Photo Tour Part 2: Buzzard Point

Over in Buzzard Point, progress is being made at Audi Field (the new home of D.C. United) at 2nd and R streets and construction of a Pepco substation across R Street from the stadium site. The former is scheduled to open in June 2018 while the latter is much further along. Groundbreaking for Audi Field occurred back in February, but environmental remediation started months prior. At the July ANC meeting, Victor Melara from D.C. United stated that most of the environmental remediation was complete - just one area was left to finish. Precast seating bowl installation along the west side of the stadium was supposed to start in late July. Site utility installation was also expected to start in late July. On the south side of the stadium, basement excavation is complete and grade beams are being installed.

The Pepco Waterfront substation project includes the substation structure, transmission lines, and the installation of duct banks. The substation structure is nearly complete, but electrical work still needs to be completed.  Duct banks north and west of the substation also need to be installed. Pepco is partnering with the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities to bring artwork worth $250,000 to the planned plaza on the south side of the substation at 1st and R streets near Audi Field. A sculpture designed by local artists David and Eli Hess called Flash Point will be located in the plaza. An additional $100,000 will be spent to adorn portions of the exterior of the substation with a light installation from local artists. 

East aerial view of Audi Field.

Pepco substation at 1st & Q streets.

Buzzard Point Update

Over the weekend, the District transferred control of the D.C. United stadium site in Buzzard Point to the team, according to The Washington Post. The District was responsible for assembling the land, razing the existing buildings, and utilities upgrades. A revised PUD application was released over the summer and the team will be facing the Zoning Commission in November. If the stadium plan receives approval, construction can begin in early 2017. As a result, the scheduled opening of the new stadium has now slipped a few months to at least June 2018. The team will likely have to plan an extended road trip in the first part of the 2018 MLS season before they can play their first match in their new home since they intend to leave RFK at the end of the 2017 season. 

Meanwhile, construction continues at the new Pepco Waterfront substation, with the steel frame of the south side of the building now up. Road closures around the construction sites of the stadium and the substation are now in effect, limiting access to the area. The substation is scheduled to be completed in 2017. 

Akridge has revived their marketing for 100 V Street, the seven-acre site they own just south of the stadium site (the site was originally nine acres – two acres were taken by eminent domain for the stadium project). 100 V Street is now planned as a 2.4-million SF mixed-use development (it previously was planned as an ideal location for a federal tenant pre-soccer stadium). The site is just north of the former Coast Guard headquarters building, which will be redeveloped by a team of developers including Akridge to a mixed-use project called Riverpoint with rental apartments, condos, and retail. 

The new owner of the site to the east of the Riverpoint project has renamed the proposed condominium Peninsula 88. A press release was sent last month stating the new name and that plans were submitted to the Zoning Commission (the plans are not yet available online). Even though the architect remains the same as what it was under the previous owner, the design has been changed. Part of the site is currently being used as a flower farm, which was featured in The Southwester. Construction on the condo project is expected to start in 2017.

Renderings courtesy of D.C. United and Akridge

Buzzard Point Construction Activity

A stroll down 2nd Street in Buzzard Point reveals a much changed landscape. In two years, there will be a new Pepco Waterfront substation and a D.C. United soccer stadium, but for now, the area is a large construction zone. Hardly any buildings exist from Q Street to T Street, save for the historic Dent house at the corner of 2nd and R streets, which is owned by Pepco and will be preserved while they build their new substation. The Pepco substation construction is further along – digging has reached 15 feet below grade and excavation is complete with the foundation being poured (see above photo). Construction should be complete by June 2017. 

Looking NE toward Nationals Park from S Street

Meanwhile, demolition of existing structures at the D.C. United stadium site is complete and utility work is about to begin. The District is responsible for horizontal development, so the District’s portion of the process will be complete this fall.  A demolition ceremony was held in April when Mayor Bowser helped take down a metal-clad building at 2nd and S streets. Once utility work is complete and D.C. United finishes the PUD process for the design of the stadium, the team will be responsible for building the stadium, along with implementing the environmental remediation plan the District devised. The latest estimate of when construction could begin is the end of 2016 with the stadium opening in 2018. 

