LCOR, JBG: More Density in North Bethesda

LCOR plans to break ground before the end of the year on its third building - a 19-story, 341-unit apartment - within its recently enhanced North Bethesda Center. Construction of the residential building, the "Aurora", will commence before the end of the year, confirms LCOR's vice president Mike Smith.

JBG is also looking to begin construction on its own North Bethesda project - North Bethesda Market II (NoBe II, rendering to the right) - shortly after the first of the year. JBG's 4.4-acre site plan was submitted on August 24th and is now under review. JBG development executive Greg Trimmer indicated that the developer is just waiting on the county. "We are cautiously optimistic we will get full site approval early in 2012, and plan to begin construction immediately [after approval]."

NoBe II is located north of JBG's North Bethesda Market; there could be a III and IV as JBG owns more land to the south and west of the two sites, but for now, NoBe II is its sole focus in the area. NoBe II will be completed in one phase, taking 2-to-3 years, said Trimmer.

Meanwhile, LCOR's focus for the moment, the Aurora (rendering below), was designed by WDG, and will be built by BE&K; the building's site plan hearing will be held on the 22nd.

Both LCOR and JBG tacked on significant density to their North Bethesda projects in the past year, after the White Flint Sector Master Plan was passed by the Montgomery County Council in March of 2010.

Due to the increased zoning envelope permitted by the new White Flint Sector Plan, LCOR upped the square footage of planned construction on its 32-acre site by 40 percent: from 2.7 to 4.5 million square feet. JBG did the same, also increasing its F.A.R by 40 percent: from 2.4 to 4.0.

Revisions to LCOR's development have been a joint effort, having partnered with FX Fowle earlier this year. FX Fowle was brought on to assist with creating a new, enhanced vision for North Bethesda Center and give it a "fresh look," said Smith.

The enhanced North Bethesda Center plan by LCOR and FX Fowle is for approximately 1.4 m s.f. of office, 310,000 s.f. of retail, 2.4 m s.f of residential, a 350,000 s.f. hotel, and a 15,000 s.f. library. Initial plans by LCOR were to construct eight buildings on site, however Smith said that now the development team aims for "up to 10 high-rise buildings for the property." A Site Plan for 7.4 acres (3 parcels) of the development was submitted on July 29th and is now under review.

Both Trimmer and Smith applauded the foresight of Montgomery County in passing the new Sector Plan last year. Trimmer also gave his company, JBG, a nod, when questioned whether creativity was more apt to flourish on projects located outside of the District; Trimmer said, "I have to credit JBG. We've made a distinct strategic decision to increase the distinctiveness of our architecture and differentiate our projects."

What Trimmer refers to at the moment, North Bethesda Market II (pictured above), was designed by Studios Architecture and is comprised of a "striking" 339-unit residential tower (300-feet tall, surpassing its own accomplishment to the south), a 6-story office building, theater, restaurant, two retail spaces and a public plaza.

Other developers with investments in the area, and looking to go dense are: Federal Realty, with its 24-acre Mid-Pike Plaza (Site Plan for 16.3 acres was submitted on August 3rd) and Promark, with its 11-acre North Bethesda Gateway (no Site Plan submitted yet).

In January of this year, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the sketch plans for all three of the aforementioned projects: North Bethesda Market II, North Bethesda Gateway and Mid-Pike Plaza. The sketch plan submission is a relatively new step in the approval process (not as exciting for developers) that came with the new White Flint Sector Plan.

Trimmer added, "White Flint is a very good development opportunity; it has strong existing amenities and a large portion of underutilized land."

Another reason developers might eye the North Bethesda area is the 10-percent commercial property tax increase (part of the new Sector Plan) that will help finance an estimated $208 million in construction (and infrastructure improvements) during its lifespan. Last December, Montgomery County officials projected that new growth in the White Flint area could bring in as much as $6.8 billion.

update: Greg Trimmer with JBG, not Trimmen

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Zoning Commission Hearing Petworth Safeway Case Today

The Zoning Commission will consider approval of the Petworth Safeway PUD and related map amendment during a public hearing today.

ANC 4C has submitted a letter in support, highlighting the 9-1 vote in favor of the project at the ANC meeting on May 10th. An adjacent neighbor also submitted a detailed letter in support (see case report for details).

Co-owners Duball and Safeway seek to rezone the property at 3830 Georgia Avenue, NW to allow for a mixed-use, Safeway-anchored, 5-story multifamily residential project designed by Torti Gallas and Partners, expected to be underway this time next year.

