Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

As I walked up to this Chevy Chase home, set well back from the street and coyly obscured by a meticulously landscaped front yard, it almost looked like it was flirting with me. Accordingly, I sent some mixed signals its way (“Nice shrubbery. But everyone's got nice shrubbery these days.“) and then promptly went for entry. Success!

Inside, this house was deliriously sunny and roomy. Gleaming hardwood floors and arched doorways abound. There's a den off the living room with a massive wall of built-in shelving, and a fantastically large kitchen. Another really cool thing about this place was that it had three bedrooms, but each bedroom was on a different floor of the house. This would be awesome: you can't put too much space between bedrooms. There's literally no noise that isn't horrible to hear through a shared wall.

In back there's a large wooden deck that looks out on the neighborhood, perfect for breakfasts or cookouts or drinks with some friends in the evening. I once attended a party on just such a deck, when the host suddenly disappeared. We all shrugged and continued drinking, and since the host was gone, conversation naturally turned to him. After we'd all finished discussing his various merits and shortcomings, he emerged from his hiding place under the deck, where'd he'd gone to hear what we really thought of him. Needless to say, that was the end of the party. (The lesson, as always: ignorance is bliss.)

6339 31st Place NW
3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths
$729,000

West End Hilton Garden Inn Seeks Modifications This Week

This Thursday, the joint venture between Perseus Realty, Starwood Capital, and OTO Development, "PerStar M Street LLC," will visit the Zoning Commission with its request to modify the PUD zoning application for its West End hotel site, a now-empty parcel at 2201 M Street once occupied by the Nigerian Embassy. The 15,600-s.f. area is currently visualized by developers as a Hilton Garden Inn, a vision that replaces an earlier, sustainable, "eco-luxury" 1 Hotel.

The change in brand, from a 1 Hotel to a Garden Inn, comes with several zoning changes: a redesign of the exterior façades; an increase in the number of rooms, from 170 to 238; a minor increase in density, from 122,235 g.s.f to 124,564 g.s.f. (7.84 to 7.99 FAR); a small reduction in height by 3' to approximately 107'; and 11 additional parking spaces (increased from 42 to 53) in a valet-operated garage.

The Hilton Garden Inn, although not "eco-luxury," aims to become LEED-Silver certified; the Garden Inn is being designed by Shalom Baranes, who replaced the architect of the 1 Hotel, Oppenheim.

The neighborhood ANC was disappointed in the change from the 1 Hotel to a new plan and new flag; ANC 2A Chair, Rebecca Coder, emailed the following: "While the West End didn't need another hotel, the fact that the 1 was a unique concept made it palatable." Coder added that the ANC is hopeful that the concerns articulated by residents, related to the design and desire for unique retail, will be considered by developers.

The current version of the PUD, which accommodates the scrapped 1 Hotel plan for the site, was approved in June of 2008, and the buildings at 22nd and M Streets, NW – the Nigerian Embassy and Asia Nora – were razed in February of 2009 in anticipation of the project's start, which never happened.

In March of 2010, the PUD application was given a two-year time extension, due to "difficulties with financing based upon changes in economic and market conditions beyond the applicant's control;" a report by the Office of Planning in support of the time extension stated that Perseus Realty contacted 40-plus lenders unwilling to provide financing, citing the general decline in the hotel market and the negative growth in revenue generated by existing hotel rooms.

The construction extension requires that a building permit application be filed by June of 2012, however, from that time, a full year is given before construction must be underway – "no later than June 27th, 2013" – which means that although Robert Cohen, president of Perseus, said in August that the development team's goal is to begin construction in June of 2012, there is no pressure from the District to begin next year, and still another hurdle awaits – construction financing.

The Office of Zoning explained that the upcoming hearing, on Thursday the 27th, to review zoning request, may or may not result in proposed action by the Zoning Commission: "It’s possible that the Commission could take proposed action at the end of the hearing and then it would be referred to NCPC for a 30-day comment period before final action could be taken. If they don’t take proposed action at the end of the hearing, then the next step would be for it to be placed on one of the scheduled meeting agendas for decision."

In August, Neil Jacobs, president of SH Group, Starwood's luxury hotel brand management company, stated the reason for the brand change was that, "With a 1 Hotel we were limited in the number of rooms we could get onto the site. We didn't want to compromise the brand, and commercially [the Garden Inn] is a better choice."

