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

Eastbanc to Turn Georgetown School into Condos

Recently, the Corcoran College of Art and Design announced that Eastbanc was the winning bidder on the old Fillmore School building on 1801 35th Street, NW, at Georgetown / Burleith border. Corcoran purchased the property in 1997, but expansions and growth of the student body has the school seeking more space elsewhere in the city. The announcement in April was for a purchase and sales agreement; the sale has yet to be finalized and the purchase price has not been released. DCMud has confirmed rumors of a condo and residential project for the future of the site, though details are not yet determined. According to Joe Sternlieb, VP at Eastbanc, the site was one he and his firm "had long had our eyes on." Eastbanc, which has worked on 60 or 70 buildings in the Georgetown area over the past 20 years, won the bid for the site over as many as eight other firms, according to Sternlieb. Eastbanc was recently awarded an RFP to develop in the West End into a mixed-use project and new library and fire station. The developers plan to convert the existing school building into condominiums and build new townhouses along 34th Street on the site of the 100-car parking lot. Sternlieb said the team is working with undisclosed architects on drawing several potential development plans that the team will share with the community, including the ANC and the Old Georgetown Board, "in the next few weeks." From there the team will likely go to the Board of Zoning Adjustment to amend the allowed use for the lot, though the project will reportedly not require a PUD zoning amendment as contemplated. Sternlieb said Eastbanc is "probably looking at starting something in the summer of 2011." Eastbanc must have pondered the fate of the Wormley School more than momentarily. The former Georgetown school was converted into condos and began sales in 2007, with developer Encore intending to turn the building into 7 condos and add 6 townhouses, but sales languished, with some units still unsold, and the townhouses remain just a vision. The Corcoran purchased the Fillmore from the District government in 1997 for $1.5m. The Fillmore was built in 1892 and remains one of the few tributes to the all-but-forgotten former President Millard S. 

Washington DC commercial property news

The Streetcars are Coming - in Prototype

For all you Paul Revere-types out there harboring fears that the arrival of the streetcars spells doom, with cumbersome, monument-obstructing wires and disaster for DC as-we-know-it, tomorrow's Streetcar Showcase is for you.

Despite a minor setback of DDOT failing to make it to last night's Georgetown ANC meeting to present their plans, streetcar service may eventually cover 37 miles of the District, but will begin with limited service in Anacostia and at H Street-Benning Road by 2012. But on Wednesday, May 5th through Saturday, May 8th on Lot B of CenterCityDC (a.k.a. the still undeveloped old convention center site at 9th and H Streets, NW), The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is giving District residents, workers, and those rare tourists interested in DC transportation matters, a chance to ogle and board the District's latest transportation innovation.

Admittance to the 10:30 AM showcase is free. And if you still haven't gotten your fill of streetcars, you can stop by the free streetcar propulsion technology seminar at the Renaissance Hotel at 999 9th Street, NW on Thursday, May 6th to listen to the top minds in transportation technology and planning discuss ideas for how the streetcars can be integrated into our transportation mindset.

Ellen Jones, Executive Director of DC Surface Transit Inc. - a veritable posse of entities and BIDs including the Downtown, Golden Triangle, and Georgetown Business Improvement Districts, as well as the Washington Convention Center Authority (WCCA), the Washington Convention and Tourism Corporation (WCTC), and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) - explains that the seminar will cover all aspects of "the adaptability of the three cars that we've [the District] purchased and what can be done with them."

Thursday's panel of experts will include everyone from Downtown BID's Executive Director, Richard Bradley, to what Jones affectionately calls "five ubergeeks with over 200 years of propulsion system experience between them" from the American Public Transportation Association, to urban design guru Greg Baldwin. Stop by and get answers to any question you've ever pondered about the green-ness of the project, how DDOT intends to get around that pesky 19th century Federal statute prohibiting overhead wires in the District, and ideas for how Prius-style battery technology can safeguard our views from wires for many miles of the tracks.

