St. James Mutual Homes Designated Historic

St. James Mutual Homes is the latest multifamily residential community in Southwest to be designated a historic landmark, following Potomac Place Tower, Harbour Square, Tiber Island, and Capitol Park Tower. The community is a series of 16 garden-style multifamily buildings located east of Channel Square apartments on the 200 block of O Street, P Street and along James Creek Parkway, which was constructed by the Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) and its off-shoot, the Washington Sanitary Housing Company (WSHC) in 1937 and 1939 as moderate-income housing. The complex was designed by Appleton Clark in the Colonial Revival style. 

The application for St. James cited eligibility for historic designation in six categories, including: 

1. Buildings associated with specific events that have made a contribution to the broad patterns of our history. 
2. Buildings that illustrate the initial development of the apartment movement as it relates to the need for housing, including the introduction of the building type and the specific form seen. 
3. Buildings that are parts of clusters, corridors, or districts that illustrate the patterns of development of the city. 
4. Buildings that reflect economic forces, both external and internal, that altered the development of the city. 
5. Buildings that reflect trends in the attitude toward the stratification or segregation and integration of religious, racial, economic, or other social groups through the building’s residential character, architectural form, and/or location. 
6. Buildings that are parts of corridors or zones that illustrate changes in zoning and planning trends and specific regulations.

Of the 107 shareholders at St. James, 100 voted in support of pursuing historic designation. The ANC unanimously supported the historic landmark application at their September meeting and the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) staff report recommended approval. The HPRB reviewed the case on Thursday.

Apartment Sale Activity Picking Up

 

The last quarter of 2013 included a couple of apartment building sales transactions in Southwest – Channel Square and Capitol Park Tower. Channel Square was purchased in October by a joint venture of Somerset Development Company and the National Housing Trust-Enterprise Preservation Corporation. The tenants association chose the new owners in a competitive bid process through TOPA. Channel Square is located at 325 P Street and has 223 units in a mix of high-rise and townhouse buildings. The property will undergo a major renovation with a focus on green features. One third of the units will be targeted for voucher holders, one third for residents at or below 80% of AMI, and one third under a rent stabilization program similar to rent control. 

Capitol Park Tower

In November, Urban Investment Partners, PRP LLC, and Perseus Realty purchased the 289-unit Capitol Park Tower, located at 301 G Street. According to the press release, the new owners plan to invest in significant improvements over the next several years, but the property will remain rent-controlled. Capitol Park Tower was under contract in 2012 to UIP by the previous owner, but then the tenants association exercised their first right of refusal, which began a process to find an alternative buyer for the property. After a vetting process, eventually the current ownership group was able to purchase the building. 

In response to the pending sale of the building and potential for infill development, an application was filed in 2012 by SWNA to place Capitol Park Tower on the DC Preservation League’s endangered list. Capitol Tower was designed by Chloethiel Woodard Smith and built in 1962, part of the Capitol Park residential complex – a series of five high-rise buildings and two groups of townhouses arranged around open spaces and pathways. The property is also pending designation as a historic landmark by the Historic Preservation Review Board. However, it was reported in today’s Washington Business Journal that a foundation permit was issued for a six-story addition, which presumably will be built to the north of the existing building overlooking the Southwest Freeway where the parking structure and landscaped area are currently located. DCRA's website states that as of yesterday, the permit was still pending approval.

Small Area Plan to Move Forward, KIPP Plan Stalls

The Mayor announced last week that the Small Area Plan process will move forward for Southwest, which in effect stalls KIPP DC's plans for the Randall Recreation Center site at South Capitol and I streets. Several neighborhood and civic organizations called on the Mayor to keep the SAP process moving forward after KIPP DC began maneuvering to build a new school and recreation center at the site, which has been contentious to say the least. KIPP DC's ambitious timeline called for a new school to open in time for the 2014-15 school year; however, the Small Area Plan will take about a year to complete. The plan boundaries are South Capitol Street to the east, 9th and Water streets to the west, the Southwest Freeway to the north and P Street to the south, which includes several District-owned parcels. The area highlighted in red on the map above shows the primary focus area, where most of the new development opportunity sites and primary urban design issues are located. The areas highlighted in blue are the secondary study area where neighborhood conservation, neighborhood connectivity, and sustainability are the primary focus.

