Air Rights Center Gets an Addition

The Bethesda block known as the Air Rights Center, currently featuring a 12-story office building and the 14-story, 216-room Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, is set to become a bit denser, as another 9-story office building will soon replace the smallest building on the southeast corner of the site. Chevy Chase residents adjacent to downtown Bethesda voiced concerns over the scale of the proposed office buildings upon its initial unveiling to the community. Begrudgingly resigned to the fact that the Purple Line train will soon be roaring through their backyards, residents seemingly decided to take their frustrations out on Donohoe. In the wake of the public pressure, developers compromised, using several setbacks to lower the residential-abutting facade to the recommended 60 feet and concentrate the height towards the center of the block, reaching 97 feet at its tallest point. Rewarding the flexibility of developers and their design partner BBG-BBGM, the Montgomery County Planning Board granted the approval to the applicant's proposal.

Fronting 7300 Pearl Street, the facade seems like a simplistic amalgamation of glass, concrete, and right angles, but a side-view from Montgomery Avenue offers a more textured and interesting vantage. Developers appeased the neighboring community not only with design successions, but will also redevelop a northern portion of Elm Street Park, just south of the development across the Capitol Crescent Trail. While their generosity may be genuine, it's not exactly altruistic, a twenty percent public space requirement is demanded by the Montgomery County development approval process. But all that green wasn't quite enough, as developers will put more on the roofs of the building in their efforts to earn LEED Silver Certification (also a MoCo prerequisite).

The cost to reconstruct the proposed portion of the park totals roughly $1 million. The project's landscape architect Parker Rodriquez has already offered designs for the park, while Donohoe will pony up $550,000-$600,000 for the actual improvements, including infrastructure, paving, lighting, fencing, landscape planting, signs, etc. The Chevy Chase Parks Department must approve a final design for the park, and finance the remaining balance. The Montgomery County Planning Board stipulated that no building use or occupancy permits will be issued until the park improvements are completed. Developers believe their compliance with the required park improvements could happen as early as 2012, with the office building delivery following shortly after.

Bethesda, MD Real Estate Development News

Stonebridge to Start Phase 2 in NoMa

Real estate developer StonebridgeCarras and financier Walton Street Capital are betting on NoMa again, announcing they will start the next speculative phase of Constitution Square in May. Stonebridge is just now completing Two Constitution Square, which it also built without a tenant, a bet that paid off big when it sold the property in May for $305m to Northwestern Mutual, and now Sarah Krouse reports in the Washington Business Journal that the Bethesda-based developer will attempt an encore with another speculative phase. Principal Doug Firstenberg tells DCMud that next May his company will break ground simultaneously on a 200-unit apartment building and 345,000 s.f. of office space and, rounding out a good week, that Harris Teeter will open at Constitution Square on December 8th and that Equinox founder and chef Todd Grey will now open a sit down restaurant in the newly completed phase 1.

Firstenberg, who pre-leased 100% of Phase 1 to GSA and DOJ before trading the building, said Phase 2 will be "targeted to go after some of these large GSA bids that are out there." Stonebridge will again use SK&I Architects to design the residential space and HOK Architecture for the commercial portion. The residences are expected to be available by late 2012, the office space should be ready for the first tenants in early 2013. The third and final phase of the 7-acre site, still in conception, will add 470,000 s.f of office space.

Firstenberg says the restaurant, to open in March along with the hotel, will be "NoMa's first upscale, sit down restaurant," good news for residents at the Flats 130 where 60 of 440 units have leased since its opening October 1st, and where significant retail leases have already been signed. Stonebridge is expected to flip the office building once lease-up is complete. "We're not long term owners in the project" said Firstenberg.

Washington DC real estate development news

New Marriott Almost Ready In Potomac Yards' National Gateway

Developer JBG reports that construction of their Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Potomac Yards is nearing completion and should be ready for an April 2011 opening. Matt Blocher of JBG describes the 300-room hotel, designed by Cooper Carry, as having "the soul of a boutique hotel with the location and amenities suited for business and leisure in and around the nation’s capital."

Situated at 2800 South Potomac Avenue in Arlington, Va, the hotel will offer 17,354 s.f. of flexible event space, including a gigantic ballroom and 13 smaller "break-out" rooms. Banquet and meeting rooms will be outfitted with cutting edge event technology like smartphone applications that enable lighting and audio adjustments, which could become a problem when bored-to-death audience members at the annual pharmaceutical conference learn how to hack into the system and implant inappropriate pictures into the power point presentations. Enhanced networks for cell phone and internet connectivity will allow business conference attendees to efficiently adjust their fantasy football rosters amid stuffy status meetings. It's expected that the hotel and the developing Potomac Yards center will serve as a hub for business travelers; with it's convenient proximity to the offices of PBS, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and IBM, as well as government agencies such as the Pentagon and EPA, and Reagan National Airport, it will surely see an increasing load of visitors upon its official unveiling.