Washington DC Real Estate and Development News

Social Safeway Opens Thursday

A little more than a year after the Safeway at 1855 Wisconsin Ave, NW, closed, Georgetown residents can welcome back an old friend this week, though they might not recognize the store after its reconstructive surgery. Following an invitation-only gala tomorrow evening, the new "Social" Safeway will open its doors on May 6th to the DC community with a ceremony beginning at 8 AM, joined by the likes of Mayor Adrian Fenty and Councilmember Evans. 

 The Georgetown store will operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and will be the first Safeway store to offer catering services in its geographic division, which stretches north to Pennsylvania. Unlike the former store, which sat at the rear of a surface parking lot, the new store fronts the street and sits on top of sheltered parking at grade with an additional parking deck in the rear. Acqua nail salon, a wireless phone store and a "high-end" pet store fill the three retail bays, according to Safeway spokesperson, Craig Muckle. Though much of the fare will be the same, there are a few additions that help the store meet the expectations of its customers, including a "wine cellar." Not just a wine area, but a separate chilled wine cellar that will be run by Georgetown native, Michael Quinn, and offer upwards of 2,500 bottles. The store will also offer a sushi bar and a Starbucks that open from 5 AM until midnight, longer than any other Starbucks nearby. Additional features include an indoor/outdoor terrace and a lounge with a fireplace and flat screen TVs. This is sounding more like a college campus than a grocery store. Once the store opens, Safeway will submit their Torti Gallas-designed building for review by the U.S. Green Building Council, expecting LEED certification for the final product. According to Muckle, the team "believes" that it will achieve LEED Silver certification, but there is a chance that the project could reach Gold. 

Washington, DC real estate development news

MBT Bike Trail Opens New Section in Northeast

District of Columbia officials opened the newest section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) today, a 1.5 mile stretch of pavement that connects Brookland (Franklin Street) to NoMa (New York Avenue).

In all, the MBT will run the 8 miles between Union Station and Silver Spring, largely on dedicated bike trails, complimented by murals, solar lighting, new parks, and connecting the National Mall with 7 Metro stations.

"We plan to continue to build trails until we have a complete, interconnected system in the District," said DDOT Director Gabe Klein in a prepared statement. In fact, planners of the trail hold out hope that the trail will be entirely off-street, though current plans still contemplate significant portions of street lanes at several points on the trail. In another step forward, the District has received an easement from WMATA to connect the trail to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station.

The District broke ground on this section of the trail in May of 2008, after PEPCO donated property along the CSX railroad lines to form the trail. Several portions of the trail have already been completed. In time the trail will connect to the Capital Crescent Trail at Silver Spring; the CCT now ends just east of Rock Creek Park. The MBT will also later add a spur from the Ft. Totten Metro to West Hyattsville.

Still to be resolved are land acquisitions at Ft. Totten Metro and several pedestrian-bike bridges, which those knowledgeable of the trail expect within the next two to three years.

Washington DC transportation news

It Takes the District to Build a Garden

Though community gardens often emerge through an organic (ahem) process, at least one garden with get its start through the District government. Construction will begin in June and last through the summer transforming a paved lot at 13th and C Streets, SE in Capitol Hill into the 13th Street Community Park and Garden. Unlike many community gardens in the surrounding neighborhood, this project is not part of the Capitol Hill Community Garden Land Trust, but rather funded through a federal grant and financing from the District Housing Authority (DCHA).

Almost two years ago the DCHA applied for a grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build the new garden at the Kentucky Court Apartments, a senior and disabled resident community. The ensuing $650,000 HUD award is being partnered with $250,000 from DCHA to finance the construction of a new bright spot for the neighborhood. The HUD grants went to seven projects throughout the District, but 13th Street was the only community garden in the District to receive funding.

The lot totals 6,000 s.f., which will be divided among various uses, including a gardening area with raised beds to make them accessible to Kentucky Court's residents, a gazebo with space for gardening lessons, a small fountain, benches and an exercise area. The more than $900,000 in financing will also cover the plumbing that has to be installed to drain the area appropriately, to improve the surrounding sidewalk and to install better lighting. In April, contractors took a soil sample so neighbors know what their rutabagas are growing in. DCHA currently has out an RFP for general contractors for the bulk of construction; responses are due today.

