Nothing But Blue Skies Ahead for Brightwood Apartment

Yesterday, the District of Columbia announced its selection of Blue Skye Development and the Educational Organization for United Latin Americans to redevelop the Tewkesbury, a long-abandoned Brightwood apartment building.

A piece of real estate DC Mayor Adrian Fenty called "a disgrace" and "a blight on the Brightwood community for more than 20 years," the 26-unit apartment building at 6425 14th St., NW, dates from the mid '50's and has been vacant (officially) since 1985. The District had cited Vincent Abell, the former owner, with over 100 housing code violations, and initiated a suit against him and several other landlords in April for repeated code violations. Not a bad deal for Abell then, who received $3,000,000 for the property from the District, or $115,300 per blighted, disgraceful unit.

Deputy Mayor Neil Alpert's office moved quickly through the selection process, issuing the RFP just this May, selecting the winning bid from the four received by the August deadline. In addition to the Blue Skye team, the District had received bids for the 30,000 s.f. building from Mi Casa, Inc., PML Real Estate, LLC, and 14th Street Partners - a group including UrbanMatters Development Partners LLC, Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, and Emory Beacon of Light, Inc. A plus factor that appeared to cinch the deal for Blue Skye was its inclusion of a 54 unit building at 1330 Missouri Avenue, a property the developer now controls and will turn into a senior living center.

Mayor Fenty announced that the building will be converted into 13 market-rate condos and 13 "affordable" units, without specifying that nature of those units. The Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning and Economic Development predicts that construction "could begin" by summer of next year.

Washington, DC real estate and development news

Wheeler Terrace Goes Green in Southeast

The Community Preservation & Development Corporation (CPDC) today led a groundbreaking ceremony for the all-green renovations currently underway at Wheeler Terrace public housing project. Once stigmatized as a "crime hotspot," the newly refurbished, seven-building development is being touted not only as being beneficial to the environment, but as a (healthy) shot in the arm for Southeast as well.

"You saw this big, beautiful tent and thought you were in Georgetown, but you're not. You're in the new Ward 8," said councilman and former mayor Marion Barry during his remarks at the event. "Southeast Washington has had a negative image for a long time. We're going to turn that around."

CPDC and the architects behind the project, Wiencek + Associates, are seeking to lead by example by outfitting Wheeler Terrace with a cadre of green features usually unheard of in public housing. The 116 affordable housing units – located at 1217 Valley Avenue SE - will feature energy efficient insulation and appliances, clean-air systems, white reflective vinyl roofs, a green roof demonstration project, and – in a first for District public housing – heat supplied by a geothermal pump. Upon completion, it will be the only such project in the city to merit a LEED gold certification – another point of pride for the developers and tenants alike.

“[The current tenants] are absolutely thrilled. The fact that they have the opportunity to go green is a big deal for them,” said the CPDC’s press contact for the project, Michelle Darden Lee. “It saves on utility costs and one of the things that this project shows is that going green isn’t just for upper income projects.”

Funds for the $33 million project were drawn from a variety of sources – primarily a $4 million loan from the Enterprise Community Partners (ECP) and City First Bank, and another $1.9 million loan from the Housing Partnership Fund. ECP also made two further contributions to the project: a $50,000 grant for “green design and planning expenses” and a $25,000 grant for “organization development.” Other financial partners on the project include the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development, the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency, PNC Bank and Union Bank of California.

According to Mark James, CPDC’s Project Manager for the development, Wheeler Terrace’s troubled past didn’t preclude the developer from having any shortage of investors:

One of the reasons we selected ECP and the bank is that they were not only aware of who we were as developers, but also very committed to doing green building. They felt as though CPDC has done a number of projects in areas that had experienced blight and significant reinvestment over the years. When we put the idea of being green along with our experience as affordable housing developers, they felt extremely comfortable.

Plans for redeveloping the blighted housing project stretch back to 2006, when the residents of Wheeler Terrace exercised their right to purchase the land under the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). The new owners, the Wheeler Terrace Tenant Association, selected CPDC as developer shortly thereafter. Turner Construction is currently spearheading the renovation efforts at the 133,000 square foot site. Construction is expected to be completed in July of 2009.