Included on site will be 5,000 s.f. of retail at the corner of 29th and Crystal Ave, a 5,000 s.f. restaurant inside the Renaissance Hotel, and an Illy-branded coffee shop. A below-grade parking garage with 522 spaces will eventually connect the Renaissance Hotel to the separately operated but co-planned and developed 325-room Residence Inn. Both hotels are expected to be the first LEED certified hotels in Arlington County, each with a landscaped green roof and various other sustainable features. The hotel-complex is an important aspect of the expansive 15 acre, 1.5-mile-long development strip being dubbed the "National Gateway at Potomac Yards" which is set to feature 2,848,000 s.f. of office, residential, hotel, and retail space. The project is expected to exceed some $1 billion by the time of completion. "National Gateway" is being developed by the Meridian Group.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Reston Station: Planning for the Last Stop of the New Metro Line

When it comes to development along the new Dulles Corridor Metrorail Silver Line, connecting downtown Washington D.C. to Tysons Corner and Dulles Airport, developers think big. Reston Station, a transit-oriented, mixed-use development soon to be brought into the orbit of Washington DC as the terminus of Phase 1 of the Silver Line, is no exception. Zoned for 1.3 million s.f. of development and incorporating three office buildings, two residences, one hotel, retail space and a 2300-car underground garage, developers expect to break ground on the garage next March and start the residences in late 2012. Davis Construction, now at work on Reston Station's county-sponsored underground garage, intends to complete work by 2013 to sync with the Silver Line's debut.

Comstock Partners, the Reston-based developer behind the vision, is just now beginning to market to prospective office users and hotel operators to fill up the 60,000 s.f. of retail, 650,000 s.f. of office space, and 220-key hotel that have been planned 3/4 of a mile east of Reston town center. Comstock has just begun design process for the 500,000 s.f. of residential space with the search for an architect, but already plan pair of residential buildings, 205 and 140 feet high, with a total 370 units, 19.5% of it designated for workforce housing.

Turning what looks, at least aerially (mislabeled picture above courtesy of MWAA), like a land of parking lots dotted occasionally by office buildings, into a community that is "edgy, contemporary, with easy living and walking to the Metro" as Comstock's Maggie Parker puts it, will require a bold metamorphosis. Anchored by the indispensable Metro station, various groups are working to design a more urban Reston. Reston 2020, a committee of the Reston Citizen's Association, which represents residents of Reston in the Reston Master Plan Review process, has outlined its own optics for the area, A Strawman Proposal for The Wiehle Area Metro Station, that envisions a thriving mixed-use, beyond 9-5, transit-oriented community. The group calls for increased residential uses, pedestrian and bike interconnectivity along the Silver Line corridor, embracing the urban center paradigm and integration of growth along the corridor. According to Penniman, Strawman Proposal author and board member of the Reston Community Center,

"Reston is a wonderful, planned community of urban and village centers, but running in the middle of it is the toll road, which has historically been lined with office buildings. With the arrival of the Metro and three stations running through Reston, there is an opportunity to add some urban flavor that would allow more people to live, work, walk and play...If we can create more pedestrian connections and manage traffic, that should do a lot to energize the corridor and would fit in well with the image of Reston as a community of open spaces and quality architecture."

Not everyone would agree that Reston calls to mind architectural splendor or exudes urbanity, but Comstock hopes their site next to the Metro will afford the opportunity to change that. Comstock plans on entering Reston Station in the running for LEED-ND (LEED for Neighborhood Development) certification, a relatively new category in the LEED rating system, which the US Green Building Council, the Congress for New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council developed collaboratively to certify neighborhoods that are planned according to smart growth principles with attention to urban planning and environmental design characteristics at the community scale.

Debate on the project has focused on traffic mitigation from the beginning. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority began increasing tolls on the Dulles Toll Road last January by 33% to help finance the Silver Line, with further toll increases expected in 2012. With increasing gas prices and suffocating traffic, the commute along the toll road has become less sustainable.

Comstock's Parker says the developer has focused on traffic management from the start, making the most of the pedestrian bridge that will link its project to the Metro station. Planners have designed Reston Station Blvd. as a new cross street, "an east-west spine road parallel to both Sunset Hills Road and the Dulles Toll Road provides a key cornerstone to the ultimate goal of a well-planned grid of streets." "We have proffered to significant traffic modifications to accommodate the suggested increase in traffic with the arrival of Metro. We are also committed to conducting other traffic studies as the development progresses through an aggressive Transportation Demand Management plan designed to reduce automobile trips generated by the office and residential uses" explained Parker.

Ultimately, construction timelines will be determined by economic realities, with even citizens groups acknowledging that "development will not proceed as fast as might have been thought a couple of years ago." With three years to go until the Metro station opens, time will tell what awaits sojourners venturing out to the end of the new metro line.

Reston, Virginia, real estate development news

West End To Get Independent Movie Theater At Former Site Of The Inner Circle

For D.C. film nerds and pseudo-intellectual George Washington University students in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the Washington-based Circle Theater chain was an oasis of obscure, independent, foreign, and cult films and documentaries; and may be so again in just a few months. Built in 1911, the original Circle Theater at 2105 Pennsylvania Avenue stood as the oldest film venue in the District for almost ninety years. To the chagrin of $1 matinee frequenters, it was demolished in the late '80s to make way for a 12-story office complex. Although its various sister-theaters (Circle West End 1-4, later the Inner Circle 1-4, as well as Inner Circle 5-7) held on to life for some years after, they were subsequently bought and sold, each now demolished or out of operation for several years. But luckily for those Washingtonians nostalgic for the art-house film chain, the one remaining venue unscathed by wrecking balls will be resuscitated and reopened this fall. Josh Levin, a New York film producer and distributor has leased the building formerly housing Inner Circle 5-7, and has plans in the works to reopen the venue as the West End Theater.