Dena Michaelson, spokesperson for DCHA, said the garden is an "extension of the all the work" the agency has already put into the Kentucky Courts Apartment. Over the past four years, added Michaelson, DCHA has invested over $4 million on the Apartments, greening the building with energy efficient windows and appliances and new roofs. District-wide, said Michaelson, such efforts have yielded over $1 million in savings on utilities.

Washington DC real estate development news

DC's Newest Office Building: Uniting NoMa?

Another NoMa project has now delivered, this time at the corner of K and 1st Streets, NE. 90K, Trammell Crow Company's new office building, is the first of the (eventual) four-stage Sentinel Square development, which will take up several lots along L, First and K Streets, NW in NoMa. 90K offers 400,000 s.f. of green office space for the taking. To date, no announcements have been made about tenants, potential or otherwise, though the developers indicate "strong interest" from government agencies. Developers say the timeline for the next three stages is dependent on the market and financing.

Clark Construction Group began building in June 2008, which is noteworthy according Tom Finan, Managing Director at Trammell Crow, because the development was able to secure construction financing that June "while the rest of the world tumbled around us." Finan said the building was designed by architects SmithGroup to appeal to both public and private sector tenants, though the 12-story Class A office building includes ISC Level IV security features - 30 foot set-backs on all sides, blast-resistant window glazing and separate shuttle elevators from the parking garage to the security check point - not exactly necessary for your average law firm. Building design even assures progressive collapse avoidance, preventing the sudden loss of any column or beam from causing collapse for sufficient time to evacuate.


90K was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, with aspirations for Gold; Finan indicated that the announcement on LEED is expected this summer. Three levels of below-grade parking provide 317 parking spaces, though the building is just a few blocks from Union Station. And since looks matter, 90K is surfaced with stainless steel and glass, with a skirt of black granite at street level and Jerusalem Gold marble from Israel.

Asked about the impact of a new building without secured tenants on occupancy rates in the NoMa neighborhood, Liz Price, President of the NoMa BID, said the project does not make a big impact considering the area is set to have 14-15 million s.f. of new or converted office space when and if all proposed projects come to fruition. But the Trammell Crow project is probably "one of the only spaces currently or near-term available for a large HQ," added Price. NoMa's remaining office space can only be leased piecemeal thanks to other large leases.

On the leasing front, Finan said his company has "chased a number of bigger government deals and some of the medium sized agencies," but nothing firm. Finan is hopeful that a deal could be "only months away" on leases that would take upward of one-third of the building. Though designs could permit ground floor retail, Finan said his company secures office tenants first and then determines whether or not there should be retail in the mix.

What does 90K, Sentinel Square's first phase, do for NoMa? Finan sees the project as an anchor that connects the "preexisting" NoMa up and down First Street near Union Station with the newer, "more pioneering elements" closer to New York Avenue. The project, which replaced a surface parking lot, serves to "unite" the area between metros into a clear NoMa market, added Finan.

Washington, DC real estate development news

Anacostia's First Green Condos

A ribbon cutting today in Anacostia marked the opening of Ward 8's first "green" condos in what was once an abandoned eyesore in the community. The new Fendall Heights condos, at the corner of Fendall and V Streets, SE, adds 29 newly renovated units just blocks from the also newly renovated Frederick Douglas House. The affordable housing project, restricted to first time home buyers, was developed through a joint venture with ARCH Development, a non-profit community development organization, Fendall Partners, and $170,000 in pre-development support from the District Department of Housing and Community Development.

Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the development team funded the installation of a living green roof to control surface run-off and reduce heat absorption for structure. Other green features include energy saving double-pane windows, pipes made of recycled plastic instead of copper and 100% energy efficient furnaces. Inscapestudio designed the reconfiguration of the building and the green elements.

