Running a $700-Million Comb through the National Mall

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

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

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

The three stages of the competition are as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Shaw Giant Closes Today

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

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

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Bethesda Safeway to Reopen October 13

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

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

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

Bethesda Maryland real estate development news

Eyes on East of the Anacostia

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

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Mill Creek Begins Dunn Loring Metro Development

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

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

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




Virginia real estate development news

Eisenhower Memorial Metal Tapestries on Display

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

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

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

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

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

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

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

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

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

LCOR Making Progress at North Bethesda Center

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

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

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

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

Maryland real estate development news

Georgetown Park Goes Big Box

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Washington D.C. commercial real estate news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

This house looks exactly like me when I'm at the club; not as tall as the two dudes on each side of me, but clearly much, much classier. If you could airbrush a pencil mustache onto the facade of the house and put, like, a scale-model PBR tallboy in front, the resemblance would be perfect.

I wouldn't say the house looks small initially, but the inside is far larger than you'd think if you were on the outside looking in. There are high ceilings and wide-open spaces and long uninterrupted sightlines everywhere, and distinctive tall windows. There's a double living room with two fireplaces, so you can segregate your guests by political party. (Third party supporters have to sit in the yard.) There are also a striking number of built-in bookshelves scattered throughout the house; I don't think I've ever seen a house with enough shelving for not only all my books but also for prized VHS tape collection. (VHS tapes are going to be the new vinyl, you just wait.) Out back is a fantastic lush garden, the perfect place to have breakfast or to unwind after work with a drink or eight.

If you lived here you'd also get the obscure prestige of having a two-digit house number (mine has four digits – lame!). And the house is just a stone's throw from the House and Senate office buildings, the Capitol building, and the Supreme Court, so if representative democracy is your “thing,” this is the place for you. Late at night, you can sometimes hear them making freedom over there. (Spoiler: it's made out of greenhouse gases.)

19 2nd St NE
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths
$1,495,000

Freshly Baked, New Design for Wonder Bread Building in Shaw

R2L:Architects' Sacha Rosen has, this week, completed new design schematics for the adaptive reuse plan by Douglas Development for the old Wonder Bread/White Cross Bakery. Review of the design, by the Historic Preservation Review Board, could be as early as September 22nd.

The early-20th-Century brick buildings currently crumbling at 641 S Street, NW in Shaw, are also up for historic landmark status, and will be remade into "funky" office and retail space.

Of the recently completed design (below), Rosen says, "Our concept of the classic industrial north-facing skylights adds to the unique qualities of the building - and is great for energy savings. We think of the design as a barge stacked with shipping containers, which represents the mobile, international qualities of business in the new economy."

Currently two and three stories tall, the structure will be raised to three and four, and new basement space will be created, increasing the structure to approximately 60,000 s.f.

One retailer will be allowed half the ground floor, which will split uses - 25 parking spots will take up the back half.  The final 4th floor of office space is only located on the eastern-most portion, making it approximately half that of the others:


Retail space in the basement could be turned into a "cool underground" establishment, says Rosen, such as a bar, billiard hall, or restaurant. No retailers have been signed, as the project will be speculatively built, but Paul Millstein of Douglas says he expects something good to fall in place, considering the uniqueness of the building, and what he considers a "very cool project."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

MRP to Begin Phase One of Washington Gateway in NoMa

MRP Realty will soon move forward with a long- awaited three-phase, 1-million-sf mixed-use project on 3 acres in northern NoMa. Matthew Robinson, Senior VP of MRP, says the $360-million project known as Washington Gateway will break ground before the end of the year, with the first phase residential and retail. The project has been planned since at least 2006, with several near starts over the past 5 years.

At the intersection of Florida and New York Avenue, NE, the Washington Gateway development team will seek financing on a rolling basis. As for now, the team is focused solely on phase one: 400 units of residential in an 11-story building with 5,200 sf of retail.

In terms of getting the first phase off the ground, all seems to be in line for MRP. An equity partner is in place, construction loans are in the works, construction (sheeting/shoring/excavation) permits have been applied for, and a building permit will be filed at the end of September, according to Robinson. One year into construction, MRP plans to start phase two, which will consist entirely of office space. Further down the road, phase three will consist of office space and a retail component.

