St. Matthew's 2018 Christmas Tree Giveaway

This year's Christmas tree giveaway at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church will be held this Saturday in the courtyard of the new church building, located at 222 M Street at 1pm.  Access to the courtyard is through a wood gate along Delaware Avenue, south of M Street.  If you'd like to reserve a tree, send an email to office@stmatthewsdc.org or call 202.484.3189. Trees are free to those who cannot afford them, but for those who are able, a donation to St. Matthew's to support the soon-to-form Southwest Youth and Children's Choir is appreciated.

During the giveaway, an Open House will be held with refreshments and tours of the new building from 1pm - 3pm.  The dedication ceremony and first service at the new St. Matthew's will be held on January 20, 2019 at 2pm and is open to the public.  Meanwhile, residents started moving into the neighboring Valo apartments last month.

Unity Clinic Demolition Underway

Demolition is progressing at the former Southwest Health Center site at 850 Delaware Avenue. The Unity Health Care clinic closed there back in September 2017 and was relocated to 555 L Street SE in Navy Yard/Near SE/Capitol Riverfront in early 2018. Once demolition is complete, construction will begin on the Ward 6 Short-Term Family Housing project, which will bring a 50-unit facility for homeless families to the site with a maximum occupancy of 166 people. The shelter will be a seven-story building and is designed by Studio 24 Architecture. Amenities will include space for on-site wrap around services, dining room, computer lab, laundry facilities, common rooms, and play areas. A health care facility is also planned in the building, which will occupy a portion of the first floor and basement. The entrance to the clinic will be on I Street while the shelter entrance will be on Delaware Avenue. The planned health care facility may or may not be run by Unity. 

Rendering courtesy of Studio 24 Architecture

Greenleaf Redevelopment RFQ Released

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.  

According to the RFQ, the development objectives include the following: 

• The redevelopment will replace all 493 existing units at the same level of affordability. 
• The redevelopment will minimize the movement of residents – to the greatest extent possible, residents will move directly from their old unit to their new unit. 
• There will be zero displacement of current Greenleaf residents. 
• There will be a mix of market-rate, affordable, and possibly workforce housing. 
• Public safely will be improved with increased activity on streets and public spaces. 
• The redevelopment will integrate into the surrounding community. 
• The redevelopment will support the development of human capital, assisting with such things as job opportunities and supportive services programs. 

The phased redevelopment concept for Greenleaf by HR&A Advisors has been designed with a mix of high-rise and townhomes. The high-rise buildings would be concentrated along M Street and Delaware Avenue with the townhomes further away from those two streets. Some retail is anticipated as well along M Street. A unique feature of the redevelopment will the the use of the "build first" model, which would allow the project to proceed without displacing Greenleaf residents. The first phase of development would use a site near the Greenleaf footprint to build a mixed-income building. Once residents move into that first building, it will free up land within Greenleaf to start demolition and development. DC-owned sites that were identified as having the best potential to do build first include the MPD First District parking lot along Delaware Avenue and the DC FEMS Repair Shop at the NW corner of M and Half streets. While the HR&A report suggested a build first site be selected prior to releasing the RFQ, a site has not been chosen yet. 

It will take several years to redevelop the site and will probably be done in at least six phases. The deadline to submit proposals for the RFQ is February 1. Then in early March, a RFP will be released to a short list of developers who responded to the RFQ. The winning co-developer partner is expected to be selected by June and a contract will be negotiated with DCHA.

Renderings courtesy of HR&A Advisors  

Raze Permits Filed

Raze permits have been filed for two sites that will soon become mixed-use developments. One is the Unity Health Clinic site at 850 Delaware Avenue, which closed back in October. In its place will be a 50-unit temporary housing facility for homeless families, with a maximum occupancy of 166 people in a seven-story building. A new health clinic will be in the basement of the building, with its entrance on I Street. This is the Ward 6 location of the Mayor’s Homeward DC initiative to place smaller family homeless shelters in each ward of the city to replace the DC General facility. The Zoning Commission approved the 850 Delaware Avenue project in March and the new facility is expected to be completed in 2019. 