High-Style and Mixed-Income Meet at Parc Rosslyn Opening

This Thursday, the new Parc Rosslyn high-rise - located at 1531 North Pierce Street - will open its doors to the public and solidify its' place as one of Arlington County's greatest affordable housing accomplishments. The product of more than 10 years of work by the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), the Parc Rosslyn is a 15-story, 238 unit building that sports 96 units of affordable housing and amenities otherwise unimaginable in such a development - floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the DC skyline, patio grills, a business center, a concierge and, perhaps most surprisingly, a rooftop swimming pool.

"I think people will be stunned by this beautiful building," said Nina Janopaul, Executive Director of APAH. "It represents a very efficient use of government resources to create this wonderful opportunity for a mixed-income, diverse property.”

Located in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the Collins & Kronstadt-designed building satiates the area’s needs for high-density, affordable, green housing (a LEED silver certification is pending for the project) in one of the region’s biggest and busiest thoroughfares. “We’re really fulfilling this goal that the Arlington County Board had back in the 1960's to create transit-oriented development,” Janopaul told DC Mud. “We’re using density near public transit corridors - and what a wonderful thing that is for the environment, too.”

At a total cost of $68 million, more than two-thirds of Parc Rosslyn budget came from tax exempt bond-issue financing – making it the largest ever such project approved by the County. "Essentially, the term of art is a conduit financier," says Ken Aughenbaugh , Director of Arlington County's Housing and Neighborhood Division. "These bonds are sold on the market by an investment bank to others who buy the bonds as investments - usually larger corporations or mutual funds. This is a mechanism that other jurisdictions around the country use to finance affordable housing developments." The rest of the funds for the project came from low income housing tax credits and soft second mortgage financing provided by the County.

APAH originally acquired the site - which formally housed a 1940s-era, 22-unit garden apartment development - from Arlington County in 1994 at no cost, but did not begin construction until January of 2007. Residents began to move in this past July, while the finishing touches – swanky pool included – were finally completed in September. Construction was handled by Paradigm Development, the company which will also be serving as the building manager of the project.

In order to mark the occasion, Parc Rosslyn will hold its’ gala grand opening this coming Thursday, October 16^th, on site at the new building. Congressman Jim Moran (D), Chairman J. Walter Tejada of the Arlington County Board, Executive Director Susan F. Dewey of the Virginia Housing Development Authority, APAH Chairman Caroline Settles, and Executive Director Janopaul will all be on hand to remark on the occasion. The ceremonies begin at noon and will include a tour of the facilities. The event is open to the public.

Years Late, Old Post Office May Deliver

President George Bush has signed a bill into law that seems to finally set in motion the redevelopment of the Old Post Office building at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, in downtown DC's Federal Triangle. The law specifically encourages the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop the building upon authority it received back in 2001, but which the GSA failed to implement.

The federal law specifically faults the GSA, given authority to redevelop the building in 2001, for dallying to produce its 2004 Request for Expressions of Interest, a document which generated substantial buzz and private sector feedback at the time, but which the GSA miscarried, leaving it unchanged. GSA could not be reached for comment.

GSA and the Office of Management and Budget had been evaluating redevelopment options for the famed edifice on Pennsylvania Avenue for a number of years. Federal Triangle’s Old Post Office was the largest government building and the first steel-framed building in the capital when initially built as the headquarters of the Post Office Department in an attempt to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood.

Complete demolition is not a threat as it was after WWII, but under the National Historic Preservation Act the government space can be leased to private tenants, providing endless possible uses for the building. In the 80’s, the GSA tried to take advantage of this by creating retail space on the first two floors, a project that has since proved financially unsuccessful. Congress suggested that the use of the lower level space not be predetermined, but rather this redevelopment project to be used as an opportunity for developers to submit unique ideas for the building – with the stipulation that any changes made to the inside of the building during redevelopment be reversible.

The bill calls for the facility to put to a better use than its’ current incarnation as the home of a food court and a dwindling number of government offices. This would mark the first step towards the realization of one of the key tenets of the National Framework Plan (which DC Mud reported on last Friday). Specifically, the Plan calls for the 109-year-old historic building to be incorporated into the grounds of a new, mixed-use development that would stretch from 9^th Street to 12^th Street NW. How this would affect any current tenants remains to be seen. The GSA is given specific authority to move the current federal tenants into other buildings.

