Recognition From HPRB A Long Time Coming For Neglected Southwest House

Formerly home to the Southwest Community House Organization (SWCH), a now defunct non-profit social organization that had served the encompassing low-income neighborhoods of southwest D.C., a historic black and white, detached brick house at 156 Q Street, SW is once again the James C. Dent House. Last week the Historical Preservation Review Board gave its blessing of historical protection to the property and recommended to the National Park Service that the home be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The home is located on Buzzard Point, the urbanized sector of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

The southwest quadrant of the original city of Washington has a long and storied past, and is home to some of the oldest buildings in L'Efant's originally planned cityscape. Often forgotten as an original site for the many large, gracious river front mansions that housed much of the political elite, the area is most frequently chronicled for its reputation as a shabby neighborhood of awkward racial diversity. In 1920, Washington Star journalist John Harry Shannon (aka "The Rambler") wrote of the areas frequently overlooked but nonetheless pedigreed heritage:

"It is not easy to name a member of an old South Washington family whose grandfather or grandmother did not live between the Arsenal and the two rivers. Thousands of men and women now living in the 'parks: 'heights' and 'terraces' will cast their thoughts back to the old family home on the Navy Yard or the Island. It was not many years ago that Northwest Washington was commons, pastures, bog, forest, rugged hill and steep ravine. What is now South Washington was then all Washington, with the exception of a narrow fringe of settlement north of the Avenue."

Early nineteenth century plans for the construction of stately homes and a bustling commercial district never quite fully materialized, and for over a century the southwest, consisting mostly of what is known as "the Island," remained a modest residential host to the rowhouses, tenements, shacks, and even the odd tent of blue-collar workers, the majority of them African Americans with a small portion being working-class whites (predominantly Jewish). Although the increasingly putrid James Creek turned Washington City Canal and a series of explosions at the Washington Arsenal cemented the area as one of the less desirable parts of the city, the neighborhoods were symbolic of the ever fleeting American dream for the newly emancipated, as many freed African Americans had looked to build new lives and legacies on these lands since the days immediately following the Civil War.

Perhaps no Southwest resident is more emblematic of this dream of social and economic ascension than James C. Dent. Born into slavery in 1855, Dent grew up a farm laborer in the tobacco country of southern Maryland. Dent eventually made his way to southwest D.C. as a laborer, mostly employed in a lime kiln, and married a Virginia seamstress. In 1885, his wife Mary and several parishioners founded the Mount Moriah Baptists Church. Several months after it opened the first pastor stepped down, and in May of 1886 Dent took his place and proceeded to take the church to prominence within Washington's black religious community - overseeing it's transition into several newer and nicer buildings (it is now located on East Capital Street, NE), and serving as pastor for over 22 years.

In 1906, in an unusual move indicative of the racial and economic disparity of the area, Dent hired a white architect to build a house to replace the modest, timber-framed dwelling he had lived in with his wife for many years. William James Palmer, a prominent rowhouse architect, was commissioned for the design. During the year of construction, Palmer, whose body of work was largely concentrated in Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights, was praised in the Washington Post for designing a row of houses in Mt. Pleasant that exhibited "architectural beauty, stability, and refinement of taste." A couple non-residential, Palmer-designed properties of note include Union Methodist Episcopal Church, as well as the Navel Lodge and AME Church on Capitol Hill. While Dent's home may seem rather average in appearance compared to the contemporaneous homes of the designated historic districts to the north and northwest, the detached brick edifice was no doubt a remarkable anomaly among the many surrounding shacks on Buzzard Point, and even more exceptional for having endured the "urban renewal" of the 1950's that saw many of the areas homes and churches razed.

As the setting of a unique American story, in which an African American man made the transition from slave to property owner to middle class professional within a single generation, the HPRB has designated the James C. Dent House a D.C. Landmark. In doing so, a small but unique part of the narrative of racial progress within the nation's capitol will be forever preserved. The building is now owned by PEPCO, and has stood vacant since SWCH left in 2004. Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

La Vida VIDA: New Affordable Senior Housing in Brightwood

La vida living is about to get easier in Washington D.C. District-based VIDA will break ground tomorrow on a new residential project in Brightwood, adding 36 residential units in a new building structured for affordable senior housing.

Formerly known as Educational Organization for United Latin Americans, the newly renamed 501(c)(3) that serves over 600 DC-area seniors annually is getting ready to add another 36 units to its stock. Located on Missouri Avenue on a now vacant lot, VIDA will build affordable senior housing in Ward 4, where the largest concentration of the District's seniors live. This is the first time VIDA is developing housing, with financing that got creative. The development team - comprised of VIDA Senior Centers, Dantes Partners as the Development Consultant, Zavos Architecture and Design, NDC Real Estate for property management, and Hamel Builders as General Contractor - used a multilayer financing approach. Tapping into federal stimulus programs (Section 1602 Tax Credit Exchange), Neighborhood Investment Funds (NIF), private bank debt and an Enterprise Green Communities grant, the development secured financing for an area that has seen little new residential development since the financing bust several years ago. "We were fortunate to have been selected as an innovative project that served a unique need. We were lucky enough to have partners who believed in our vision," said Jordan Bishop of Dantes Partners.

With four stories of new affordable and accessible rental units, the five-story independent-living senior center will provide services that include meals, music, presentations, dancing, minor checkups, medication management, "spiritual activities," and private van transportation, and of course bingo and chess. The project is being billed as "transit-oriented development," despite the lack of a nearby Metro station, which makes it easier to get the zoning variance of 4 parking spots rather than the required 6.