Circle Theaters first expanded to include the West End property (1101 23rd Street NW) on August 17, 1977. In 1985 the chain amassed another property just a block north at 2301 M Street NW, a three auditorium venue that sat 94, 78, and 55 people. This theater became the Inner Circle 5-7, and later simply the Inner Circle when the Inner Circle 1-4 was torn down to build the Ritz Carlton residences (adjacent to the hotel).


The movie house has not shown a film since 2003, but that will change soon, as the property is set to become the new West End Theater. A few seats will be subtracted from each of the three viewing rooms, in order to make the venue a bit roomier and classier, but of course without losing the intimate feel. The cinematic repertoire will remain much the same, showing "first-run independent films, art house, documentary, and remastered classic films." No significant structural changes are needed as the venue "still has the projector systems, platters, sound systems, screens, seats and concessions line exactly where they were when the theater closed in late 2003, early 2004," according to Levin. Going inside to discover the eerily but cleanly foresaken theater was a bit "like a science fiction film," Levin told the West End Friends, "where the humans have been erased but everything else remains."

While the multiplex is not equipped with a kitchen, Levin plans to serve salads and sandwiches in addition to traditional theater snacks - think Jujyfruits and popcorn. He is also pursuing a full liquor license to serve beer and wine, with the hope of offering cocktails as well. Levin presented his plans to the ANC last week, and an application should go before Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) shortly. There seems to be some apprehension from some members of ANC2A concerning small details of the liquor license, but no serious roadblocks stand in the way of Levin's plans - ABRA is well-known for its strong pro-business tendencies.

Even though major renovation is unnecessary, the interior will be refitted to some extent: the seats will be replaced, as will the drapes, the bathrooms redone, and lighting fixtures updated. "A luxury screening room setting with plush leather seats and real food and drinks," is Levin's aim. On July 21st, Josh confirmed his business intentions via the internet, assuring film geeks on the website Cinema Treasures (dedicated to iconic movie houses) that West End Circle Theater would soon be moved from the "old listings" to the "new listings."

The architect of the original Circle Theatre was A.B. Mallett & Co/Luther Ray. Ray was well known during his time as a designer of restaurants and commercial store fronts, and also did considerable business producing large porcelain enamel signage for local businesses. Pictured right is an old rendering of the design for Hahn Shoes (located at Seventh and K Streets NW) drawn by Luther Ray. Although the Art Deco styling of the Circle Theater was faded and crumbling by the time obscure foreign films like the Italian classic Bicycle Theives or Ladri di Biciclette (1948) made its way onto the reels, the theater remained a film-buff favorite for over two decades. Jim and Ted Pedas took over the cinema in 1957 as local law students and ambitious film-enthusiasts. Their repertory cinema venture was so successful, they not only expanded into a chain operation, but also founded Circle Films, an independent film production company. The brothers along with two other business partners produced many of the Coen brothers early cult favorites, including: Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), and Barton Fink (1991).

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Cohen Proposes Southeast Development

Though much has been made of the development plans in the Southeast ballpark area, another part of Near Southeast is finally getting some attention, not without drama. This week, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) will review the Cohen Companies' plans to permanently close several unimproved streets that fall within the original L'Enfant city and are technically federal property, but that are now effectively segregated from all other life forms by the Southwest Expressway and Anacostia River. The intersection of 14th Street, M Street and Virginia Avenue in SE could get the addition of 815,000 s.f. of hotel, retail, office and commercial space, if the District and the Developer manage to jump some technical hurdles before a June 1, 2010 deadline. A little background: MIF Realty had a 99-year assignment agreement (lease) with the District for the Southwest Gangplank Marina. In June 1999, the Cohen Companies, under the name CASCO Marina LLC, sought to take over the leasehold from MIF, a contract between the two companies required that the lease transfer take place prior to November 22, 1999 or the contract would be automatically terminated. Enter the District. The District's Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) stepped into the lease transfer, requesting several hearings and ultimately ruling that MIF was in default on the property for not having properly addressed damage and disposed of insurance proceeds. RLA would overlook the default in exchange for a re-negotiated lease for the marina upon the transfer to CASCO. The RLA officially handed down this decision on November 22, 1999 at which point MIF contested the default claims and simultaneously allowed the contract between CASCO and MIF to end. CASCO proceeded to sue the District for interference in the transaction and for $25 million in punitive damages. 

