WASHINGTON, DC | Development News

[202_Cyclist]

111-Unit Residential Project at Meridian International Center Seeks Zoning Approval

December 15, 2017
by Nena Perry-Brown
Urban Turf


New rendering as seen from 16th and Crescent Place (Image courtesy of Urban Turf).

"After more than two years of planning and striving to achieve a design and massing more compatible with the Meridian Hill Historic District, the Meridian International Center (MIC) was granted concept approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board this June for a new building on their site..."

https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/bl...building/13377

[ITB495]

One of the major areas of development in DC in recent years has been the Capital Riverfront/Navy Yard district just south of Capitol Hill. Some call the area "Near Southeast." Before the area became a development hotspot, it was largely a forgotten corner of the city, consisting mainly of auto repair shops and edgy nightclubs that weren't really welcome elsewhere. The label Capital Riverfront was conceived to give the neighborhood a place-setting identity, but it hasn't caught on to the extent that some had hoped. Perhaps the neighborhood appellation might be better received if it was simply "Riverfront."

"Where do you live in DC"? Riverfront. Understood. Done.

The Riverfront area began to take shape when the new ballpark for the Washington Nationals was built on S. Capitol Street in 2008. A year earlier the U.S. Department of Transportation had moved its headquarters to the area, bringing with it a sizable daytime population of 7,000 workers. About the same time, the U.S. Navy shifted the major division NAVSEA from the Crystal City area of Arlington, VA, to the aging, but long-established Navy Yard base in DC. The move helped kickstart the revitalization of the base, while the new workers also provided some needed street activity to the neighborhood. Aside from a couple of office buildings and a residential co-op, Capitol Hill Tower, that were developed in the early 2000s, it's been only recently—the last 10 years or so—that numerous large-scale residential projects have joined the area's parade of development. Perhaps the most important factor in the area's renaissance has been the Metro station. Sited almost in the neighborhood's middle, the Green Line's Navy Yard-Ballpark station has proven time and again that transit can drive development.

A major step in the neighborhood's evolution occurred in 2004 when Forest City Washington scored a deal with the federal government to develop a desolate 48-acre plot of land adjacent to the Navy Yard. Since then, Forest City steadily has delivered building after building at the site, which is now called "The Yards." About a third of the expected build-out of 25 buildings has been completed or is under construction.

Here's a map that depicts the Capital Riverfront area and its location in the District of Columbia relative to the Capitol and the Southwest Federal Center area:


Courtesy Google Earth/Google Maps.
Note the newly-built District Wharf along Washington Channel, just below the Southwest Federal Center.


Courtesy Google Earth/Google Maps.
Closer look at the Capital Riverfront/Navy Yard neighborhood, with the compass points of north (top) east (right), etc. The Navy Yard is on the right. The area's main street, M Street, SE, runs east-west, roughly dividing the neighborhood in two. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation's two-building HQ complex is on M Street and can be identified by it green rooftop.

One company that has stepped forward to invest big-time in the Capital Riverfront area is WC Smith. On the northern edge of the neighborhood, WC Smith is developing a trio of residential buildings, dubbed the The Collective. Two buildings—the Park Chelsea and Agora—already have been completed. Taking space on the ground floor of Agora is a Whole Foods Market grocery store. Construction of the third building—The Garrett—is currently underway. In total, The Collective will deliver roughly 1100 new apartments to the Riverfront and the city. It was a gutsy call to move forward with the project when investment in the near southeast was seen by some as more risky than not.

The Garrett • 150 I Street, SE • Mixed-use/375 apartments and retail

Courtesy WC Smith via JDLand.com.


Courtesy WC Smith via JDLand.com.
Another rendering of The Garrett.


Courtesy Jacqueline Dupree via the website JDLand.com.
Excavation is now underway for The Garrett; photo was taken December 10, 2017.

To stay abreast of development in the Capital Riverfront area there is no better resource than the wonderful website JDLand.com. Check it out.

An interesting article about the development of The Yards can be found here.

Here's the website for The Yards.

And, finally, here's WC Smith's The Collective.

