440-Unit Apartment Building Planned for The Portals

In what would be the first residential building south of the Mall and north of the SW freeway since urban renewal, Republic Properties has proposed a 15-story, 440-unit residential building at 1399 Maryland Avenue, one of the remaining undeveloped parcels at The Portals. This site was originally planned as office, but Republic Properties switched course and now wants to move forward with the project as residential. The Portals currently includes three office buildings and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. With this new residential building added, there would remain one undeveloped parcel which is currently slated as office. 

Currently, the area south of the National Mall and north of the SW freeway is primarily an office zone (save for a few hotels) which shuts down after work hours. With this new residential project that image may start to change. The SW Ecodistrict Initiative calls for at least 1,000 residential units in this area of Southwest in order to increase the mix of uses and help turn the area into an 18-hour, live-work-play neighborhood. Although technically outside of the SW Ecodistrict Initiative borders, introducing residential to The Portals may incentivize others to eventually do so within the Ecodistrict.

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) reviewed the concept plan for the residential building back in November and expressed concern about the project’s height and design. In addition to being the first residential building in this area of the District, 1399 Maryland Avenue would be among the tallest buildings in the city, since Maryland Avenue is elevated above the rail tracks by 46 feet or so and the 130-foot height is measured from the street surface, not ground level. The other buildings at The Portals are 90 feet tall. With regard to the design, the CFA was concerned that the proposed building’s prominent location at the entrance to the monumental core of the city from the 14th Street Bridge should not have a building that does not stand out too much or is too complex. The Commission requested that Robert A.M Stern Architects refine the design to address these issues. The above and below renderings show the revised concept. 

In its letter to the developer dated January 30, the CFA stated: 

While finding the revised design to be considerably improved, the Commission made several recommendations for the development of the design and did not take a formal action on the concept submission. 

Republic will need to refine the design further and resubmit the project for review by the CFA. The WBJ first reported on this story. 

 Rendering courtesy of Robert A.M. Stern Architects

A Couple Quick Items: Maine Avenue Improvements Complete, Default Imminent at Donohoe Building

- DDOT announced last week that road and sidewalk improvements along Maine Avenue from 14th Street to the Fish Market have been completed. The $2 million project includes the widening of the sidewalk from four feet to a 14-foot trail to accommodate pedestrians and bikes, the reduction of road lanes from two lanes to one, new storm water drains, lighting, trees, signage, curbs, gutters, and fencing.  On-street parking has been eliminated along this stretch of road as a result.

- It was reported on CityBiz Real Estate that a $38.5 million loan for the Donohoe Building at 400 6th Street is in danger of being in default.  The building is located across the street from Constitution Center about a half block from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro and is currently leased by the District government for the Child and Family Services Agency.  The tenant is scheduled to vacate the building this summer at the conclusion of its lease.  The building was constructed in 1967 and was renovated in 1999. Perhaps this building could be a candidate for a conversion to residential to start the process of introducing residential to the predominately federal business district?

A Few Quick Items: Dog Park, St. Matthew's PUD, 7th Street Landing Activities, Capital Bikeshare Expansion, Kastles Roster, Fish Market Restoration, Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival

- The PAWS of SW will be submitting an application to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create an off-leash dog park at Lansburg Park since Southwest is the only quadrant in the city without a dog park. They will be working with the newly created "Friends of Lansburg Park" to do fundraising and organize community events, with the support of SWNA. Over $100,000 is needed to build the dog park, which will go towards ground modification, fencing, running water, and to make the site ADA accessible.  A minimum of 5,000 square feet is needed for a dog park, but the proposed dog park will not take up all of Lansburg Park. Other uses are being explored for the large, underutilized green space, including a playground, community garden, and skate park. The PAWS of SW meets at the SW Library on the first Wednesday of every month and they have a Google Group (sw-dog-park@googlegroups.com).

- The development team behind the St. Matthew's church and multifamily housing project met with the Zoning Commission last week to get approval for their PUD application.  There were so many people who wanted to testify at the meeting that it was adjourned until March 19.   Neighbors of the proposed development have created an online petition in opposition to the development. Below is a video of the March 5 meeting in case you are so inclined to watch the meeting. Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Architects

Update: The second half of the Zoning Commission hearing from March 19 is now available (see below). A few follow-up items still need to be sent to the Zoning Commission and they will meet again on April 30 to make their decision on the PUD application.