The speed of the redevelopment does seem a bit, well, postal, given that the idea was initially put forth…wait for it…44 years ago. The Pennsylvania Avenue Commission - initiated by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 - recommended the demolition of the Post Office to allow for completion of Federal Triangle and revitalization of what was then a decaying strip of Pennsylvania Ave. Nancy Hawks, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts at the time, led a crusade against the measure that included letter writing campaigns and full blown street protests. Eventually, the government backed away from the matter and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places – a status that will protect it against demolition during any redevelopment efforts that take place. Metropole

3 Teams Bid for SW Firehouse Site

If you've ever dreamed of living out your childhood fire fighter fantasy by sliding down a brass pole to get to your office, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) has good news for you. DMPED recently received three responses from local development teams concerning the District's redevelopment proposal for two sites at 4^th & E Streets SW - including turning the current home of Fire Engine Company 13 at 450 6^th Street SW -- into a mixed-use development.

The proposals come from three differing alliances of local developers. JLH Partners, Chapman Development, and CDC Companies comprise the first team; Trammell Crow, CSG Urban Partners, and Michele Hagans as the second; and Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners, and Adams Investment Group (together calling themselves E Street Development Partners LLC) the third.

The proposals for the site include plans for rebuilding the 34,000-s.f. Engine 13 station (either on site or within a two block radius), up to 465,000 square feet of office space, a 130-208 room hotel, and the inclusion of ground level retail. According to a statement released by the OMPED, two of the submissions include “proposed community space,” while one set out plans for “an 11,000 square foot atrium-covered public indoor park.” This jives with the District’s insistence on seeing a community center incorporated into any prospective design. The proposals presumably align with the initial RFP’s insistence that at least 35 percent of any contracts go to certified local, small or disadvantaged businesses, and that at least 51 percent of the new jobs created by the project go to District residents.

The projected construction would also envelop the second site included in the District’s RFP – a 19,000 square foot vacant lot bounded by 4^th Street, E Street and the Southwest/Southeast Freeway. Deputy Mayor Neil Albert's choice should be known by December, the District's deadline for selecting the best team. Groundbreaking could take place as early as summer 2010.

Located behind the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) First District headquarters, this marks the second such construction project the District has planned for the block. After their last location proved too expensive, the MPD building at 415 4^th Street SW will undergo demolition in order to make way for a new, 240,000 square foot Consolidated Forensics Lab (CFL) - construction of which is expected to begin in December. BIDs for that project are due to the District’s Office of Property Management by November 7^th.

Axis

Framework Plan Re-Envisions Downtown DC

With development occurring throughout the District of Columbia, many local and government agencies called earlier this year to establish a scheme to orchestrate continuity between Washington’s most visited areas and the up-and-coming projects now in the pipeline. The rejoinder has finally arrived. The National Capital Framework Plan (NCFP) - co-authored by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the US Commission of Fine Arts (USFA) - outlines several strategies to "enhance Washington's reputation as a walkable, transit-oriented, sustainable city" for residents and tourists alike. The plan focuses on four distinct areas of District development: the Northwest Rectangle, the Federal Triangle (including Pennsylvania Avenue), the Southwest Rectangle and East Potomac Park. In all, the plan highlights 5.5 million square feet of land that it aims to dedicate to 4 new museums, 75 acres of “civic gathering space,” 32 acres of recreational area, 13 acres of parkland, “numerous” memorials, federal office space and mixed-use development.

The Northwest Rectangle (defined by F Street to the north, Constitution Avenue to the south, the Potomac to the west, and 17th Street to the east), first on the docket, requires “a symbolic and physical connection” to be established between the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Memorial. That would include extending E Street NW and establishing it as a one mile “landscaped boulevard” that would connect to the Kennedy Center, the White House and President’s Park - resulting in a new public park on Virginia Avenue NW between 19th and 22nd Streets NW. New residential and shopping areas would be installed on a deck above the Potomac Freeway, which would also allow 25th & 26th Streets NW to be reintegrated in the street grid. The infrastructure modifications don't stop there - the plan also suggests a realignment of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to free up desirable public space along the shoreline.