 After several suits and appeals, the District and CASCO eventually entered into a settlement agreement. The District will transfer the Southeast property, valued at $8 million, to the developers and ensure District support of the street closings and necessary zoning changes to allow a development with a 6.0 floor to area ratio density. In exchange for the land and support, the Cohen Companies will release its claim to a leasehold to the Gangplank Marina. The whole process has a ticking clock; if the land exchange, zoning and street closure approvals are not finalized by the June 1, 2010 deadline referenced above, then the Cohen Companies can withdraw from the agreement and could once again pursue a lawsuit against the District over the Southwest property and related punitive damages. The District Council in March approved the land transfer and density elements. The bill was then signed by the Mayor in April and will receive Congressional review. According to the NCPC staff report, the agreement should be law by May 27, 2010. NCPC will review the matter Thursday and submit its opinion to the Council for consideration, the Council will vote on the street closures bill this month. The street closures bill would exempt the developers from several requirements, such as paying rent on the closed street and from having to provide affordable housing to offset the increase in commercial space. NCPC's Staff Report finds fault with several elements of the plan, in both the agreement between the District and the developer and with the actual design. NCPC staff notes that the streets in question are part of the original L'Enfant Plan, and therefore owned by the federal government. But NCPC cannot actually administer the necessary bureaucratic smack down to resolve the conflict between District and the feds about the rights to transfer titles. NCPC's Staff Report also notes that the plan for bridges connecting the proposed buildings would block viewsheds (see image at left for the lovely view from the property line). Now, that's a familiar complaint...think streetcars. The staff recommended an approval of the initial design, but suggest the obstructing elements be kindly removed. The NCPC will take up the issue this Thursday. 

  Update: To clarify, the NCPC's stance on the viewsheds and vistas within the L'Enfant plan reflect the opinion of the District's own Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). In January the HPRB recommended that "any encroachment on L'Enfant views and vistas be completely avoided or minimized to the maximum extent feasible." 

Washington, DC real estate development news

Midtown Bethesda North Condos

Midtown Bethesda North , a 20-story building with 250 condos, started real estate sales in the mid $300k's, 2 beds from the low $500k's to $1m, prices that were later lowered. Condos at Midtown occupy the 6th to the 19th floor; the first 5 floors contain the parking garage in an architecturally layered building to distinguish the non-residential component. Two blocks - about a 10-12 minute walk - from the Twinbrook Metro at the corner of Bou and Chapman. Occupancy of the building began in April, 2007. Features include Hansgrohe fixtures, a 24-hour front desk, "concierge" service, gas stoves and on-site hotel suites for visitors. Developed by Kettler, which built a number of similar projects in the DC suburbs (all ironically called Midtown), designed by Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue Architects (DHPY), interior design consulting by WDG Architecture. Bovis Lend Lease was the contractor for 450,000 s.f. project. Midtown Bethesda North is located between Twinbrook and White Flint, surrounded by strip malls and at least some promised development, but for now remains the only high-rise in the immediate area in a sea of surface parking lots just off the Pike; a neighborhood not made to travel by foot but slow to get around by car.

Washington DC metro real estate news

DCMud's 2009 Year in Review

DCMud looks back on 2009 by presenting the real estate year in review. In what might go down as "The year nothing got built," officials and builders at least found time set up the pins for 2010. And while 2009 is a year most real estate professionals would like to pretend never happened, it did.  Here's the best and the worst: 

Howard Theater Plans Approved (Jan 1) - The District approved plans to turn historic but dilapidated Howard Theater into an arts venue. Ellis Development expected work to begin by summer, but financing obstacles have left the building unmolested. 

Hilton Gets OK'd (Jan 2) - Lowe Enterprises received approval by the HPRB to renovate the "Hinkley" Hilton hotel and add a large residential tower on the site of its outdoor pool.  Renovation work got underway in the spring, closing the pool, but the condo tower appears far off. 

Work Begins on East-West Apartment Project (Jan 6) Post Properties began work on their 364 apartments in Hyattsville, MD. 

DC's Southwest Fish Market Loses Shacks (Jan 8) Several fish shacks on the waterfront were ordered razed as part of the plans for PN Hoffman to build its massive mixed-use waterfront community nearby, but the project remains a long way off. 

Ft. Totten Promises Development (Jan 14) Mayor Fenty joined Lowe Enterprises to announce the sale of 9 acres at Ft. Totten that will house nearly 900 new apartments, but work is not anticipated in the near future. 

Eckington Convent Gets Moving (Jan 15) In a literal push for affordable housing, Northstar Development tugged a historic convent to a new site to make way for a large, low-income housing project. Neighbors were less than thrilled about yet more affordable housing in the area. 

Montgomery County Votes to Endorse Purple Line (Jan 21) Amid copious argument, county planners said yes to adding a light rail line to the bike trail, enabling construction of the Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton. 

Developers Propose Razing Meads Row (Jan 21) Owners of historic rowhouses on the 1300 block of H Street proposed knocking down the old beauty queens to replace them with a parking lot. Neighbors did not love the idea.

McMillan Sand Filtration Plans Get First Details (Jan 24) Developers chosen to build the crumbling McMillan site showed the public initial designs and ideas they hope will turn the vacant patch into a thriving town center.

Bethesda Post Office To Turn into Mixed-Use Project (Jan 27) The Post Office at 7001 Arlington Road received approval to turn it into a mixed-use development with 105 residences, thanks to Arlington-based Keating Development and KGD Architects, work has not yet begun. 