Nearly 1 million square feet of built area in all, the three-building project consists of approximately 350,000 sf of residential, 600,000 sf of office, and 12,200 sf of retail. The original plan called for significantly less residential space - 260 units versus 400 - with the space going to a 181-room hotel - a component that was scratched due to changing market needs as perceived by the development team.

Robinson says that getting rid of the hotel component, "makes the residential building better. The additional space allows for greater residential amenities [in the form of] increased shared spaces, [including] an extensive 3,700 square foot club room, and two-story fitness center." A rooftop pool and lounge area will offer "Capitol dome views," adds Robinson.

The 11-story residential building was designed by SK&I, and will be built under general contractor Davis Construction. Construction, if underway before the end of the year, should be complete within the next two years. The two 11-story office buildings, to be included in phase two and three, were designed by Gensler. And although the same height, the grade on site varies by about 40', confirms Robinson, creating a height variation optical illusion.

The overall design of the whole Washington Gateway project is a hollowed-out glassy triangle (labeled number 3 on the map to the left), offering an inner triangle of public space, accessible by an opening on Florida Avenue. All retail will front Florida Ave; retail tenants are being pursued, though phase one will be built on spec. Retail will most likely include "neighborhood serving retail," says Robinson, including sidewalk cafes.

Also a part of the development will be a widening, and repaving of the sidewalks along both Florida and New York Avenues. New trees and street furnishings will be added, and landscape architecture design will be the work of Oculus.

"It's exciting right now in NoMa," says Robinson. Washington Gateway will be followed by Camden Property Trust's 60 L Street, NE (1 & II), located just east of the new NPR headquarters currently under construction. Camden's 60 L Street will become NoMa's largest residential building, with 730 units, if it goes through as planned.

Mill Creek Residential's NoMa West, the largest single-phase residential project in NoMa to date includes 603 apartments with a single retail store. Located north of the FedEx building (just north of Washington Gateway) the Mill Creek project broke ground in March, and aims to finish in the spring of 2014.

Several other projects with substantial residential and office space are planned for the NoMa BID, including the Bristol Group's NoMa Station (II - IV), a follow-up to One NoMa Station (400,000 sf office, and 5,000 sf retail) next door at 131 M Street. NoMa Station II-IV is a massive mixed use project to front 1st Street between M and L Streets, NE, made up of: 700,000 sf office, 50,000 sf retail, and 700 residential units.

8/30 correction: 350,000 s.f. of residential, not 290,000 s.f.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

"A condo that lives like a townhouse." That's according to the copy from the listing on this one. I tried to confirm how exactly it lived for myself, but the agent found me hiding in the downstairs closet after the open house and threatened to call the police. The most embarrassing part was asking her to help me carry my bags out.

Nevertheless, it strikes me as a plausible claim. After all, the place is extremely roomy, a beautiful high-ceilinged unit sprawled over three levels. Very townhouse-y. One of the most striking things about the place, both from the outside and the inside, is the sheer number of windows. The vaulted, amphitheatre-like living/dining area is flooded with light from several very large windows going nearly from floor to ceiling, and the master bedroom is almost nothing but windows.

The unit also features two and a half of the nicest bathrooms I've seen, done up in blue tile and gray marble, respectively. They're so nice that if I lived here I'd probably run up the street to Starbucks every time nature called, so as not to defile their perfection. There's also a den in which you can sit and pretend to read a thick leatherbound book when there are guests over who you want to impress, and a very spacious deck from which you can survey your kingdom (also known as Ye Olde Dupont). Ideally situated between AdMo and DupCir (I'm going to keep using that until it catches on), you're close to pretty much everything; restaurants, nightlife, shopping. The unit also comes with garage parking, so no more waking up in the middle of the night wondering if you moved your car for street cleaning.

1624 18th St. NW
2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths
$1,099,000

CSIS Headquarters Under Construction Next Month

In exactly one month, September 26th, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will begin construction on its new headquarters at 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW.

While a misleading "symbolic groundbreaking" took place in May, the event was mostly fanfare, done in large part for the benefit of the Board, confirms CSIS's external relations department. Four months later, CSIS will move dirt.