The gutting and interior renovation began just about two years ago and the units should be complete by the end of June, according to Anthony R. Bolling, a spokesman for the developer. In addition to the 22 2-bedroom units an 9 1-bedroom units, Fendall Heights provides 3,000 s.f. of community space for artists studios. Condos will start at $125,000. When originally envisioned, some of the condos were intended to be reserved for artists, though none have been set aside. Bolling is confident that the units will nonetheless appeal to artists, not to mention a welcome relief for neighbors who have watched the building "sitting vacant and deteriorating for decades."

ARCH, as a non-profit developer, supported the community and the project through its Training Center. District residents, as part of ARCH's Training program, were trained in construction techniques and gained on-site experience throughout the conversion of Fendall Heights.

Washington, DC real estate development news

ArtSpace: Lofty Ambitions in Brookland

Today, Dance Place and Artspace will break ground at noon on a new $13 million, government-sponsored arts campus, Brookland Artspace Lofts, at 3225 8th Street, NE. The site, three blocks from the Brookland Metro, is currently occupied by the Brookland Studios and existing Dance Place. The project will bring new affordable artist housing and performance space to the northeast community and mark the "beginning of a new era in urban development," according to a press release. Lofty ambitions.

Artspace's affordable live/work units will house struggling artists and their families, providing them with gallery and studio space. Thirty-nine of the units will be available to households earning less than 60 percent of the area median income; two units are set aside for Dance Place.

The four-story building will top out at 48 feet so as not to stand out in the low-density neighborhood. Artspace is adding a green roof as part of a community service project and will partner with DC Greenworks for installation. According to Jim Bognet, president and co-founder of general contractor Bognet Construction Associates, “the building will also feature a mosaic tile installation that will be provided by community volunteers." DC-based Hickok Cole Architects designed the building.

Though an initial plan called for an additional building for Dance Place to create a "campus," the team has scaled back their ambitions to an overhaul of the existing dance studio. “Artspace will support Dance Place in its effort to renovate its existing theater space" said Heidi Kurtze, Director of Property Development for Artspace Projects, Inc. in a press release. The two projects will potentially be linked by an outdoor plaza and performance space between them.

The District Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will provide $10.4 million in stimulus funding and $1 million in low-income housing tax credits in recognition of the role of the arts in revitalizing neighborhood.

Washington, DC real estate development news

NCPC To Hold Web Forum on Park Plan

On Thursday at 1pm, DCMud will host a live web dialogue with the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to discuss CapitalSpace, a partnership between the District, National Park Service, and NCPC to improve access to and the quality of DC's many local parks.

After a public comment period, NCPC adopted the CapitalSpace final plan on April 1st, and Commission staff is now working to implement the recommendations. NCPC's web panelist will be Julia Koster, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for NCPC and former development coordinator for the Governor's Office of Smart Growth in Maryland. DC's park system, uniquely challenged by overlapping governing bodies and high tourist traffic, not to mention neglect, now has plans for the first revamp in 40 years spearheaded by NCPC, the planning body for the federal region that oversees development on or near federal land and coordinates the area's capital improvement plan.

CapitalSpace sets out "six big ideas" that, in short, seek to better connect the parks with each other by "weaving a greenway" through the neighborhoods from park to park, improve the parks, and connect the parks with DC's underutilized rivers.

1. Linking the Fort Circle Parks: Creating a walkable green space with historic significance by connecting the series of defensive forts built to encircle DC during the Civil War - a function of the McMillan Commission of 1901 that set out to establish "Fort Drive," a green beltway around downtown DC. Only small sections of the green roadway were ever established.

2. Enhancing Center City Parks: With 30 percent of the city’s future housing growth and 70 percent of job growth likely to occur downtown and along the Anacostia River, downtown parks add vibrancy, but place high demand for active uses.

3. Transforming Small Parks: Of the city's parks, 67% are small - less than one acre. NCPC plans to refurbish small spaces greater recreation and for "cultural and historic commemoration."