The second site is the former home of Engine 13 at 555 E Street. E Street Development won the bid to develop this site and another District-owned parcel at 4th and E streets several years ago. The latter was developed into a Hyatt Place with a fire house on the ground floor – the hotel just celebrated its two-year anniversary. On the 555 E Street site, the developer plans to build a 253-key citizenM hotel, a 194-unit mixed-income rental apartment building, and 10,750 SF of ground floor retail. This project is also expected to be completed in 2019. 

Renderings courtesy of Studio 24 Architecture and E Street Development

Top Posts of 2016

Now that 2016 has come to an end, let's take a look back and see which posts were the most read and commented on throughout the year. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of interest in The Bard, which was a contentious development proposal for the former Southeastern University site at 6th and I streets. Shakespeare Theatre had plans to build artist studio space, non-profit office space, and educational uses on the site, and partnered with Erkiletian to build actors' housing as well as market-rate apartments. Many neighbors were concerned about the scale and height of the project. A PUD was filed earlier in the year, but after it became clear that the developer was not going to get community buy-in for the project, it was withdrawn. At the time of the PUD withdrawal, the intention was to re-file in the fall, but as of yet, this has not happened. Three of the top 10 read posts were about this project. 

However, the most commented post of the year was about the plan for the District government to open the Ward 6 temporary housing facility for homeless families in Southwest. There was also controversy with this project. In an effort to close DC General for homeless families by 2018, the Bowser administration selected eight sites across the District (one in each Ward) to place smaller facilities. Originally, the Ward 6 facility was to be built on a privately owned parcel next door to Blind Whino at 700 Delaware Avenue. Once the DC Council became involved, they moved the location to a DC-owned site nearby at 850 Delaware Avenue, currently home to Unity Health Clinic. A new clinic will be built on the site as well as a 50-unit facility. 

There was some interest in what's going on in Buzzard Point, but surprisingly, no post specific to the D.C. United stadium made it to the top 10 read or top five commented lists. Two posts made both lists - one about retail at The Wharf and the other about the withdrawal of the PUD for The Bard. Below are the lists of top read and top commented posts of 2016!

Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2016 

1. Breaking: STC and Erkiletian to Withdraw The Bard PUD Application 
2. Homeless Shelter Site Shifted to Unity Health Clinic Parcel 
3. Neighborhood Events
4. Adios Z-Burger, Eliot Getting Closed Up 
5. Buzzard Point Construction Activity 
6. Historic Designation Sought for Buzzard Point Power Plant 
7. Parcel 11 Update 
8. Community Benefits Meeting for The Bard This Thursday 
9. More Community Benefits Added to Bard PUD 
10. Wharf Retail News 

Top 5 Most Commented Posts of 2016 

1. Family Homeless Shelter Planned for Square 643 
2. Construction Begins at The View at Waterfront 
3. Wharf Retail News 
4. Breaking: STC and Erkiletian to Withdraw The Bard PUD Application 
5. Developers Behind The Bard Intend to File PUD Application

Renderings courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates and DC Government

Design Revealed for Ward 6 Temporary Family Housing Facility

Design concepts were unveiled last night at a community meeting to discuss the planned Ward 6 short-term family housing facility to be built at 850 Delaware Avenue. The site is currently occupied by a District-owned building that contains Unity Health Clinic. A new health clinic is planned as part of the new housing facility, located primarily on the lower level of the building with an entrance on I Street. The proposed building, designed by Studio 27 Architecture, will be seven stories tall and will house up to 50 homeless families at one time. On the ground floor of the building, there will be a dining room and kitchen, as well as a computer lab and administrative space. A fenced off play area will be created along Delaware Avenue. Each residential floor will have a common area on the north side of the building with TVs and seating where programming will be administered – these rooms will have views of the Capitol building due to their location along Delaware Avenue. In addition to the larger play area along Delaware Avenue, each floor will contain an outdoor play area. The design of the building maintains the view shed of the Capitol dome along Delaware Avenue by gradually stepping back the façade, creating small green spaces throughout. There will also be a large green roof, which helps the building obtain LEED-Gold certification. 