The new $100-million headquarters, designed by Hickok Cole Architects, will be 9 stories, 130,000 sf, and should achieve LEED-Silver certification, with substantial help from a green roof. HITT Contracting is the general contractor on the project.

CSIS is moving from its current, 50-year location at 1800 K Street, NW, when the project completes in the fall of 2013. CSIS bought its new 15,400-sf property in the Golden Triangle in 2007, for what was reported to be just over $31 million. With the sale came the working PUD which was approved by the DC Office of Zoning in August of 2009.

CSIS's new home will be sandwiched between the Human Rights Campaign headquarters, and the University of California Washington Center building, which sits on the other half of the PUD site. The property fronts 230' of Rhode Island Ave and the new structure will take up virtually all - 99.5% - of the site, which once held the Gramercy Inn, but has been a parking lot for some time.

Update 9/28: According to a CSIS spokesperson, ground breaking has been pushed back to mid-October, or "worst case scenario November 1st," due to subcontractor liaisons affecting the sheeting and shoring portion of construction

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Cathedral Commons Delayed Until 2012

Redevelopment of the Wisconsin Avenue Giant, a project that has inspired both relief and resentment, and has suffered from numerous lawsuits by a small group of locals hoping to derail the mixed-use project, seems destined to maintain the status quo well into next year. Despite notice early this summer that the missing financial partner could be on board "any day now," the project still lacks the financial partner needed to move forward, and store employees now tell DCMud that the store will remain open through the end of the year, at least.

Developers have successfully fended off various lawsuits attempting to stop Cathedral Commons (some claims are still being pursued), but what the suits have failed to do seems to have been accomplished by the market, as timelines continue to slip with the absence of funding. Early predictions had the project well underway, if not complete by this time. In 2006 officials thought the project could take 4 years to complete, and at least one team member told DCMud in 2008 that construction would begin within a year. The team then scheduled an aborted "launch party" nearly one year ago. Early this summer vendors began clearing out, and knowledgeable parties to the transaction predicted movement was at last imminent. But the Giant remains operational, and this week officials at Stop & Shop, Giant's parent company, told store employees to expect to work into next year.

Parties now say the financial partner is still not official (and won't release names), and Sharon Robinson, a PR captain for Giant, confirmed, "There is not another financial partner in the development at this time." Robinson added that Giant aims to break ground "sometime after the first of the year." Robinson insists that the project has not been delayed. "The PUD is still valid and Giant is moving forward with plans to redevelop Friendship Shopping Center and filed plans for its building permits last week." No general contractor has been selected.

The project will add a new 56,000 s.f. grocery store, 85,000 s.f. of additional ground floor retail, 150 condos or apartments and over 500 parking spaces, and bring back the familiar neon Giant sign that graces the present supermarket.

Robinson added by email that, "The lawsuit challenging the authority of the Zoning Commission, which was filed by a small group of opponents, is moving through the judiciary process. Many neighbors continue to contact the development team expressing dismay at the lawsuit and asking how they might show support for the project." While that may be helpful, it seems that for now it is also not quite enough.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

NCPC Unveils Map of DC Memorials

Ever find yourself sitting home on a Friday, wishing you could remember where the memorial to Dante Alighieri was? Wonder no more. The National Capitol Planning Commission has the map for you. The NCPC production is an interactive map of each plot of land in Washington D.C. dedicated to a remembrance of events great, and well, not so great. Lincoln is on the map, to be sure, but so are 129 other lesser known memorials whose importance is often overlooked by tourists and teens looking for a site not often patrolled by the Park Service.

The map highlights such lesser known locations as the memorial to James Buchanan, for those wanting to pay tribute to the man that did little to stop the Civil War. Or, stop by the memorial to Discobolus, the "Gift of appreciation from Italy to U.S. honoring American efforts to return Italian sculpture (including the original Myron "Discobolus" statue) to Italy after it was seized by the Nazis." Possibly not as momentus as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but obviously worth a permanent commemoration.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Beltway's Tallest Building to Launch in October

Hoffman Management Inc. will soon build the tallest tower, within the capital beltway, in Alexandria's low-lying Eisenhower Valley East.