Eisenhower Ave Towers Approved (Jan 25) Lane Development's 22-story, 4-building complex on Eisenhower Avenue received initial design approval. The county voted June 13th in favor of the project. Much work remains before towers stand alongside the beltway. 

Alexandria Goes Green (Jan 26) - A working group adopted a LEED-certified plan for all buildings in Alexandria requiring special approval. The recommended standards are not binding. 

Auctioning Babe's (Jan 30) - Having kicked out rent-paying tenant Babe's Billiards, Clemens Construction was unable to get support for its years of effort to build a condo, and having paid $7.4m for the site, the wait couldn't last forever. The property was foreclosed, and Douglas Development added the real estate to its portfolio, intending retail, but the space remains vacant. 

Poplar Point Development Abandoned (Jan 31) - The District government and Clark Realty decided developing the 110-acre parcel of prime waterfront space wasn't such a good idea after all, calling the whole thing off.

Institute of Peace Gets Underway on the Mall (Feb 2) The five-story building, now nearly complete, took the place of a parking lot near the Lincoln Memorial. The building was designed by Moshe Safie and Associates, in the hopes of fostering world peace. Meanwhile, world strife continued. 

Kettler Produces Another Crystal City Project (Feb 3) Kettler began the third phase of its 10-building, 8-phase Metropolitan Park Development with a 411-unit apartment building designed by Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue. 

Fitz Condos in Rockville Auctions Remaining Units (Feb 10) Condo developer Elad ended nearly 5 years of marketing on the Fitz condos and sent the remaining 40 units of the 221-unit building to auction. In October, Elad did the same for the Colonnade, its Gaithersburg condo project. 

Metro station at Potomac Yards (Feb 11) Alexandria formally established a working group to explore the technical and practical viability of a metro station at the Yards, in preparation for further real estate development that does not choke area roads. 

Del Ray Apartments Roll Out (Feb 13) Work began turning vacant storefronts into 141 apartment units in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. 

Mixed-Use in College Park (Feb 24) The Mark Vogel Companies got the go-ahead for the Varsity, a 258-unit mixed-use apartment building in College Park. 

JBG Gets OK for Whitman Walker condos (Feb 25) After getting bashed by grumpy neighbors, the ANC, and HPRB for designs that seemed to please no one, JBG Companies and architect Shalom Baranes tweaked the designs to get the green light to build condos on the site of the Whitman Walker clinic on 14th Street.

JBG Plans 4-Star Hotel for U Street (March 2) JBG began plans to build a 250-bed luxury hotel in place of the Rite Aid, on a strip once known for its destruction in the '68 riots. 

Riverfront's Canal Park Steps Forward (March 25) Canal Park, a 3-block park through southeast's Capitol Riverfront, moved closer to reality when OLIN was named as the landscape architect for the project.

DCMud Chosen as Best Real Estate Blog (March 26) CityPaper selects this real estate journal in its annual "Best of DC."  Thank you, and thank you to our readers for all your feedback. 

Smithsonian Designs New Museum (March 30) The Smithsonian unveiled designs for its museum of African American History at 15th and Constitution on the National Mall. The Institute also said its costs had nearly doubled, to $500m. The following month, the Smithsonian announced that the Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond in association with SmithGroup were chosen to carry out the design. 

Frank Ghery Selected to Design Eisenhower Memorial (April 3) The memorial to the General and President will be built on Independence Avenue, between 4th and 5th Streets. 

District Selects Team to Redevelop SW Site (April 6) DC Selects Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners and Adams Investment Group to build half a million square feet of office and retail, and replace the fire station. 

Towers on the Way for New York Avenue (April 7) Bozzuto said it would soon begin building a 13-story residential building at 460 New York Avenue, and possibly makeover the abandoned warehouse too.

Donohoe Unveils Big Plans for Bethesda (April 16) The developer will build 81,000 s.f. of office, 457 residential units, and retail, on two sites in the Woodmont Triangle of Bethesda. 

Social Safeway Says Goodbye (April 20) The preeminent Georgetown grocer announced it would shut its doors and rebuild from ground up, but will it still be "social"? 

JPI unveils southeast DC apartments (April 22) JPI completed the 421-unit 909 at Capitol Yards, as well as the Axiom and Jefferson, a threesome of large apartment buildings near the new ballpark, bringing life to the "Capitol Riverfront" neighborhood. 

Arlington's First Platinum Residences (April 28) Erkiletion Development won approval from Arlington for a LEED Gold, 16-story apartment building in Courthouse, a 254-unit apartment designed by the Lessard Group. (see picture at right)

JBG wins approval for Bethesda Row centerpiece (May 5) The Planning Board said yes to Woodmont East, a 250-unit residence and separate office building built around the bike trail. 

High-rise Planned for Downtown Bethesda (May 23) The Clarrett Group announced plans to build an office building on the site of the McDonalds and its parking lot. 

Noma Gets its First Hotel (June 3) The Finvarb Companies and Marriott joined for a new hotel, one of many new Marriotts in the DC area, but the first place to sleep in Noma. 