Back in February, the community was alerted to the fact that the city selected 700 Delaware Avenue (a site adjacent to Blind Whino) as the location of the Ward 6 short-term family housing facility. The Bowser administration wanted to close DC General and place a family homeless shelter in each ward of the city. After some community concerns were raised about the proposed 700 Delaware Avenue site, how it was selected, and the cost to the city for leasing it for the shelter, the DC Council changed the location to the District-owned 850 Delaware Avenue site. An Advisory Team was created to allow a variety of voices from the community to provide input on the plan and design for the project, including the ANC, Council member Charles Allen, and neighbors Greenleaf, Capitol Park IV, and Telesis (developer of the Randall School project). 

The facility's design will be refined over the next few weeks and the city will submit an application with the Board of Zoning Adjustment in January for the project, with the hope of starting construction after approval by November 2017. The Ward 6 facility is anticipated to open by the summer of 2019 when a Good Neighbor Agreement will be drafted. 

Rendering courtesy of Studio 27 Architecture

Belated Review of Third Greenleaf Planning Meeting

There was a Greenleaf community meeting back in the summer which gave an update on the long process ahead to redevelop Greenleaf as a mixed-income community. There were two other community meetings in March 2016 and October 2015 where input was gathered on the redevelopment plan. 

In order to start the redevelopment process, the Housing Authority has made a commitment to using a “Build First” model, so existing residents are not displaced from the neighborhood while the public housing complex is redeveloped over the next several years. Two nearby publicly-owned sites have been identified as potential candidates to build the initial phase of the redeveloped Greenleaf. One is the parking lot adjacent to MPD’s First District headquarters at the northeast corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street. The other site is the DC FEMS Engine 7 repair shop at Half and M streets. 

Greenleaf boundaries in orange; pins show potential "Build First" sites

The preliminary development plan developed by the consultant HR&A Advisors would first involve the construction of a mixed-income building at the selected “Build First” site so some of the existing residents can move there to allow for a phased demolition of the existing Greenleaf buildings, starting with the townhouses along M Street. In the preliminary development plan, there are a mix of housing types and heights. Generally, the building heights are highest along M Street and taper down to the north and south. The redevelopment of the 15-acre site is split into four blocks: 

• Block A is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, M Street to the south and L Street to the north. An affordable seniors/disabled 11-story apartment building with 272 units would be built along M Street with about 15,000 SF of ground floor retail. The northern portion of the block would be developed with a mixed-income nine-story multifamily building with 214 units. 
• Block B is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, L Street to the south and K Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a seven-story multifamily building with about 207 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block C is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, K Street to the south and I Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a mid-rise multifamily building with about 340 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block D is bounded by Delaware Avenue to the west, King-Greenleaf Recreation Center to the east, King Greenleaf Ballfield to the south and M Street to the north. On the northwest portion of the block, an 11-story building would be constructed along Delaware Avenue with about 320 units and 7,000 SF of ground floor retail. A second 11-story multifamily building would be constructed on the northeast portion of the block – this one would have about 420 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. The south portion of the block would include 42 townhouses. 

Excluding the “Build First” phase of development, nearly 1,900 units would be built at Greenleaf, replacing the existing 493 units of affordable housing and adding a significant amount of market-rate housing. Nothing new has happened since the July meeting, but the next step in the process is to come to an agreement with the District on a site to do “Build First.” Following that, the redevelopment plan needs to be finalized and then the Housing Authority will issue a RFP to select a developer partner.

St. Matthew's Christmas Tree Lot Giveaway Returns!

Although the St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church lot at Delaware Avenue and M Street is now a construction site, the annual tradition of having a Christmas tree lot on the site will continue. The church will be giving away a total of 130 trees on Saturday, December 3, starting at 10am on the sidewalk along M Street in front of the construction site. Reservations will be given on a first come first serve basis and can be obtained by either sending an email (office@stmatthewsdc.org) or by calling (202-484-3189) before December 2. Reservations can be made at the St. Matthews’s lot beginning at 10am to pick up a tree, if any remain, after 12pm. The trees will be complimentary, but the church is asking for people who are able to afford it to make a generous contribution to the church’s World Hunger Appeal. There will be free food and beverages at the giveaway as well as construction drawings of the mixed use project, which will include a new sanctuary for St. Matthew’s as well as a 221-unit apartment building.

