WASHINGTON, DC | Development News

[202_Cyclist]

ANC 3E (Tenley, Friendship Heights) had their monthly meeting last night and the proposals for Babe's and a mixed-use Safeway (located on 42nd Street and Davenport) were discussed. From what I've heard, the Babe's proposal received a pretty positive response from several ANC commissioners and neighbors.

DC Urban Turf has a summary of last night's discussion. Of particular interest is this:

"Millstein also detailed the retail the firm is aiming to attract; they are toying with the idea of a Matchbox or Ted’s Bulletin-type of restaurant to anchor the site, and three or four smaller shops selling bagels, cupcakes or frozen yogurt up Wisconsin Avenue..."

Douglas Development Eases Parking Concerns at New Tenleytown Project
http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...enleytown/4923

[202_Cyclist]

The JD Land blog has a post about a new development planned for the Southeast waterfront/Navy Yard area. 2012 is already shaping up as a big year for this neighborhood.

WC Smith Announces 880 New Jersey as Park Chelsea Apartments


Image courtesy of JD Land.

"Developer William C. Smith is announcing today that the apartment project we've been referring to as 880 New Jersey will be called the Park Chelsea, and is expected to get underway sometime during the second quarter of this year. And there's even a rendering now, and an official web site.

As I reported a few months ago, it will be 13 stories, with 433 units, which I understand will be broken down as 58 studios (about 466 avg sq ft), 281 one-bedrooms (606-738 sq ft), 92 two-bedrooms (1094 sq ft), and 2 three-bedrooms (1788 sq ft). There will be a courtyard garden, club room, gym, pilates/yoga studio, Jacuzzi, and 75-foot indoor lap pool on the ground floor. Then, up on the roof there will be a second pool along with the now-ubiquitous lounging/grilling area, as well as a "community garden" and dog exercise area. There will also be 1,500 square feet of "convenience" retail space on the ground floor, and three levels of underground parking. (They previously mentioned to me a bicycle entrance to a sizeable storage room separate from the car parking areas--I'm assuming that's still part of the plans, but I haven't confirmed.)..."

http://www.jdland.com/dc/index.cfm/3...ea-Apartments/

Here is the developer's website, with more renderings: http://www.parkchelseadc.com/

[202_Cyclist]

The Capital Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) published a report this week stating that in the past decade, the areas around the Green line (from Columbia Hts to the Navy Yard/Southeast Riverfront) had faster growth than the Rosslyn - Ballston corridor.

As DC Mud notes, "In fact, according to the study, the average income for new households along 10-stations in the Green Line "Corridor" is now nearly $83,000. Moreover, nearly 3,500 18-34 year-olds moved into the Green Line "Corridor" between 2000 and 2010, more than the 3,400 added in Rosslyn-Ballston and the 2,300 or so added along the Red Line in Northwest."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/gr...ting-pace.html

This trend should only continue as there is still significant development underway and planned for the 14th Street corridor, the Southwest waterfront, and the area around the Navy Yard/Nationals stadium.

Here is the link for the report:
http://www.capitolriverfront.org/_fi...rintgrowth.pdf

[turigamot]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

ANC 3E (Tenley, Friendship Heights) had their monthly meeting last night and the proposals for Babe's and a mixed-use Safeway (located on 42nd Street and Davenport) were discussed. From what I've heard, the Babe's proposal received a pretty positive response from several ANC commissioners and neighbors.

DC Urban Turf has a summary of last night's discussion. Of particular interest is this:

"Millstein also detailed the retail the firm is aiming to attract; they are toying with the idea of a Matchbox or Ted’s Bulletin-type of restaurant to anchor the site, and three or four smaller shops selling bagels, cupcakes or frozen yogurt up Wisconsin Avenue..."

Douglas Development Eases Parking Concerns at New Tenleytown Project
http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...enleytown/4923

Mayhaps Tenleytown will be the next boom area in DC?