Zavos Architecture and Design, a firm with experience in non-profit, affordable and sustainable community-oriented development, designed into the project a number of "quality of life improving" and energy reducing features. Those include a vegetated roof with walk-on terrace space to manage storm water, reduce heating and cooling loads on the building and provide outdoor green space for residents; permeable parking and other drive areas to allow storm water to filter naturally into the ground and reallocate infrastructural funds to services; high-emissive roofing rather than traditional EPDM to deflect the sun's heat and reduce associated cooling costs; privately metered electricity and hot water to encourage reduced consumption (for a generation always yelling at you to wear a sweater and turn down the heat, that shouldn't be an issue); improved indoor air quality through the installation of non-toxic and non-allergenic flooring; and the maximization of daylight in all units to minimize the use of artificial lighting and improve indoor environmental quality.

"I am most proud of having been able to fit so many services in such a small building. Envisioning people spending the latter part of their lives in this building is something we took seriously. We have designed a quality place for them," remarked Tim Daniel, the project architect for the VIDA-developed housing.

While the elderly account for 12% of the District’s population, retirement age individuals make up over 18% of the population of Ward 4. VIDA has traditionally served the District’s Latino senior citizens, but it is expanding its target demographic to meet growing needs in other populations, specifically identifying African-Americans and immigrants of Caribbean and Brazilian backgrounds, among others.

"The initial goal was always to provide high quality senior housing at affordable rental rates (50% AMI - Area Median Income) and to combine this with space on the ground floor to provide services specifically targeted to seniors. With the recent closing and groundbreaking, we are well on track to achieving these desirable goals," said Jordan Bishop of Dantes Partners. The groundbreaking will take place at 10:30am.

Washington DC real estate development news

Anacostia River Town Gets Makeover with Clean River Approach

When a small town two miles northeast of Washington DC on the Anacostia River pondered its flooding problems, tarmac-like streets, lack of an urban center and the health of its residents, an urban design solution came to mind: the green, efficient and attractive redesign of its main residential strip; but the real beneficiary was to be the health of the Anacostia River.

The township, a short bike ride away from DC, revels in its small-town feel and celebrates its connection to the Anacostia. Bike paths run the length of the river, here just north of where the Anacostia's two branches merge, the river at this point so shallow that scattered rocks serve as a footbridge in several places. But poor urban design plagues cities and towns across the United States that - like Edmonston, MD - were built in the post-automobile era. For decades, Edmonston's outdated and ailing infrastructure has been collecting industrial contaminants from paved areas and funneling them through the drainage systems into the Anacostia, floating through Washington DC into the Chesapeake. Despite the river's small size, flooding was a problem because of Edmonston's extremely low-lying position among surrounding towns with sprawling shopping centers and gargantuan parking lots that pushed water outward, requiring steep levees on the riverbanks. The city's streets were engineered for width and speed, despite frequent intersections and stop signs, leaving the car unrivaled on main street, with retail and foot traffic nonexistent.

That was the old Edmonston. In a single-handed bid to slow down traffic, encourage non-vehicular circulation and beautify the city, the suburban town began a makeover of its streets last year, expecting that its neighbors will emulate its efforts to maintain a healthier Anacostia.

With a boost from federal stimulus funding through the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Edmonston's Mayor Adam Ortiz initiated a project to green the town's main street. Applying smart growth principles, the plan for revamping the town's central artery includes the restoration of the native tree canopy to reduce urban heat island effect; wind-powered, down-pointing streetlamps with energy-efficient LED ballasts; four new bike lanes with permeable brick paving; wider sidewalks connected to regional bike trails; bump-outs to slow down traffic; and, most importantly, 90% on-site rainwater capture.
The plan exceeds the Maryland standard, which requires that the first inch of rainwater be captured for treatment on 50% of all impervious surfaces. Through the inclusion of rain gardens with bioretention cells on either side of the street, the plan provides for 1.33 inches of stormwater capture on 90% of all paved surfaces. Runoff drains into the rain gardens through sloped curb cuts with traditional curbside drainage in place as a fail-safe measure. On top of improving the town's image, the urban planning measures are expected to nearly eliminate the unfiltered runoff that can overwhelm the river.

The initiative will start small, greening just two-thirds of a mile of Decatur Street, creating a communal space primarily belonging to pedestrians, bikers and runners, and lastly the automobile. "Cars don't have rights; communities have rights,” Mayor Ortiz said in a lecture he delivered on July 8^th at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC as part of a series on green building practices. Thanks to $ 1.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, Ortiz says his shovel-ready project sustained engaged citizen support, generated 50-60 new green jobs, and employed a 70 percent majority of local, minority-run consulting firms such as VMT Contractors and G&C Consultants of Prince George's County.

In the near future Edmonston plans on applying for more federal funding to expand its greening efforts. Speaking with DCMud, Mayor Ortiz said the town would be begin with its main thoroughfare then progress to industrial streets such as Buchanan St. and 49^th Avenue. He distinguished between the tangible and intangible effects of redesigning Decatur Street, which will serve as a park as much as it will a street, but community spirit and resident activity will create the sense of place. "Decatur Street is not about getting from point A to point B. We're looking at it as a sole community asset because it serves community purposes as public space,” he said.