Over in the isolated Federal Triangle, the Plan reimagines Pennsylvania Avenue NW as space that will live up to its status as “America’s Main Street.” The Plan critiques federal installations such as the Old Post Office and the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building as not living up to their potential and suggests, politely of course, that the government simply find a new home for these tenants elsewhere in the city (no rush, any time in the next 30 days would be fine). In their stead, the plan calls for the creation of new grand mixed-use development between 9^th and 12^th Streets and a new National Aquarium (already planned to front Constitution Avenue) - in addition to other “cultural and hospitality destinations” for the area, including the Freedom Plaza, a “Federal Walk” history and arts trail and public outlets that would supply the area with some semblance of a nightlife. "Mixed-use" is also the word of the day in the Southwest Rectangle. Described accurately as an “uninviting federal enclave” - albeit one the federal government created with an earlier plan intended to "revitalize" an existing neighborhood - The Plan proposes an extensive rebuild of 10^th Street SW. Smithsonian Castle to a refurbished Overlook (current home of the Maine Avenue Fish Market), transform The new street would run from the Maryland Avenue SW, link the US Capitol to the Jefferson Memorial and serve as a gateway to the emerging Southwest Waterfront. By taking advantage of 18 acres worth of air-rights, the NCFP proposes a new “mix of office, cultural, entertainment, hospitality, and residential” development that would terminate at a newly decked out Overlook. The hope is for new street-level projects on the north side of Maine Avenue SW - across from the waterfront – including (yet another) new museum on the site. The Liberty Loan building (14th & D Streets SW), the Whitten building (1400 Independence Avenue SW) and a portion of the Forrestal complex (1000 Independence Avenue SW) are also identified as possible museum locations. Plans for Maryland Avenue consist of a new park at the intersection of Maryland and Virginia Avenues SW and the reclamation of the original street grid that is currently sliced-and-diced by train tracks and tunnels leading to Union Station.

The NCFP aims to integrate East Potomac Park into the fabric of daily life in the District by making it more than just a golfing and jogging destination. This would be primarily achieved by improving connections between the Park and the city proper through the construction of a canal by Buckeye Drive SW, a new Jefferson Memorial Metro stop, and a new foot bridge at P Street SW “to improve boat, pedestrian and bicycle access.” Additionally, the area surrounding the Memorial would be expanded and improved by eliminating the numerous “infrastructure barriers” dividing the park. Along the shoreline, the waterfront esplanade presently on site would be raised and widened so as to showcase memorial sites (like Hains Point), maritime areas and natural wetlands. The Plan also recommends the inclusion of stops for proposed water taxi service that would connect Nationals Stadium, the Southwest Waterfront, Alexandria, Georgetown and National Harbor. The area which the Plan identifies as the most ripe with potential, however, is the northern side of the park on the Washington Channel, being dubbed Potomac Harbor. Envisioned as the location of “new low-scale, one to two story, development,” Potomac Harbor would host cafes and water-based recreation activities that would serve as a complement to the numerous mixed-use projects occurring directly across the river.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

RFP Issued for Deanwood Rec Center

Hot on the heels of last week’s Strand Theater announcement, Northeast’s Deanwood neighborhood is now in line to receive a new $20 million, 63,000 square foot community center. Banneker Ventures LLC (also the developer behind the Strand revitalization initiative), Reagan Associates LLC, DC Housing Enterprises and the Program Manager of the center’s current incarnation, have jointly issued a request for qualifications to builders that aims to have the new Deanwood Community Center (DCC) open and operational by May 2010. The project is the product of a partnership between the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (OMPED) and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

Located at 49^th & Meade Streets NE, the new DCC will sport “an in-door leisure swimming pool," gymnasium, game rooms, full library, a child care center, and dedicated senior space, as well as swanky designs by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects (EEK) and a projected LEED silver certification. Everything currently on the site – including the swimming pool, tennis courts and the existing building – will face demolition in the coming weeks.

Proposals are due to Banneker by 12 PM on Monday, October 20^th.

Skyland Readying for Take-Off

Despite years of false starts and a finicky housing market (to put it delicately), the long in-development Skyland Town Center in southeast Washington D.C. is now pacing itself for a 2012 delivery. Well, maybe. Described by the 5-member development team - which includes the Rappaport Companies, William C. Smith & Co., Harrison Malone Development LLC, the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization (MHCDO) and the Washington East Foundation - as a "prominent living, shopping and gathering place," the $285 million Skyland project aims to deliver more than 700,000 square feet of mixed-use development, mostly in the form of new housing. Located at the intersection Alabama Avenue & Good Hope Road SE - across from the present location of the Good Hope Marketplace, the Skyland Town Center will boast 280,000 square feet of retail space and 460,000 square feet of residential housing. Of the roughly 475 residential units included in the project, 20% of the units will be available to families earning 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or less, 10% will be reserved for residents making 120% AMI. Torti Gallas & Partners also designed 21 single-family townhomes and three above-ground parking garages to serve the development.