Also, those Park Chelsea Apartments are nice and all, but 1,500 sq. feet of retail is absolutely paltry, considering how much they want to make the place vibrant and walkable, and considering the massive footprint of that building.

[202_Cyclist]

turigamot:

Mayhaps Tenleytown will be the next boom area in DC?

First, the Babe's and Safeway project still have to get approval from the ANC and the DC Zoning Commission, no small feat with all the rabid NIMBYs in the neighborhood. That said, within the next two years there will be significant infill along Wisconsin Avenue, helping make this area a lot more vibrant than it is today. First, the last legal challenge to the Cathedral Commons development (mixed-use Giant) was rejected in December and construction should begin in the spring. American University will spend approximately $400M as part of its campus plan and will relocate the Washington College of Law from the semi-suburban (or largely suburban) Spring Valley location to the Tenley Circle campus, which is right on Wisconsin Avenue about 100-200 yards from the Tenley metro station. As posted above, Douglas Development plans on building 60 condos and ground floor retail and restaurants at the Babe's site. Finally, Safeway wants to build a new store with 170 condos and maybe a dozen town-homes at their 42nd and Davenport store.

Here is the presentation Safeway gave to ANC 3E (Tenley-Friendship Heights) on Thursday. There will be another presentation by Clark Construction and Safeway this coming Wednesday at the Armenian church right off of Wisconsin Avenue. If you live in the District, this will be very important to attend, as the Tenley NIMBYs are sure to have a major freak-out over these two developments.

The Terraces at Tenleytown
http://www.tenleytownsafeway.com/ANC...2001.12.12.pdf

[202_Cyclist]

turigamot:

Also, those Park Chelsea Apartments are nice and all, but 1,500 sq. feet of retail is absolutely paltry, considering how much they want to make the place vibrant and walkable, and considering the massive footprint of that building.

Here is what Councilmember Tommy Wells had to say about this, courtesy of the Washington City Paper:

"Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells once complained about the quality of the pedestrian experience in the blocks around the Navy Yard Metro station—and said that if they'd been designed today, livable-walkable mores would have translated into better design. "There is no question that there would have been more attention to the architectural design flair at the pedestrian level rather than at the top of the buildings," he told me. "If you look at the top of the buildings, they have different designs to them, but at the base of the buildings, they’re all the same."


Waterfront Welcomes Esocoffian Waves (Up Top, At Least)

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...-top-at-least/

[202_Cyclist]

Steven Pearlstein: For development, all signs point inward


By Steven Pearlstein
January 14, 2012
Washington Post

"Decades of rapid growth have made Washington real estate some of the most valuable in the country, particularly when it is close to the city center, along major roads and highways or near Metro stops.

But not always.

Drive along Route 50 in Northern Virginia from revitalized Rosslyn to the glitzy office parks in Falls Church and you’ll think you’ve been transported back to the 1950s as you gaze out on mile after mile of aging strip shopping centers, small brick bungalows and dodgy motels.

Take Route 1 from College Park toward the District and you’ll find an impressive variety of marginal retail stores, fast-food joints and used-car dealerships..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...ry.html?sub=AR

[202_Cyclist]

Building the proposed Pepco substation right next to the Friendship Heights metro station certainly won't do anything to add vitality to this neighborhood. By opposing Akridge's 5220 Wisconsin Avenue mixed-use development, the NIMBYs really set this area back.

Retail vacancies beg a question of identity


By Danielle Douglas
January 15, 2012
Washington Post


Jeffrey MacMillan/Capital Business - The now-empty space in Friendship Heights once occupied by Filene’s Basement.

"Ann Marie Baldine remembers the specialty boutiques that filled Chevy Chase Pavilion, when she opened her rug shop La Musa at the Friendship Heights mall 16 years ago.

There were quirky stores such as Gazelle wearable art and shops such as women’s designer Koffi Agosu. The 11-story pavilion also housed national chains Pottery Barn and Cheesecake Factory, but the mix was balanced and it was still “a neighborhood place,” Baldine said.