Floridian Goes South (June 9) Sales at Kady Development's condo project, a bit of South Beach on Florida Ave., were stopped by the bank. 

Room and Board Picks 14th St. for DC (June 10) The retailer added to the growing 14th Street retail corridor. The store should open in the 2nd half of 2010. 

Founders Square Begins Demolition Work in Ballston (June 17) Work begins on the WMATA site that Shooshan will turn into two office towers and a sizable residential building. 

W Comes to DC (June 24) After a few changes in ownership, the Starwood Capital Group purchased the fading Hotel Washington, making it hip once again. 

Eastern Market Reopens (June 25) After a fire gutted the beloved market, the city had a new one built, with improvements to boot. 

JBG Gets Approval for Massive Twinbrook Project (June 29) The developer plans for Twinbrook Station, a 2.2 million square foot complex at the Twinbrook Metro. 

Florida Avenue Gets Jazzed (July 7) Banneker Ventures promised it was partnering with Bank of America to get going on the Florida Avenue project it won from WMATA more than a year ago, but which had not gotten underway; work has not yet begun. 

DC Passes Bill for Convention Center Hotel (July 14) Quadrangle Development is to build the 1100 room Marriott, but JBG protests the selection process, and the site remains a parking lot. 

DC Seeks to Finish Off West End (July 15) The District sought a developer for 3 low-density parcels, anomalies in the now-dense neighborhood. 

Curtain Call for Takoma Theater (Aug 1) Owners of the Takoma Theater promised to bring down the house, literally, to make way for an office building, then a theater, but the community is calling for an encore. 

Penn Quarter Gets Luxury Apartment Building (Aug 4) Hanover Co. opened its first DC-area project at Judiciary Square (see picture at right), while building another in Falls Church. 

District Cancels Lincoln Theater Development (Aug 6) Quietly, the District government withdrew its plans to redevelop the back lot, a scheme that would have helped fund the struggling theater.

Arbor Place Returns (Aug 7) Scrapping plans to build as many as 3500 market-rate residential units on outer New York Avenue, Abdo shifts in favor of less than half as many subsidized homes. 

DC Mandates Subsidized Housing (Aug 11) After the Executive Branch slowed the process, the Council finally got its way and forced builders to provide the city with cheap housing for the poor. 

Columbia Pike Lurches Ahead (Aug 20) After seceding from Virginia (bureaucratically), the Pike gets 325 new residences underway at Penrose Square. 

Southwest Towers Foreclosed (Aug 21) Fairfield Residential loses its grasp on The View, a refurbished apartment building in southwest DC, in another foreclosure statistic for the real estate market. 

Montgomery County Gets Taller (Aug 21) JBG caps its 24-story residential tower on Rockville Pike, making it the new tallest residence in Montgomery County. 

St. Elizabeths Team Chosen (Aug 28) The GSA selected Clark, WDG, and HOK to build out the new landlocked Coast Guard Headquarters, in what will be one of the largest construction sites in the District of Columbia. Less than a month later, the Feds broke ground on the site.

NoMa Caps Largest Mixed-Use Building (Sept 1) Soon residents will outnumber construction workers in Noma, as StonebridgeCarras and SK&I Architects finish 440 apartments and a hotel, possibly in early 2010. (see picture at left)

A Giant Delay (Oct 1) Street-Works vision for a large mixed-use replacement for the forlorn low-rise Giant on Wisconsin seemed to please no one, but developer Bozzuto plows ahead and discussions move forward. 

Park Morton Team Moves Forward? (Oct 7) Washington DC officials picked the team to build the capacious Georgia Avenue project - now with the Central Union Mission site included. Probably. Someday.

Clarendon's Affordable Housing Breaks Ground (Oct 15) The Views at Clarendon starts work on 116 mixed-income units after a long zoning dispute, going up to the Supreme Court, gets resolved. 

Northwest One Team Selected (Oct 27) The massive project that could transform the area close to the Capitol Building is set in motion, but the Mayor's choice of real estate developer raises eyebrows on the Council. 

Silver Spring Designs Downtown Library (Oct 29) The county releases its plans for the urban repository; the new building will straddle the new Purple Line, someday, when further details are worked out. 

Capitol Hill's Big Dig (Nov 15) CSX says it needs to tear up Virginia Avenue to rebuild the train tracks, just when residents of southeast DC thought construction in the neighborhood was nearly complete.

Bethesda's Parking Quagmire (Dec 2) Montgomery County wants PN Hoffman and Stonebridge to build 1100 parking spaces below Bethesda Row, but the $80,000-per-space sticker gives some locals road rage. (rendering at right)

Street Cars are Here (Dec 16) At long last, H Street's public transport arrives from Europe, but DC officials say that getting them running in Northeast is another matter.

The Dirt on... Capitol Hill (East)

Neighborhood Vibe:

I live in a 1-bedroom condo with my husband. Let's call it cozy. Our condo building is home to law students, Hill staffers and long-time residents. My downstairs neighbor is a retired woman who has lived at our intersection for so long, she remembers when the new condo around the corner was a crack house (no joke). My condo could be a microcosm for the area: an odd mix of young professionals, young families, long-time residents, and active older people.