Hoffman recently awarded the general contractor position for its Hoffman Towers, a component of the expansive Hoffman Town Center, to Clark Construction Group. Clark is accepting bids from subcontractors through early September, and expects to begin construction on the residential towers in October.

The towers, designed by Davis Carter Scott, will consist of three high rise components - 33, 28 and 22 stories tall. The 33-story tower is 396' tall; a mere six feet taller than Monday Properties' 1812 North Moore St, which is currently under construction and set to deliver first quarter 2013. Yet the Hoffman Towers will rise up in a valley that is only 18' above sea level, whereas 1812 North Moore - a 390' tall, 35-story office building - might loom larger, as it sits on ground in Rosslyn that is near 100' above sea level.

When completed, the Hoffman Towers will contain 1,197 apartments (55 affordable) and offer 1,162 parking spaces, at block 11 and 12 of the Hoffman Town Center.

Block 11, closest to the beltway, will house a new 50,000-s.f. Harris Teeter; the grocer has a contract ensuring its occupancy in the building by December of 2013, when phase 1 of the project is set to deliver - a feasible timeline if construction is soon underway.

Construction of block 12, closest to Eisenhower Avenue, will coincide with the City's redevelopment of the Eisenhower Ave Metro station, and a new Metro Plaza - paid for by the development team - which will serve as a public gathering place of sorts, near 19,000 s.f. of new retail (in block 12) broken up into several spaces, including some 200-s.f. "retail pockets." The project is located across the street from AMC Hoffman cinemas, already the region's highest grossing theater.

The development site plan has not been approved or released by the City of Alexandria; the City is waiting on comments from one last reviewer, after which the plan - with notes of concerns to be addressed - will then go to the development team for agreement.

Alexandria, Virginia real estate development news

Douglas Picks Up Another Penn Quarter Site

Douglas Development has picked up another building, this time a club in the making. After letting many of its DC-area properties slide toward tax sale for lack of tax payments, Douglas has picked up the Equitable Building at 915 F Street, NW, a building that had been previously pushed as the Museum of Arts and Sciences (MoA&S), a place where nothing was as it seemed.

Douglas' plans for the building are unclear. Owners of the building, who paid $10m in a recent sale, gave in to Douglas' negotiating ability for a sale price of $5m. The building was planned for the MoA&S, which in fact would have been a large, 3-floor dance club serving alcohol late into the night.

Peter Andrulis, through The Equitable Place LLC, bought the property for $10 million in June of 2009, hoping to turn it into a hot spot for receptions, fund-raising events, and art shows (read: partying) in the Penn Quarter neighborhood.

There had been serious concern from residents that the business operating under the moniker "Museum" and purporting to act as an "educational" event space for curated art events, live performances, poetry readings, and the like, was a guise for a nightclub like Platinum to be reincarnated. The MoS&A was shut down after only a couple soft openings in late 2010, and prior to its planned 2011 New Year's Eve grand opening.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

If this place is still on the market by the time this post goes live, then the economy must be even worse than the politicians are pretending it is. A stone's throw from U Street, this carriage house is definitely one of the most unique places I've seen in the District, and at just 419K, buyers should be lining up like it's free cupcake day in Georgetown.

Completely renovated and with a private entry, this place is basically like a luxurious urban cabin. You walk in off Caroline Street into a wide living room with a beautiful peaked skylight and fireplace. Directly adjacent to that is the dining area and, down a short flight of stairs, a surprisingly large (though not “large”) kitchen with exposed brick and breakfast bar. The two bedrooms are full of light and the master bath features a dual sink vanity and a walk-in shower big enough for eight people (or one incredibly obese one.)

I mean, the place isn't huge, but it's not tiny, either. I would describe it as “just right.” I think houses are much like cars in that size is overrated – if you've ever had to parallel park or fill up the gas tank of an SUV, you know what I mean. It's the law of diminishing returns; there's nothing sadder than visiting your friends in their new huge house and seeing that a full third of it is basically empty. (“And this is the room where we keep our empty cardboard boxes.”) Really, the only reason you need a big house with tons of space is if you live with people that you can't stand. And shouldn't we, as adults, be past that sort of thing? (And will someone please tell that to my parents?)

1919 16th St NW #1
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath
$419,000

Washington D.C. real estate news