WASHINGTON, DC | Development News

[202_Cyclist]

This isn't exactly breaking news but it is good to see EastBanc is still interested in adding housing at the Georgetown Post Office. There is quite a bit of growth planned in Georgetown over the next few years, with this, EastBanc's proposals to develop the Exxon site on M Street and the Verizon parcel on Wisconsin Avenue, and the proposal to redevelop the heating building the federal government is selling as surplus property.


Developers eye post offices in Georgetown, Bethesda, Silver Spring

By Jonathan O'Connell
Washington Post
12/20/2011

"The United States Postal Service is in rough financial shape and plans to close more than 3,700 post offices nationwide by 2015. It could cut as
The U.S. Postal Service plans to cut more than 3,700 post offices by 2015. (Andrew Harrer - BLOOMBERG) many as 120,000 jobs.

Given this slimming and the agency’s budget shortages, the postal service is looking to sell dozens of properties nationwide and some of its real estate in the Washington area is already getting snapped up.

EastBanc, the high-end housing and retail developer known for Cady’s Ally, the Ritz-Carlton and many other projects in Georgetown and the West End, says it is under contract to buy the Old Georgetown Post Office, at 1215 31st Street, NW...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...NK7O_blog.html

[202_Cyclist]

The DC Court of Appeals rejected a NIMBY challenge to the Zoning Commission decision regarding the proposed Wisconsin Avenue Giant (http://www.wisconsinavegiant.com/). The NIMBYs have been opposing this for nearly a decade (perhaps over a decade). This development will greatly enliven a section of Wisconsin Avenue that could use some more street activity. Although it would be a stretch to call this transit-oriented development, it is within one mile-- a twenty minute walk-- of two metro stations and is served by several bus routes and already has a Capital Bikeshare station.

Earlier this month, the Bozzuto Group announced that it is making a siginficant investment in this development (http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...GTO_story.html ). Construction should begin this upcoming spring.

[202_Cyclist]

Earlier this week a new coffee shop/cafe opened up right by the Nationals stadium and US Department of Transportation headquarters. Althouth there has been significant residential and office development and the opening of the beautiful Yards waterfront park within the past 12-18 months, this area is still currently lacking dining options, so I'm sure neighbors and visitors will appreciate this.

Here are some photos courtesy of the JD Land blog:
http://www.jdland.com/dc/quickgallery.cfm?qd=111222

[202_Cyclist]

This is absolutely fantastic news. The new residents help create demand for new infill development, they create a constituency for better government services (including better schools), and they expand the District's tax base.

Earlier in this thread, there was a discussion about whether DC's popultion will reach 700,000 by the end of this decade. As this article notes, "Harriet Tregoning, the city’s planning director, pronounced it “epic” and noted that if the pace continues, the city will crack the 700,000 mark before the end of the decade."

The District needs to continue to make sure there is adequate housing for all the new residents moving here, including housing in sustainable locations near metro stations.


District’s population and image soar

By Carol Morello and Timothy Wilson
December 21, 2011
Washington Post

"The District has gained more than 16,000 residents since last spring, growing at a pace that outstripped anything seen in the boom years preceding it.

Census figures released Wednesday estimated the city’s population was 618,000 in July, up 2.7 percent from the census figure in April last year. The current growth spurt is so rapid that the District is on track to draw more newcomers in two years than it did in the entire decade before.

The District’s expansion is all the more remarkable when compared to the rest of the country, which is experiencing its slowest growth since the end of World War II...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...LAP_story.html

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Earlier this week a new coffee shop/cafe opened up right by the Nationals stadium and US Department of Transportation headquarters.

Hey, thanks for the notice! I just biked over via the also-new Diamond Teague-Yards Park bridge (one of the last segments of the WotR Anacostia River trail), which has some great views over the Anacostia River. People were milling around inside Foundry Lofts. Demolition at Boilermaker Shops is substantially underway, so the late-2012 restaurant openings look eminently possible. Lot 38 is easily the most spacious coffee house in a city dominated by takeout coffee; even when the new Tryst concept opens in Columbia Heights, I think that'll have more of a bar/diner feel.

JDLand has been following this site for a long time, back to 2003: http://www.jdland.com/dc/pastnews.cfm?nearsecat=lrb

[202_Cyclist]

paytonc:

Demolition at Boilermaker Shops is substantially underway, so the late-2012 restaurant openings look eminently possible.