4. Enhancing Urban Natural Area: On top of providing recreational areas, the parks serve an ecological function as well - providing "pathways for wildlife" to move around the city.

5. Improving Playfields: DC's various athletic fields, of which there are more than 1,000 throughout DC, will be accorded "the highest level of planning and upkeep." Designs include better lighting, synthetic turf, and an online system of registering and reserving fields.

6. Improving Public School Yards: A plan to improve the 30% of the District's playgrounds, fields and courts that are run by the DC Public Schools (DCPS).

Factors that influence regeneration of the parks: Some 68% of parkland in DC is controlled by the National Park Service; 35% of DC children between 10 and 17 are obese; DC has 12.9 acres of park per 1000 residents (7617 acres) - one of the highest in the nation; DC has .217 athletic fields per 1,000 residents - one of the lowest ratios on the east coast; the District Department of Transportation manages about 250 small parks in DC; Washington DC is expected to increase from in population from 600,000 to 700,000 by 2025.

Washington DC real estate development news

Not Your Grandmother’s Church

It’s like walking an ecclesiastical tightrope.

In an effort to renovate centuries-old or even mid-century churches with 21st century acumen, practitioners of the art have learned to strike a delicate balance between old and new, sacred and sustainable. The journey from what was and is, to what needs to be, is often complicated: the act of mixing preservation with practicality a sort of alchemy at which even Harry Potter might marvel.

“With existing buildings of this kind, the important thing to remember is that they have an enormous amount of embodied energy,” said Hartman-Cox Architects Partner Mary Katherine Lanzillotta, whose D.C.-based firm is responsible for such projects as St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church School, McLean, Va.’s Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and a Duke University Divinity School addition. “The resources that the parishioners put into them from the original construction, both financially and emotionally – for us to keep these buildings active and vibrant is one of the most sustainable things we can do,” she said.

Shepherds of more than 100 church renovations and original construction from New York to Florida, Arlington, Va.-based Kerns Group Architects Principal Tom Kerns indicated challenges on the church front vary in style and scope. These include building or expanding sacred spaces without forfeiting intimacy, installing air changes to code to eliminate the “sick building” syndrome of 20 years ago and creating spaces that assist young families or entice teenagers to come to worship in the first place.

In this regard, St. Petersburg, Fla.’s First Presbyterian Church – one of the city’s largest –is no different than many houses of worship whose parishioners include overscheduled teens. With school, sports, jobs and other, perhaps less structured attractions vying for young people’s attention, the church, built in the mid-1960s, was without a contemporary space for its youth population to gather. According to Kerns, “The mission of the youth center was to have a place to hang out on Friday nights,” and also to serve as a venue for a Wednesday night praise service and other spiritual activities. Completed three years ago by raising the roof within the existing structure, the two-story assembly space for 150 people boasts LED colored lighting for its performance stage and dances, and a computer lab for homework. A nursery and day school classrooms occupy the bottom floor. “It’s been very successful,” Kerns said.

At Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown, Washington’s first place of Catholic worship dating back to 1792, an original chapel on a hill built by Bishop Carroll - first bishop of the hierarchy of the U.S. – had become a convent and then a parish office over its 200-year lifespan. A commission to restore the chapel and renovate the entire campus presented a great challenge for Kerns Architects, but one they embraced. “They (the Jesuit community) asked us to restore the chapel and at the same time to express the juxtaposition of this 18th century building with today’s liturgy,” said Kerns, who completed the project about 10 years ago. According to Kerns, exposing the original container – the entire volume – revealed old wooden trusses the architects left as they were. The tower’s interior timber framing was also deliberately exposed, and concealed lighting placed in window sills. With an eye toward additional sustainability, local artisans were engaged to design custom altars, tabernacles and light fixtures. Campus renovation included staff offices, meeting, and various support spaces. Two courtyards promoted fellowship and facilitated the physically challenged.

“It was a pretty high professional gauntlet to run,” Kerns said, in light of its Georgetown geography. The project took several years and included a year and a half in review, including the Commission of Fine Arts. In the end, much of the 26,000 s.f. project was built below grade to conceal it, which was expensive, but within the framework of a project of this scope.

