfront Station will bring relief to residents who have long complained of the lack of necessities, such as bread and milk, that were routine.

Waterfront Station will also include new space for a CVS and Bank of America, as well as an additional 85,000 square feet for restaurants and “neighborhood service-related” retail. The project is a joint venture between Forest City Washington, Vornado/Charles E. Smith and Bresler and Reiner, Inc., and will add more than 2.5m square feet of new development on the site.

Washington, DC real estate development news

60 L Street NE: Fashionably Late

While many NoMa developments have begun construction, some are even built and signing leases, Camden Property Trust's planned project is going to sit on the sidelines a little longer. Camden will go before the Zoning Commission next week to seek an extension of the February 2008 approval for a 14-story mixed-use building at 60 L Street, N.E. The two-phase project could ultimately bring 682,000 s.f. of residential and retail space - more than 700 units of housing - to the NoMa neighborhood. In March 2008, DCMud wrote about the "imminent groundbreaking" at Camden USA's site, with work on the first phase scheduled to be completed in late 2010 and the second phase to follow shortly thereafter. Or not. Camden will build the WDG Architecture-designed development in two phases, breaking ground first on the south side of the block to construct a 319-unit apartment building with ground floor retail. Phase two will add roughly 407 residential units to the mix, and roughly double the amount of retail space. Camden will also build more than 450 parking spaces in a three-level underground garage. When built, the project will squeeze in between NPR's yet-to-be-built new headquarters at 1111 N. Capitol Street to the west and Tishman Speyer's dual phase office projects at 1100 and 1150 First Street to the east. 1100 First is the only one of the neighboring projects to deliver so far. The project will also sit close to Archstone's buildings across Pierce Street to the north and Trammell Crow's Sentinel Square II-V to the south. The site was a hot commodity in 2007, switching hands three times in as many months. First 60 L Street belonged to J Street Development and was called “First Place”; it was then sold to Tishman Real Estate Services, which then quickly sold it to Camden USA in February 2007. Since purchasing the site for almost $44 million, Camden has sat on the NoMa lot, biding time. Next week the developers will seek an extension on the approved zoning changes, so that when the time is right the project can move quickly. Mark Bucci, VP of Construction at Camden, said that "based on the economy, you know no real boost has occurred...we're looking at first quarter of 2011." Bucci said of the NoMa area "we're just very excited about all the activity that is going on there. That's what keeps our interests." As neighboring projects move forward, it looks like Camden will show up for the party fashionably late. 

Washington, DC real estate development news

Mt. Vernon's Dumont Sells for $167 Million

Today, the lagging and tangled fate of the Dumont was finally sealed, when Equity Residential acquired the property in a $167 million, all-cash transaction. The Dumont has sat at 425 Massachusetts Ave complete and vacant since the building was substantially completed in early 2009. Equity will be leasing the Dumont's 559 units as rental apartments, though the building was originally intended as condos.

Designed by Esocoff & Associates, the Dumont's sob story escalated in December 2008 when lender PB Capital issued a foreclosure to then-developer The Broadway Group, which had defaulted on the debt. Real estate sales by McWilliams Ballard began in April of 2006 and ended in September of 2008 with only about 150 of the 559 units sold; the project has largely sat vacant since that time.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Courthouse Condos: Someday, Somehow

The on-again, off-again residential project at 2000 Wilson Boulevard, no, make that 2001 Clarendon Boulevard, is on again-ish. In December, Elm Street Development received an amendment to their plan for condos, no apartments, no condos - in the Courthouse neighborhood. The amended plan will increase the number of residential units from 141 to 154 and slightly reduce ground-floor retail, keeping it in the 30,000 s.f. range. And yet construction is unlikely in the near future. Jim Mobley, VP of Elm Street, said the amendment covered minor "tweaks" to the plan and that the group is working with WDG Architecture to update the them accordingly. Mobley expects to finish the revisions over the next six months, though construction is "financing dependent." The developers initially planned construction in late 2007, for what was first intended to be a condominium project, but in October 2008 was switched to apartments with an open-ended 2010 completion target. Now Mobley said about the units "we are looking at them being condos," though he did not venture to give any concrete start dates. Formerly home to a Taco Bell and neighborhood bar, Dr. Dremo's, having been demolished in late 2008 to make way for...something. The development is bounded by Wilson Boulevard, North Rhodes Street, Clarendon Boulevard, and North Courthouse Road, and carries a street address of 2001 Clarendon Boulevard since the building fronts Clarendon.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

Future of 14th and R Still in Limbo

The ever-changing plans for the site of the former Central Union Mission will go before Zoning this month for an extension to an approval granted in May 2008. The project will sit directly across the street from a planned seven-story residential development, each hugging their respective corners on 14th and R Streets NW. Developer Jeffrey Schonberger of Alturas Real Estate Interest planned a mixed-use retail and residential project, then an office building, and most recently for a large-scale retail space once rumored to have caught the eye of CB2 (Crate and Barrel's "cheaper" offspring). Whatever it is he's bringing to the Logan area, he needs more time, given the economy and the quandary of Central Union Mission. Schonberger entered into a purchase agreement for the property with the Mission in 2006. The developer owned property in Petworth which was swapped for the Mission's 14th street site as part of the sale agreement. Schonberger woudl also pay upwards of $7 milllion for the Logan property. The final sale, however, is contingent on the Mission's ability to relocate its shelter services. Initially the Mission sough to build a 100-bed homeless shelter in Petworth, to which neighbors responded with a resounding no-thank-you-very-much. With Petworth no longer an option for a shelter, the Mission sought to make a deal with the District for the Gales School, only to be derailed by an ACLU lawsuit. At this point, Schonberger's plans for the former automobile showroom began to unravel. Now the development team is going before the Board of Zoning Adjustment to ask for an extension to various zoning exceptions granted in May 2008. Some of the exceptions related to the historic building on site, which the Historic Preservation Review Board ruled had to stay, meaning future development will entail a reuse of the former auto showroom, likely with additions. 

 The developer also seeks to renew the exceptions to the arts use and design requirements to allow a mixed-use residential and retail development despite the requirements that 14th street have a balance of uses that favors the Arts. Any project will be required to have ground floor retail, though the rest is up for debate.A source familiar with the project indicated that no decisions had been made on the eventual use of the property (i.e. commercial or residential) since the project is "so far from development" and the Mission has not yet relocated. Assuming Zoning grants the extension, the developer will have a year to breathe before having to file for construction permits and another year after that until work needs to be under way. Two years might be enough time to tie of up the Mission's loose ends. To date, DC public records still reflect the deed to the property under the Mission's name. Wonder who Schonberger is rooting for in the new Gales School RFP contest? 

Washington DC real estate and development news

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