- Hoffman-Madison Waterfront is proposing to offer wine and beer sales at 7th Street Landing this season on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Last year, beer and wine was sold only on Thursdays during the farmers market. The farmers market will be back on Thursday evenings with jazz performances starting on June 7 for approximately 16 weeks.  Friday evenings will bring community entertainment, while YaLa and yoga will return on Saturday mornings.  New this year will be family-friendly movie screenings on Saturday evenings. Sundays will be dedicated to recreation, including bocce, table tennis, and cornhole.

-  Renovations are planned this summer at Amidon-Bowen Elementary school.  Phase 1 will include a new administrative office suite at the front of the school, a new walk-through from the front to the play area in back, re-sized classrooms, and a new ADA-compliant entrance. All of the renovations will be complete by the end of August.  Last summer, Target donated funds to renovate the school's library. There will be an open house on Tuesday, April 10 from 6-7pm at the school where the plans will be shared with the community.

- Two Capital Bikeshare stations were installed today on the National Mall.  One is located on Jefferson Drive between 14th and 15th Streets by the Washington Monument and the other is on Ohio Drive near the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.  Three more stations will be installed over the coming weeks.

- The Washington Kastles have completed their roster selection and will bring back most of the team from last season, including Captain Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds, and Arina Rodionova. Replacing retired player Rennae Stubbs will be Arina's sister Anastasia Rodionova.  The Kastles will have two sets of siblings with the Rodionovas and the Williams sisters, who will also return this season.

- The Housing Complex blog describes how the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team will preserve and restore the Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room at the Maine Avenue Fish Market as a component of The Wharf development.  Currently, the white buildings at the market are vacant and in disrepair.  From the post:

The currently unused Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room, a pair of ramshackle buildings surrounded by vending machines and ice boxes, will become a "centerpiece," according to a spokesman for the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. They've submitted an historic landmark application for the seemingly nondescript structures, which were built in 1916 and are now literally falling apart inside. They retain enough integrity, though, to "serve as reminders of the Southwest Waterfront's historic commercial and maritime industries." According to the application, the Lunch Room was home to the Cadillac Restaurant from the 1940s through the 1970s, while fish dealers used the shucking shed to prepare their catch for sale. 

- LivingSocial is hosting a Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf on the weekend of April 21-22 from 12-5pm. There will be 25 craft brewery tents, live local music, 10 food trucks, and backyard lawn games and activities. LivingSocial is currently offering a package for $35 on their website.

M Street Transportation Study Kick-Off Meeting

DDOT held the first of three community meetings this evening to kick-off the M Street SE/SW Transportation Study, which has been a LONG time coming. The study area boundary includes the Southeast-Southwest Freeway to the north, 14th Street, SW and the Washington Channel to the west, the Anacostia River to the south, and 12th Street, SE to the east. During the nine-month study period, DDOT will work with CH2MHILL to identify current and future transportation issues and mitigation strategies along the M Street SE/SW Corridor and the Southwest/Southeast Waterfronts. A great deal of development is coming to the area and a comprehensive study is needed. DDOT will look at more than 30 other studies that have been done previously by others, including individual developers and the Complete Streets study that Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID commissioned a couple years ago. Tonight's meeting allowed residents to gather around maps of three areas of focus (the Southwest Waterfront, the Ballpark District, and the SE Federal Center) and provide input on issues or challenges in those areas. On the Southwest Waterfront map, some of the issues mentioned by residents include the 4th & M Street intersection, lack of connectivity between Southwest and Near SE, commuters using P Street as a cut-through to avoid M Street, sidewalks, and parking, among other things. The next public meeting will be held in the spring and a third meeting will be in June. A stakeholder survey is available on the project website and is due on January 31 at 5pm. 

A Few Quick Items from Monday's ANC 6D Meeting

- The boundaries of Police Service Areas (PSAs) in MPD's First District will change next year. The PSA that falls in Southwest will change from PSA 104 to PSA 105. The PSA meets every third Thursday of the month, usually in the community room of one of the residential buildings in the neighborhood.

- As mentioned previously, the SW post office at Half & L Street will close once its lease expires at the end of 2012. The USPS is looking for a new location for the post office in the neighborhood. If one can't be found in Southwest, a temporary one may be set up in Near SE until an appropriate space can be found in Southwest.