Kick-off occurs this month and the plan will be developed over the next nine months with a series of public meetings. Final draft recommendations will be made by March 2014 along with a draft plan for public comment. By April 2014, the Mayor will transmit the plan to the DC Council for approval. Once completed, the Small Area Plan will guide land use and provide a neighborhood development framework to enhance pedestrian access, improve street connectivity and transportation options, integrate community amenities, and better serve residents.

Map courtesy of the Office of Planning

Rock & Roll Marathon Road Closures Tomorrow

The Southwest community will see 4,500 full marathon runners between 8:45am – 11:45am coming out of the 9th Street tunnel onto Maine Avenue, down 6th Street, onto Water Street, into the Anacostia Trail out onto P Street, down 2nd Street, left onto V Street, north on 1st Street, right on Potomac Avenue, and a turnaround on South Capitol Street (Southbound lanes only) and outbound over the Frederick Douglass Bridge.  For all additional details on the event and street closures, please visit the website: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa/event-details.

Planning for a Complete Street on M Street

(This post is an abbreviated version of the South by West article that will appear in December's Hill Rag).

Over the past several months, DDOT has been working on a transportation planning study of the M Street, SE/SW corridor.  The study area includes most of ANC 6D, which includes everything south of the Southeast/Southwest Freeway to the Washington Channel and Anacostia River. The study began in early 2012 and after three community meetings and months of study by DDOT and their consultant CH2MHILL, three alternatives were developed for the corridor and surrounding streets. Each of the alternatives are distinct, although some aspects of each alternative are common.

The first alternative would remake M Street as a “Main Street” which would accommodate more transit service. Under this alternative, there would be a median of variable width, including a center turn lane on the Southwest portion of M Street, two travel lanes on each side of the street, and the outer lanes would be an exclusive transit lane for streetcars, Metrobus, and commuter buses. Street parking that currently exists on M Street would be removed under this scenario since the parking lane would be taken up by the transit lane. Right turns would be restricted to certain intersections throughout the corridor so the transit vehicles are able to travel more quickly on the street. In order to compensate for the removal of a traffic lane on M Street, a second travel lane would be added to each side of I Street by removing on-street parking. The bike lane configuration currently on I Street would change to include a mixed travel and bike lane in each direction. In addition, P Street would be widened from one travel lane to two travel lanes between 4th Street and South Capitol Street during peak hours. One-way traffic on some streets would be converted to two-way streets.  

Under the second alternative, or the “Balanced Linkages” scenario, M Street would accommodate cars, transit, and bike lanes. The typical cross-section of M Street west of South Capitol Street would have an eight-foot cycle track, an eight-foot parking lane, a 12-foot shared travel lane for general purpose and transit vehicles, and an 11-foot travel/turn lane in each direction.  This scenario reduces the number of travel lanes from three currently to two lanes in each direction on M Street. Streetcar service would be placed along I Street, where the parking lane would be removed and replaced with a shared vehicle/transit lane. The streetcar line would connect to 7th Street on the western side. On-street parking on P Street would be removed as well, replaced with a shared travel/transit lane that would serve the DC Circulator (assuming service is restored to Southwest). No Southwest streets would be converted to two-way streets under the second alternative.

Alternative number three, or the “Mobility Arterial” scenario would make M Street three travel lanes in each direction with the outer lane serving as a shared travel/transit lane. Streetcars would run on this shared lane.  No parking would be provided on M Street under this scenario. However, the middle travel lane would be shared with bicycles. The current configuration of I Street would not change under this scenario. Similar to alternative number two, no Southwest streets would be converted to two-way streets under the third alternative.

The full report can be found here.  Comments will be accepted by DDOT until Friday, November 30 at 5pm. Comments should be emailed to ddot.awi@dc.gov, mailed to Colleen Hawkinson, District Department of Transportation, Suite 500, 55 M Street SE, Washington DC 20003 or faxed to her attention at 202-671-0617.