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

Groundbreaking for St. Matthew's Mixed-Use Project

On Sunday, September 11, community leaders, members from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, project developers, and the community at-large gathered at a lot on the corner of M Street and Delaware Avenue for a groundbreaking ceremony. The groundbreaking ceremony was for a new St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Speakers at the event included Pastor Philip Huber of St. Matthew’s, Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen, Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, and Chris Roth from Trammell Crow, one of the developer partners in the deal. 

In designing the project, architecture firm Shalom Baranes Associates placed the apartment building on the west side of the site and the church at the corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street, in order to preserve what is left of the view shed along Delaware Avenue north to the Capitol dome. The new St. Matthew's will be constructed with stacked stone masonry and colored glass will be inset using cut glass from the old church building that will form an image - perhaps an image of the giving of the Holy Spirit. Glass will be back-lit so it will be illuminated at night. The square immediately to the right of the base of the cross on the M Street façade is a large window that will allow people to see into the sanctuary, look through to the baptistery, and into the courtyard in the back. Architecturally it conveys that St. Matthew’s is open to the community and welcomes everyone to venture inside. The sidewalk will have an indenture at the window with a backless bench, so people can "sit a while" and rest while looking into the interior space. The green panel to the right of the window (and left of the door) is the exterior wall of the sacristy and is where the name of the church will be located. There will be 10,000 SF of community space and meeting rooms, as well as the Thurgood & Cecilia Marshall Southwest DC Community Center and Sacred Grounds Cafe. 

Meanwhile, the apartment building is shaped like the letter L, with an 11-story building fronting M Street and an 8-story building on the west side perpendicular to M Street. Approximately 220 residences are planned, with 10% set aside under inclusionary zoning as affordable housing. The apartments are not affiliated with St. Matthew's, so anyone can apply to rent a unit. There will be metal cladding on the apartment building along with two-story metal panels. Design cues for the building were taken from neighboring residences like River Park and Waterfront Tower, and the incorporation of a courtyard was done to fit in with the Southwest building style of having apartments frame courtyards. Approximately six private patios will be on the ground level for tenants. Other apartment amenities include a fitness center, lounge, screening room, and two levels of below-grade parking. 

Local landscape architectural firm Oculus has designed the courtyard - the same firm that designed the Waterfront Station Metro plaza. The courtyard area will be shared between the church and apartment building with a seating area and a shallow pool that will be connected to the fellowship hall of the church. There will be a bosque of trees in the center of the courtyard and a paved area in front, facing Delaware Avenue. A landscaped buffer will be installed along Delaware Avenue to shield the outdoor space and provide some security. The existing trees on the site will be maintained on three sides, including along Delaware Avenue, the western border with 240 M Street, and on the south. New landscaping will be planted on M Street. Parking will be accessed via Delaware Avenue and loading will be done on M Street. All main pedestrian entrances (for the church, community center, and apartment building) will be on M Street. 

It will take about two years to build the project. Construction completion is expected before the end of 2018.

Renderings courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

St. Matthew's Groundbreaking Set for September 11

A ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Sunday, September 11 for the new St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran church and apartments, planned for the intersection of Delaware Avenue and M Street. The event will be held at the lot at 222 M Street starting at 11:30am. It will be a festive occasion open to the public and will include a BBQ, along with a DJ, face painting, and other family-friendly activities.

Utility work for the project has been underway on Delaware Avenue since June. Once construction begins, it will take about two years to finish the church and apartment building, putting completion sometime in late 2018.

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

Homeless Shelter Site Shifted to Unity Health Clinic Parcel

The DC Council voted today to move the proposed Ward 6 shelter site from a parcel adjacent to Blind Whino to the Unity Health Clinic site at 850 Delaware Avenue. The change was prompted by broad opposition by community members of the Blind Whino site, especially by residents of neighboring Capitol Park IV.  Since the site was privately owned, it would have required the District government to lease the shelter building, raising the cost. During the Council review of Mayor Bowser's Homeward DC plan to close DC General by creating homeless shelters in all eight Wards, all of the proposed privately-owned sites, including Ward 6, were changed to District-owned parcels. For a time, the proposed Ward 6 shelter was not going to be in Southwest at all - a site was identified at 200 K Street NW, but ultimately due to legal issues with that site, the Unity site was selected.