OTO Development came on as a partner after the decision was made, in the fall of 2010, to desert the 1 Hotel in favor of a more affordable Garden Inn.

The Hilton Garden Inn will contain a 5,000-s.f. restaurant offering seasonal sidewalk seating, and if all goes well with the upcoming PUD change process, and ability to secure construction financing, developers aim to deliver the hotel and restaurant by the summer of 2014.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

Oh yeah – this one's a ridiculously nice loft-style space you could turn a bread truck around in. Very Soho-ish, but without all the models and celebrities walking around making you feel like a big sloppy sack o' mediocre. Super bright with high ceilings with fantastic Brazilian cherry floors, and an expansive living room area with fireplace. The chef's kitchen features a breakfast counter, granite countertops, SubZero and Wolf appliances, and Brookhaven cabinetry. (Before this place, I didn't think cabinetry was something that could be “awesome.” I was wrong.)




There are also two equally luxurious master suites, so if, like me, your relationship is a tentative union of two monstrously selfish uncompromising narcissists entered into mainly for tax reasons, this place will neatly head off the awkward “who gets the bigger bedroom?” discussion. (Though I do relish the “no, no, you take the bigger bedroom, you need the space for all of your stupid crap you don't need but won't get rid of because you have abandonment issues” maneuver. Passive-aggressiveness is my superpower.) And both master suites are truly masterful and sweet (wordplay!); each master bath has a shower bigger than my entire bathroom, and my bathroom isn't even that small.

It also comes with garage parking, and a storage unit, for all your stupid crap you don't need but won't get rid of because you have abandonment issues.

1701 18th Street NW #201 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths $1,125,000

OTO on a Roll with Hampton Inn in Golden Triangle

Hospitality developer OTO Development, the company striving to turn the neo-classical Editor's Building at 1729 H Street, NW, into a Hampton Inn, has been given the green light by the Office of Zoning this week. Corry Oakes, president and CEO of OTO Development – currently under contract to purchase the Editor's Building – said the next step for the Hampton Inn project is to seek approval for interior demolition. With the goal to have demolition underway before the end of the year, construction will likely begin in the first quarter of 2012, said Oakes. The office-turned-hotel renovation, designed by Bob Greenberg with Gordon & Greenberg Architects, will leave the exterior of the 10-story building intact and focus on inner alterations, including revamping an all-marble main lobby, and carving out 116 Hampton hotel rooms, a brand under the Hilton family empire. 

OTO asserts on its website that it will "take great efforts to retain the classic character of this building and to incorporate much of its history into [the] interior design." The sale of the building, owned and occupied by Kiplinger Washington Editor's Inc. for the last six decades, was brokered by Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P., and was initially projected to close this month, however, Dek Potts, a managing director at HFF, says the settlement will now take place in December. Oakes confirmed that OTO does not typically close on a property until it is ready to begin construction, and passing through the Board of Zoning Adjustment's review – allowing for a variance from off-street parking requirements – was a big step toward that goal. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Infill Lot Added Back to List of Planned Development for H Street

With plenty of attention lately on several big development projects planned for the H Street corridor, a small chunk of land on the south side of the 1100 block of H Street is easily skipped over, but the 5,456-s.f. lot sandwiched between Family Dollar and Me & My Supermarket is also being revitalized as new retail-and-residential space. 

Last fall, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced it had partnered with Wall Development in a $3.5-million effort to develop a mixed-use building on H Street, however, the approval of the land disposition agreement for the project by the D.C. Council didn't occur until this past July and the project timeline slipped about 6 to 7 months, explained Stan Wall, president of Wall Development. Now, with approval, Wall is gearing up again to deliver a 5-story, 16,000-s.f. residential building with 2,000-s.f. of ground floor retail, spanning 1113-1117 H Street, NE, by the summer of 2013. Constructed as a matter-of-right, the building will offer 16 one-bedroom residential units (registered as condominium, but could end up for sale or as rentals depending on market at delivery) with four set aside as "affordable," and is currently in the design phase; Wall presented the latest design for the project, by Square 134 Architects, to ANC6A last night. A general contractor has not been selected, as construction is still eight months away, but Wall hopes to have construction drawings complete by the first of next year, to have permits squared away by April, and to commence construction in June. If all goes well, the building will be ready for occupancy by August of 2013. Design and construction will have a sustainable focus and Wall plans to apply for LEED certification upon project completion. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

GW's New Science and Engineering Building Breaks Ground

Tomorrow night, a ground breaking ceremony will kick off three years of construction by Clark on the new $275-million, 400,000-s.f., 8-story Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) for George Washington University's Foggy Bottom campus. GW hopes the new facility will "strengthen the university’s reputation as a premier research institution."