Thank you for the update. I want to check out the new bridge checking out the Dimond Teague park with the Yards park. We went to the Yards waterfront park several Fridays last summer for their concert series.

The DC Mud blog has a photo update of the work on the Boilermaker shops: http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/12/to...ker-shops.html . One of my friends has also taken some incredible photos of these buildings, so I'll post them when I get a chance.

I'm also interested in seeing the latest progress on the mixed-use site across the street from the US DOT headquarters where the Harris-Teeter is going to be built. The last time I was there, people were clearing the ground on that site.

[202_Cyclist]

Waterfronts around region set for big changes

By: Liz Farmer
12/28/11
Washington Examiner

"For the past two decades, major cities nationwide have redeveloped their waterfronts, attracting major new businesses and generating billions in revenue while Washington's miles of underused waterfront property sat untouched.


Graeme Jennings/The Washington Examiner
Waterfront area, Southwest Washington D.C.

Heading into 2012, several area waterfronts along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers are poised to join the revitalization movement -- but some projects face a tougher road than others.

In the District, development is coming to areas that have a history of being overlooked by the city. From the ballpark neighborhood in Southeast to the fish market in Southwest, area residents in the coming year will begin to see real signs of a long-promised rebirth of those neglected areas..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...hanges/2041811

[202_Cyclist]

One local blog made a Google map showing all of the planned development in Southwest. Within the past year or two, the mixed-use Safeway and office development by the Southwest Waterfront metro station opened, the former US Department of Transportation headquarters was refurbished, the decrepit mall at L'Enfant Plaza has been modernized (with several new restaurants), and the DC forensics lab is nearly complete.

http://southwestquadrant.blogspot.co...pment-map.html

[202_Cyclist]

My girlfriend recently got a new I-phone and put it to good use by taking a couple of photos of the continued construction of the Canal Park, over by the Nationals stadium and directly across the street from the US DOT headquarters.

[202_Cyclist]

Here are a couple of photos showing the progress of JBG's District Condos (http://www.dcdistrict.com/) at 14th and S Street.

[202_Cyclist]

DC Mud has a good photo update of the 1,175 room Marriott across the street from the DC convention center.

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/to...t-marquis.html

[202_Cyclist]

It would be good to see the DC Office of Planning and WMATA support a similar redevelopment for the western bus garage in Friendship Heights. We wanted to consolidate the western bus garage, which sits directly next to the Friendship Heights metro station, and the 14th Street bus garage on land the District would acquire at the Walter Reed site from the federal government as part of the BRAC realignment. The western bus garage is a large parcel of land in an expensive part of the District right next to the metro station. It isn't the most appropriate or best use of this scarce land next to a desireable metro station.

City Imagines Another Future for 14th Street Bus Barn

Posted by Lydia DePillis
Jan. 4, 2012
Washington City Paper


Image courtesy of Washington City Paper

"You know what's a drag? Having a giant brick warehouse with buses coming in and out of it all day take up an entire block on one side of a neighborhood commercial street. That's the reality of 14th Street NW between Buchanan and Decatur. It's frustrated upper 14th Street businesses no end, and even Metro wants to get rid of it, given that it could use some major renovations.

Actually doing so will be tricky, considering that the most obvious relocation—moving the buses to Walter Reed—is a political non-starter. Still, the Office of Planning thinks the bus barn ought to be redeveloped, and outlined how in a new vision strategy thing that's now up for public comment. The 104-year-old building has a landmark application pending, so it's possible that the structure would have to be substantially retained. But that shouldn't be an obstacle: The agency's report envisions a business incubator space along 14th Street and townhouses along the other streets it touches, while retaining some of the interior courtyards..."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...reet-bus-barn/

[202_Cyclist]

Here's another planned infill development for Shaw.

Valor’s Shaw Condo Project Gets Approval to Expand

January 5, 2012
by Shilpi Paul
DC Urban Turf


Image courtesy of DC Urban Turf.

"At Wednesday night’s ANC 2C meeting, Valor Development received approval to acquire a parcel of city-owned land adjacent to their current acquisition at 631 P Street NW. The city-owned parcel has been vacant since the 1968 riots.

Valor can now move ahead with plans to build a 65- to 70-unit condo project on the land, which spans the north side of P Street from 7th Street to Marion (map). With the newest parcel, they can execute their expanded design (the old design was limited to about 45 units) and include ground-level retail at the corner of 7th and P Street..."