Marc Dubick, president of Duball, previously worked with both Torti Gallas and Safeway as the project executive for CityVista DC in Mount Vernon Triangle.

Dubick said after a slew of community meetings, he feels there is substantial support for the Petworth project and hopes for Zoning approval today in order to move one step closer to commencing the construction document/permitting process; Dubick said 18 months of construction on the project will begin nine months from the time full approval is given.

The 1.56 acre property being developed is at the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Street, NW, one block from the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro stop.

Replacing the "stinky" Safeway, will be a new 62,400 s.f. Safeway and 86 below-grade parking spaces, both components of the development will be owned by Safeway; Duball will own the 5-story, 220-unit residential building and 135 parking spaces devoted to residents (located below the Safeway parking pad).

Washington D.C. real estate development news

CSX Assessing Southeast Tunnel

Last night, a public scoping meeting was held in conjunction with the commencement of a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Environmental Assessment (EA) of the CSX Transportation Virginia Avenue Tunnel project, a nearly $160-million rehabilitation of the tunnel between 2nd and 11th Streets in Southeast under a section of Virginia Avenue. Starting now, people will be able to officially lodge their comments/questions/concerns about the project, up until October 14th. Further down the line, another meeting will be held to reveal more specifics of the project, and to consider alternatives based on information gathered from impact statements and studies. 

 The project's immediate concern, the EA process - to access any potential impacts of the project - is in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and could take approximately one year to complete. If all goes well, the 4-to-6-year improvement project, announced in 2009, will unearth and re-construct the now buried, century-old freight line; proposed improvements have been stated as being done "to address current infrastructure needs as well as community and safety concerns" and allow for double-stack intermodal container freight trains. This past May, CSX committed to an additional $160 million investment - nearly the amount needed to get the Virginia Avenue Tunnel project off (or more literally, into) the ground - bumping up CSX's total investment in the greater National Gateway initiative to around $575 million. The entire National Gateway project is an $850-million public-private partnership being done to improve freight transportation between the Mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest and Gulf of Mexico - a massive project which got its land legs a year earlier, in May of 2008. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Builders Break Ground on New Northwest One Residence in NoMa

Yesterday, developers broke ground on the first residential project Northwest One New Community at 2 M Street, NE, a 12-story, 314-unit residential building in NoMa. Led by developer William C. Smith + Co. along with The Warrenton Group, opening of the $92 million building is expected in late 2013.

Nearly a third of the units will be designated for low-income tenants, with 59 units set aside for former the Temple Court residents (30% of AMI), demolished to make way for this project, and 34 units available for those making 60% of AMI, with retail on the first floor.

Construction was initially expected to be underway in March, but was delayed due to lack of funding. Northwest One was approved by the City Council in 2005, began gearing up in 2008 and the new Walker-Jones School, followed by the first residential component, the SeVerna, which broke ground last summer. 2 M Street was designed by Eric Colbert & Associates.

There will be 4,100 s.f. of ground floor retail and an 8,000 s.f. courtyard above two levels of underground parking, offering between 184 and 192 spots. The 290,000 s.f. building will be concrete, "clad with masonry, decorative metals and soaring full height windows," according to WCS. 2 M Street is estimated to be taking $82 million of the total $700 million needed for NW1, which includes in all: 1,600 units of mixed-income housing, and 220,000 s.f. of commercial/retail space.

NW1 is one of five projects being realized by the New Communities Initiative, a public-private partnership to develop areas that exhibit "high rates of poverty and unemployment, as well as blight and deterioration of the housing stock." The other four projects are Barry Farm (Ward 8), Lincoln Heights (Ward 7), Richardson Dwellings (Ward 7), and Park Morton (Ward 1). WCS Construction is building the residence.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Local Grocer to Open Second Location, in Rockville Town Square

Ellwood Thompson's, a grassroots grocer out of Richmond, Va., is opening a second location in Rockville Town Square next spring - a 15,000 s.f. grocery store offering organic and locally sourced products, to be called Dawson's Market.

The recently secured deal was announced yesterday by Federal Realty. Ellwood Thompson's had planned to open a second store in DC USA - the 500,000 s.f., big-box shopping center in Columbia Heights - in 2007, but backed out in 2010 after negotiations fell flat.