Besides encouraging healthier lifestyles and celebrating the increasingly popular notion of a vibrant street life, the improvements on Decatur Street are expected to increase property values in a town where most single family homes are two-bedroom Sears model homes and ranches selling from $80,000-190,000, down 40 percent from two years ago. Plans include connecting Decatur Street to regional bike trails via the Hyattsville spur and the MBT bike trail, tying Edmonston to DC and the National Mall and regional trails. Bikers, runners and paddlers from the DC metropolitan area will have new and improved access to Edmonston, which boasts a model streetscape with interpretive signage explaining all the improvements to and history of Decatur Street.

Equipped with its own public works department, school system and local police force, and seeking resources to forge its own sustainable future, Edmonston officials do not shrink from holding the town up as a potential leader in urban planning and redesign. Immediately adjacent Bladensburg is duplicating storm water management efforts in a large waterfront park along the Anacostia.

Unlike bigger west-coast towns like Seattle and Portland, which have implemented green street initiatives on a much larger scale, Edmonston's 1500 residents are committed to setting a regional example in active, healthy communities with a vibrant street life, not only for the Washington, DC area, but also the mid-Atlantic. Mayor Ortiz equates sustainability with responsibility and calls for best practices to become common practices. More than anything, Ortiz hopes that Edmonston's success will serve as a model for other small towns in the Anacostia watershed. Committed to open-source information sharing, the town of Edmonston has made detailed information on the project available through the town's website.

Historic Shaw Residential Project One Step Closer

The chances of a Shaw townhouse and neighboring empty lot becoming a small residential project are higher now that the project team has cleared the hurdles of Historic Preservation. Recently, the Historic Preservation Review Board approved the recommendation of the HPO to accept plans for the renovation of a "contributing" building within the Shaw historic district and construction of a five-story addition. The current site is two stories of decrepit red brick, far from inhabitable or appealing. Rubble, weedy overgrowth, and trash fill the back lot.

But that may change soon if developer Paul Robertson and architect Brandon Walsh of Robertson + Walsh Design continue with their plans for the renovation and construction project at 1431 11th St. NW. The recent report filed by the Review Board describes the current building as "modest," "Italianate," and "dating from the 1870's."

The Review Board is clearly also mindful of the discrepancy in this part of the Shaw historic district, writing in their recent report that: "the Board has acknowledged that 11th Street is somewhat more compromised than the rest of the historic district in containing numerous vacant lots, a relatively large percentage of non-contributing buildings and a fractured historic context that lacks a strong sense of history of place." For these reasons the Board has been instructed to be more liberal in their review of projects for 11th street, so to encourage redevelopment that respects the current history but allows for greater density and subsequent improvement.

The partnership with architect Brandon Walsh is a fresh one, but they do have a few other projects in the works, including a single family home in Arlington, a vacation home in West Virginia, and a rooftop terrace addition at the Dancebotique. The team has still found time to finalize the schematic design drawings and plans for their project at 1431 11th St. NW. A courtyard will replace the rubble in the back lot, separating the current building from the new five story structure, designed for condos, which will approach the back alley and stand roughly fifty feet higher. Robertson and Walsh say that the simple and clean industrial feel of the design is in keeping with and inspired by the traditional warehouse buildings that often abut alleys, side streets, and back lots of federal style townhouses in the area.

When probed about the inspiration for the design of the planned condominium, Brandon Walsh explains that although no particular building was specifically referenced, the general body of work of McKim, Meade & White guided the styling decisions of their project. McKim, Meade & White were a prolific architectural firm at the turn of the century, regularly contracted for all sorts of buildings, big and small, up and down the eastern seaboard. "McKim, Meade & White seemed like an appropriate reference when Steve Calcott of the HPRB suggested an early 1900s warehouse look." Walsh went on to say "there are plenty of steel and glass curtain wall designs going up around town, so it's refreshing to see something with a little historical context." The few notable buildings of MM&W in the District include both the East and West Wings of the White House, Roosevelt Hall of the National War College, and the National Museum of American History, as well as the Boston Public Library (pictured, left). Walsh wouldn't commit to many style specifics, details of the units, or building materials, as he wants to allow for flexibility as they wade the tricky waters of financing. He did confirm that they are leaning towards large iron, industrial-style windows, and are always looking to experiment with unique materials.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development news

Yet Another Affordable Housing Project For Columbia Heights

The contract to design, develop, and build a 37-unit affordable housing project at 1421 Euclid Street, NW has been awarded to Euclid Community Partners, a triad consisting of Dantes Partners, Perdomo Group, and Capital Construction Enterprises. Developers and city officials say this $11.5 million Justice Park project will offset gentrification trends in the area, and help Ward One and Columbia Heights to remain a diverse and multi-dimensional community. The rental apartments will be marketed to those in the local workforce making no more than 60% of the Average Median Income (AMI). Mayor Fenty, Ward One Councilman Jim Graham, the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Valerie Santos, and ANC1B Chairman Gail Holness were all in attendance to officially award the winning contract, and voice their support for the project. Other proposals competing for the contract offered mixed-income developments with only small portions designated as affordable housing units. Clearly affordable "workforce" housing was the priority of the Mayor and his staff, as he elaborated

on his delight at finalized contract, saying: "there was a lot of talk, scrutiny, and debate at city hall about this project ... but we are all glad that the talking has stopped, and the action has gotten back on track."

Questions were raised in the competitive bidding process for this project, but Dantes Parnters now has several opportunities to produce and prove their critics wrong, as principal Buwa Binitie and his company have become actively involved in the development of several other District-owned properties. Binitie and Dantes Partners are bearing the entire load of development responsibilities for the VIDA Senior Residences project at Brightwood and the 5-story, 44-unit residential building on Chapin Street. They have also partnered with EastBanc Inc. as regular favorite project-winners of the Fenty administration, sharing development of the long-neglected West End fire station, library, and police unit buildings, as well as the Hine School redevelopment.