According to a statement by Ward 6 Council Member Charles Allen's office, Unity Health Clinic will be rebuilt as part of the deal:

The 850 Delaware Avenue, SW site was identified early on by the Southwest community as a possible alternative to the initial proposal at 700 Delaware Avenue, SW. In addition, this location has more favorable zoning and is large enough to accommodate up to 50 units of housing. Further, after constructive conversations with the Mayor and her team, the city has committed to replacing and rebuilding the community health center located at that site, and has also committed to protecting and preserving critical Greenleaf public housing through a Build First model of redevelopment as prioritized by the Southwest community.

An initiative by the CBCC several months ago called for the Unity site to be used as a seniors' housing/health complex as a first step in redeveloping Greenleaf under a Build First model. As a result of the Council's actions, a new District or Federally-owned parcel in Southwest will need to be used to implement Build First at Greenleaf.

Construction Activity at St. Matthew’s Site

Construction equipment has finally arrived on site at Delaware Avenue and M Street, which will be transformed into a new sanctuary for St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and a 221-unit apartment building. The sanctuary will be at the corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street and the 11-story apartment building will run along M Street. Chain link fencing has been up around the site for years, but in the past few days, a construction trailer arrived along with backhoes, and Delaware Avenue was closed on Monday as construction crews started digging in the street. Parking restrictions on both sides of Delaware Avenue are expected for the next two months as utility work is done for the project, but restrictions on the west side of the street will last longer since it will take about two years to finish construction.

The St. Matthew’s project is a long time coming – the PUD was approved in November 2012 and a two-year extension was requested in late 2014. This is the second rental apartment building to start construction over the past couple of months in the quadrant. Construction began last month at 301 M Street, located cattycorner from the St. Matthew’s site. Within the next few months, two more apartment buildings will get underway. Construction on two new rental apartment buildings on the parking lots of the View at Waterfront apartments on 6th and M streets and 6th and K streets should get started this summer (a new name for this project will be announced soon). 

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

301 M Street Starting Construction in Short Order

The Bernstein Companies is gearing up for construction to begin in the coming weeks at 301 M Street, one of three new residential buildings planned on a stretch of M Street from 6th Street to Delaware Avenue which are expected to start this year. Plans call for about 190 apartment units in an 11-story building with some ground floor retail. This new building at Town Center East will be constructed on what is currently the parking lot for Waterfront Tower condos. In fact, the parking lot has already been emptied and a construction fence will soon be placed around it. Before construction can begin, a fence will be built on the west side of the property to give residents of Waterfront Tower a temporary access point to the property, since the current entrance on the south side will be blocked off due to construction activity. 

Construction of the first new building at Town Center East will be followed with a second building. Two years after 301 M Street receives its certificate of occupancy, construction can begin on the mirror image building planned for the K Street parking lot used by 1001 @ Waterfront apartments as well as renovations to 1001 @ Waterfront. In addition to 301 M Street, construction should also start soon at the St. Matthew’s redevelopment, located at M Street and Delaware Avenue, as well as The View at 6th and M streets, which is expected to begin in June.

The View

St. Matthew's

Renderings courtesy of Maurice Walters Architect, PC, Shalom Baranes Associates, and SK&I Architecture

Family Homeless Shelter Planned for Square 643

Mayor Bowser announced this morning the location of eight community-based short-term family housing locations (family homeless shelters), one for each Ward of the city. These eight facilities will replace DC General, which is the current family homeless shelter and is scheduled for closure. Ward 6’s proposed location is on land adjacent to Blind Whino SW Arts Club at 700 Delaware Avenue. The proposed facility will house up to 50 families at a time in a seven-story building and may open by May 2018. According to the Mayor's office, the facility will offer the following:

• Private rooms for families
• Parking
• Playground & recreation space (Randall Field is located next door so if these amenities are included in the building, they would be redundant)
• Computer lab for residents
• Ongoing support services & programming for families

Former proposal for Square 643

Back in 2003 Steve Tanner, the owner of 700 Delaware Avenue (Square 643), planned to transform the old Friendship Baptist Church building into office space and build condominiums on the adjacent land. The project received PUD approval over a decade ago, but was delayed several times due to inaction on the redevelopment of Randall Junior High School across the street (coincidentally, a homeless shelter used to be located at Randall, but closed in anticipation of its redevelopment as a museum/residential project). Eventually, the developer came to an agreement with Blind Whino to convert the church into the non-profit Blind Whino SW Arts Club and a mural was painted on the building's exterior. The club opened in 2013, but the residential portion of the original development was not built. Other temporary uses for the site included batting cages for a youth baseball league and a community garden.  