Ellwood Thompson's was then approached by Federal Realty for the Rockville Town Square location; the leasing management company had previously signed (also in 2007) the financially doomed A&P for the Rockville site, as was reported by Rockville Patch, but A&P backed out of its lease last year, clearly for different reasons.

Ellwood Thompson's seems to be a likable operation: a local independent market with "a strong commitment to the farm to table movement," sourcing product within a 100-mile radius, and partnering with "small family-owned farms in [the surrounding] community." ET is the largest independent organic market in Virginia, with nearly 30 years in business, after growing from one (Eric Walters) to 120 employees.

Specifics of the new location are currently being fleshed out, such as which local farms will become partners, whether a bakeshop or cafe will be incorporated, etc. Paige Bishop, director of marketing for Ellwood Thompson's said that because the lease has just been signed, "We'll know more details at the beginning of February." And, although the goal is for an April opening, much will depend on what kind of winter descends on the area between now and then.

With strict standards for offering only organic and natural products with the underlying mission stated as being "to help people discover and celebrate a healthy relationship with food," managing the birth of the Rockville operation is a high priority and further expansion isn't in the cards, or on the table, confirmed Bishop, "We have no other expansion plans."

Although its easy to figure that a charismatic local character named Mr. Ellwood Thompson opened the store back in the '80s, an assumption that would be wrong - the market is named after the streets that intersect at its location: Ellwood Avenue and Thompson Street.

Rockville Town Square was completed in 2007, and Jill Powell, senior marking specialist for Federal Realty confirms there are "some small shop leasing opportunities [still] available at Rockville Town Square."

Maryland real estate development news

Northwest of Heaven

By Beth Herman

It's off of Foxhall in NW D.C., but for preeminent interior designer Thomas Pheasant, the property is about as close to heaven as he can get.

Purchased three years ago, the designer's 6,000 s.f. residence - including a formidable Greek Revival-style pool house he built — took 18 months to renovate, becoming “almost unconsciously a kind of retrospective of years of (his) designs,” Pheasant said. Recognized worldwide for his noble furniture collections that span two decades, the fourth generation Washingtonian has filled his residence with an amalgam of his own furniture and collected artifacts ranging from antique mirrored consoles, tables and chairs, to a restored 1930s French Baccarat chandelier discovered in a Paris shop, and small bronze accent tables in the bedroom.

“There were certain pieces I designed for the house—sort of the centerpieces of each room, but most are from designs I did 15 years ago through my studio, or for my Baker collection, or my McGuire collection,” the designer said. Items culled from storage, due to size constraints of a prior home in Georgetown, also include art acquired over years of travel that gild the Foxhall-adjacent residence. “It was amazing to me how everything just went into that house,” Pheasant said.

Jettisoning the former 1,800 s.f. Georgetown dwelling in which he and his partner had lived for a considerable amount of time, the designer had undertaken a challenging, two-year search for real estate that moved him.

“When I saw that first house in Georgetown,” Pheasant reflected about the previous space, “I thought I could just turn it around in a year and move out. But because of my work, I’m the last one on my list of things to do.” He was there for 21 years.

With regard to his current residence, maintaining that he could have gone into a modern house or a Georgetown townhouse, Pheasant said that because he travels so much he’d specified absolutely no pool and no big garden to maintain as priorities. When the agent called to describe a house that was clearly in the wrong neighborhood, with a pool and behemoth gardens to boot, something about its immense privacy superseded everything else and Pheasant bought it. “The backyard has the potential to transport me far away from the city,” he recalled of his decision, adding that visitors are quick to embrace the property’s serene, pastoral qualities.

Character reference

Referencing an eclectic national clientele with enormously varied tastes, Pheasant’s transformational philosophy involves making a home a better version of what someone bought—because homeowners usually have a significant, “romantic” connection to it, the designer said. “It’s important to do this without changing the home or making it a different style, so I try to listen to what people are saying about the way they want to live,” he explained. Applying those principles to his own residence, Pheasant said he was initially chagrined that the property was only 10 or 12 years old.

“If I was going to move into a new house, I’d have wanted to be part of the design of it with the architect,” he said, reiterating that the property’s privacy factor is what trumped everything else and ultimately sold him. That said, making it a better version of what it was included infusing it with “strong character”—or the kind of soul found in an older home.

Gutting the interior to produce results in a modern classical vein, Pheasant proceeded to open up the interior to the outside.