Improving Play Areas for SW Youth

Several new or renovated playgrounds will soon be available in the neighborhood. The playground at Randall Recreation Center is one of several playgrounds across the city that will be renovated during the 2013 fiscal year which began on October 1, according to the Washington Examiner.   The city will spend a total of $30 million to renovate 32 playgrounds in all 8 wards of the city.  Related to Randall, fill out this survey to gather input on programming ideas at Randall Recreation Center, which will be reopened in 2013 for programs.  Meanwhile, the city set aside an additional $250,000 to help create a playground at the SW Library park at 3rd & I Streets.  In addition, a new playground was built last month at Syphax Gardens (Half and P Streets) with the assistance of Make Kids Smile and over at Amidon-Bowen, construction is supposed to begin soon on two new playgrounds.

Southwest For Sale!

According to an article in last week's Real Estate Bisnow, Channel Square Apartments is currently being marketed by commercial real estate brokerage firm CBRE. Channel Square is a collection of 75 garden-style apartments and townhouses and a 203-unit high-rise located along 4th Street between O & P Streets. This would be the fourth apartment building in the quadrant put up for sale over the past few months. The brokers are also working on Capitol Park Towers, while the Capitol Park Associates ownership group wants to sell the remaining 5% interest it holds at Capitol Park Twin Towers and Capitol Park Plaza.

Renovations were recently done on the complex, which was the scene of a bribery scandal with two DC government employees from the Department of the Environment.  The DC employees wanted $20k in bribes from the contractors who were doing renovations at the property claiming there were asbestos issues that would cost $280k - $300k in fines.

100th Anniversary of Titanic Tragedy

On the evening of Saturday, April 14, SWDC Heritage will host a commemoration at the Titanic Memorial of the 100th anniversary of the doomed ship's sinking during its maiden voyage. The Titanic memorial is located on the Southwest Waterfront where P Street dead-ends at Waterfront Park next to Fort McNair. Historic images of the Titanic and her crew will be displayed along the waterfront as well as music from the period.  The commemoration will begin at 7pm.  This commemoration is in addition to the annual ceremony performed by the Men's Titanic Society, who gather at the memorial at midnight to honor those who gave their lives for others when the ship sank.

The memorial is on National Park Service land and will not be moved when The Wharf development gets underway.  However, the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team is working with NPS to improve the setting of the area by the memorial to be more compatible for their plans for the Waterfront Park and wharf walkway.

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. 

PAT's Final Report Released on Buzzard Point

A Planning Assistance Team (PAT) from the American Planning Association studied Buzzard Point in November 2009 at the request of Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID, whose boundaries include the isolated waterfront neighborhood.  The final report was finally released and includes a vision for how the area should be developed over the next 20-25 years.  Since Fort McNair isn't going anywhere, the report focuses on the mixed-use part of the neighborhood south of the existing residential neighborhood and east of the military installation. The report admits there are constraints on this part of the neighborhood, including the PEPCO plant and the Coast Guard Headquarters building and another office building, both of which block access to the waterfront.  The PAT recommends the neighborhood should be "a center for low-intensity recreational uses by area residents, visitors to the area and residents of other parts of the District, as well as an important link along the Anacostia River chain."  Major points include the following:

• Increase the quality and accessibility of the Buzzard Point waterfront, while recognizing its distinctive character.
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle linkages through the area and to the water along P Street and 2nd Street.
• Preserve and upgrade existing affordable housing in area.
• Make the South Capitol Street oval a major gateway to the District, creating an iconic building on the adjacent Steuart site.
• Strengthen Potomac Avenue as the link between the area and the Southeast waterfront.
• Ensure that development of the Akridge site maximizes connectivity and economic benefits to the Buzzard Point community.
• Change the proposed streetcar alignment to better serve the Buzzard Point area.
• Develop a long-range strategy for the PEPCO property, including ultimate reuse of the historic power plant building for cultural or educational use.

Buzzard Point has been making news lately, including plans for a condo building adjacent to the Buzzard Point Marina and rumors that DC United is looking at the 100 V Street parcel as a potential stadium site.

Rendering of Buzzard Point neighborhood courtesy of Akridge.