Skyland replaces undeveloped land on the back of the site, and a small, dated mix of retail along the front of the property. Pre-development work on the project began in 2002 under the watch of former Mayor Anthony Williams and the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, which served as developer until the project was handed off to the present team in 2007. According to Steve Green of William C. Smith & Co., though the developers have made progress, the current economic climate makes a firm start date difficult to pin down.

And because nobody is planning to start a residential construction project in 2009 - and 2010 isn't looking much better - developers at Skyland are not inclined to rush. “Given the current market conditions, [a timeline] is particularly difficult to predict,” said Green, “but our best estimate…is that we would close on the property and begin demolition in the fall of 2010 and completion of the first phase would be 24 months later in the fall of 2012.”

William C. Smith & Co. expect to file a PUD for the Skyland Town Center on or around November 15^th. The DC City Council has already approved $40 million worth of Tax Increment Financing for the project. Washington DC based WCS Construction will build the project.

Washington DC retail and commercial real estate news

Alexandria Low-Income Gets Mixed-Income Makeover

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) and EYA Development Inc. have filed for the permits needed to move ahead with their proposed redevelopment of Alexandria's James Bland Public Housing Project.



Following the demolition of all 194 units that currently occupy the site, the development team hopes to install a radically different housing development that will promote "mixed-income communities." Shooting for a 65/35 ratio of market-rate to public housing, the new James Bland will consist of 159 townhomes and 86 multi-family units on the upscale end, and 72 townhomes and 62 multi-family units on the affordable side. The same ratio will be maintained throughout each block of the five block development - with no separation by income type.

Other components of the redevelopment include a new, 13,800-square foot park at the intersection of Alfred & Montgomery Streets – intended to cater to the expected influx of families with children, and to serve as a link to the new Charles Houston Recreation Center. A second, 7,800 foot park has also been proposed at the corner of First Street.

The $55 million project will be drawing its funds from AHRA’s sale of the Glebe Park public lots to EYA - whichs plan on beginning construction at that site next month - and Virginia low-income housing tax credits. The plan proposes that 44 of the 194 public homes at James Bland then be relocated to the Glebe site upon completion. The builders plan on offsetting the environmental effects of the construction by aiming for LEED certification – the grade has yet to be determined – and recycling as many building materials from the old structures as possible. The development team has also pledged to use designs that are in keeping with the greater aesthetic of the Parker-Gray neighborhood.

The developer plans five phases of construction, with the build-out expected to commence in November, 2009. The buildings on the 8.49 acre site were originally erected in 1945, and converted in public housing by the AHRA in 1987. The development team received approval for demolition and for their preliminary concepts on September 24^th. The project still awaits approval of special zoning and special use exceptions needed to bring the development to fruition.

Affordable Housing Championed in Northern Virginia

The Arlington County Board approved a new measure last month that aims to increase the amount of affordable housing available within the Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, while protecting those already in existence. On September 13, the Board summarily approved the Fort Myer Heights North Plan, which complains that "as the core areas of Rosslyn and Courthouse continue to build out, redevelopment pressure in this area has increased dramatically. The fabric of this neighborhood is being eroded by luxury, by-right development that meets neither the goals of the community nor the County." Since 2004, the area has lost nearly 200 affordable units - nearly a quarter of those available - to redevelopment. As a remedy, the plan lists construction of affordable units and the preservation of existing units as its primary goals.

While the tear down and rebuild process usually results in the loss of affordable housing, the County is looking to make that an unattractive prospect for developers. According to the report, developers seeking to start new projects in historically protected segments of Fort Myer Heights will no longer be offered financial incentives. Instead, the plan encourages developers “to work closely with [County] staff to determine a suitable total affordable housing package” in non-historic areas.

The new declaration of policy means development proposals to wipe out affordable housing will be met with resistance by the county and, in the event that deal is made, that all residents of affordable housing be relocated to new units with the same price tag. Any new designs for non-historically protected buildings must offer at least 10% of its units as affordable.