A center hallway designed to flow from the front straight through to the back of the house allows one to see all the way through to the garden upon entry. The kitchen, dining room and living room all empty into the center hallway (the former can be isolated when the urge strikes), with mahogany doors and ivory paneling in each room, along with other shared finishes, providing an elegant common denominator.

With an eye to green building, Pheasant said all millwork, wood doors and furniture from his collections are recycled and/or sustainable materials. A NASA-developed invisible film called V-KOOL, blocking the majority of the sun’s heat and fading properties, was utilized on the multitude of south-facing windows and skylights. Radiant heat provides comfort from the ground up in winter. Expensive to install, it modifies heating costs.

Of Paris, Peace and Palettes

On a trip to Paris 10 years ago, the designer said he ran into a friend who had just purchased an apartment.

“I wasn’t looking for a place,” Pheasant said, “but it struck me that I was working all the time, and I’d never even had the time to look for a getaway house somewhere in Middleburg as I’d hoped. My life was going by so quickly.”

A meeting sans “seriousness” with a real estate agent nevertheless produced an apartment in deplorable condition off of Boulevard Saint-Germain, the property stripped of its moldings and character. Seduced by its light—banks of windows existed on both sides which most French quarters do not possess—as well as French doors that looked out across the Seine toward the Louvre and Basilique du Sacre-Couer, the designer jumped in with both feet, restoring the apartment to its former style. “I ended up fully renovating the apartment and designing a lot of furniture for it here in Washington, and shipping it to Paris,” Pheasant said, having nixed his original idea about peppering it with French flea market finds.

Noting that the palette for his Washington home is in sharp contrast to the Paris apartment, Pheasant said he looks out at green all the time from the former. In Paris, tones of grey and limestone on interior walls and furnishings reflect the surrounding cityscape, yet the same sense of balance and serenity permeates each residence.

Returning home to the lower level of the D.C. property, Pheasant created a lush library/office space that precludes what used to amount to marathon office visits on weekends. “I’d go for an hour on a Saturday and end up staying eight hours,” he conceded. The space is executed in a rich chocolate brown, which distinguishes its climate from that of the main floor.

“Sometimes I like coming home on Friday, closing the door and then forgetting everything until Monday,” Pheasant said of his D.C. residence overall, acknowledging he’s always evolving as a designer. “It’s a really nice place to relax.”

photos courtesy of Gordon Beall and Durston Saylor

Plan Revived for Live-Work Artist Lofts Near U Street

A plan to build funky artist loft space on a vacant lot at 1932 9th Street, NW in the U Street neighborhood, was shelved two years ago (rendering at left is from 2009). Now, a slightly slimmed down version of the plan has been revived, and will be taken to the Historic Preservation Review Board next week.

The property owner and developer, Paul So, purchased the property in July of 2008 for $1.4 million, and commissioned Greg Kearley of Inscape Studio to design an eco-friendly building with several aspects - passive solar design, green roof, and rainwater capturing system - ensuring that the project would achieve or exceed LEED Platinum standards. So is co-director for the Center for Neural Dynamics at George Mason University, and founder of the Hamiltonian Gallery.

Kearley didn't want to say much in advance of the HPRB meeting, but said that although the retail and residential project was put on hold, it was never deserted.

Before the plan was tucked away in 2009, a few doubts were raised over the project's economic feasibility, considering a large component of the 5- and 3-story building would be artist lofts asking characteristically low rents. Also, the concept in 2009 was already a slightly scaled back version of the initial 6-story design (5-story with a penthouse).

The new plan being brought before the HPRB next week is for a 4-story building with ground-floor retail; details are few as the staff report by senior preservation planner Steve Callcott will be completed this Friday, the 16th.

The HPO report in October of 2009 was also done by Callcott who then recommended, "that the Review Board approve the design direction of the building on 9-1/2 Street, and direct the applicant to restudy the direction of the building on 9th Street to improve its compatibility with the surrounding context."

At that time, in a 9-0 vote, the HPRB "approved the scale and mass of the building on 9-1/2 Street, and directed the applicant to restudy the fenestration, ensure that the occupied portion of the roof deck is pulled back from the street, and further work on the design to improve its visual interest... [and] directed the applicant to restudy the design direction of the building on 9th Street to improve its compatibility with the surrounding context, particularly with regard to its height and scale."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Mt. Vernon Triangle Office on Track for September Start

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is readying for the construction of its new 285,000 s.f. headquarters on New York Avenue in Mount Vernon Triangle between 6th and 7th Streets, NW.

