WASHINGTON, DC | Development News

[202_Cyclist]

Four-star hotel by Carr Hospitality coming to Southwest Waterfront


The proposed hotel for the planned $2 billion redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront would overlook the Washington Channel. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

By Jonathan O'Connell
October 2, 2011

"The team behind the Willard Hotel — Carr Hospitality and InterContinental Hotels Group — plans to build a four-star, 268-room hotel as part of a massive overhaul of the District’s Southwest Waterfront.

Carr is in final negotiations to purchase the site, near the intersection of 9th and Water streets SW, from the waterfront's developers, PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette. Hoffman-Madison and the District government plan to begin in late 2012 a $2 billion redevelopment of the area into a mixed-use neighborhood called The Wharf..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...lFL_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Feds reviewing use of old heating plant


By BRADY HOLT
Georgetown Current
10/5/2011

"For more than a decade, the U.S. government’s West Heating Plant facility in Georgetown has sat practically vacant — retained as a backup to another
federal plant in Southwest but never called upon for that service.

To neighbors, the six-story building and its adjacent concrete yard are at best an unrealized opportunity for the area around 29th and K streets, next to the
Whitehurst Freeway and Rock Creek, and at worst a downright eyesore.

The U.S. General Services Administration is reviewing whether the federal government still needs a spare heating plant in a neighborhood that has largely shed its industrial past, according to agency spokesperson William Marshall..."

http://www.currentnewspapers.com/adm....05.11%201.pdf

[202_Cyclist]

The Georgetown Metropolitan blog also has a post about the proposal for the federal government to sell the heating building in Georgetown. This is a beautiful buildings and would make excellent condos in one of the most expensive areas of the Washington region. This, combined with the proposals to build condos at the site of the current Exxon station and at the Verizon lot on Wisconsin Avenue can bring more residents to the neighborhood, helping to support local retail that has seen several closings in recent months.

West Heating Plant Conversion Could Be Huge Opportunity
http://georgetownmetropolitan.com/20...ity/#more-9898

[202_Cyclist]

JBG plans to start Rosslyn tower next year



A rendering of JBG's Central Place project above the Rosslyn Metro station. At 390 feet, it would be one of the highest structures in the Washington area. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

By Jonathan O'Connell
October 9, 2011

"The battle between developers of two of Washington’s biggest office projects is about to begin in earnest.

The JBG Cos. plan to begin building a 533,000-square-foot office tower atop the Rosslyn Metro station in the second quarter of 2012, according to Brian P. Coulter, a JBG managing partner..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...fYL_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

A bit of unfortunate news on the smart growth front. Akridge announced that it is selling its 5220 Wisconsin Avenue property to PEPCO. This would have been a very attractive mixed-use development only a one to two minute walk from the Friendship Heights metro station but extremist NIMBY opposition derailed the project.

Here's a link with a rendering: http://www.5220wisconsin.com/

[202_Cyclist]

My preference would be a smaller 15,000 - 20,000 seat stadium for DC United games and perhaps concerts and other events and develop the land around the RFK metro station into mixed use residential and retail. The Hill is one of DC's best neighborhoods and there are already some plans for development around Potomac Avenue. This should be a great location only a few metro stops from L'Enfant Plaza and the Hill. Whatever is built here should also incorporate access to the Anacostia river and continue with DC's progress with restoring its waterfronts.

RFK stadium turns 50. Experts ponder what happens to it during the next 50


Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post - RFK Stadium as seen looking west from East Capitol Street.

By Jonathan O’Connell
Washington Post
October 9, 2011

"As Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium turns 50 years old, much of the focus has been on the building’s past. The District and its promotional wing, Events D.C., have even started a campaign of events to commemorate RFK’s days gone by.

What about the future?