The implementation of the Fort Meyer Heights North Plan marks the third such maneuver underway in the greater Arlington area. Last month, the Board approved the JBG Companies’ revised site plan for their Jordan Manor project in Ballston. The crux of the revisions is an almost four-fold expansion of the number of affordable housing units –from 24 to 90. And in neighboring Alexandria, the IDI Group Companies' (best known for their Leisure World developments in Maryland and Virginia) are still pursuing their bid to convert the 530-unit Hunting Towers apartment complex (pictured above) into 100% affordable housing, while constructing 4 buildings worth of "luxury" condominiums next door.

Arlington, VA real estate development news

Project Taken to New Heights on Georgia Avenue

Like a snowball rolling downhill, the number of residential developments on Georgia Avenue is getting bigger by the minute. The latest project on the boards is The Heights at Georgia Avenue by the Neighborhood Development Company (NDC) - a 100,000 square foot mixed-use building that will feature 100% affordable housing. Besides adding 69 new apartments to the Petworth real estate market, the project at the intersection of Georgia Avenue & Lamont Street NW will also add roughly 10,000 square feet of retail to the mix. The developer is currently engaged in talks with a hardware retailer about the site and hopes have a sit-down restaurant in place when The Heights opens its doors in early 2011.

The Heights' all-affordable status has put it in a unique position with the District of Columbia. This week, Councilmember Jim Graham will introduce a bill before the City Council that aims to grant the project an exemption from property taxes for the next 40 years - provided it maintains an at least 50% margin of affordable housing in that time. The proposal should be voted upon sometime this fall.

NDC president Adrian G. Washington told DC Mud that ANC approval for The Heights at Georgia is forthcoming. “We’ve met with the ANC on several occasions and gotten a letter of support from the single-member district commissioner…We’re actually going tomorrow and we hope they will formally approve it.”

The Georgia Avenue site was acquired by a partnership of NDC and Mi Casa Inc. – a DC-based non-profit that specializes in restoring aging properties and converting them into affordable housing. The Heights will be their second brand-new new construction project (the first being the Rittenhouse Project in Brightwood). The building is being designed by architect Graham Parker and will come in at a cost of approximately $25 million. Construction is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Heights is only one of numerous projects currently in development in the Petworth neighborhood. Up the street at 4136 Georgia, Formant Development's proposed 57-unit, 7 story condominium tower is still scheduled to go to ground in 2009. Meanwhile, Donatelli Development’s Park Place is currently under construction and their proposed project across the street at 3801 Georgia recently issued a BID to contractors. These twin projects are joined by the massive redevelopment just up the street of the Park Morton public housing complex.

UPDATE: The Heights at Georgia Avenue's final address has been confirmed as 3232 Georgia Avenue NW - across the street from the NDC's Lamont Lofts project that was completed in 2005.

Washington D.C. real estate development

Florida Rock Gives a Little, Gets a Lot on the SE Waterfront

One of the proposed touchstones of the Southeast Waterfront redevelopment, Diamond Teague Park, took a step towards reality yesterday as Mayor Fenty accepted an $800,000 construction contribution from developer Florida Rock Properties - the group behind the Riverfront on the Anacostia development next door to the park’s proposed location. The $16 million, 39,000 square foot park was described by Fenty as a "green destination" that will route foot traffic to and from Nationals Stadium and become a tourist draw in and of itself.

"We are leveraging this investment to create great public spaces that open up the river to the entire community," said Fenty in a statement distributed at the event. In remarks made at the foot of Nationals Stadium overlooking the Anacostia, the mayor went on to express his hope that the river will one day be among "the cleanest in the country" (good luck).

This marks the second such contribution made towards the park. In April 2007, the JBG Companies made a $1.5 million donation to the Landscape Architecture Bureau-designed project. Construction is expected to begin next month.

Meanwhile, Florida Rock is confident that its project will meet its 2011 start date. In May, they received zoning approval for the former concrete plant site on Potomac Avenue SE - pending a donation to Diamond Teague Park. Their Riverfront on the Anacostia development will host 560,000 square feet of residential and hotel space, 29,000 of which will go towards affordable housing. Office and retail space are also planned for the venture, to the tune of 545,000 and 80,000 square feet, respectively. A large waterfront promenade will link the development to the neighboring park. The Riverfront project is being designed by Davis Buckley Architects and Planners.