This past Friday, AAMC obtained the permit necessary to wrap fencing around 15 lots on square 451, in order to secure the site prior to demolition; a raze permit was also granted the same day for 628 New York Avenue NW, the hold-out property, finally sold to Douglas Development last month. Raze applications for 611, 617 K Street NW are pending.

After obtaining 628 New York Ave, however, Douglas sold the entire assemblage; it was reported by the Washington Business Journal that AAMC bought its new headquarters site for around $57 million, and Hines Interests LP has been selected as developer.

AAMC is moving from its current location at 2450 N Street, NW, and plans to occupy its new headquarters by spring 2014.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

A fully detached, three story Victorian on a huge lot in Ledroit Park? The District will have a Republican mayor before another house like this comes along.

Right off the bat, I liked this place. Ten foot ceilings, fireplace, tons of windows. After so many rowhouses, I forgot how much more light you get in a freestanding house. The interior is fully and perfectly restored – the living room has the original trim, mantelpiece, and pocket doors, and the grand staircase has been beautifully restored. But it’s also wired for sound. I like modern things, but living in a completely new bleeding-edge place can feel a little sterile, like living on a “Star Trek” set or something, whereas living in a totally historic house with antique fixtures can sometimes make it hard to relax. You feel like you should be wearing a powdered wig or something. This house strikes the perfect balance between the two – classy, timeless, irresistibly likable. If this house was a person, it would be George Clooney.

The kitchen has stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a sizeable pantry where you could hide if a serial killer broke into the house, or where you could have illicit trysts with your lover, depending on what movie you’re in. Upstairs are the three bedrooms; the master bedroom is en suite with huge closets and a huger bathroom. The attic is fully carpeted and has its own bathroom (with floor to ceiling marble). There’s a windowseat in the turret and the angled planes of the peaked roof gives the place a very interesting ambience. If I lived in this house, I’d insist on having the attic as my room. Rectangles are for squares.

In back there’s a large wooden deck that overlooks a sizeable yard. Also, the basement is a separately metered 1 bedroom apartment, and one of the nicest basement apartments I’ve ever seen. Most of these “English basements” are dank, dungeonlike ratholes for bachelors or couples who have no idea what they’re getting into – my pal lives in one, and no joke, you walk in and can smell meals he cooked months ago. But this apartment is large, relatively bright, not oppressively low-ceilinged, has lots of windows (fully detached!) and even has access to its own outdoor minipatio. It’s absolutely the gold standard of basement apartments.

1873 3rd Street NW

$1,099,000

5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths

Design Details Released for DC's Highest Rent District in Chinatown

Developing the only unused and deteriorating corner at 7th and H Streets, NW in the heart of Gallery Place - Chinatown has long been on many minds. Finally, a design by Sacha Rosen of R2L:Architects, which combines the preservation of the six historic structures on site with contemporary new additions, has materialized and is moving through the approval process. Granted unanimous ANC2C consent last Wednesday, Rosen will introduce the design to the Historic Preservation Review Board on September 22nd. Of the design, Rosen said, "This is a very contemporary, but respectful treatment of [the site's] important historic fabric." 

Owned by McCaffery Interests and Douglas Development, the property includes the corner site (801 7th St, actually two buildings combined in the early 1900s), an adjacent structure to the east (675 H St), a rear carriage house, and two buildings on 7th Street to the north of the corner (807 and 809 7th St). The joint venturers obtained the last piece of the puzzle - 675 H St - at foreclosure this past February, for $9.1 million. Rosen explained there will be a new one-story addition on top of 675 H St, and a two-story addition on top of the rear carriage house, however nothing will rise above the existing four-story corner building except for a rooftop mechanical penthouse (set back on the new construction portion). Structurally unsound portions of 807 and 809 7th Street will be demolished and replaced with new four-story additions. New facades, set back from the historic real estate along 7th and H Streets, will be primarily glass; a glass elevator will also be contained within, rising up to a rooftop deck. A four-story atrium will enclose an existing exterior courtyard between 675 H St and the rear carriage house. The entire project will contain approximately 60,000 s.f., and Rosen said that the project's main objective, in addition to honoring the history of the intersection, is to "make the overall development as flexible as possible to accommodate an exciting mix of retail and office spaces." Owners are asking for some of the most expensive retail rents in the city at the site. R2L is also currently working on designs for the Wonder Bread building in Shaw. 