The speciality stores thinned out over the years and were replaced by national chains. “When they brought in the Stein Mart and CVS, I never felt as though they really defined the niche that they had at this place..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...U1P_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Officials break ground on new UDC student center


By Tim Craig
Washington Post
January 18, 2012

"District and college officials broke ground Wednesday on a new $40 million student center at the University of the District of Columbia, a building expected to become a new gateway to the often overlooked university.

The building, funded primarily with tax dollars, will be built on the school’s under utilized plaza facing Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness.

When completed in the spring of 2013, the building is expected to serve as a catalyst for improving both the university’s image as well ongoing efforts to revitalize the Van Ness corridor..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...Il8P_blog.html

[202_Cyclist]

DC Mud and the Washington City Paper both have posts covering the community meeting earlier this week discussing the proposed Tenley Safeway development. This site is located less than a ten minute walk from two metro stations and is only a few yards behind Wisconsin Avenue. Safeway proposes to underground the parking for the store and build 170 condos and approximately one dozen townhomes. The building would be 75 feet along 42nd Street (closest to Wisc Ave) and taper off to lower heights next to the existing townhomes on Ellicot Street.

Safeway Tries Again With Revamped Tenleytown Design
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/sa...-revamped.html

Vince Gray’s Campaign Manager Makes Veiled Threats Against Tenleytown Safeway
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...#comment-93365

Predictably the Tenley NIMBYs are panicking about the height and potential parking issues. Concern about height is is a completely fabricated reason to oppose this development. The heights will be tapered down as this development approaches the existing single-family homes. I asked about the office building (http://www.cpfiuoe.org/home.htm) right next to the Martens Volvo dealership on 42nd Street, not more than 50 yards from the Safeway. This building is approximately 55-65 feet at its tallest point yet few if any neighbors could even recall this building, let alone were aware that this building even existed.


Image courtesy of the Central Pension Trust.

The Central Pension Fund building is directly across the street from several rowhouses but few neighbors seemed bothered by this charmer of a building. On the other hand, next to the maximum height of the Safeway, the project would be bounded by 42nd Street, then the Martens dealership, followed by six lanes of Wisconsin Avenue.

Similarly, Georgetown Day School looks like it is 50-60 feet in some locations. By suggesting the proposed height of the Safeway is inconsistent with existing structures, the opponents are fishing for any excuse they can find.


Georgetown Day School

[turigamot]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

DC Mud and the Washington City Paper both have posts covering the community meeting earlier this week discussing the proposed Tenley Safeway development. This site is located less than a ten minute walk from two metro stations and is only a few yards behind Wisconsin Avenue. Safeway proposes to underground the parking for the store and build 170 condos and approximately one dozen townhomes. The building would be 75 feet along 42nd Street (closest to Wisc Ave) and taper off to lower heights next to the existing townhomes on Ellicot Street.

Safeway Tries Again With Revamped Tenleytown Design
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/sa...-revamped.html

Vince Gray’s Campaign Manager Makes Veiled Threats Against Tenleytown Safeway
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...#comment-93365

Predictably the Tenley NIMBYs are panicking about the height and potential parking issues. Concern about height is is a completely fabricated reason to oppose this development. The heights will be tapered down as this development approaches the existing single-family homes. I asked about the office building (http://www.cpfiuoe.org/home.htm) right next to the Martens Volvo dealership on 42nd Street, not more than 50 yards from the Safeway. This building is approximately 55-65 feet at its tallest point yet few if any neighbors could even recall this building, let alone were aware that this building even existed.


Image courtesy of the Central Pension Trust.

The Central Pension Fund building is directly across the street from several rowhouses but few neighbors seemed bothered by this charmer of a building. On the other hand, next to the maximum height of the Safeway, the project would be bounded by 42nd Street, then the Martens dealership, followed by six lanes of Wisconsin Avenue.

Similarly, Georgetown Day School looks like it is 50-60 feet in some locations. By suggesting the proposed height of the Safeway is inconsistent with existing structures, the opponents are fishing for any excuse they can find.