In 2005 in Durham, N.C., Hartman-Cox’s expansion of Duke Divinity School was an exercise in ecclesiastical efficiency. Duke University was particularly concerned about the site, according to Hartman-Cox Principal Lee Becker, “with the chapel essentially a small cathedral in Collegiate Gothic style and the campus very cohesive.” Designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1934 with Julian Abele as architect/draftsman, the surrounding campus included a 1974 addition “that is a miserable building,” Becker said. A cloister connection piece - the original divinity school - was parallel to the chapel, with an engineering building and library also on site. An approximately 26-foot drop existed between the chapel and the cloister.

“They asked us to fill this in,” Becker said about the drop, “and do something with the cloister.” The building, which is an education building, had to multifunction as classroom and performance space, as well as service and practice space for the choir, requiring acoustical capability. “And it had to have a real ecclesiastical feel,” Becker added. Using Indiana limestone and “Duke stone” for the exterior (Duke has its own local quarry) to match the chapel, a symmetry evolved. “Also, at that time, the university was not seeking LEED certification for buildings,” Becker said, “but it would have qualified.”

According to Hartman-Cox’s Lanzillotta, the LEED certification process is expensive for ecclesiastical buildings and institutions. “When you’re dealing with donor dollars, federal or state dollars, or other forms of fundraising, it may not be the best use of their resources for the documentation,” she said, noting that site selection, mechanical systems, lighting design, drought resistant landscape design, and the envelope – all are sustainable in her firm’s work, with or without certification.

“Architecture is a service profession,” Kerns of Kerns Group Architects said. “They (the churches) hire us to solve a wish list or set of problems." Rather than the quest for LEED certification, “ …what’s at the top is to solve space needs: not enough classrooms or gathering space or accessibility.” Accommodating young families with appropriate facilities or space to grow the music program are their priorities. “But as practicing architects, we’ve been using sustainable ideas for our whole careers,” he said, noting that sometimes more than other clients, churches are more committed to the project and want to be good stewards of the funds they have for their needs or mission.

Duke Divinity School photographs by Bryan Becker.

New Georgia Avenue Development Requires Dump Truck of Cash

An unassuming four-story residential building will pop-up at 2910 Georgia Avenue over the course of the summer and within in a year's time will have all 22-units sold. That, anyway, is the prediction of developer Art Linde, President of ASL Development Corporation, who has been working in "emerging areas" in the District for 20 years - areas like 14th Street in the '90s and U Street a decade ago. His fairly standard four- or five-story buildings often sit in the shadow of a larger project's spotlight, but today, a new condominium project with a firm timeline and construction financing seems like a relative star in areas hit by stalled development, like lower Georgia Avenue.

Linde purchased the property for $560,000 from Howard University in November 2009, applied for construction permits in December 2009, will begin construction this May and expects to deliver 10 months later. A stunning timeline in today's climate and no easy feat. Linde said he always signs his own loans, never takes financing from "the government or metro," but for this project he had to hand over a "dump truck full of cash" to secure a loan from Bank of Georgetown. Linde is unique in that he actually had a dump truck and enough cash to fill it. As he said, some developers today would not even be able to buy of one the units in his new building. A one-bedroom will run around $220,000 and a two-bedroom around $300,000. Yeah, times are tough.

The Developer described buying the lot as a "no brainer" because of its location on a "wonderful little street" in an area with a "rich history." Project Architect Eric Colbert and Associates said the design "gives harmony to adjacent structures" in the largely residential townhouse neighborhood. The project will be brick with large double-hung windows and bays that step out into the public space to "break down" any appearance of mass said Colbert.