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Running a $700-Million Comb through the National Mall

With over 25 million visitors a year, the National Mall is showing some wear and tear; its restoration is the driver of a competition to select a winning design team to renovate three areas of the Mall - Union Square, Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater, and Constitution Gardens - hosted by the National Park Service's non-profit partner the Trust for the National Mall.

Yesterday, the competition's details and important dates were released - in one month, registration ends, on October 8th, and design portfolios are due five days later, the 13th.

The three stages of the competition will stretch until March 30th, 2012. A public exhibition will take place in April, competition winners will be announced in early May, and fundraising efforts will commence thereafter.

The three stages of the competition are as follows:

Stage I - Design portfolios are submitted for review by a jury. The jury will select 8-10 designers (per location) to move on to Stage II.

Stage II - Designers will be combined into teams, which will be evaluated and interviewed by the jury. The jury will select 4-5 finalists per location to move on to Stage III.

Stage III - Finalists will create a design concept for their assigned location, and be allowed 10 weeks to complete the concept. The jury will select one concept per location as the winner.

The competition is part of the Trust's Campaign to Restore the National Mall, which will become the largest public-private partnership in the history of the National Park Service. Over the next several years, the campaign aims to raise $350 million in private funds, which will be matched by federal funds, bumping up the total to $700 million. Corporate sponsorship is providing the funds necessary to host the design competition.

The Campaign has already been working on several restoration projects on the Mall: the Jefferson Memorial Seawall (completion in the Fall), the Lincoln Memorial landscape and Reflecting Pool (completion in Spring 2012), and the WWI Veterans memorial.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Shaw Giant Closes Today

The Giant supermarket has closed to make way for construction of the new Giant, anchor of the long-anticipated CityMarket at O in Shaw, with excavation planned for November, said Susan Linsky, project manager at Roadside Development. The new 71,000-s.f. Giant will be the first completed aspect of the project, as Roadside is contractually obligated to deliver a replacement within two years of closing the old store, meaning, by September 8th, 2013. "We're really excited," said Linsky. "However, there is a lot of work to do in advance of excavation." Facade support, utilities prep, etc. 

Construction, by Clark, will be in several phases and split between the east and west parcels. The east parcel, which is mainly comprised of the Giant, will be topped with affordable senior housing (84 units), and an apartment. Although the Giant will deliver first, the other two components of the east parcel will deliver last, likely in late fall 2014 or early spring 2015. The second phase of the real estate project, to deliver immediately following the Giant, will be the west parcel's 181-room hotel, a 400-unit apartment unit and several retail outlets (around 16,000 s.f. in all); likely completion date of these components is late fall 2013, or early spring 2014. A condominium, also on the west parcel, will be included in the last phase. The 1-million-s.f. urban infill project will be built on a parking podium consisting of over 500 spaces. Roadside believes the project will “serve as a catalyst for the revitalization of the Shaw community, one of Washington's oldest commercial, residential, and cultural districts.”

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Bethesda Safeway to Reopen October 13

Bethesda's downtown Safeway will reopen October 13, according to a spokesman for the supermarket. The supermarket closed last year for renovation, and will be reborn as a modernized, more urban version, part of Safeway's reinvention to compete head on with newer competitors that have captured more of the urban consumer. The previous store was built in 1956.

The newest Safeway designs put parking on the ground floor and shopping on the 2nd floor, with designs by Rounds VanDuzer Architects, designed to be Montgomery County's first LEED certified supermarket. The first floor garage will be disguised behind hand-shaped glass panels created by the Washington Glass Studio of Hyattsville, whose work will add hints of color and shapes of herbs along the sidewalk, with the new building pushed to the front of the lot to eliminate the street-fronting parking lot that once served the store. The 48,000 s.f. store will be double the size of the previous building.

The new Safeway will feature a "cheese expert,", olive bar, Starbucks, outdoor cafe, Bergmann's dry cleaners, pharmacy and on-site bakery. Safeway operates 66 stores in Maryland and 15 in the District of Columbia.