Following a bolstered reputation will be the return of a portion of the building's costs in the form of future grants and contracts supporting faculty research, foresees the university. The rest of the $275 million will be generated through Boston Properties' Square 54 ground lease, as well as philanthropic gifts.

Over the summer, demolition of what was the university's parking garage took place on the site at 22nd and H Streets, NW. Removal of the demolished chunks of concrete will continue for a couple weeks, allowing sheeting, shoring and excavation work to be underway soon.

The building, the design work of Ballinger Architects and Hickok Cole, will rise 8 stories, and go down 6, with 2 stories of program space and 4 stories of parking below grade. The complex will be ready for occupancy — by five Science and Engineering departments and also four Columbian College of Arts and Sciences departments — in 2015.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

New York Ave: Site of DC's First Walmart?

The Walmart coming to Georgia Avenue, NW, may have been the first of the four forthcoming Walmarts with a lease, but the Walmart headed to the planned retail center "The Point @ The Arboretum" on New York Avenue, NE, now looks more likely to be the first Walmart in Washington DC to get built. Because the New York Avenue site is part of a Large Tract real estate development approved by the Office of Planning at the end of August, the entitlement process has passed DC's review – and risk of revision. This summer, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. expected the project to be underway by late fall of this year, however, the several-month-long permit approval process has not yet begun. Designed by Brown Craig Turner, and being developed by Rick Walker/WV Urban Development LLC, – the inaugural store location may depend on whether the Car Barn on Georgia Avenue is deemed historic by the HPRB next week, and if the Walmart construction timeline will be affected.

A construction timeline for The Point project has also been difficult to pin down. The businesses currently on site have been vacated, and Rick Walker stated that the development team has begun preparing plans in order to file for raze/building permits that will accommodate Walmart. Lowe's has also been interested in the site, but has not yet committed to a lease, and just yesterday, news came that Lowe's was deserting the 25th Street Station development in Baltimore, also by WV Urban Development, a $65-million project that also includes a Walmart, still on board. The back-out comes with bigger news of the closure of tens of Lowe's stores nationwide. The 14.8-acre New York Ave. site, a blunt-nosed triangle located north of Montana Avenue, and between New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road, will eventually hold 364,900 s.f. of buildings: three 1-story retail buildings, one 3-story retail building, two bank pads, the 126,200-s.f. Walmart, and either a 126,000-s.f. Lowe's or other big-box retailer. 

The site lacks good karma, however, having been the site of the ill-fated Abdo-Broadway housing complex abandoned last year. With permits still needed for The Point project, the Georgia Avenue Car Barn Walmart is further along in the process. Although a building permit (the most time consuming to secure) was issued to developer Foulger-Pratt on Monday, developers need a raze permit and a potential historic landmark status could stymie that process. Meanwhile, at least one big-box, discount retailer, Ross, is headed to Northeast, at the Hechinger Mall complex on Benning Road. Ross, taking over an existing retail location, will beat both Walmarts by a long stretch, as it opens next week. 

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Arlington Approves Penrose Park Contract

The Arlington County Board today voted to approve a construction contract to build a new public plaza at the recently opened Penrose Square on Arlington's Columbia Pike. The $1.6m contract had been expected, and will eventually lead to two other two other public squares on Columbia Pike as well.

Penrose Square park will include a tree-covered terrace, plaza with water feature, and pair of large stone sculptures, all sustainably designed to recapture and reuse water. The public plaza is expected to cost around $100,000 per year on operational costs, and complete by the fall of 2012. The county will spend $425,000 for the pair of sculptures that will be installed on the site next spring.