Northeast DC Icon Gets a Little Help

Mayor Fenty was on hand today to announce that the District has finally settled on a developer and would move ahead with redevelopment of the long-abandoned Strand Theater in Deanwood. The project is now in the hands the Washington Community Development Corporation (WCDC) and Banneker Ventures LLC - organizations that plan on transforming the 80-year-old former movie theater into the new home of an 18,000-s.f. restaurant and 18,000 square feet of “affordable” office space. The remaining 16,000 square feet within the Strand will be “dedicated for community and cultural uses,” according to a press release issued by the Mayor’s office.

“There will be more energy back on this corner for the neighbors who live in the Ward 7 community, east of the river in general and for the entire city,” said Fenty from the sidewalk of 5131 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE. Fenty and WCDC head Rev. Steve Young, also leader of the Holy Christian Missionary Baptist Church for All People located across the street, went on to promise that 30 - 40 new, permanent jobs will created as a result of the revitalization effort.

Curiously enough, this marks the second time the District has named the WCDC and Banneker as developers in charge of the Strand. The first came this past July, when Deputy Mayor Neil Albert told DC Mud that the project would “break ground in the next two weeks.” Sean Madigan, the Mayor’s press contact, today told DC Mud the District was forced to hold off a bit, while the rest of the details concerning the theater were hammered out.

Banneker has had a dream year lobbying District officials, having secured from District work on the Strand, and having been named Master Planners for the Park Morton redevelopment, and as a developer of the $700 million Northwest One development. WMATA added to the company's portfolio by naming Banneker the lead developer in June for its Florida Avenue project, and Banneker has its own plans in place for 814 Thayer, a 52-unit condominium in Silver Spring's central business district. WMATA Board member and DC Councilmember Jim Graham reportedly pushed for the developer's inclusion in the project; WMATA said it chose the developer based on its "experience," noting the technical difficulty of building a project on top of an existing Metro tunnel, though Banneker has no previous experience building above a Metro tunnel. Or, apparently, above much else. Park Morton, 814 Thayer, and the WMATA project have yet to break ground, and Northwest One has only recently done so, leaving the conversion of several small apartment buildings into condominiums as its only achievements. Banneker's website touts its appointment to several of the above projects, as well as its "tremendous breadth of experience and professionalism." Calls to Banneker’s metro area offices went unanswered.

As it stands today, Green Door Advisors and Blue Skye Construction will handle the build-out of the heavily dilapidated building, located at the intersection of Burroughs Avenue and Division Avenue NE. The Strand Theater is currently on the DC Preservation League’s list of Most Endangered Places in the District. Hopefully, that will be changing as the Strand moves on to a bigger and better future.

Washington DC commercial real estate news

Fort Totten or Bust

Northeast’s Fort Totten will be almost unrecognizable (a good thing) by 2012 if a group of local developers are able to get their proposals off the ground. In presentations made at yesterday's DC Economic Partnership Annual Meeting and Development Showcase, developers brought forth not one, but two major development proposals for the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE. Together, they plan to bring more than million square feet of retail and nearly 2000 units of housing to the area - essentially the same model of high-density shops, apartments and arts space that Montgomery County planners used to such great effect in Silver Spring.

First on the block is Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group and JackSophie Development’s Fort Totten Square. Plans for which have been bandied for the past 2 years, but according to Lowe's staff and publicity literature, the project is now on track for a 2010 completion. Designed by Hickock Cole Architects, their 9-acre parcel will feature 900,000 square feet of residential and retail space, complimented by 100,000 square feet of “grocer-anchored” retail. Residential units will arrive in the guise of The Dakotas – an 875 unit development that will also sport on-site parking.

In a concurrent phase of development is the Fort Totten Arts Place – a 20-acre redevelopment project being funded by the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Standing right next door to Fort Totten Square project – and on top of the neighborhood enclave that currently stands at 4^th and 5^th Streets NE – the EEK/MV+A-designed stretch of storefronts and apartment buildings will almost be a neighborhood in and of itself. For starters, the development will include 1220 residential units (220 reserved for seniors) and 147,000 square feet of retail. The latter will be reserving 9,000 square feet for a brand new Safeway supermarket, 82,000 square feet for neighborhood businesses and 6,000 square feet for a major banking branch.