With the proposed facility, the site's redevelopment would finally be complete; however, before construction can begin, the city will need to file a new PUD since the previous one for the site has expired. The DC Council will also need to approve all eight proposed sites. A community meeting to discuss the community-based short-term family housing proposal will be held on Thursday evening at 6:30pm at Friendship Baptist Church, located at 900 Delaware Avenue. 

Renderings courtesy of DC Government and Steve Tanner

“Build First” Model for Greenleaf Redevelopment Gaining Steam

The ANC voted unanimously on Monday on a resolution, sponsored by 6D-03 commissioner Rachel Reilly Carroll, called “Resolution in Support of Avoiding the Displacement of Public Housing Residents During the Redevelopment of Public Housing Buildings in the Southwest Neighborhood,” which supports a “Build-First” model for Greenleaf’s eventual redevelopment. The resolution urges DCHA, the DC City Council, and the Office of the Mayor to form an Interagency Working Group within the next 30 days to evaluate the feasibility of executing a “Build First” strategy utilizing one or more of the 21 publicly-owned parcels in Southwest identified during OP’s recent Southwest Neighborhood Plan process. In addition, the ANC would like at least one commissioner to serve on the Interagency Working Group and to report on its progress and findings at least once a month to the Greenleaf Neighborhood Advisory Group until redevelopment commences. 

In previous cases across the city where public housing complexes have been redeveloped, current residents were moved to other public housing complexes in the city or given vouchers while redevelopment occurs and once the new housing is built, some of the residents who meet eligibility standards are allowed to return. In the case of Capper Carrollsburg in neighboring Navy Yard which was redeveloped through HUD’s Hope VI program, it’s been about a decade since the old buildings were demolished and many former residents remain displaced. In contrast, a “Build First” model allows development of other parcels in the vicinity of the area to be redeveloped first so residents move only once, then redevelopment can occur. In theory “Build First” a great idea, but in practice it is difficult to implement since there usually isn’t enough land available or the political will to do it. 

The CBCC, along with other neighborhood groups have been working for months on how to implement a “Build First” strategy for Greenleaf, so existing residents are not displaced from Southwest while the public housing complex is redeveloped over the next several years. Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen has also expressed support. As the ANC resolution states, there are 21 publicly-owned sites in Southwest that could potentially be used to help meet this goal. One of the components of Greenleaf is a seniors building on Delaware Avenue and M street, and displacement would be more of a hardship to this population, so the focus has been on finding a site to build a mixed-income seniors building. The Unity Clinic site at Delaware Avenue and I Street has been identified as a potential location for such a complex, combining health services and mixed income seniors housing. While the three-story Unity Clinic building is a historic landmark, there is the potential to build residential on top of and on land adjacent to the clinic. 

Don’t forget there will be a charrette tomorrow afternoon hosted by DCHA regarding Greenleaf’s redevelopment from 1-3pm at Westminster (400 I Street), which is open to the public.

Southwest Rental Market Update

In Delta Associates’ recently-released First Quarter 2015 Mid-Atlantic Class A Apartment Report, it shows that rents in the Capitol Hill/Riverfront submarket (which includes Southwest) increased by 3.2% over the past 12 months, while rents in the city as a whole decreased by 1.3% as a slew of new projects entered the market. Stabilized vacancy in the area, which only includes projects that have reached stabilization (or 95% occupied), is at 3.6% - the lowest rate among submarkets in the District. 

Lex at Waterfront Station, which began leasing units in December, was about 20% leased as of March with a lease-up pace of 13 units per month. Sky House East, Lex’s sister building across 4th Street, reached stabilization in a year at a monthly lease-up pace of 18 units. The other newer project in Southwest, Camden South Capitol, reached stabilization 16 months after leasing began, or a 15-unit monthly lease-up pace. 