The current 12,325 s.f. Justice Park will cease to be a place for public recreation and become home to construction equipment sometime in mid 2012. That is if the PUD application process or financing struggles don't slow down the project, a common story line for many other developments. In the meantime, a new Justice Park will be constructed across the street on a District owned plot of land that Fenty describes as "lower to the ground, closer to the street, and more accessible to kids, seniors, and families." In addition to the modern design, efficient appliances, class A amenities, front and rear balconies, and rooftop terrace being offered at the new building, Dantes Partners has also agreed to fund the yearly maintenance costs of the new park on the south-side of Euclid. Banneker Ventures, teaming with Regan Associates, will develop the park using a budget of $750,000, but have yet to contract an architectural firm for the design.

Fenty and Santos each stressed their "ongoing commitment" to affordable housing, a rebuttal to the criticism for lack of action on Parcel 42 and other vacant District lots that has angered some city residents, even inspiring protests. But as Councilman Graham's website brags, federal funding has been undoubtedly strong for "workforce" housing: 2,500 units of low-income housing have been preserved and renovated and $256 million of public and private funds have been spent on affordable housing in the last five years. While some detractors contend that affordable housing serves to concentrate poverty and devalue adjacent property, Jim Graham insisted that they were ensuring that "our firefighters, our librarians, our new teachers, and many others" have access to affordable housing. Dantes Partners has projected that their two-bedroom units will cost roughly $1,400 per month, significantly less than the average market rate condo.

The unveiled renderings look suprisingly derivative of the general style of the Villagio apartment building next door. In addressing the press and community members, Buwa was careful to thank the Villagio and its owners for their cooperation and support during this initial design process. For the future residents who aren't lucky enough to have a view of the new park from their balconies, they are at least afforded the next best thing: some quality people watching, looking down on the adjacent BP gas station (and who doesn't look down on BP these days).

The ANC expressed support for the design and the project, but Dantes Partners, along with PGN Architects, will work with the community, ANC, and Zoning Commission to further refine their drawings in the coming months. The developers will seek a nine percent tax break through the District Housing Finance Agency's Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). And if that bid is rejected, the development team will be awarded a non-competitive four percent tax credit, and hope for an additional $4.1 million District subsidy.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Live Webchat: NCPC's Comprehensive Plan

Ever wondered how DC's monuments are planned, and how the federal buildings are located and designed? Join Senior Urban Planner David Zaidain from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) today (Thursday) at noon as he discusses federal elements of the National Capital’s Comprehensive Plan, the federal government's long term urban planning vision for the city. NCPC is in the process of updating the plan, including everything from the look of the Mall and urban waterfronts to security and foreign missions. This is your chance to become involved. The discussion will focus on the following topics:

• How the Comp Plan serves the region
• The elements of the Plan
• The Plan's role in guiding federal facility location, transportation, etc.
• The Plan's policy impact on local/regional development
• Why the Plan is being updated
• The addition of an Urban Design Element
• Opportunities for public involvement

Betting on Bethesda: The Net Zero Energy House

The Olympics are a memory and few in D.C. are high jumping in the searing summer heat, but in the case of Bethesda Net Zero Energy House, an architect’s leap of faith may surely result in winning the Gold - or even Platinum: LEED Platinum.

“Jimmy Carter had solar panels on the White House,” Meditch Murphey Architects Principal Marcie Meditch recalled, an image which may have fueled her vision from time to time and compelled her to build a 4,000 s.f. net-zero energy “spec” house in Montgomery County’s comfortable, cohesive Bannockburn community. Mulling over the concept for a year or two, concerns about building a market-rate house that was green and had a net zero energy footprint - or used as much energy as it produced - and which would sell in a conservative market had precluded immediate action. “I couldn’t find a client,” Meditch said, recalling the “serendipitous meeting of a friend of a friend” at a conference whose mother had recently passed away. The mother’s mid-century wood frame slab-on-grade house in Bethesda had not aged well and needed to be sold, but the family didn’t want a “McMansion” built on the property in its place.

With siting a key requisite, Meditch recognized the potential and seized the moment for her energy efficient home that would make the best use of the sun, as well as of passive natural energy from water and cross ventilation.

Nature and NASA
“We believe that the best place to start when you’re trying to do energy efficiency is not by conceiving of all the high-tech things, but rather how do you create a house which is thermally efficient, has very efficient walls and proper placement of windows,” said project architect Mike Binder. “If you look at the plan for this house, it’s very simple, for instance the living room windows are right across from each other…so air can flow through the house and cool it naturally rather than having to use mechanical energy. There’s a very strong element of sustainable design that has nothing to do with technology but is more about using what nature provides already,” he said.

Nature withstanding, yet conceding that “nobody lives in this area without air conditioning,” Binder, who was a NASA engineer and literal “rocket scientist” before transitioning to architecture, said a ground source heat pump was designated for the house: two wells planted 375-feet deep that store air at a constant ground temperature of about 50 degrees. In the summer, instead of trying to take the heat from the 78-degree air inside and push it into the 95-degree air outside (a huge expenditure of energy), it is taken from the house and mitigated in the ground. The same principle applies to winter air, where rather than creating heat from the 30-degree air outside, it is culled from its constant 50-degree base in the ground.