Designed by a twelve-member citizen Working Group and landscape architectural firm Oculus. The contract for construction was a sole-source bid.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

NoMa's 'Three Constitution Square' Underway

Add another project to the list for the NoMa BID: breaking ground yesterday morning was

StonebridgeCarras' 345,000-s.f. office building "Three Constitution Square" with 13,000 s.f. of ground floor retail. Like the developer's previous Constitution Square ventures, the building is being built completely on spec, neither office or retail space has been leased, confirms Doug Firstenberg, a founding principal of Stonebridge. The 12-story building, designed by HOK, will be complete by summer of 2013 with delivery to tenants possible the following fall, said Firstenberg, adding a simple endorsement: "It'll be a great building." Three Constitution Square at 175 N St, NE, is part of Phase II in the overall Constitution Square development, bounded by N Street to the north, M Street to the south, First Street to the west, and the red-line metro track to the east. 

Three Constitution Square will be adjacent to the Department of Justice and the New York Avenue metro stop, and across the street from the ATF.  Completed in the first phase of Constitution Square: two office buildings with ground floor retail occupied by GSA and DOJ, a Hilton Garden Inn, and "Flats 130," a 440-unit apartment with ground floor Harris Teeter. The other half of the second phase, underway now, is an apartment-and-retail building, which broke ground this spring. The third and final phase, also an office-and-retail building, is yet to come. StonebridgeCarras built phase 1 entirely on spec, but leased the entirety to GSA before selling it off. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

DC's Land Grab

Federally-owned property islands throughout Washington, D.C. puncture the District government's urban domain, often for obvious reasons, but in some places that seem without rationale for federal jurisdiction. Recent efforts by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development have begun to sew together some of the holes, parcel by parcel, adding more territory of the city. The Louisiana Purchase it is not, but a recent bill in the House of Representatives may transfer a cluster of lots from the Department of the Interior to the District. The lots are:

1) Square 336, Lot 828, the site of the Shaw Junior High School recreational fields, valued at $14,689,890.00 as of 2009 (all property values according to the DC Citizen Atlas)

2) Square 542, Lot 85, the site of the Southwest Library, valued at $15,318,280.00 as of 2008,

3) Square 2864, lot 830, the site of Meyer Elementary School (across from Howard University), valued at $13,378,420,

4) Reservation 277-A, a small traffic island at Florida Ave. and North Capitol St.

5) Square 2558, Lot 803, part of the Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center, valued at $519,570, and

6) Square 2558, Lot 810, part of the Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center, valued at $4,758,510.

Shaw Junior High Rec Fields

As part of an effort to consolidate administrative rights on land within the District's jurisdiction, Congresswoman Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill (H.R. 5494) to the House of Representatives on June 9th. The bill mandated that the Director of the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior transfer six properties to the District of Columbia, gratis.

Southwest Library

Valerie Santos, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Business Development sat on the panel that addressed the subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on June 24th, testifying in favor of the transfer of the parcels to the District. While Santos advocated for the transfer, her office explained the rationale:

Meyer Elementary School

"There are no defined uses identified at this point in time. The parcels in question were aggregated through a variety of means. In some cases, the transfer was borne out of community-based discussions on possible future alternatives for these properties. In other cases, the parcels were selected by virtue of the existing uses on the site and the possibility of future co-locations at some educational campuses," said Jose Sousa in the Deputy Mayor's office.

Florida Avenue

The two Department of Interior parcels present a pertinent example of how one building - the Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center - constructed over multiple parcels, sits on both Federal- and District-administered land. The Deputy Mayor's office reports that while there have not been any problems with the administration of the building as is, "complete site control guards against the possibility of any difficulties in the future." There are no plans to redevelop this site. The Shaw Junior High School Recreation fields and Meyer Elementary School are unoccupied, and the intersection of Florida Ave. and North Capitol St. is a traffic island. This intersection is slated as a mixed-use zone under the District's 2006 Future Land Uses map. The city shut down the Meyer Elementary School because of persistent poor performance and violent crime on the premises.

Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center

"This administration is committed to the re-activation of fallow sites across the District. Our office will work with the communities in which these parcels are located to determine what possible uses are best suited to the sites. Similarly, we will continue to evaluate whether there are other parcels in the Federal inventory that would benefit the District in the same fashion," said Sousa. On a large-scale perspective, he compared the city's efforts to redevelop these parcels to the Hill East Project, another federal acquisition, which began the master planning process in 2002 with the intent of better connecting DC to the Anacostia waterfront through a mix of uses. Time will tell if that means new developments on any of the city's newfound property.