The matter of right development will come in at five floors, plus a penthouse, and will be no higher than 50 feet. A side yard area will be covered in brick and provide 11 parking spots for residents of the one- and two-bedroom units. What about retail? Linde said the area has a dearth of quality housing and is rife with vacant lots. "You need to put heads in beds before you start building any retail," asserted Linde. Adding, "doesn't do any good to put in a Trader Joes... or a Starbucks if there aren't any people to drink the coffee." Considering his dump truck of cash, perhaps there's something to this philosophy.

Small though they may be, the developer said he takes care with his buildings, making sure the interiors are well built. They sand and finish the wood floors in place, no Masonite or cheap pieces of lumber. The windows are double hung wood, no vinyl. In short, "nothing that fell out of the back of a Home Depot truck," said Linde.

Though everyone seems to be "hoping" to start construction "very soon" and to deliver in the "next year," for once, it might actually be true.

Washington, DC real estate development news

North Bethesda's Latest Project to Break Ground

North Bethesda better brush up on its knowledge of protons and neutrons because there will be a lot of particles moving around when construction starts this summer on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission building. On Monday, developer LCOR received a final approval from the Montgomery County Planning Board to build a new 362,000 s.f. office building at North Bethesda Center Metro, a.k.a. White Flint, a.k.a Rockville. About a year ago, LCOR, in a partnership with USAA Real Estate Co., won out over several competitors for the opportunity to build the project for the General Services Administration and in October signed a lease that will make the new building home to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for at least 15 years. According to Mike Smith, VP of LCOR, the project should begin construction in mid to late May; a formal groundbreaking will take place May 17th.

Approximately 1,300 NRC employees will occupy the new 14-story building, across from the NRC campus, which has been designed by HOK to meet LEED Silver certification. The new government building will join LCOR's residential project, Wentworth House, which delivered in 2008. That project brought 312 units and a brand new Harris Teeter to North Bethesda, on a 32-acre site approximately halfway between downtown Bethesda and downtown Rockville. In total, LCOR's project are to bring eight highrise buildings to the area, encompassing eight city blocks (when subdivided), and will include 1,274 multifamily housing units at its completion, but little has happened on the site, which remains nearly in the state as it was when it served as a golf course.

Smith was hesitant to predict the future of any of the other buildings, saying "we are waiting for market conditions to improve" before beginning work on the "next residential or another commercial project." The developer has not filed any plans with Montgomery-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for additional developments on the site.

CB Richard Ellis and Transwestern represented the LCOR-USAA joint venture (officially North Bethesda Center Office One, LLC) in the lease transaction, commercial real estate tenant rep firm Studley represented the GSA. Turner Construction will serve as general contract.

North Bethesda real estate development news

Anacostia River Park Unveiled Today

The District's $8 million Diamond Teague Park project officially opened today after breaking ground a little over a year ago. At 10:45 am today (11:15ish Fenty Standard Time), the Mayor and his entourage of Fenty for re-election volunteers gathered together with Earth Conservation Corps volunteers and Florence and Ivory Teague - parents of the slain teenager for whom the park is named - for a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Located at First and Potomac SE on the Anacostia River, Diamond Teague Park's first steps toward fruition began when Mayor Anthony Williams facilitated jurisdictional control of the land and the defunct Capitol Pumphouse from the Federal government and into the hands of the District in 2006.

Before his murder in October 2003, 19-year old Diamond Teague served as a member of the Earth Conservation Corps, a non-profit organization committed to engaging youth in "activities that restore and clean the Anacostia River and surrounding communities." As part of its agreements with the District, Coastal Properties, a commercial dock operator, has agreed to hire students from the Corps to help maintain the park.

The park's two piers include a 250-foot commercial pier for the water taxi service that became available last summer and a 200-foot pier for docking kayaks and canoes. If funding comes through without a hitch, a concrete and steel, pyramid-shaped memorial designed by Byron Peck of City Arts could be showing up at the site by late October of this year. The Landscape Architecture Bureau designed the project.

Although the park is largely funded by the District, Maryland-based developer Florida Rock shelled out $800,000 toward the project as part of the community benefits agreed to in the PUD for it's neighboring RiverFront on the Anacostia development.

Washington, DC Real Estate Development News