With an energy-efficient envelope warranting extreme insulation, Meditch Murphey Architects used a layer of insulation on the outside of the house’s framing to act as the first line of defense. Additional insulation was used between the studs, which Binder explained typically act like a “thermal bridge” for energy loss: energy getting into and out of the house. And with a structure that is essentially sealed the way this one is, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) preconditions or removes the heat, cold and moisture from the air that’s leaving and puts it into the air that’s entering, according to the seasons, which saves on energy.

Light and Water
On the roof, a flat-panel photovoltaic solar array and flat-panel solar hot water collectors harness and utilize available energy, as does the home’s recirculation loop which uses the cold water supply as a return. “When you turn on the hot water in the bathrooms, unless you’ve got tankless water heaters in each of them, which would be costly, there’s this lag time while you’re waiting,” Binder said, noting all the potable cold water gets flushed down the drain in the meantime. “We take that water and actually put it back into the cold water line, and it goes right back to the hot water heater, so nothing is wasted.”

Where lighting was concerned, a combination of LED lights, halogen and other incandescent types were used in the five-bedroom (one is part of an au pair suite), four-bath home, with halogen used in strategic locations such as bathrooms and the kitchen. “LED’s are still a little cool in their color rendering,” Binder said, noting a more balanced light is important “when you’re looking at your face or when you want to see what color your food really is.” He added that the firm doesn’t subscribe to the tenet of “energy efficiency at the expense of all else, including comfort.”

Wood and Glass

To that end, bathroom features are a confluence of sustainability and aesthetics. Custom vanities were crafted by Ray Amos of Pennsylvania’s New Oxford Studios, whose philosophy mandates using reclaimed lumber. Flooring in much of the home is maple from a sustainably-managed forest, where documents show the trees were harvested without impinging on the ecosystem. In the basement, engineered flooring called Eco Timber, a composite that includes a plywood layer, means the highest quality wood is reserved only for the top where it is visible. In the kitchen, substrate for the cabinets is particle board which, instead of being made with traditional high-VOC binders, has a high recycled wood content that is low-VOC with no formaldehyde added to help promote the home’s indoor air quality.

When the home, not yet finished, sold quickly in the fall of 2009, new homeowner Ann Luskey got involved early enough in the process to choose her own tile for the kitchen and downstairs floors, according to Binder, selecting Ecocem (part cement; part cellulose fiber) which is entirely recycled. Countertops are Eco-Terr, which is cement and polished, recycled glass. “It looks like Terrazzo because of its really beautiful finish,” Binder explained, “but it doesn’t have to be shipped all the way from Italy.”

Earth and Trees

Outside the home, Joan Honeyman of Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architects selected trees endemic to the region that would not require artificial irrigation. The trees, deciduous to open the home’s exterior to the sun in winter, will grow as high as the eaves, and not the solar panels, in order to shade just the house in the warmer months. Eco-Lawn, a drought-tolerant grass which requires no watering once it’s germinated and no fertilizers, was also used. All of the patio areas around the house were constructed with pavers: essentially bricks without grouting around which water can flow into the cracks and soak into the ground. Pervious concrete used for the driveway, which Binder said resembles Rice Krispies, allows water to penetrate through to an underlying gravel bed and ultimately to the ground beneath. A flat roof over the master suite and garage was designed to be green, but the architects weren’t sure they could afford it so took a step back. However Luskey, with a background in design, resourcefully went to the Mall at the end of the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, where 20 collegiate teams had built solar powered homes, and wrangled a green roof destined for the green roof graveyard. “She has maybe half of the area covered. Hopefully some day the house will have a complete green roof,” Binder said, noting the house was designed to be able to evolve easily with its occupants’ needs.


Endorsed by the owner and angling for a LEED Platinum rating, the architects didn’t know until the spring if the grass would come in properly, a prerequisite for the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) LEED inspection which is pending this month. During construction, the architects made ample use of government subsidies for energy efficiency such as property and income tax credits and loan programs from the state, which meant that somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of the cost of the home that sold for $1.8 million was defrayed. “They are essential in making these things attractive to people from a financial point of view,” Binder said.

Photography by Anice Hoachlander

Archstone Breaks Ground in NoMa

The newest development project from Archstone officially celebrated its ground breaking today at the corner of First and M Streets, NE. NoMa's newest residences will be one of several developments that will quickly usher in a wave of residents to the area, with an influx of even more retail and restaurants likely to arrive in their wake.

The District has been pushing for developers and investors to offer more rental options to residents in strategic high density, high traffic areas, and NoMa is certainly ripe for that kind of improvement. The first phase of the new Archstone will deliver 469 Class A apartment homes by mid to late 2012, along with a plentiful list of amenities and 421 below-grade parking spots. Aside from a corner of retail on the first floor of the building, and a small portion of rental offices, the 500,000 s.f. building will be wholly residential. The lofty and expansive bottom floors will be home to a two-story resident library, movie theater and entertainment center, sound-proof activity room, state-of-the-art fitness center, spacious wi-fi equipped cafe, gourmet test kitchen where cooking classes can be held, and a 1,600 s.f. indoor courtyard prettified with real trees and a reflective pool. When residents tire of luxury at low altitudes, they can take the elevator to the top floor for some pampering at the spa, or just lounge next to the heated, rooftop infinity pool, complete with a waterfall and large jacuzzi.

The architects at Davis Carter Scott worked hard to design a building that wasn't a boring, monolithic void in the landscape. They didn't want a big plain square box; they wanted a building that was interesting and progressive. The varying shapes, colors, rhythms, and articulations of different subsections of the building help to develop a more complex and textured aesthetic. The use of horizontal masonry and large glass columns to accent the corners of the building is intended to keep the eyes of residents and bystanders busy and intrigued, drawing onlookers to stop, stare, and appreciate. The developers are pleased that the quality of the exterior design is on par with the impressive comforts being offered inside.