Bethesda Maryland real estate development news

Eyes on East of the Anacostia

Of late, eyes have been drawn and ears perked to new
public and private sector development, business forays and enhancement efforts east of the Anacostia River. Today, the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) together with the District is leading a restaurant site tour, encouraging investment in three areas east of the river: the Minnesota Avenue orange-line Metro stop (site of new DOES headquarters), the intersection of Branch and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (site of Penn Branch Shopping Center), and the Capitol Heights blue-line Metro stop (site of the Hope VI Capitol Gateway project). "The District is working with WDCEP to highlight opportunities for restaurateurs and retailers in Ward 7 and Ward 8. The locations [on the tour today] are just a handful of opportunities that we’ll be focusing on as part of our overall efforts to expand restaurant and retail options in these two wards," said Jose Sousa, communications director for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development. In all, there is around 35,000 s.f. of retail space to be leased; the vast majority being at the Capitol Gateway Marketplace (27,000 s.f.) in the Deanwood neighborhood.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Mill Creek Begins Dunn Loring Metro Development

Six years after Mill Creek Residential Trust was selected by WMATA to develop 15 acres of land surrounding the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro stop in Vienna, Va., construction has finally begun, with the first component of the development to be a 250-unit apartment building.

In 2005, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and MCRT completed a development agreement outlining a plan to build 628 apartment units (3 buildings), significant retail space including a 50,000 s.f. Harris Teeter, and a 2,000-space parking garage to consolidate the 1,355 spots now spread across a surface parking lot on site. MCRT has committed to 65,000 s.f. of retail but has the option to build another 60,000 s.f.

As reported by the Washington Post, MCRT secured a construction loan from Pacific Life Insurance Co. a month ago (August 8th), allowing the first phase of the development's estimated 4-year-long construction timeline to get underway.




Virginia real estate development news

Eisenhower Memorial Metal Tapestries on Display

In order to clearly demonstrate the artistry of the forthcoming Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial designed by Frank Gehry, the commission responsible for the memorial displayed two good-sized samples, showcasing two different production methods for bringing heavy metal tapestries to life.

The samples were on display at the site last week, and will return at the site - on Independence Avenue between 4th and 6th Streets, SW - next week, remaining up from the 12th to the 16th, during which time the Commission of Fine Arts will scrutinize the materials in question.

The Eisenhower Memorial Commission will meet with the National Capital Planning Commission for an informal design review on October 6th in advance of seeking preliminary design approval - from the NCPC - on December 1st.

Target date for delivery of the Eisenhower memorial is Memorial Day 2015.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

If you're like me, and you often wake up in the middle of the night thinking "my life needs more pagodas!”, then this is the house for you (us). A grand home with a prestigious pedigree (it was built by architect by Donald Drayer), this one has it all – sixteen-foot ceilings, an incredible library, not one but two balconies and, yes, a pagoda.

Houses built by architects are always a breed apart. It's like how fashion designers are always waaaay better dressed than regular people or musicians always have great records that you've never heard of. Generally, these houses have more space, more light, and are built with finer materials than our sad little shoeboxes, and this one is no exception.

There are windows everywhere, and everything is big, from the spacious all-white master bath to the cavernous great room to the stately library with floor-to-ceiling shelves and a fireplace (wouldn't it come in handy to have a fireplace in your library, for books that didn't make the cut?). And the flagstone patio out back – truly one of the finest outdoor spaces I've seen in D.C. Closely bordered with lush vegetation – even the pagoda is festooned with wisteria – it's large, private, and beautiful. I hate weddings, but you could have a great wedding back there. There weren't even any mosquitoes around as I sat in the pagoda surveying the patio, which struck me as just too perfect. If I was looking to buy, I'd have signed on the spot. Come to think of it, if I was a real estate agent showing a house with a fine outdoor space, I'd sprinkle blood in the neighbor's yards right before the open house, to draw off the mosquitoes. I guess this is a good example of why I'm not a real estate agent.

2741 Unicorn Lane NW
5 Bedrooms, 5 Baths
$1,129,999

LCOR Making Progress at North Bethesda Center

The last beam has been placed on the 14-story, $131 million office building that will accommodate 1,300 General Services Administration employees who work for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The new home of NRC is one of at least eight buildings planned for LCOR's 32-acre development North Bethesda Center, named for its location.

In July of 2010, construction began on the NRC building, which will be ready for initial occupancy in May of 2012, and finished for good in September. The NCR building was designed by HOK, is being built under general contractor Turner, will be LEED Silver upon completion, and is located just east of the White Flint Metro.

When finished, as there is still plenty of work to do after "topping out," the NRC building will join LCOR's previously completed component of the North Bethesda Center, the Wentworth House, an 18-story, 312-unit apartment with a green-roof Harris Teeter which, when finished in 2008, became the first of its kind. Mike Smith, VP of LCOR, says the Harris Teeter is doing well, and feels that the grocery amenity is one reason why LCOR has a healthy retention rate of residents at Wentworth - along with quick Metro access.