Washington DC real estate development news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

Imagine my surprise when I showed up to tour a house and realized that I was walking towards a mansion. I mean, I don't know what the technical definition of 'mansion' is, but this has got to meet it. A huge four-level house on a hill with five bedrooms and 6.5 baths? This could be that elusive holy grail of family homes – the one that's so big you never have to see any of your family members again. For god's sake, sign me up!

Where to start? The exterior is beautifully shingled, something you don't see all that often. I was definitely won over by the texture. Inside, the place is incredibly roomy. The great room (and it is great) seems to go on forever, and has coffered ceilings, and a beautiful fireplace. The open floor plan gives the house a real feeling of space and flow; if some psychopath broke in and came after you with a scythe, you could probably elude him forever just by running in circles through all the ground floor rooms, like some weird vaudeville routine accompanied by kazoo music.


The chef's kitchen sports a marble-topped island larger than my parking space, as well as the holy trinity of granite countertops, recessed lighting, and stainless steel appliances. Out back is a lovely landscaped courtyard, and there's a fully-finished basement downstairs and the aforementioned five bedrooms, 6.5 baths upstairs. I mean, this place is so big that I literally got tired out from walking through the whole thing. Though this might be a reflection of my fitness level too. True story: I had a bunch of writing projects due last week and I sat in my chair for so many hours consecutively that when I finally stood up, I threw my back out. I'm like a thirty-year-old senior citizen!

2989 Arizona Avenue NW 5 Bedrooms, 6.5 Baths $2,290,000

The Gamut of Organic Glam: Inside N. Bethesda Market

By Beth Herman

Winning the recent National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) National Pillars Award for Multi-Family Interior Merchandising, designers Carlyn Guarnieri and JoAnn McInnis of Carlyn & Company spent years in an unwitting fits and starts execution of the mixed-use North Bethesda Market, 11351 Woodglen Drive.

Commissioned with interior architecture and design for all of the Market’s residential amenities and common areas in the high-and mid-rise buildings, the resulting design accommodated a cost revision process that went through numerous economy-dictated iterations.

“The challenge was to make sure the job retained some integrity with the budget we were handed after it was value engineered to within inches of its life,” McInnis quipped, citing the project’s original start date in 2007 vis-à-vis a capricious economy. The other challenge was to aesthetically knit together two structures, which share amenities, and which was ultimately achieved with a kindred color palette and textures. The design approach that characterized the two interiors was affectionately labeled “organic glam” by Guarnieri and McInnis, defined by earthy but elegant components.

“We knew there was going to be a Whole Foods (retail anchor) in the North Bethesda Market community,” said Guarnieri. “In a very subtle but sophisticated way, we wanted to pick up some of the (store’s) natural textures and colors, with the idea to create a dramatic presence in the residential spaces of this high profile project.”

Beginning with a 1,370 s.f. high-rise lobby, the designers were challenged as much by the ovoid shape of the space as its exceedingly high ceilings. Several marble-clad columns were added around an existing structural column to create a rhythm that just made the space feel right, and cove-like detailing and lighting and an undulating ceiling form offset the space’s height. Floor tiles are a combination of neutral stone and porcelain—also seen in the tower’s 15^th floor 1,570-s.f. fitness center. 

A wall behind the concierge desk has a custom plaster detail with undulating waves that complement the ceiling piece, a motif continued in the club area of the mid rise building to help tie the two structures together.

Behind the high-rise lobby seating area, a taupe metallic back-painted wall flanks a giant giraffe graphic that, according to Guarnieri and McInnis, was not intended to trumpet the fact that at 24 stories, the building is the tallest in Montgomery County (though it’s OK to presume so!). “We also put some very unusual furniture in there,” Guarnieri said, referencing a natural woven Hyacinth Reed art bench in front of the giraffe image in limited edition: only three are currently in existence. “The pieces of furniture overall had to have a very sculptural look to them because the space had so much volume—with kind of a stark look to it, though not severe,” Guarnieri said.