After a bit of uncertainty, Archstone has found some people willing to pay for all this. CWCapital, a subsidiary of CW Financial Services, will provide the the $151 million, 40 year, fully amortized loan through their FHA structuring. In March, Archstone announced they would be breaking ground in April, but a hiccup in financing left the site empty a little longer than intended. This is the largest finance packages ever insured through the HUD Section 220 program, and will help Archstone generate local employment and involve local businesses in the project. Archstone is confident that they will deliver the residential space needed to house the flood of employees that have followed the recent commercial real estate in the area. Construction will be finished within 30 months, and the first rentals could be available as early as the summer of 2012.

Washington Real Estate Development News

Rappaport Hits Minor Setback on H Street

It's back to the drawing board for developers and architects working on Gary Rappaport's H Street redevelopment project. The Rappaport Companies' Parcel Seven Associates, LLC has been planning a large mixed-use redevelopment project running on the south side of H Street between 8th and 10th for over three years now. The rather enormous project, stretching two full blocks and replacing an outmoded single-story shopping strip, is expected to begin work on part of the 52,000 s.f. of retail and 400-odd residences within about two years, but save the 2nd half for much later. Developers endured the requisite series of conversations, meetings, and compromises, and were finally able to bring both DDOT and the ANC (6A and 6C) on board. But the Zoning Commission was not entirely wooed by the long line of witnesses pleading for approval of the obligatory zoning change at Monday evening's public hearing, and unanimously decided to delay final action until September 27th. This gives the architects and developers until Friday, September 3rd to officially respond to requests made by the Zoning Commission, and opponents of the project until September 10th to retort and fault Rappaport's modifications.

There were a number of minor issues with the plan in the eyes of the Commission, but the major hold up was the appearance of the project's closest neighbor in opposition to the project. This was not the first time developers had heard this family's concerns, and Rappaport insisted that they had labored to accommodate the neighbor's concerns about building height and traffic flow. But the strong reservations communicated by the 8th street neighbor were not mitigated to the extent the Commission expected, so Zoning requested more careful consideration of their concerns, particularly the family's anxiety over the likely increase in large trucks turning into the alley around the corner of their home.

One Zoning member requested that the architects refine the pavilion design on the opposite corner, at 10th and H Street, to generate a bolder and more interesting beginning to the rest of the building, while also tying together and re-enforcing the entirety of the design. "It lacks the kind of stylings and flavor of the rest of the building," he lamented. Another panel member was disappointed that the amenities package was rather light when weighed against the aggressive amount of FAR being pursued by the project (4.0 FAR of residential and 6.0 FAR of commercial space). The entire Commission also expressed their interest in seeing a slightly more aggressive phasing timeline; at present, phase two construction would not begin for about seven years thereafter, a timeline "that will depend upon the rate of absorption" of Phase 1, according to Rappaport.

But don't mourn for the Rappaport Companies, a somewhat retooled design should afford the developers the PUD they've been seeking, and panel members were generally optimistic and encouraged by the scope and direction of this project. A final action ruling later this fall does not serve as a serious threat to their hopes of beginning construction in 2012.

The process of give and take is not new to Rappaport; the project was even bigger before it was first rejected by the Commission in 2008. Over the last two years, the design team, including project architect Torti Gallas, has appeased the community by situating the massing of the buildings in the middle and the back to better negotiate changes in the roofline (ranging from 50 to 90 ft.) and blend the new building into the existing facade. The once uniform design has also been reformed to feign the appearance of multiple, distinct buildings strung together, replicating the nature of street frontages on the rest of H Street. The architects have offered large setbacks for the bottom floor retail stores to provide for maximum pedestrian traffic flow and the potential for outdoor dining terraces.

Other amenities being supplied to the community include landscaping and improvement of public space. The project will also look to minimize traffic congestion, and encourage environmental responsibility in achieving a LEED Silver Certification upon finished construction. Parcel Seven has also agreed to support a proposal for the creation of a Historic District for H Street NE. Moreover, a small portion of the residential units will qualify as affordable housing. And while one Commission member pointed out that several of these "amenities" are actually requirements (killjoy), the project seems to have convinced the majority of the community that its arrival is much more of a positive contribution than a hindrance.

The public record on this case will be reopened in late September as the developers attempt to appease the development site's most immediate neighbor, as well as reassure the Zoning Commission that their project is ready for construction to begin.

Washington DC real estate development news

Innovative Design Adds Modern Flare to Future Washington Highlands Library

The hard work to be done in providing a beautiful new home for over 80,000 books, CDs, DVDs, and the children and adults who will read and watch them began yesterday, as Mayor Fenty was on site to celebrate the groundbreaking of the soon to be Washington Highlands Public Library. The construction site at 115 Atlantic Street, SW in Ward 8 is officially active. And although construction begins slightly behind schedule, the goal for a timely completion by next summer remains firmly in place.

The design process and architectural responsibilities have been undertaken in a joint venture between renowned NYC based Adjaye Associates and local firm Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners PC. The Tanzanian-born, ethnically Ghanian, and now resident Englishman David Adjaye and his team of architects laid out the design, while Wiencek is charged with seeing out its execution. Both cooperated extensively throughout the design stages, meeting regularly, and engaging with each other and the community to arrive at a master plan that balances modern aesthetics with functionality. This was a first for Wiencek, as the firm has never worked on a project that was not a design of their own creation. But having previously worked with Adjaye on a venture that failed to pan out, the firms found a symbiosis in their interaction, and were quick to re-explore the relationship when this opportunity presented itself.