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...to_expand/4860

[202_Cyclist]

Clear Sailing for Southwest Waterfront Development

Posted by Franklin Schneider
1/08/2012
DC Mud

"The Congressional Budget Office weighed in just before the holidays with a strong endorsement of the proposed rezoning of the Southwest Waterfront, further bolstering H.R. 2297’s already favorable chances of passing into law when the Senate reconvenes next session.


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

If (when) passed, the bill would bring the District one step closer to a dramatic revitalization of the largely moribund Southwest waterfront, bringing it in line with the rapidly-developing Southeast waterfront, and creating what planners hope will eventually coalesce into a “second downtown..."

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/cl...aterfront.html

[202_Cyclist]

I like the streetcar in the image above. Hopefully, DDOT can build the planned 37-mile streetcar network connecting DC's neighborhoods and activity centers.

DDOT is accepting public comments now for bicycle and pedestrian access for Maine Avenue and the Southwest Waterfront area.

[dgreen]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

and creating what planners hope will eventually coalesce into a “second downtown..."

Hmm, if all the new development starts to take on a "downtown" name, will the current "downtown" become "uptown"? Not very creative and too New Yorkish, IMO. I wonder what the differentiating names will be between the two, though. And, where will be the dividing line for the names? The freeway? The Mall?

[turigamot]

Originally Posted by dgreen

Hmm, if all the new development starts to take on a "downtown" name, will the current "downtown" become "uptown"? Not very creative and too New Yorkish, IMO. I wonder what the differentiating names will be between the two, though. And, where will be the dividing line for the names? The freeway? The Mall?

Downtown as it is now will be called downtown, and the Waterfront will still be the Waterfront. Becoming a second downtown doesn't mean the anyone will call it anything different.

[dgreen]

Originally Posted by turigamot

Downtown as it is now will be called downtown, and the Waterfront will still be the Waterfront. Becoming a second downtown doesn't mean the anyone will call it anything different.

I've never thought of "Waterfront" covering that much area. I've always considered it to be more of a neighborhood and referring to only the SW waterfront. I think a "second downtown" would be much more.

[202_Cyclist]

Greater Greater Washington has a good post about the proposed redevelopment of the Babe's site, which is just a couple of hundred feet from the Tenley metro station and right on Wisconsin Avenue. Douglas proposes building ground-floor retail (likely with one nice sit-down restaurant) and sixty residential units. There would be no off-street parking as part of this development, although Douglas might include two spaces for ZipCar.

The Tenley NIMBYs are already fighting against this project. ANC 3E, which represents Tenley and Friendship Heights, will be discussing this project tonight at their January meeting. If you live in the District and have time available tonight, getting more supporters at this meeting is very important

Parking-free, mixed-use building is right for Tenleytown

by Steve Seelig
Greater Greater Washington
January 11, 2012

Douglas Development wants to rebuild Tenleytown's long-vacant Babe's Billiards into a mixed-use development with 60 residential units and ground floor retail space. Perhaps most significantly, Douglas wants to build no parking at all on the site.


Images courtesy of Douglas Development.

The once-popular neighborhood nightspot has been shuttered for several years, despite its location just a few hundred feet from the Tenleytown Metro station.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E will hear about the proposal tomorrow night (Jan. 12) at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church, 42nd and Fessenden Streets NW. It would help for smart growth supporters in the area to attend and encourage the ANC to support this worthy project.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...or-tenleytown/

[202_Cyclist]

Founders Square DARPA Building Complete, Residential Tower Next

Posted by Franklin Schneider
1/12/2012
DC Mud

"The first stage of Ballston mixed-use mega-project Founders Square, a 13-story 350,000- square-foot office building at 675 North Randolph, is now complete, with the first (and only) tenant, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), now taking possession of the property. Developer The Shooshan Company now has a clear runway to break ground on the next phase of the five-building, 1.2 million-square-foot complex, the 17-story, 257-unit residential building at 4000 Wilson Boulevard.


Image courtesy of DC Mud.

“We’re in the very final stages of completion of 675 North Randolph, the new DARPA headquarters,” said Kevin Shooshan, Director of Leasing at the Shooshan Company. “It’s basically complete. [DARPA] is in the process of accepting the building, and transferring over floor by floor, a process which will go on the next few months, probably into the second quarter of 2012...”

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/fo...-complete.html