- The Urban Forestry Administration will clean up Town Center East Park (adjacent to the SW Library at I Street and Wesley Place), do some general pruning of trees, and remove dead tree stumps (pending an environmental assessment since the site of the park was once a funeral home).  Jack Chapman, an arborist from the Urban Forestry Administration, said he would inspect the park soon and see which trees may need to be removed. He mentioned that the street trees bordering the park might be removed since they are impeding the growth of the trees in the park and would be replaced with understory street trees.

- The ANC unanimously approved the designation of a group called "Friends of Lansburg Park", which would allow the organization to join the Parks Partners program under DPR and use SWNA's 501c3 status to do fundraising to make improvements to the park. The underused park, located along Delaware Avenue behind First District headquarters and across the street from Greenleaf Gardens, has been thought of as a place for a community garden, dog park, skate park, and playground, among other ideas. The "Friends" would organize a charrette with the community to help plan its future. However, individuals have not identified yet who would run the "Friends" group.

- Joseph Dorsey from DDOT gave an update on the reconstruction of Maine Avenue from the 14th Street ramp to 12th Street. The project was originally supposed to last about three to four months, but close to six months later, construction has not been completed yet due to weather delays. Substantial completion of the project is near, though. About 97% of concrete has been poured, granite curbs are installed, lighting is in place, and the road has been paved. The road has been narrowed from two lanes to one and the sidewalk has been expanded to allow improved access between the Tidal Basin and the Southwest Waterfront. Parking will be restricted in this area. A bike lane will eventually be installed on the road and should serve as a traffic calming measure. New trees will be installed next spring since it is so late in the season. The project cost about $2 million and despite the delays, is still on budget.

- The organizers behind the inaugural SW ArtsFest this past September have filed for 501c3 non-profit status and are looking for a Treasurer. They plan to do another SW ArtsFest next fall and will coordinate with the other Ward 6 festivals that occur around September and October so their event doesn't overlap with other festivals.  

A Few Quick Items: Camden South Capitol Project Website, ANC Supports Wharf PUD, MLK Drive Unveiled

- In the latest FRONT Page News e-newsletter from the Capitol Riverfront BID, the Camden South Capitol apartment project is featured - the first rental apartment building to start construction in SW in decades. The 276-unit apartment building is under construction at the northeast corner of South Capitol and O Street. Although the building is technically outside the borders of the BID, the Capitol Riverfront is keeping tabs on the project. A website has been set up for the project and includes information on in-unit features such as:Energy Star stainless steel appliances, electric oven ranges with ceramic glass cook tops, solar shades, 42" upper cabinets, double vanities in select units, garden soaking tubs, and stand-up showers in select units. Community features will include a rooftop pool with BBQ grills and outdoor fire pit, cyber cafe, and a resident gaming lounge with kitchen. Camden South Capitol is being developed by Camden Property Trust and designed by WDG Architecture. The building is scheduled to deliver in the summer of 2013.

Rendering of the rear of Camden South Capitol courtesy of WDG Architecture

- At Monday's special ANC 6D meeting on The Wharf PUD, the commissioners voted unanimously to support the Stage 1 PUD application after several amendments were approved.  Back in July, the ANC gave conditional support to the PUD but had 27 concerns that needed to be addressed by the Hoffman Madison Waterfront team before the commissioners could give their full support. Since that meeting, HMW has been in discussions with the ANC and most of the concerns have been addressed. Here is a link to the responses to the ANC's concerns by HMW.

Thanks to Jason Kopp for covering the meeting via Twitter!

- Mayor Gray and other dignitaries were on hand Thursday morning to help unveil MLK Drive at Maine Avenue and 14th Street, a symbolic renaming of sections of road in the District linking Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue east of the Anacostia to the new MLK Memorial along the Tidal Basin. The dedication ceremony for the memorial was scheduled for Sunday, but has been postponed until September or October due to Hurricane Irene.

What Bloggers Are Saying About Southwest

- Greater Greater Washington has a post on the Best Streets in DC, which follows up on their thoughts on the worst streets in DC a couple weeks ago. This time, the following SW streets are ranked: M Street (#18), 7th Street (#15), and 14th Street (#5). All of these streets run in other quadrants of the city, so the author's critique took into account the entire length of the street.

- DCMud has a post about the effort to build a Latino Museum near or on the National Mall. Three out of the four proposed locations are located in Southwest. These locations include the Yates Building at 1400 Independence Avenue, the Whitten Building at 14th & Independence Avenue, and the Arts & Industries Building (pictured).

- UrbanTurf features a listing of a studio at Tiber Island Cooperative Homes for $129,000.