There are slight tensions in the neighborhood as Hill East continues to grow and change. When I was writing freelance from home I used to joke that as the underemployed political wonk next door, I was personally killing the street cred of the kids around the corner. Joking aside, my husband and I have had a couple unfortunate incidents with people in the neighborhood: first, he was mugged last September, then he and a friend were both shot with a pellet gun one night, and recently we had fruit catapulted at us as we walked home. The upside is that the police are incredibly responsive and very good about following up on reported incidents. (Both the mugger and the shooter were later caught, we decided not to report the fruit pummeling.) And since the perpetrators are at least creative; their entrepreneurial spirit gives us great stories for cocktail parties.

Retail and Restaurants
The occasional un-neighborly conduct does not overshadow the positive parts of living in Hill East. I love living in a neighborhood within a large city and having almost anything I want within walking distance. I have a new grocery store with the Jenkins Row Harris Teeter. I can walk to Eastern Market for not only fresh local produce, meats and fantastic cheeses but how convenient is it to be able to buy handmade jewelry, Indian pottery and a gently used couch all within 20 feet of each other? I even bought my "room-defining" painting from an artist at the Market.

The area is home to tons of thriving small businesses. Hills Kitchen is among my favorite shops in DC, not just my neighborhood. The independent gourmet kitchenware store is a great place for unique gifts or for an aspiring chef to stock up on the newest Staub dutch oven - and, they even offer cooking lessons. Owner Leah Daniels cares about her neighborhood and clearly loves her job; she spent several hours (after the shop had closed) working on my wedding registry and walking through the store, debating the pros and cons of various items. Who does that anymore? Nearby, Remix is one of the best vintage clothing shops around - with new items coming in all the time and reasonable prices, I love to stop in to browse, and rarely leave empty-handed. On the more practical side of retail is Frager’s Hardware. No matter what you need for home repair, Fragers will have it - along with other surprises like camping gear, bocce balls and bubble machine rentals. They also have a great garden section, where I have bought my Festivus (for the rest of us) Fern the past several years.

Hill East proper doesn't really offer much in the way of restaurants or bars. There are a few, such as Trusty's and Wisdom, but for the most part I need to go elsewhere for dinner or drinks. Luckily I don’t have to go too far. Barracks row/8th street is becoming a thriving restaurant and bar corridor. One of my favorite locations is Belga Cafe for their amazing Belgian beer list. A more recent arrival and family-friendly food establishment is Matchbox. Down the street two new bars, Molly Malone’s and Lola’s, offer comfortable locations to hang out, watch the game and get late night bar food (Lola’s serves food until 1 AM on the weekend). If I am looking for a more intimate and upscale setting, Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar has a fantastic wine list as well as good food, cheeses and charcuterie (though you might want save this for special occasions and pass on the $16 cheeseburger).

One exception to the walking distance rule is the National's Stadium, but no fear! The Circulator bus picks up on 8th street and takes me right to the Navy Yard Station--the bus is probably one of my favorite parts of going to the Nat's games.

Coming Soon
There are also some new additions planned for Pennsylvania Ave near Potomac Ave metro. Annie and Teddy's Po Boys, a New Orleans style cafe with inside and outside seating, is Joe Englert's newest project; Englert is the man behind DC9, The Big Hunt, The Pug, Rock and Roll Hotel, etc. The new cafe would feature live jazz music 4 days a week (Thurs-Sat night and Sat-Sun brunch). I wouldn't quite call Hill East "on the verge," but I would definitely say it's getting there.

TransportationThe closest metro stations to Hill East are Potomac Avenue and Stadium Armory and Eastern Market. The 34 and 36 buses, which can take you to downtown, Georgetown and all the way to Friendship heights, stop at the Potomac Avenue Metro station, as does the B2 bus, which is your round trip ticket to H St. NE. There are lots of other buses, but honestly, I don't take them that much. There are also tons of ZipCars nearby several right across from the metro and lots stashed in residential areas.

Is it for you?
For some people my age (20-something), the Hill doesn't offer enough of the urban bustle they want. No, it doesn't have the edginess of U Street (we've got the crime, just not the trendy bars) or the nightlife of Dupont or Adams Morgan (we have a jumbo slice, but it's never crowded). Most lights are out by 10 PM - both bars and houses. And the tree-lined streets of Eastern Market are frequented by families with strollers. Call me old beyond my years, but I'd rather have to cab, bus or metro somewhere to go out for a rowdy evening, than have that kind of noise and crowd near my home. So I'll continue to love the bar crawl scene on H Street with a cab ride back to my generally quiet neighborhood (barring any fruit attacks).

I moved to Washington for a school, for a job, and for a lifestyle no other city can provide. I choose to call Hill East home because when I walk to the metro, crossing Pennsylvania Avenue, the Capitol Dome view gets me every time. Washington is my city and Hill East is my neighborhood.