You might be thinking, “Where is all the art at Arts Place?” The Washington National Opera might be a good place to start – they’ll be getting 75,500 square feet of rehearsal space, costume shops and production and administrative offices. The Shakespeare Theatre Company will also join them on the block will their own 75, 500 square foot space of administrative offices, costume and prop shops, and, yes, rehearsal space.

It’s also been seen to that the local community will get their fair share of benefits out of all redevelopment hoopla. There will be a new 27,000 square foot DC Public Library, 15,000 square feet of public performance and meeting space, a 20,000 square foot senior center, a 10,000 square foot daycare center, a gym, a health facility geared towards seniors, a cyber café, and a renovated and reconfigured plaza in Morris Square. Altruistic organization Food & Friends, which delivers meals to the terminally ill and is already located in Fort Totten, will also receive an expansion of its existing facility.

These twin packages of development should serve as a fine compliment to the joint Clark Realty – Washington Area Transit Authority apartment complex at the Metro station that completed Phase I of its’ $58 million, 3-building development earlier this year. If the Lowe and Cafritz projects make it out of the planning stages, we're going to be looking at very different Fort Totten in the future.

Casey Trees Branching Out in Brookland

Local not-for-profit environmental organization, Casey Trees, has acquired the site of a former gas station, located at 3015 12^th Street NE, in Brookland. In the coming weeks, the garage on the site will be razed to make way for a 10,000 square foot "mini-nursery" and tree holding site that will be used as a staging area for Casey Tree's Community Tree Planting initiative, which - in cooperation with the DC Department of the Environment - aims to plant 13,500 new trees by 2014. The 7-year-old organization previously planted 1400 trees throughout the District in 2007 alone.

The gas station acquisition, however, is a mere footnote compared to Casey Tree's plans across the street. As was announced in December of last year, the organization will be moving from their old K Street headquarters to a 14,000 square foot facility at 3030 12^th Street, NE - following a dramatic renovation and expansion of the latter site.

The 3030 site was purchased from residential developer Taurus Enterprise Group Inc. for $1.95 million late last year. By spring 2009, Casey Trees plans to have a 3-story, 10,000 square addition in place that will accommodate a staff that they intend to nearly double over the next decade. SmithGroup - whose motto, coincidentally, is “tree-hugging optional” - is being charged with the redesign and plans to incorporate – no shock here - as many green features as possible into the building. Casey organizers plan on using their new $4 million headquarters to “put down roots” (seriously) in an area notoriously free of green streetscapes and, hopefully, inspire neighbors as Brookland itself undergoes significant redevelopment of its’ own.

Casey Trees is currently operating out of temporary headquarters on 11^th Street, NW. Their planting program just received a major donation from American Express that will go toward 30 planting projects from November to May 2009. Public proposals for projects funded by the recently acquired cash are due by November 30 – just short of spring planting.

Washington DC real estate and retail news

Donatelli Downsizes Petworth Metro Building

Developers Willco Residential and Donatelli Development are moving forward with their initiative to revitalize a stretch of Georgia Avenue marred by vacant lots and blighted businesses. Billing itself as “the first luxury, boutique residential property in the Columbia Heights/Petworth neighborhood,” the project located at 3801 Georgia Avenue NW will - according to a BID issued by Donatelli on September 22 - feature 12 rental units of 1 or 2-bedroom, 850 square foot apartments. Additionally, the concepts on hand call for the construction of a “sit-down” restaurant and 5,000 square feet of retail space. This announcement marks a change to the initial plans that projected 49 residential units and space for only 1 to 2 retail outlets. Now that the scale of the building has been pared down, the developer is posting no requirements for affordable housing and, as such, “will offer luxury urban living at lower price points than larger competing luxury properties.” Accordingly, they expect a successful leasing effort and a low vacancy rate from the get-go.Christopher Donatelli, President of Donatelli Development spoke to the reasoning behind the loss of the residential space. “Anytime you have an empty lot like that you can come in with a quality development is a good thing,” he said. “We’re going to get some retail in there…Trying to get a good development there at the Metro seems to make a lot of sense.” The new building is directly across the street from Donatelli’s 161-unit Park Place development above the Georgia Avenue/Petworth Metro - due for completion this winter - and is being designed by architects Eric Colbert & Associates (see DC Mud's previous coverage of Park Place). The project is expected to go to ground in May 2009.

Washington DC commercial real estate news