Fabric, flow and fun

In the four-story mid-rise building, a mohair lobby banquette received a tufted fabric panel on the wall behind it. Comprised of textured one-inch marble squares of varying depth, with a stainless steel reveal, the wall itself adds dimension to a quiet space in neutral hues. Surrounding chairs are linen with metallic, and a fluid oval coffee table is stone with a stainless steel base. In a cost-saving measure, the wood column isn’t millwork but rather drywall with a wood vinyl wall covering.

Upstairs, “drama and flow” were achieved in a 1,000 s.f. club room area with bar and pool table, some of which wrapped around a pool deck, with few windows and low ceilings which prescribed another design challenge. Manifested in drywall, paint and red oak plus walnut flooring, a bright design element was teased over the bar, down the back wall and then through the floor. A long white acrylic horizontal strip with a silky texture to it—and which is backlit—completes the design and illuminates the bar area beneath two flat screen TV’s. The front of the bar is corrugated stainless steel colored laminate, with a brown IceStone (recycled glass) countertop. Recessed and simple pendant lighting gives warmth and dignity to the area, and cozy, distinct, modular seating groups in earth tones, some of which contain leather upholstered boomerang chairs, provide comfort and intimacy. The chairs and some retro art lend a fun, edgy quality to the space.

“We definitely tried to use green materials from the beginning,” McInnis said, reaffirming the challenge to create warm, prominent spaces in light of evolving economic parameters.

“In the end, the design is very approachable and comfortable,” Guarnieri affirmed. “We have great shapes, great forms and great drama.”

Photos courtesy of Alan Goldstein

Riverfront Area South of the Ballpark: Out With the Old, Nothing New Until 2013

Just south of the Nationals stadium, one of the last remnants of the area's industrial past will soon fall, making way for 1.1 million s.f. of residential, office, retail and public access to the riverfront. Despite the progress, the wait time for new apartments, condos, restaurants, shops and water features continues to increase, with construction likely pushed back to 2013, at least.

The development team behind the long imagined mixed-use RiverFront on the Anacostia, located along the unit block of Potomac Avenue, SE, in the Capitol Riverfront area, asserts that the project is moving forward, albeit slowly due to the decision to deliver a residential building in the first phase, and not office space, as the PUD currently allows.

David deVilliers, president of Florida Rock Properties, the project developer and wholly owned subsidiary of land owner Patriot Transportation Holding Inc., confirmed that the first phase switch - announced this summer - is still being pursued, and that an informal process is currently ongoing in order to prepare a formal filing with the Office of Zoning to rezone the PUD in the "next 30 to 60 days."

deVilliers said he hopes Zoning will be "quick" to approve the request, but he is realistic about the time required to pursue the market-driven change. After approval, if granted, construction drawings will take approximately 9 months, followed by the several-month-long permitting process, resulting in construction likely to begin in 2013.

Meanwhile, the defunct concrete plant - Florida Rock - currently on site will be razed in the coming months. Activity at the plant wound down in mid-September, and a raze permit was issued last week, allowing demolition to begin, to be followed by environmental remediation.

In the year-long interim, the site could be used for something, but just what remains to be seen. Ted Skirbunt with the Capitol Riverfront BID acknowledged that while there probably won’t be any use before next summer, the BID has, and continues, to discuss potential uses with MRP and FRP.

Coinciding with the July announcement of the rezoning pursuit, was disclosure that local Midatlantic Realty Partners LLC, (MRP), founded by Fred Rothmeijer, came on board to partner with Florida Rock Properties on the stalled development, bringing with it $4.5 million in capital. Due to previous difficulty securing financing for the project - conception of which dates back to the '90s - the PUD was given a two-year time extension in 2009.

deVillers added that the partnership with MRP, under the leadership of Rothmiejer, is going well and the team is "fully engaged" in the project and committed to moving forward with the rezoning process, soon.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Buildings Gone on Wilson Boulevard, Construction "By November"

Zom Inc., developer of USAA Real Estate's transit-oriented residential and retail project at 1900/1916 Wilson Boulevard, asserted in July that construction would be underway "this fall;" and today, Graham Hatcher, VP of construction for Zom again stood behind a November start date, adding that general contractors are bidding on the project this week.

Both buildings previously on site - Hollywood Video and an office - have been razed in anticipation of new construction; however, according to Arlington County Inspection Services, two building permits applied for by Zom, in July and September, are trudging through inspection and zoning reviews, with one permit ready to be picked up by the developer, revised and resubmitted, and the other awaiting review by zoning before it will be released back to the development team.

The design, by Torti Gallas and Partners, was approved by the County last year, with only a few minor changes taking place in the schematics since that time, explains Michael Parker, project manager and Torti Gallas architect.

For one, the residential entryway was relocated further down Clarendon Boulevard, where it could have 20' high ceilings, combating digs by Country reviewers that the initial entryway location (at the corner of Troy and Clarendon) was "cavelike." Additionally, Juliet balconies were added to 33 residential units along Troy, Clarendon and Wilson Boulevard to "add texture to the building." Lastly, a darker red brick was introduced to frame main elements of the building and residential bays along Wilson, a change that created more of a warehouse feel.

Parker also notes how the design came together after a relatively minor land acquisition, by USAA, of an approximately 20,000-s.f. surface parking lot owned by property neighbor NSTA. With the extra land on the eastern edge of the property, the building design could be reconfigured from an initial "pan-handle scheme" into the "W" formation shown above, allowing for two courtyards (versus one) and an extra dozen or so apartment units.

With 191 apartment units in all, the units range from a 450-s.f. studio to 1400-plus-s.f. 3-bedroom layout. The building is 230,000 s.f. above grade, and will rise 5 stories, as is allowed in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor plan which affects land along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards, although the land was zoned to allowed for 16 stories. There is ample parking on site, 256 spaces will be included below grade (18 more than is required by the County).

As for retail to enliven the Corridor, 17,500 s.f. of street-front retail will be divided into several storefront spaces: one on the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Troy Street, one on the corner of Troy and Clarendon, and three further down Clarendon Boulevard; if any retail space has been claimed, Zom wasn't ready to announce it.

With County approval, owner USAA, who bought the property/project from Zom in 2010, will also be required to create a public park worth $100,000 on a triangle swath of land nearby.

Also located nearby in the Court House district, is the future Tellus, a planned 16-story, 254-unit apartment building, expected to break ground next spring; in order to move forward, developer Erkiletian partnered with Jefferson Apartment Group.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

Forest City to Begin Construction of 225 Apartments, Harris Teeter in Southeast

With a building permit to construct the next component of the Yards in hand, Forest City says construction of the Harris Teeter and new apartment building is less than two months away. Permits were issued a month ago, and Forest City's Gary McManus confirms that "[e]xcavation [at Parcel D] will commence within the next 60 days... construction will be underway on that site prior to the end of this year."

Currently, Forest City is focused on phase one (of three) of its 42-acre Yards development in Southeast, D.C. With the first-phase Riverfront Park and Foundry Lofts already completed, and the Boilermaker Shops underway, the developer now turns to construction of Parcel D: a 225-unit apartment with a 50,000-s.f. Harris Teeter, 30,000-s.f. Vida fitness center, and 30,000-s.f. of additional retail space.

Parcel D's site runs along the east side of 4th Street, between Tingey and M Street. The project, under general contractor Skanska, aims for late 2013 completion.

Designed by Shalom Baranes, the site includes two buildings that will appear as having three distinct components: two residential towers (one above the Harris Teeter on 4th Street), and a shorter retail and fitness center building on the southernmost section of the lot (as seen above).

Directly across from Parcel D's retail building is the 2-story Boilermaker Shops (Parcel K) which includes 34,500 s.f. of retail with 12,000 s.f. of office space above, expected to deliver in the fall of 2012.

Rounding out phase one of the development are parcels E and N, both still in the design phase.

Along with Forest City's summer announcement that the Harris Teeter was a done deal at Parcel D, the developer revealed that two concepts - one being an artisan brew pub - will be crafted by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group for the Boilermaker Shops. NRG's concepts will share a roof with Buzz Bakery, Huey's 24/7 Diner, Austin Grill Express, brb (be right burger) and Willie’s Brew & ‘cue by Xavier Cervera, who is also remaking the Hawk 'n' Dove on Capitol Hill, and opening a pizzeria with raw bar in Southeast's Canal Park.

Also nearing completion in Southeast is a one-mile stretch of river-walk trail linking Yards Park and Diamond Teague Park & Piers. According to Ted Skirbunt with the Capitol Riverfront BID, the completion - next month - of this connection will create enhanced public access and enjoyment of the Southeast riverfront.

Washington D.C. real estate development news