The 32-acre LCOR development site, formerly a golf course, is located between downtown Bethesda and downtown Rockville; an area surrounding the White Flint Metro that has grabbed the attention of several developers in the last several years, including Federal Realty (Mid-Pike Plaza), and JBG (North Bethesda Market).

Maryland real estate development news

Georgetown Park Goes Big Box

A recent effort to breathe life into Georgetown's only retail mall, The Shops at Georgetown Park at 3222 M Street, NW, has had the wind knocked out of it. The Georgetown Angels, a trio of ladies with boutiques at the mall and big voices for locally owned business, had banded together last year in a shared cause: to enliven the mall, increase exposure, and boost foot traffic off of M Street. But now, the mall is garnering some attention of a different sort, not what the Angels (think Charlie's, not Guardian) had in mind.

With the pending closure of Barnes & Noble down the street (the massive bookseller did not renew its recently expired lease) murmurs over the future of the mall (and inklings that H&M will move from the mall and take over B&N's corner spot) increased in volume, and are gaining validity now that several mall tenants have not only been asked to leave by the end of the year, but several packed up shop just yesterday.

Although property owner and operator, Vornado Trust Realty, would not confirm an 80,000-s.f. lease with Target, officials from the giant retailer have been exploring the viability of a large retail site with concerns about the traffic-choked location.

It's thought that Target will likely take up the basement (now a sorry food court and a DMV branch) and possibly the ground floor. A deal with Bloomingdales, for around 80,000 s.f., seems to have also been revived after initial talks fell through in 2008, although this is unconfirmed.

Along with a drastically different type of retailer and fewer retailers overall, Keith Sellars of WDCEP sees the potential for new restaurants to front the C&O Canal side of the property.  Retail tenant occupancy at Georgetown Park has fallen since 2009, and Kassie Rempel, DC native and owner/founder of mall-tenant SimplySoles, says of the change, "It's unfortunate, but I can't say it's a surprise." Rempel, one-third of the Angels, will be in the mall until the end of the year, and although considering a few relocation options, moving to the mezzanine level of the mall, as offered by Vornado, is not one of them.

Another Angel, Heidi Kallet, owner/founder of The Dandelion Patch, confirms she too is leaving Georgetown Park but says her shop "will stay in Georgetown." Finishing out the trio of Georgetown retailers, Stephanie Fornash Kennedy, owner/founder of the eponymous, eight-year mall tenant Fornash, has also received her official notice to vacate by year's end. Rempel says it's clear that Vornado, "is clearing out the first and second floors."

There has been talk of redeveloping the Georgetown Park mall since the late '90s; most notably when Herb Miller (of Western Development Corp.) and Anthony Lanier (of EastBanc, Inc.) entered into an agreement, in 1998, to pursue a joint venture to develop the property.

However, the mall, which opened in 1981 as a main component of the $200-million mixed use development by Western Development, was cruising along in the '90s, and into the early 2000s, and owner at the time Georgetown Park Associates (GPA) - which obtained the deed from Western Development in 1989 - wasn't looking to sell until 2006.

In March of 2006, GPA's sale of the property commanded a hearty $84 million, from Miller. Lanier sued Miller for breach of the 1998 agreement. Unease had been brewing between the two for a few years, after disagreeing on how to interpret an amendment, made in 2001, to the joint-venture agreement; Miller asserted that the 1998 agreement was void if not acted on by May 31st 2002.

Either way, the Georgetown Park deed was finalized on March 1st 2007.

In response to Lanier's lawsuit, as reported by the Washington Post in April of 2010, "Western sued EastBanc and Lanier personally for more than $50 million in damages, citing a malicious legal filing and other causes."

Though it was reported that Western defaulted in excess of $70 million owed to lender Capmark Financial Group, the foreclosure was called off in May, and a Vornado led group called AG Georgetown Park I LLC obtained the property from Capmark Finance/GP Partners LLC on July 9th 2010 for $30.8 million; significantly less ($54 million less) than Miller paid four years before.

Now, with Vornado a year into its ownership of the property, the site holds a mall that is a 30-year-old shell of its former self, and rapidly emptying. Long gone are the days when it drew local businesses, Georgetowners, out-of-towners and the like from M Street.

Washington D.C. commercial real estate news