[ITB495]

To follow up on the above Capital Riverfront/Navy Yard post, here's a couple of photos that exemplify the development that has occurred in the neighborhood.

The Yards Park

Courtesy Payton Chung via Flickr.
Looking north toward the grounds of The Yards Park and the District Winery building in the Capital Riverfront neighborhood. The park is located along the north waterfront of the Anacostia River about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol.


Courtesy Payton Chung via Flickr.
Looking west along I Street, SE, toward ORE 82, a 227-unit apartment building that was completed in 2016. ORE 82 is located directly across New Jersey Avenue from the Park Chelsea, the first of the trio of buildings to be developed as The Collective by WC Smith.


More information about The Yards Park can be found here.

And here's the website for District Winery.

[ITB495]

Since we've been talking about parks in the District of Columbia, let's take a closer look at Meridian Hill Park on the eastern edge of the Adams Morgan neighborhood and two adjacent projects that are in various stages of development.

Meridian Hill Park, which is sometimes called Malcolm X Park by local residents, is an historic urban park that was established by an Act of Congress in 1910. Construction of the park proceeded slowly as designs and architects changed, but, finally, in 1936, the park was deemed complete and then dedicated. The centerpiece of the park is an Italian Renaissance-style terraced fountain, comprised of thirteen basins. It is the longest fountain of its type in North America. The 12-acre park is managed by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park, which is the District's largest contiguous swath of green space at 1,754 acres.

Located about one mile north of the White House, Meridian Hill Park is framed east and west by 15th and 16th streets, NW, respectfully, and by Euclid and W streets, NW, north and south. In many respects, the park is a quintessential city park, as it tends to attract mostly local residents, rather than tourists seeking to see a sight.

Meridian Hill Park

Courtesy MrTinDC via Flickr.
The cascading fountain of Meridian Hill Park; looking north.

Located directly across 16th Street, NW, from Meridian Hill Park is the proposed residential project on the grounds of Meridian International Center (MIC), which was mentioned in an previous post by 202_cyclist. At present, MIC, the developer of the project, having just received concept approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board, is now seeking a special zoning exception for a section of the building. The elegant structure with its graceful curving staircase approaches from 16th Street will offer units with spectacular park views as well grand vistas of downtown DC.

Meridian Center International development • 2300 16th Street, NW

Courtesy Meridian International Center; Perkins Eastman via Urban Turf DC.
The proposed building is expected to comprise 111 units and an underground garage with 74 spaces. From this perspective, Meridian Hill Park is located off to the right.


Courtesy Meridian International Center; Perkins Eastman via Urban Turf DC.
The rear of the proposed development from Belmont Street, NW.

Meridian Hill Park

Courtesy MrTinDC via Flickr.
A wintertime east/northeast panoramic view of Meridian Hill Park.

The large building on the far left in the above photo, a former dorm for Howard University—Meridian Hill Hall—is currently in the process of being redeveloped into a market-rate residential building by Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners in a joint venture with MacFarlane Partners.

Does the name Jair Lynch ring a bell, perchance? He's the former Olympic gymnast who transitioned to real estate and is now the principal of a major development firm based in the District. Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners has developed several significant projects in the DC area, including Solea on 14th Street, NW, and Anthology on H Street, NE, a 306-unit development.

Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners redevelopment project • 2601 16th Street, NW

Courtesy Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners/Grunley Construction via the Grunley Construction website.
The vacant Howard University dormitory prior to its conversion to a 206-unit residential building. Grunley Construction Company, Inc. is the project's general contractor.

The building that served for 49 years as a Howard University dorm has an interesting history. It was built in 1942 during WWII by the U.S. government as the Meridian Hill Hotel for Women, a housing facility for the "government girls" who worked in the offices downtown. As the building's design is International Style with elements of Modernism, the structure is now recognized by the National Park Service as a contributing structure in the Meridian Hill Historic District and is listed on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites.

Learn more about Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners and its projects here.

And from the blog Streets of Washington, a wonderful piece about the history of the hotel/dorm at 2601 16th Street, NW, can be found here.