RFK is home to D.C. United soccer and hosts two annual college football games, but its propects otherwise are thin. The 190-acre property offers thousands of of parking spaces, access to Metro, views of the Anacostia River and proximity to Capitol Hill. But it is also bound by federal legislation that allows the District to lease the property from the federal government. And symbolically RFK has been more than a stadium since 1968, when it was renamed for Robert F. Kennedy after he was assassinated..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...fYL_story.html

[babybackribs2314]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

JBG plans to start Rosslyn tower next year



A rendering of JBG's Central Place project above the Rosslyn Metro station. At 390 feet, it would be one of the highest structures in the Washington area. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

By Jonathan O'Connell
October 9, 2011

"The battle between developers of two of Washington’s biggest office projects is about to begin in earnest.

The JBG Cos. plan to begin building a 533,000-square-foot office tower atop the Rosslyn Metro station in the second quarter of 2012, according to Brian P. Coulter, a JBG managing partner..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...fYL_story.html

Fantastic news re: Rosslyn.

Will be great to see an armada of cranes on the skyline once more, although (amazingly--given how slow things were previously) the action in Tysons is going to dwarf anything else in the region within a year.

It's annoying that Rosslyn has the 400' height limit but at the same time the height restriction has allowed the skyline to fill out very nicely over the past three decades. There aren't many sites left in Rosslyn either, so the limit will push development into other areas (especially as rents in Rosslyn continue to rise), which is very good for the other Orange Line/future Silver Line nodes.

[202_Cyclist]

DC Mud notes that Forest City plans to begin construction soon on a mixed-use 225 unit apartment, with a Harris Teeter market and an upscale gym. This is direcly next to the US DOT headquarters and near the Yards waterfront park and Boilermaker shops.

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


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/10/fo...uction-of.html

[202_Cyclist]

Jair Lynch plans apartments, retail for lifeless section of H Street


Amanda Voisard/The Washington Post - H Street in Northeast Washington.

By Jonathan O'Connell
October 16, 2011
Washington Post

"District developer Jair Lynch plans to build 240 apartments on H Street Northeast, as interest grows in the corridor slated to get streetcar service in 2013.

Last month, Jair Lynch Partners bought three brick office buildings on the south side of H Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets, for $51.5 million. The properties had been owned by a company affiliated with the Camaliers, a local real estate family. It bought the properties for about $42 million in 2005, but never began redevelopment..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...9oL_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

The blog, DC Urban Turf, compiled a list of the residential developments either planned or under construction along H Street. There are nearly 1400 units planned.

The (Many) Residential Developments on Tap For H Street
http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...velopment/4374

[202_Cyclist]

I took these photos with my phone yesterday of the massive City Center (http://www.citycenterdc.com/) development at the site of the former DC convention center.

[202_Cyclist]

DC Mud has a post about a new infill development proposed for the H Street corridor. This would have 16 residential units and a small amount of ground-floor retail.

Infill Lot Added Back to List of Planned Development for H Street
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/10/in...o-list-of.html

[turigamot]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I took these photos with my phone yesterday of the massive City Center

I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like. I've grown quite tired of the glass, glass, glass structures popping up all over (I wish more old-style masonry stuff were getting built), but I make an exception here. That project really appeals to me visually for some reason. Maybe it's the fact that it looks like a bunch of clear lego-blocks stacked on top of eachother.

[202_Cyclist]

With three significant developments (American U. campus plan, Babe's Billiards, and development of a new mixed-use Safeway) either proposed proposed or working their way through the land-use approval process for Tenley, the City Paper wrote this short article about Ward 3 Vision (http://www.ward3vision.org/anx/). Ward 3 Vision is an all-volunteer group that supports transit-oriented development, walkable neighborhoods, and sustainable transportation in Ward 3 of DC (i.e. Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues). This support is much appreciated, as there is a group of maybe ten virulent NIMBYs in Tenley that would rather keep the fast-food restaurants and vacant storefronts than build anything taller than two stories tall.

YIMBYs Reemerge in Ward 3


Posted by Lydia DePillis
Oct. 20, 2011

"You know the real estate economy is back when groups that used to organize around new developments and subsequently went quiet—given that there were no viable projects to argue about anymore—start to come out of hibernation. Case in point: Ward3Vision, the "Yes-In-My-Back-Yard" smart growth advocacy group that formed back in 2005 to counter the strident upper Northwesters who oppose large buildings around Metro stations and more restrictions on parking..."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...ges-in-ward-3/

[202_Cyclist]

Speaking of Tenley, this email was sent on the Tenley listserve yesterday regarding the proposed redevelopment of the Tenley Safeway. Safeway wants to build new condos and townhomes, as well as a new store, on its large surface parking lot. This is exactly where new residential development should be located, as this site is just off of Wisconsin Avenue and is less than a ten minute walk from two separate metro stations.