Georgetown Day School

They are completely, utterly, ridiculous. If they want to live in a suburb, they damn well should move to a suburb. Any area close to a metro station *cannot* remain a sleepy little town any longer, not with the way this city is thriving. The sooner they realize this, the happier everyone will be.

Maybe Pepco should build a vast wall of substations around that entire area. That'll isolate them from the rest of the city, just as they seem to want so badly.

[202_Cyclist]

Today, the DC Office of Planning published its "Streetcar Land Use Study," looking at the land-use opportunities and impacts of the proposed 37-mile network of streetcars throughout the District (except there is no streetcar proposed for the dense Wisconsin Avenue corridor). It's a very interesting and detailed study, with several maps and graphics. Among other interesting findings are:

* Currently 22,000 DC households are within 1/4 mile of a metro station. The completed streetcar network will increase this to 95,000 households that live within 1/4 mile of a streetcar or metro-rail station.
*"The increases in real estate values and development that the streetcar could spur over a ten-year period-- looking only at land within a quarter mile of new routes-- would exceed the projected cost of creating the system by 600% to 1,000%."
*"Strengthens real estate values by adding $5 billion to $7 billion to the value of existing property and sparking an additional $5 to $8 billion in new development in the ten years after completion—in the corridors alone. These benefits extend across housing, commercial, and retail markets and apply in varying degrees to every streetcar corridor."
*Increases revenue to the District by strengthening the real estate market, adding new residents, and producing greater sales-tax receipts. Together, these sources would likely generate between $238 million and $29ı million in annual new revenue within ten years of completion of the system.

Here is the link for the study:
http://planning.dc.gov/DC/Planning/P...een%20View.pdf

[202_Cyclist]

Here is more on the Office of Planning's streetcar land-use study.

Streetcar Plan To Boost District Real Estate Values by $8 Billion, District's Chief Planner Says

Posted by Dan Goldstein
1/25/2012

"The District's ambitious plan to restart its streetcar network will cost $1.5 billion -- but could pay for itself more than fivefold with increased property values, more jobs and development along the 37 miles of planned streetcar lines, says Harriet Tregoning, the District's chief planning officer.


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

Tregoning unveiled the Streetcar Land Use Study and her office's number crunching session today at a smart-growth planning session at the National Building Museum. "It's really our transportation infrastructure that shapes our development," said Tregoning, noting that the District has earmarked $100 million in capital funding for the development and building of the eight-line streetcar expansion..."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/st...rict-real.html

[202_Cyclist]

The JD Land blog has an update about the Boilermaker shops behind the US DOT headquarters and next to the Yards waterfront park. According to the blog, the owners of Birch & Barley (one of the best bars in DC, with 400+ different beers) are planning a brewpub in this property, with a focus on Belgian-style beers. Suffice to say, this can't open soon enough!

Tuesday Tidbits II: Some Info on the Boilermaker Shops Brewery
http://www.jdland.com/dc/index.cfm/3...r-Shops-Brewe/

[202_Cyclist]

Panel likely to accept AU development plan

Zoning: Deliberations will continue at Feb. 16 meeting

Northwest Current
January 25, 2012
By Brady Holt

"Although they have yet to finalize their ruling, D.C. zoning commissioners
appear supportive of American University’s extensive and highly controversial plans for large-scale development over the next decade.

The Zoning Commission was scheduled to vote Monday on the school’s campus plan, which outlines its development in the coming decade and asks permission to begin construction immediately on several projects. Among other proposals, the school hopes to construct two high-rise dormitories on its main campus and to redevelop its Nebraska Avenue parking lot and Tenley
Campus.