[202_Cyclist]

446 Units, a Theater and a Diner: The Plans for the Last Parcel at Southwest’s Waterfront Station

January 9, 2018
By Nena Perry-Brown
Urban Turf


Image courtesy of Urban Turf.

"Last night, PN Hoffman presented an evolved proposal for the Waterfront Station II site in Southwest in advance of filing a planned-unit development (PUD) application with the city.

Over two years since the District selected the PN Hoffman-led development team for the city-owned parcel at 1000 4th Street SW (map), the unit count and retail plans have changed. There will now be 446 residences, instead of 443, with 134 of those units set aside as affordable, half for households earning up to 30 percent of area median income (AMI) and the other half will be for households earning up to 50 percent AMI..."

https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/bl...-station/13429

[ITB495]

Madison Investments is angling to redevelop an entire block on 14th Street, NW. The seven story project, which will nestle between V and W Streets, NW, will be mixed-use, comprising 241 residential units, about 80 underground parking spaces, 25,500 SF of retail and 7,882 SF of commercial space.

As the block is currently zoned ARTS-3, the developers are seeking a special exception and variance. The application will be considered by the Board of Zoning Adjustment March 7.


Courtesy Madison Investments via UrbanTurfDC.
The perspective looking northwest; 14th Street, NW, is left, W Street, NW, right.


Courtesy Madison Investments via UrbanTurfDC.
The perspective looking northeast; 14th Street, NW, right, V Street, NW, left.

Associated link: Madison Investments.

[202_Cyclist]

Redeveloping Greenleaf would be excellent for Southwest.

Greenleaf Redevelopment RFQ Released

SWTLQTC
Jan. 8, 2018

"After years of planning and delays, DCHA released a Request for Qualifications back in December for a co-developer to redevelop Greenleaf, the 15-acre public housing project that straddles M Street. Greenleaf was built in 1959 and currently contains 493 public housing units spread over 23 buildings..."

http://www.swtlqtc.com/2018/01/green...-released.html

[202_Cyclist]

Here are a couple of photos I took while walking around this afternoon.

2 I Street, SE


301 M Street, SW


DC United stadium

[202_Cyclist]

I took this photo of a development on Florida Ave, NE, near Union Market two weeks ago. There is a tremendous amount of development planned for that area.

[dlg569]

Construction has started on Lockwood Apartments - located on the 1300 block of E St SE and formerly the site of a trash truck parking log.

https://insightpropertygroupllc.com/...od-apartments/

[dlg569]

Across the street the Buchanan School conversion into condos with row-homes on the former grounds is almost complete.

http://www.buchananparkdc.com/school/

http://www.buchananparkdc.com/

[ITB495]

The ongoing development boom in the District appears to be still going strong. It kicked off soon after the Great Recession eased in 2009 and now, almost 10 years later, remains on a hot and heavy pace. If the economy continues to hum along, we'll likely see another three or four years of robust building. The boom encompasses projects both large and small, with residential at the forefront. There is so much construction underway in the city and nearby suburbs it's a challenge to keep up with all the activity.

Capitol Riverfront Development

Courtesy Jacqueline Dupree via the JDLand.com.
Looking north from Nationals Park toward Half Street SE.

Development at Buzzard Point

Courtesy EB5Capital via the EB5Capital Projects Dashboard.
This is screen shot from the live OxBlue webcam for 1900 Half Street, a Douglas Development conversion project on Buzzard Point in southwest DC. (1900 Half Street is the beige building in the middle background.) Also pictured on the right is construction of the new soccer stadium. With this webcam, we'll be able to follow the construction of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and its associated north traffic oval, which will be located about where the small red brick building is. The bridge project is expected to start this year.

The EB5Capital webcam dashboard can be found here.

1900 Half Street Project

Courtesy Douglas Development via UrbanTurf DC.
Rendering of Douglas Development's 1900 Half Street project. The mixed-use project will comprise 462 units and 24,000 SF of retail.

[202_Cyclist]

Thank you for posting this. It looks like construction has also started for 71 Potomac (adjacent to the webcam for 1900 Half Street). There was some discussion about this on JD Land yesterday.

[ITB495]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Thank you for posting this. It looks like construction has also started for 71 Potomac (adjacent to the webcam for 1900 Half Street). There was some discussion about this on JD Land yesterday.

Isn't that a great perspective of Buzzard Point and the Anacostia River? When it popped up on the EB5 Capital webcam dashboard, I felt it was something that needed to be shared with the larger SSP audience. Let me take this moment to thank you, 202_Cyclist, for all the photos you've taken and uploaded over the months and years. I'm sure there are many who appreciate your efforts as I do. And a big shout out to to dlg569 for the recent photos as well. Thumbs up!

For those not in the know, 71 Potomac is the second phase of a large 4-building development now called The Docks at Capitol Riverfront. Comprising 6 acres, the Docks' site runs along the Anacostia River directly south of Nationals Park. The first phase of the development—Dock79—a 9 story, 305-unit residential building was completed in the Fall of 2016. Developing the Docks is MRP Realty, a hard charging firm that quickly blossomed from its 2005 roots to become a major player in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

The Docks at Capitol Riverfront site

Courtesy Jacqueline Dupree via the website JDLand.com.
The Docks at Capitol Riverfront site prior to development in June 2008; looking west.

Dock79

Courtesy Jacqueline Dupree via the website JDLand.com.
The view in late May 2016 as Dock79 nears completion.

71 Potomac

Courtesy MRP Realty via the website JDLand.com.
An undated rendering showing Dock79 (right) and 71 Potomac (left). Nationals Park peeks out from behind the buildings.

Associated link: MRP Realty.

[202_Cyclist]

Metro Approves Plan to Replace Deanwood Metro Parking Lot with Mixed-Use Development

January 25, 2018
by Nena Perry-Brown
Urban Turf


Deanwood Metro redevelopment site. (Image courtesy of Urban Turf).

"Between explorations into offloading properties for commercial development and an agreement to redevelop the parking lot at College Park Metro station, WMATA is starting off the year with several repositionings. Now, a long-rumored redevelopment at the Metro station in Deanwood may be closer to becoming a reality.

WMATA has elected to move forward with eliminating the Park and Ride surface lot at Deanwood Metro station (map) to make way for a mixed-use development. The project would replace the 1.6-acre surface lot at the station, whose 194 spaces are vastly underutilized (roughly 36 percent of the spaces were used during the first half of the fiscal year)..."

https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/bl...ng-lot-w/13493

[Fvn]

Anyone know when 300M St NE is gonna start construction? Webcam (on EB5 Capital Oxblue dashboard) has been up since August but no constriction activity.

[Dale]

Sorry if I missed it, but what is the status of the ambitious Union Station redevelopment plans ?

[ITB495]

Originally Posted by Fvn

Anyone know when 300M St NE is gonna start construction? Webcam (on EB5 Capital Oxblue dashboard) has been up since August but no constriction activity.

We're just going to have to be patient. They'll move forward when ready.

300 M Street NE

Courtesy The Wilkes Company via Urban Turf DC.

Originally Posted by Dale

Sorry if I missed it, but what is the status of the ambitious Union Station redevelopment plans ?

Burnham Place at Union Station is still in development. This is an enormously complex collaborative project involving Akridge, a major DC real estate firm, and Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, with inputs from, among others, DDOT, the FHWA and the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration). Before the project can move forward, the H Street Bridge (also known as the "Hopscotch" bridge) must first be replaced with a new, reinforced structure, and that has yet to get underway. A district representative states the new bridge should complete in either 2019 or 2020 (see link below). After that, how fast Burnham Place moves forward will depend on a myriad of factors. Again, we'll just have to be patient.

Burnham Place at Union Station

Courtesy Akridge via Urban Turf DC.

Associated links:
• Urban Turf article: "An Updated Timeline for the Redevelopment of Burnham Place"
• Washington Business Journal article: "Union Station overhaul doesn't happen until H Street Bridge is rebuilt. Here's when that might happen."
• Burnham Place at Union Station website

[dlg569]

Crane base installed at 1300 block of E St SE.

[202_Cyclist]

Here are a couple of photos I took while walking around two weeks ago.

This is around 11th or 12th St, NW.


Phase II of City Center.