Washington DC real estate news

Shaw Main Streets Development Woes

At the annual Shaw Main Streets (SMS) Development Forum Wednesday night, representatives from developers were invited to present the current status of their plans for major renovation and new construction in the area. The status, unsurprisingly, was "more of the same," leaving community members to resign themselves to continued hopeful waiting. SMS Executive Director, Alexander M. Padro, made excuses for several invited developers who were unable to attend. Quadrangle Development was a no-show because of the recently publicized litigation over their Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel deal, though Padro said Quadrangle indicated that financing is now secured. Banneker Ventures, slated to build The Jazz on Florida Avenue, declined to attend as their Land Disposition Agreement with WMATA has not been finalized. And Hines-Archstone, developers of the planned City Center cited scheduling issues. 1. Paul Millstein of Douglas Development, certainly does not sugarcoat anything. About the Wonder Bread Factory development Millstein said it was a "victim of the times...stuck in a trench" and "could be stuck for a while." As for Squares 450 and 451 on the 1100 block of 7th St, Millstein announced that though the original plan was to redevelop the site, the group will now remove window boards, put some lipstick on them, and lease them out for the time being. On the positive side, Douglas secured a NY-based restaurant, Carmine's, to fill the 18,000 square feet of their Penn Quarter property near the Clara Barton Condos and Wooly Mammoth Theater. As for their 7th and Florida Ave. project, Douglas is seeking tenants, but according to Millstein the group is being picky, refusing to go the "fast and ugly" way of cell phone stores or fast food. Neighbors gave a round of applause for that one. 2. Next came 1501 9th ST NW a smaller development by a small business, Inle Development. According to the property owner/developer, the space will be leased to a single tenant, Mandalay Restaurant and Cafe, a Burmese restaurant currently based in Silver Spring. Mandalay will have a ground floor restaurant with outdoor seating, a second floor bar and the remainder will be residential space for the restaurant owner and family members. The developer cited a few financing "hiccups" but estimated the project should break ground in three to four months, delivering late 2010. The project takes up a single lot and will likely be 50 ft in height. 3. On their Addison Square project Metropolitan Development had hoped to be into the ground by now, but it's looking more like summer 2010, at which point the 4-5 weeks of demolition will commence, followed directly by construction. The group received their final PUD two weeks ago, and a few changes mean the 54 units of affordable housing will be distributed among the 224 market-rate units, for a total of 278 rental units in the main building. The ground floor retail plans are largely unchanged with the group looking to have both a white table cloth restaurant as well as a faster, less formal restaurant. 4. Ellis Development Group and Four Points, erstwhile developers of Howard Theatre and Media Center One, formerly Broadcast Center One, said the financing for the projects, which have been repeatedly punted down the road, hit a "road bump," but the group expects the project to move forward, breaking ground on Media Center's 300,000 s. f. mixed-use development on 7th and S Streets NW before the new year. Construction will take approximately 24 months for Media Center to finish and, as the developer noted, they are one of the few lucky projects to actually have a tenant secured. Over at the Howard Theatre, demolition of the 1940s facade has already begun, ground breaking may still happen this year, and the developers are, of course, talking with prospective tenants. 5. Roadside Development's City Market at O finally has some legs and a timeline. In an agreement with several DC Council members, Roadside received a $2.5 million grant, enabling them to "put the architects back to work." The big day will be September 3, 2010, when the group starts work on stabilization of the historic market. The next big date is January 15, 2011, when the current Giant will close its doors and from which date Roadside will have 24 months to finish construction of the new Giant location. The takeaway from the evening, with projects stuck in trenches, hitting road bumps or just plain falling victim to the economic climate, was that Shaw developers seem to be in a regular war zone these days. With so many groups blaming the current "financial situation" for development and construction delays, we are beginning to wonder what they'll blame whenever the financial situation improves...

Washington DC commercial real estate

Pentagon City Project Gets Restacked

Pentagon City's mega mixed-use project will get a mix-up to help it move forward. The Arlington County Board has approved a reallocation of density between two parcels in Pentagon City for stages 4-8 of the 8-phase Metropolitan Park. Originally slotted for 300 hotel units and 930 residential units (for Parcels 3 and 1D, respectively), the Board reallocation means the developers will have flexibility in determining where to build the 930 residential units and 300 hotel rooms. VNO Pentagon Plaza LLC previously received approval from the Arlington County Planning Commission in June. After the Board's July 11th approval, the process of drafting a site plan begins.

The two parcels in question are held by Vornado, which would sell the remaining portion of Parcel 3 to Kettler for the realization of Metropolitan Park's next stages. Vornado previously sold the part of Parcel 3, where phases 1-3, stand to Kettler. When Metropolitan Park's design guidelines were set in 2004, it called for 3,212 residential units on Parcel 3. The Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan shortchanged Kettler, allotting 2,282 residential units and 300 hotel units. Through a little bit of density reallocation magic, Kettler can now have it's 3,212 residential units (2,282 + 930 = 3,212). That leaves Vornado with 300 hotel rooms to use, or not, on Parcel 1D, assuming the Metropolitan uses all 930 allocated residential units remaining.

The first stage of the massive development is bounded by 12th, 15th, Eads, and South Fern Streets. The Gramercy, pictured above, is a luxury rental high-rise building from Phase 1.