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Clark Realty Capital is working with Safeway to design and deliver an exciting new mixed-use development at the location of the existing Safeway store in the Tenleytown neighborhood. The development will include rental apartments atop a new and improved Safeway grocery store. As we begin the planning process, we invite you to join us for a brief discussion to meet our team, learn about the development issues, and share your thoughts and concerns.

Tenleytown Safeway Development
Community Workshop
Thursday October 27, 2011
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
St. Mary's Church Community Hall
42nd and Fessenden Streets, NW
RSVP to TenleytownWorkshop@ClarkRealty.com

[202_Cyclist]

Here are a couple of photos i took of the Jefferson 14 building under construction on the 14th Street corridor, across the street from the building where Busboys & Poets is located and at the site of the former YMCA. The building will have 231 residential units and will include a new YMCA.





Here's a link to the developer's website for more information:
http://jeffersonapartmentgroup.com/p.../jefferson-14/

[202_Cyclist]

It is definitely boom times here in the Washington area. In addition to the massive CityCenter development (with the photos I posted the other day), there is construction underway up and down the 14th and U Street corridors, H Street, and by the Navy Yard/National stadium--- and this is just in the District.

Can a Texas developer and Qatar investment make D.C.’s CityCenter a success?

By Steven Pearlstein
October 22, 2011

"Across most of the country, commercial real estate development has pretty much come to a halt. After a decade of debt-fueled overbuilding, there are too many hotels and too much retail space. With the economy generating precious few jobs, there isn’t much need for new office space, either. Debt financing has all but dried up.


In a rendering of CityCenter, the interior courtyard of the residential part of the project can be seen — two condo buildings on one side, two apartment buildings on the other, with restaurants on the ground floor facing the plaza. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

But if you wander down to Mount Vernon Square in the heart of Washington and look in almost any direction, you’ll see a new center city under construction — several billion dollars worth of it..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/can-a-...i6L_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

DC Urban Turf has a post about another proposed infill development on the 14th Street corridor. There certainly is a lot of activity on 14th Street these days.

New Five-Unit Condo Project Planned for 14th Street
http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...th_street/4450


Image courtesy of DC Urban Turf.

[babybackribs2314]

Important tidbit from the WaPo article: 7,000 units are now under construction in downtown DC. The signs are all there that the District's population may approach the 700,000 range by the 2020 Census. Just a phenomenal amount of growth!

[202_Cyclist]

babybackribs2314:

Important tidbit from the WaPo article: 7,000 units are now under construction in downtown DC. The signs are all there that the District's population may approach the 700,000 range by the 2020 Census. Just a phenomenal amount of growth!

One million new jobs seems a bit optimistic even for the DC area, considering most economists predict sluggish job growth for the next 5-7 years. That said, know that growth is coming over the next couple of decades and we have a pretty clear choice of whether to build in areas like Gathersburg where everyone will require a car or to build next to our multibillion-dollar investment in metro-rail and create more walkable communities.

Report: Area to add 1 million jobs by 2030

By: Liz Essley
10/27/11
Washington Examiner

"The Washington metropolitan area could have nearly three times the number of commuters on the road by 2030 if it doesn't figure out a way to house 1 million or more new workers close to their jobs, according to a study released Thursday by George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis.

The housing report looked at predicted job growth for the region -- 1 million new jobs between 2010 and 2030 and an additional 1.8 million workers to replace retirees -- and showed that local governments will need to change the ways they now deal with housing.

"We need to think about housing as part of a larger economic development strategy," said Lisa Sturtevant, a co-author of the report. "Many localities are proactive in seeking big companies to come to their county, such as SAIC, Hilton, etc. But part of their strategy needs to be that the workers who take those jobs need somewhere to live..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...lion-jobs-2030