However, there are several projects under construction and planned for the neighborhood. There are four apartment projects under construction, including three at The Wharf and one at Waterfront Station, totaling 811 units. Two other apartment buildings are planned that may deliver over the next 36 months, including the St. Matthews site at Delaware Avenue and M Street and an addition to Capitol Park Tower at 4th and G streets for a total of 471 units. 

On the Class B apartment front, Delta’s First Quarter 2015 Washington Metropolitan Area Class B Apartment Report indicates that rents in the Southwest submarket are down 3.3% from a year ago, but over the past 5 years, rents have increased on average by 2.8% per year. Similar to the Class A market, vacancy is low – it is 3.5% in Southwest compared to the city-wide average of 4.4%.

Tree Lot to Return to St. Matthew's

The St. Matthew’s lot at Delaware Avenue and M Street will become a Christmas tree lot again this year, but with a twist. In anticipation of finally starting construction sometime during the second quarter of 2015 on a new sanctuary and a 200-unit apartment building and as a thank you to the community for its patience over the years, St. Matthew’s will be giving away trees on Saturday, December 13. From 10am to 1pm, trees will be given to previous customers. In order to receive a tree, customers need to send an email to stmatthewsdc@hughes.net by noon on December 11 to receive a verification email with an identifying number. After 1pm, the remaining trees will be given to the community at-large. Those who have not purchased a tree in the past and would like one of the remaining trees in the giveaway will need to pick up a reservation number sometime between 10am and 1pm on the 13th. Free food and beverages will be provided during the giveaway, as well as a free Christmas CD while supplies last. 

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

A Couple Quick Wednesday Night Items: For the Dogs

There will be a Grand Opening celebration on Saturday Sunday from 12-3pm for the new dog park at Lansburgh Park, located at Delaware Avenue and K Street. The PAWS of SW Dog Park Group has been working to get this dog park built for several years and it finally opened last month. In addition to a dog park, other recent improvements to Lansburgh Park include a community garden and new basketball courts. A leash-cutting ceremony will be held for the dog park at 12:30pm. Invited VIP guests include Sam the Bloodhound, Bo and Sunny Obama, and Corporal Chesty XIV.

Over at Sky House East apartments, local rescue dogs from Homeward Trails were invited to use the Grroom pet grooming station located in the building’s basement. A promotional video of the pet space is below:

SW Dog Park is Complete

A new dog park at Lansburgh Park, located along Delaware Avenue is now open for use. After several years of fundraising by the PAWS of Southwest, the 10,000 square-foot off-leash Lansburgh Dog Park was recently completed by the Department of General Services and will operate as a Department of Parks and Recreation facility. There are two fenced off areas - a 2,000 square-foot area for small dogs and 8,000 square feet for large dogs; each section has water stations. There are also seating areas for dog owners to relax and watch their canine companions play.

The Lansburgh Dog Park is open from 7am to 9pm Monday - Friday and 8am to 9pm Saturday - Sunday and holidays. All dogs using a dog park must be licensed and registered in the District of Columbia. All dogs are required by law to be vaccinated and registered. All dogs must display a Dog Park Registration Tag, and other tags as required by law. There is a limit of 22 dogs in the dog park at any time.

Lansburgh Park has received several improvements in the past two years.  Last year, the run down tennis courts were replaced with basketball courts and the SW Gardens group received a grant from Fiskars to transform a portion of the park into a community garden. The PAWS of Southwest and the SW Gardens group are both fiduciary subsidiaries of SWNA, which announced that a second grant was recently awarded to the group in order to expand the garden with more raised beds.

St. Matthew's Christmas Tree Lot is Back

The St. Matthew's Lutheran Church lot at Delaware Avenue and M Street is open again this season as a Christmas tree lot. Scotch Pines, Frazier Firs, and door wreaths will be available for sale on Thursdays & Fridays from 5pm to 8:30pm and Saturdays & Sundays from 1pm to 5pm. For more information, or to reserve a tree, call 202-484-3189 or send an email to stmatthewsdc@hughes.net. This may be the last season that the tree lot will be on this site. After receiving PUD approval last year, the project will be going through the architectural and permitting process in the first half of 2014. Once that is complete and financing is in place, construction may begin by the third quarter of 2014 on a 200-unit apartment building and a new sanctuary for St. Matthew's.

Future St. Matthew's mixed-use project.

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates