JBG Smith Readies Another Apartment Building in Woodmont Triangle

Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle may be small in size (15 city blocks, give or take), but it continues to be one of the DC region's most active construction sites, delivering up some of the highest density in the region.  The latest of the projects is JBG Smith's apartment building, a 322-unit apartment building with retail, including an Orange Theory Fitness, along Wisconsin Avenue.

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Of course the world has changed since the start of the project, and design of the 420,000 s.f. building was revised from including originally approved 450 apartments down to 322 units, increasing the unit size and maintaining the same building envelope.  JBG declined to comment on the change.  15% of the units will be subsidized as required by the county.  Designed by NYC-based FX Collaborative, the building parallels Wisconsin Avenue with a staggered glass panel design, saving its more attractive curvilinear brick exterior to face Woodmont Avenue.  The 17 story project is expected to complete late this year, and will be joined shortly thereafter by the Marriott headquarters and hotel one block to the south.

Project:  7900 Wisconsin Avenue

Renderings: Libovich

Developer:  JBG Smith

Architect:  FX Collaborative

Construction: Plaza Construction

Use:  322 apartments, 20,000 s.f. of retail

Expected Completion:  Late 2020

Bethesda commercial real estate news

Phased Out - Monroe Street Market

The final piece of the Monroe Street Market - Catholic University's transformative development connecting the University with the Brookland neighborhood - is nearing completion of its final phase.  Chicago based Pritzker Realty Group (founders of Hyatt Hotels), one of the sponsors of the project since it first broke ground in November of 2011, is finishing up the final phase, expected to add 156 apartments to Monroe Street by this fall. 

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The entire project was spearheaded by Catholic University, which had the vision of replacing three of its outdated dorms on the south side of campus with a more integrated community combining retail and housing, with a better connection to Brookland's own retail center.  Catholic transferred the land, without city subsidy, to a development team chosen for its vision of a college main street.  The first building was completed in 2014, and over the last 6 years added Catholic's book store, 27 artist studios, 700 residential units, and 80,000 s.f. of retail over 5 blocks along Monroe Street, including retailers Busboys & Poets, Chipotle, and Starbucks.  Maurice Walters designed the buildings, the last of which is dubbed the Everton, while Torti Gallas was responsible for architecture and master planning throughout the project.  Bozzuto was the general contractor and will manage the building's leasing.  The Everton is expected to be ready for occupancy in a few months.

Project:  Monroe Street Market

Address:  701 Monroe Street, NE, Washington DC 

Developer:  Pritzker Realty Group

Architect:  Torti Gallas, Maurice Walters

Interior Designer: RD Jones

Construction: Bozzuto Construction

Use:  156 apartments, 15,600 s.f. of retail

Expected Completion:  Fall 2020

Washington DC retail and commercial property news

Noma - Eckington Part II

While construction nears completion across the street on nearly 700 residential units and 80,000 s.f. of retail, Foulger Pratt is adding its own contribution to the development of real estate straddling the once-forgotten border of the Noma and Eckington neighborhoods.  The Potomac based developer broke ground in May of 2019 on a project to build 327 apartments and retail space on a 1.8 acre site overlooking Noma's largest park.  The building, dubbed One 501 (see address for explanation), and the park were part of a land sale from Pepco, which sold the 2-acre park site to a foundation for $14m and the adjacent parcel to Foulger Pratt for $12.6m (query this: shouldn't our utility rates have gone down?).  Foulger Pratt then kicked back an additional half acre to the foundation, and a park was born (click on map for location).

Torti Gallas crafted the building's design, built by Foulger Pratt's in-house team, leasing is expected to start in April of next year, no retail leases have been signed just yet.  In addition to overlooking the park, the building sits astride the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which puts it an easy two-ish block walk to the Noma Metro station, which also puts it a reasonably short walk to Union Market. And with views from its roof over the nearby U.S. Capitol, a park at your doorstep, and JBG's mega project across the street, there's really not much reason to go much farther.

Project:  One501

Developer:  Foulger Pratt

Architect:  Torti Gallas

Construction: Foulger Pratt

Interior Design:  MSA Interiors

Use:  Apartment building with 327 units

Expected Completion:  April 2021

Washington DC commercial property and retail news

The Noma Building Boom Continues

Call it Eckington or call it Noma (it sits conveniently just inside the Noma BID boundary, on Eckington Place), the superblock just north of the FedEx Center may not be on your commuting route (is anyone commuting?), but it will soon be the starting point for more than a thousand residents as several real estate projects come online later this year.  In one section, Grosvenor will be delivering 45 two-story townhouses, but that pales next to JBG's project (a remnant of the Chevy Chase company that did not merge into JBG Smith), which adds 457 apartments and 179 condos, as well as up to 80,000 s.f. of retail, nearly one million square feet in total.

The 4-building complex, designed by architect Eric Colbert & Associates, will divide the block with a woonerf, a crafty Dutch architectural landscape term (don't scoff, they did give us Manhattan) for a wide street that can accommodate cars (slowly) but is designed for pedestrians.  That adds to the 603 units that JBG completed recently next door.  JBG originally partnered with Boundary Companies, which was bought out by developer LCOR in early 2018.  As for the retail, JBG is still seeking retailers, but has signed Union Kitchen to open a market, and Brooklyn Boulders to build a climbing gym.  And across the street sits yet another project in the works, 327 residential units coming early next year.  The whole project sits feet from the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and across the tracks from Union Market, one of the few sections of the city undergoing even more construction.

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Project:  Eckington Place

Developer:  JBG, LCOR, Grosvenor

Architect:  Eric Colbert & Associates, KTGY

Construction:  CBG

Use:  179 subsidized apartments

Expected Completion:  Late 2020

Washington DC retail and real estate news

DC General Meets the Wrecking Ball

  Its been a long time coming, but demolition is finally underway for the beleaguered DC General Hospital.  Several of the 6 buildings that make up the hospital complex are meeting the wrecking ball this week as DC prepares for redevelopment of the entire site.  The complex, which operated as a hospital since 1846, was closed in 2001, and operated as a homeless shelter for families from 2002 until 2018, giving way to Mayor Bowser's plan to operate homeless shelters in all 8 wards.  Demolition of the structure took place in phases, beginning in the autumn of 2018, the final building is scheduled to be demolished later this year.

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In its place, the city has planned for a large, mixed-use complex dubbed Hill East, a 67-acre section of real estate bordering the Anacostia River.  While redevelopment plans go back much further, the city issued an RFEI in May of 2008 and announced finalists that November.  Donatelli Development and Blue Skye Development, which won the bidding process, broke ground on Reservation 13, the first phase of the project, in April of 2018.  The land at Reservation 13 will ultimately add nearly 400,000 s.f. of residential and retail space.  GTM Architects will design the buildings, Bradley Site Design is the landscape architect.

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Washington DC retail and real estate news