PAT Recommends Buzzard Point Should Be Primarily a Residential Neighborhood

On Saturday I attended a meeting where the American Planning Association’s Planning Assistance Team (PAT) presented their results of a four-day study of Buzzard Point. Once the slide show presentation from the meeting is released, I’ll provide a link. In the meantime, here are my notes from the meeting:

Buzzard Point is a separate neighborhood from the Capitol Riverfront or Southwest Waterfront, with distinct opportunities and constraints. The PAT recommends that Buzzard Point become a primarily residential mixed-use neighborhood of varying density with improved access to the waterfront. The existing public housing in the northern part of the area should be preserved and upgraded. There are nine major points about the current condition of Buzzard Point that need to be considered when planning for the future, including:

• Much of the area is low & medium density affordable housing.
• There is limited accessibility to and from Buzzard Point.
• Fort McNair acts as a wall.
• River access is blocked.
• The area is flanked by a major sports entertainment district and a large retail center under construction at Waterfront Station.
• There is a huge amount of development occurring to the east of Buzzard Point.
• There are poor multimodal connections to the area.
• Industrial uses in the area aren’t conducive to residential development.
• The Pepco power plant is an impediment.

However, there are some transformative events that will occur over the next 15 years that will have an impact on development in Buzzard Point. The DC Streetcar project will bring streetcars to Buzzard Point; the Coast Guard will relocate to St. Elizabeth’s in Southeast; South Capitol Street and bridge will be rebuilt; and there will be new waterfront connections. Since these events will take a long time to happen, change in the area will be incremental. Following is an analysis of how the planners think different sections of Buzzard Point should be developed:

2nd Street
The Anacostia Riverwalk should be extended from Buzzard Point to M Street via 2nd Street. The historic SW Community House on 2nd Street should be restored as a museum or café.

Potomac Avenue
Potomac Avenue should be extended westward to 2nd Street. Since the road extension will reach the entrance to Fort McNair on 2nd Street, mixed-use development could happen along that stretch which would support the military base, including a retail node. In keeping with L’Enfant’s street grid plan for the city, triangle parks should be created where the diagonal Potomac Avenue crosses east-west and north-south streets.

P Street
Since the distance between the Southwest Waterfront and Nationals Park is only a half mile along P Street, a pedestrian link should be maintained along this street. The PAT recommends that the proposed streetcar alignment along M Street be changed so that the transit line turns south from M Street to 1st Street, SE, then turn down Potomac Avenue until its new terminus at 2nd Street, SW, then turn north on 2nd until P Street, west on P until 4th Street, then north on 4th until it reaches the Waterfront-SEU Metro station at 4th & M Street. The new alignment would better connect Buzzard Point with the rest of the Capitol Riverfront and Southwest Waterfront.

The Waterfront
Once the Coast Guard vacates its headquarters building for St. Elizabeth’s, the building, along with Jemal’s building, which is visible along the waterfront as you cross the South Capitol Street bridge, should be purchased by the District government and transformed to a mix of open space and limited redevelopment. This is one of the more ambitious aspects of the PAT’s plans because it involves the District spending a large sum of money acquiring these sites, but the current buildings block access to the waterfront and redevelopment would open up a lot of space. Also, the city could recover part or all of the cost of acquisition through the sales of development rights to other parcels in the District. As an aside, a representative from Monday Properties, the Coast Guard’s current landlord, stated that the likelihood of the headquarters building being demolished in the next 15-20 years was slim to none, so this aspect of the plan may take longer to fulfill. Some ideas for the waterfront range from providing large parks along the river to creating marinas framed by housing (an example being the Pier Homes along the Inner Harbor in Baltimore).

100 V Street
If Akridge’s 100 V Street project is developed as planned, the PAT thinks it would be a major missed opportunity for the area. An alternative would be to build medium-density housing developed in partnership with the federal government for military families and/or new federal government hires. The northern part of the site could support 2-3-story buildings, while taller 5-6-story buildings could be developed closer to the waterfront.