But commissioners postponed the vote, saying they couldn’t discuss some key aspects of the plan until the university is able to better nail down its timeline for bringing more undergraduates into on-campus housing. In discussing the various proposals Monday, however, commissioners said most of the development seems reasonable and that some of the feared impacts can be addressed at future zoning reviews..."

http://currentnewspapers.com/admin/u....25.12%201.pdf

[202_Cyclist]

IBG’s Plans for the Specialty Hospital Apartments

January 27, 2012
by Shilpi Paul
DC Urban Turf


[I][LIST]
IBG’s rendering of 700 Constitution (Image courtesy of DC Urban Turf)

"Last night, IBG Partners, who developed Yale Steam Laundry, met with community members to discuss initial plans for their proposed apartments in the now vacant south wing of Specialty Hospital at 700 Constitution Avenue NE (map).

Most of the meeting focused on the exterior changes that would be made to the building, which will ultimately need to be approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board. IBG plans to rip out many of the additions on the front of the building and in the inner courtyard, as well as the ramps and stairs facing 8th Street. In their place, they will create bay windows and will install an addition along the inner wall facing the courtyard. In doing so, they will increase the usable space without increasing the total square footage — taking 21,000 square feet out and creating 21,000 new square feet..."

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...partments/5002

[202_Cyclist]

DC Mud has an update on the Lot 31 development in Bethesda, across the street from Bethesda Row. This would be built on an existing surface parking lot but it would create 1200 subterranean parking spaces (most of them public spaces). Demand for parking, however, should be reduced once the Purple Line connects with downtown Bethesda. A huge public subsidy to build more parking hardly seems like the best use of taxpayer money.

Bethesda Lot 31 Project Delayed (Again) Until February


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/be...yed-again.html

[202_Cyclist]

801 New Jersey Ave Walmart Set To Break Ground In Spring, Spokesman for JBG Says

Posted by Dan Goldstein
1/27/2012
DC Mud


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

"The planned Walmart at 801 New Jersey Ave. NW will break ground by spring, according to a spokesman on behalf of developer JBG Companies, one of six stores the world's largest retailer will bring to the District of Columbia.

"The planning and preparation is moving ahead quickly," said Charlie Maier, an outside spokesman on behalf of Chevy Chase-based JBG Companies. JBG Rosenfeld, JBG's sister company which focuses on mixed-use retail and will also partner on the project. Walmart has already signed its lease for the site, which will be known going forward as 77 H, as it will line up along H Street on its southern edge..."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/80...-to-break.html

[202_Cyclist]

Washington Gateway Finally Breaking Ground?

Posted by Dan Goldstein
2/02/2012
DC Mud

"MRP Realty edged closer to a groundbreaking of the $360 million Washington Gateway in NoMa, as crews this week began disassembling commercial billboards occupying the three-acre site at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue, NE.


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

While some real estate insiders said construction would start shortly, Julie Chase, a spokeswoman on behalf of MRP Realty, said in an e-mail not to read too much into the action on the site as MRP is still in the permitting process. "Yes, the billboards are coming down, but that does not mean they are starting any construction," she said..."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/02/wa...-breaking.html

[202_Cyclist]

Time to pop open the champagne! This is the best news for the Wisconsin Avenue corridor in years. This, relocating American University's Washington College of Law to Tenley Circle, and Douglas Development's proposal for the Babe's site will significantly improve Wisconsin Avenue, making it far more walkable and vibrant.

Wisconsin Ave. Giant to Close In March as Cathedral Commons Gears Up


Posted by Dan Goldstein
2/03/2012
DC Mud

"The Giant supermarket at 3336 Wisconsin Avenue, NW will close in March in preparation for the construction of the Cathedral Commons mixed-use project, according to a spokeswoman for the supermarket chain.


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

Sharon Robinson, an outside spokeswoman on behalf of Giant said that construction for the $125 million Cathedral Commons will begin this quarter. A raze permit for the building as well as other parts of the 3300 block were approved Jan. 30th by the Historic Preservation Office according to documents released this week by the Office. Meanwhile, the Giant Pharmacy has closed and the Starbucks cafe and in the 3400 block just across the street from the supermarket also closed this week; its building also has a date with the wrecking ball as part of the project..."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/02/wi...-in-march.html