When finished, this ultra modern design will receive LEED Silver Certification. In addition to the books, CDs, and DVDs, the 22,000 s.f. space will house 22 new computers, wireless internet, and a meeting space for up to 100 people, as well as two conference rooms each with a maximum capacity of 14 people. The new building will overlook a sloping landscape including a colorful new garden, courtyard, green wall, and outdoor amphitheater. The job of development and construction is being managed by Blue Skye Construction along with Coakley & Williams. When the books are closed, the budget is expected to total somewhere between $10 and $12 million.

Architect Scott Knudson of Wiencek & Associates explained that one of the great challenges of the process was offering a progressive, engaging design that successfully negotiated a transition space between a commercial and residential area. The architects intend their design to offer an attractive and inspiring but unobtrusive nexus between the nearby single-family homes and the retail buildings. The materials and the functionality of the new library are those expected of a large scale civic building, while the design is meant to replicate the basic structure of the nearby neighborhood houses. Like a residence - comprised of a dominant structure and augmented by several aggregate forms (porch, back addition, side room) - the new library will consist of one larger main building with several smaller pod-like attachments. The steep slope and the staggered appendages helped the designers organize the various spaces into three floors without imposing an intimidatingly large structure on the surrounding landscape. The library will be organized into three distinct spaces for children, teens, and adults.

The main building is almost entirely glass, textured by an engulfing timber curtain wall that helps the structure blend into the natural surroundings. The two affixed pods will be concrete and also striped by wooden planks. Experimenting with new materials, the architects elected to spray the concrete pods with a polyurethane coating usually reserved for protecting oil storage tanks, creating a unique veneer and enlivening the blandness of unadorned concrete. The outer timber wall will be mirrored on the inside with bamboo floors, enhancing the natural feel of the interior and exterior. In order to keep the interior look clean and simple, Scott Knudson says, "We worked incredibly hard to create a seamless integration of the HVAC system, to the point where you don't even see it." The architects also went to great lengths to stay within budget - one of the especially difficult challenges with any public works project - without cutting any of the most essential design elements. The skylights were almost left on the cutting room floor, but architects stood firm in their insistence that natural light from above was integral to the creation of an open air atmosphere that Adjaye and his team sought.

Public works such as a library should be like a park, stresses Adjaye, a place without feelings of constraint. These ideas play themselves out in the design, as much of the building offers natural light, high ceilings, and panoramic views of the encompassing greenery. In the concrete pods, large windows offer more focused views of the neighboring garden and courtyard. Like the exterior of the main building, much of the interior employs the use of glass, most of it treated in different ways to create a smoky, soft transparency that offers the feeling and idea of separation without completely suffocating the eye's urge to wander. These textured glasses, and complementary materials allow study rooms and cubicles to be simultaneously private and open. With the exposed concrete, geometric features, and unadorned glass, the building has "a strong, rugged personality," Knudson elaborated, "but refrains from imposing itself on the visitor or the natural environment." The architectural concepts and philosophies employed here are derivative of one of Adjaye's most successful buildings in London, a small library he designed in the East End neighborhood of Whitechapel that has been dubbed "the Idea Store." It was a visit to this library by D.C. Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper that inspired her to embark on the restyling and reconditioning of the District's library system. The visit has now also helped bring the styles of a young and innovative architect to the nation's capital.

Many residents were apprehensive about Adjaye's modish design, and others were skeptical that demolition and reconstruction, rather than renovation, was a financially responsible decision. But a series of meetings with the community helped the team of architects revise and reform their renderings in order to address such concerns. A cost-benefit analysis and government-issued study of the conditions of the current building determined that a reconstruction as opposed to renovation was advantageous, and while the aesthetics remain rather progressive, compromise has been reached.

Residents of Washington Highlands can look forward to a brand new library in a year's time, a property that will recall a large, hip, alfresco cafe in the place of a thick-walled municipal building. Adjaye's two library projects, the other being the Francis A. Gregory Library, will help introduce Washingtonians to his unique architectural eye for which he is well-respected in London. The projects are only a taste of more to come, as Adjaye's proposal recently helped win the contract to design the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Washington DC real estate development news

DC Redesigns Empty Printing Plant Near Ballpark

The District has finally come up with a plan for a long-vacant building in southeast DC that once served as the printing plant for the Washington Star, turning a physical and fiscal black-eye into what District officials say will be "a bold move" to improve the neighborhood. The District government began leasing the property in 2007, a controversial arrangement when the city failed to use the building. DC purchased the property outright last year for $85.2m in the hopes of converting its liability into productive space and has now partnered with development giant StonebridgeCarras. The five-story building at 225 Virginia Avenue remains the largest empty building near the Nationals Stadium.


Scotching plans to add on to the five-story building, the city will now renovate the interior and redesign the exterior to add "a lot glass that will allow natural sunlight to filter through the building," according to Jason Yuckenberg of the Department of Real Estate Services for the District. The revamp will also earn a LEED Silver certification, incorporate the largest green roof owned by the District government, and provide space for a public gallery to "showcase the vast art collection of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities."