South Capitol Street Oval and Steuart Site
Great care should be given to the planned traffic oval at the intersection of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue. The oval will be 7-acres, but if DDOT doesn’t properly design it to accommodate pedestrians, the result could be a large hole in the urban fabric of the community. The area at the terminus of South Capitol Street where the street meets the river (also known as the Steuart site) should have a major iconic cultural attraction…a la Sydney Opera House. The site should be engaging from the water side (perhaps with a grand staircase like the Lincoln Memorial) as well as on its land side facing the traffic oval.

Pepco
The District should work with Pepco to gradually shrink the footprint used for electrical generation consistent with sound energy practices. As properties become available, they should be developed for uses compatible with housing. Once the power plant building is decommissioned, it should be redeveloped as a low-impact attraction like a museum, gallery, etc. An example given by the PAT was the Tate Modern in London.

Once the presentation is available online, the PAT will allow public comments on their plans, so they can produce a final report in February or March of next year. Above is a map I made of Buzzard Point showing where the planners recommend changes in the area.

Update: The presentation is now available on APA's website. Send your comments to CAP@planning.org by January 15, 2010.

National Marathon Route to Change

The 4th Annual SunTrust National Marathon is scheduled for March 21st, where up to 3,000 marathon runners will traverse all four quadrants of the District on a 26.2 mile course. The route map has been set (click map below to see a larger version - from the national marathon website).

There's just one problem...the 9th Street Bridge is closed for a year due to reconstruction, so the event organizers at the Greater Washington Sports Alliance need to find an alternative route into Southwest. Representatives from the sports alliance were supposed to go before ANC 6D last night in order to get approval for street closures along 9th Street, Maine Avenue, P Street, and South Capitol Street, but now they need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new route. Time is not on their side, since the ANC doesn't meet again until March 9th and the race is supposed to be held 12 days after that meeting. The ANC's approval carries weight with the Mayor's Special Events Task Group, which has jurisdiction over special events held in the city, including the marathon. According to the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency's (HSEMA) website, event planners are supposed to meet with the Mayor's Special Events Task Group at least 90 days before an event. It's not clear if a change in the marathon route would mean the sports alliance would need to meet again with the task group. In addition, the event organizers need to get the route approved with the Traffic Control Plan from DDOT and complete an application within 15 business days of the event with MPD. The marathon will most likely still happen, but the course map will definitely have to change.

Update: Lou Holder from the Greater Washington Sports Alliance tells Southwest...TLQTC the following:

Our technical team is currently assessing the 9th St construction project and is devising several alternatives. We don’t anticipate any delays in our permit process as we are working closely with public safety officials to find a solution that works for everyone. Our goal has always been strong jurisdictional support, community engagement, and effective communication to ensure a safe and enjoyable event.

Body Found in SW

According to NBC4, MPD discovered a body at 10:30 PM last night along the 300 block of P Street. The cause of death has not been determined yet. Once I find out more about this incident I'll post about it. (Update) According to MPD, the medical examiner said the decedent died of an accidental overdose and no foul play was discovered during the autopsy. (Update #2) According to an article from the Examiner, the decedent was murdered in Prince William County by a heroin overdose and his body was then transferred to the site on P Street. Three people in Manassas have been arrested in the murder. What a bizarre case!

Zoning Analysis of Southwest to Begin Soon

According to the Summer 2008 issue of the Ward 6 Neighborhood Planning Update, the DC Office of Planning will conduct a study of conditions in Southwest in order to help guide zoning and future development in the area. The boundaries of the study area are the Southeast-Southwest freeway to the north, the south side of P Street to the south, the Washington Channel to the west, and South Capitol Street to the east. Buzzard Point is not included in this study. Currently, there are 11 zoning districts within these boundaries, in addition to federal land, as a result of "reactive" zoning, since the zoning districts were created after Southwest was redeveloped in the 1950s and 1960s. Some issues that will be analyzed include possibly reopening some streets in the original L'Enfant plan, designate structures as historic, guide where new development should occur, and how to maximize transit use in the neighborhood. The community will be involved during this study period in a series of meetings, which are supposed to start in late summer and conclude in late fall of this year. Once the dates of the meetings are released, I'll post them here.