The city will continue to own the land in a lease-leaseback arrangement with StonebridgeCarras. Details on how the city selected StonebridgeCarras were not immediately available, but according to Yuckenberg, the city "approached a number of people in the community about working with us on this project." StonebridgeCarras principal Doug Firstenberg tells DCMud the city's first RFP for the building went nowhere, after which the developer came up with the current lease plan financed through a private placement bond issue. Ultimately what they wanted was to own the building through creative financing" says Firstenberg.

Under a signed agreement, DC will lease the property to the developer, which will finance construction of the renovations, then lease it back to the city for $8.4m per year to be used as office space for several District agencies. The property will revert to the District at the end of the 20-year agreement. The District intends to build a data center and is seeking an occupant for the 50,000 s.f. of available space, stipulating that the data center tenant, a typically heavy energy consumer, "not adversely affect the LEED certification process" according to Yuckenberg.

The current structure, which has "virtually no windows, and is really drab and dreary," acknowledges Yuckenberg, is surrounded by ongoing improvements to the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, including EYA's Capitol Quarter housing project and adjacent Canal Park, which is expected to break ground within the next few weeks. The street will get its own revamp when CSX scrapes off Virginia Avenue to add capacity to the train line below it. Construction is expected to begin in November; the District has already begun interior demolition to make way for construction. The development team will include architects from DC's Hickok Cole, Davis Construction as a general contractor, and Rand Construction for the interiors. Firstenberg expects full occupancy by June of 2012.

The property was originally intended to be a 1^st District Police substation and evidence warehouse for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), which has since moved elsewhere. After two years of paying $6.5 million in annual rent (nearly $550,000 a month), the District raised the ante by purchasing the site. Washington DC officials say the move will "save District taxpayers more than $60 million over the previous arrangement."

The District recently issued a Request for Offers (RFO) to sublease the 50,000-s.f. data center, responses to which are due by July 30, 2010; the city will sponsor a site visit for the space tomorrow.

Washington DC real estate development news

Baby Steps Made, But Fight for Fillmore Music Hall Still Uphill Battle

Early last month the Montgomery County Planning Board approved preliminary plans for the Fillmore Music Hall and accompanying hotel and office buildings to built in Silver Spring; and just yesterday the Board gave a big thumbs up to the development team's most recent master plan and official plat. But a project that began in a buzz of ho-hum, high-fiving excitement has been slowed by lagging negotiations, and now a lawsuit filed recently by the owner of the 930 Club threatens to cast a dark cloud on groundbreaking celebrations set for later this fall.

The recently approved master plan roughly details the impending construction of a 135,300 s.f., 14-story hotel, a 12-story office building (5,500 s.f. reserved for retail use), and a 22,882 s.f., three-story music hall integrating the historic JC Penney facade and sides. The plan also calls for significant improvement to portions of the sidewalk and three street frontages.

Designers claim that the aesthetics of the planned structure fit with the surrounding buildings: standing mostly square, with no tower setbacks or height variance, and no significant differentiation of design or materials above the lower levels. The facade of the planned hotel reflects the fenestration and style typical of the era during which the adjacent Montgomery Arms apartment building was constructed. The JC Penney frontage, soon to be face of the Fillmore Music Hall, will be renovated in hopes of imitating the original San Francisco-based Fillmore West. Sporting dark red walls, vintage rock posters, and crystal chandeliers, the interior will also recall the first Fillmore, with the ability to house a standing room capacity of 2000 people. Hickok Cole Architects will design the new venue, along with the planned hotel and commercial buildings at Georgia Avenue.

The less daunting of the projects, the Fillmore Music Hall, will be constructed first. Upon completion of the building, the land and Music Hall will be donated to the County. This peculiar arrangement was part of the negotiations between the County and Lee Development Group (LDG) that made this entire $110 million redevelopment project possible. LDG's donation of the Music Hall will qualify as their public-space contribution required for their adjoining hotel and office space project. But the Fillmore Music Hall and its accompanying land (worth $3.5 million) hardly seems like a donation when Montgomery County and the state of Maryland have each agreed to subsidize the project to the tune of four million dollars, leaving LDG to foot only the remaining two of the ten million dollar budget. The transaction will afford LDG 15 years to complete the bordering project under current land use regulations, thereby protecting them from any financial complications or delays that may arise from future zoning rule changes or planning officials' interference. Once in the hands of Montgomery County, the Fillmore will be rented out to worldwide concert promoters and corporate entertainment giant Live Nation (their recent proposed merger with Ticket-master is currently stalled by anti-trust concerns). In 2008 Live Nation signed a $3.26 million, 20-year lease with the County, ending a tiresome six year negotiation process. Drawn out discussions with the Birchmere had previously unraveled.

All this might sound dandy to local concert goers, but Seth Hurwitz and his Bethesda-based company I.M.G., Inc, which owns the 930 Club and operates Merriweather Post Pavilion, finds the deal too sweet to be fair. Seemingly threatened by the new competition, and disenfranchised that he was not involved in negotiations for the lease of the new venue, Hurwitz has filed a lawsuit against the state alleging that the proper procedures for conducting financial feasibility and cost analysis studies, as required prior to allocation of funds, were not followed. The State and County believe they've done all that is required, but have not officially responded to the lawsuit. Until the lawsuit plays out, the state of Maryland is prohibited from matching the County's four million dollar pledge, but officials still expect ground to break later this fall, and to open the doors of the Fillmore in the fall of 2011. Local officials contend that the new development will not only be a tremendous new source of tax revenue and profits, as well as provide job creation, but also establish Silver Spring (with the AFI Theater right down the street) as a go-to destination for music, arts, and entertainment.

Renderings are courtesy of LDG. Silver Spring real estate development news