Both projects are happening simultaneously, so the two are coordinating a traffic control plan with phased street closures as delivery trucks haul away dirt and bring in concrete. There will be an enforced work zone around Buzzard Point with a 15 MPH speed limit in the area; cameras will be set up by MPD; and no construction trucks will be allowed in the residential neighborhood north of Q Street. The traffic consultant from Dewberry presented phase one of the Traffic Control Plan at Monday’s ANC meeting, which involves street closures at Potomac Avenue, Half Street, and R Street.

Buzzard Point Will be Buzzing with Construction Activity in 2016

2016 will be a big year for Buzzard Point as a multitude of projects both large and small are expected to get underway on the peninsula. The most high-profile project is construction of a new soccer stadium for DC United, which is scheduled to start by September. Raze permits were filed last month for the parcels the city purchased in the stadium footprint, including Super Salvage which is now closed. Meanwhile, eminent domain proceedings are underway for a two-acre parcel in the stadium footprint previously owned by Akridge. The city still needs to remediate the stadium site before construction can begin, which is filled with containments due to the area’s former heavy industrial use. The 20,000 seat stadium will be located at 2nd and R streets and is scheduled to open in time for the beginning of the 2018 MLS season. 

Pepco has already cleared land across R Street from the stadium site to build a new substation in order to handle all of the new development occurring in Southwest and Navy Yard/Near SE/Capitol Riverfront. The new Waterfront substation has been designed to blend in with the area and will replace the unsightly exposed substation that currently exists a couple blocks to the southeast. On the southeastern side of the new substation where R Street, 1st Street and Potomac Avenue intersect, the area will complement the public plaza planned as a part of the new DC United stadium. Aside from the substation, transmission lines will be installed along several nearby streets. The new Waterfront substation will be open by June 2017. 

Five years after Marina Place was approved and more than a decade after it was first proposed, the condo and retail project may finally move forward this year. Capital City Real Estate purchased the lot fronting the recently shuttered Buzzard Point Marina at 1st and V streets from Duane Deason in December for $9.8 million, according to the Washington Business Journal. The new owners are planning a 90-107-unit condominium project, which will have sweeping views of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers due to its location near the tip of Buzzard Point. Construction is expected to wrap up by early 2018. 

A raze permit was filed last month for 69 Q Street, a row house dating to the late 1800’s recently purchased for $599,000 according to Zillow. No details yet on what will replace it, but it is a block east of where a new hotel and hostel by Carr Hospitality is supposed to be built. 

Construction of a new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and traffic oval by DDOT is also expected to begin by the end of 2016 or early 2017. The two-phase project involves building a new, six-lane bridge across the Anacostia River with pedestrian and bike paths, as well as new traffic ovals on either side of the bridge, the transformation of South Capitol Street into a grand urban boulevard with interchange improvements including an at-grade intersection at M Street and new ramps to I-695. The interchange improvements are part of the second phase of construction.

Renderings courtesy of DC United, Pepco, Eric Colbert & Associates PC, and DDOT

Pepco to Increase Name Recognition in Buzzard Point

In addition to a new substation, Pepco is planning to place its name on a few other pieces of real estate in Buzzard Point. According to the Washington Business Journal, the utility company paid the District $25 million in a sponsorship deal which would allow the following in Buzzard Point, among other neighborhoods across the city: 

• Rename a four-block stretch of Half Street between Potomac Avenue and V Street as “Pepco Place” along with new signage. 
• Designate the planned traffic oval on South Capitol Street at the foot of the new Frederick Douglass Bridge as “Pepco Park.” 

The DC Council authorized DPR to allow corporate sponsorship of its facilities when it passed its 2012 budget. Then-council member Muriel Bowser sponsored the original legislation. According to DCist: 

Buried in the 209-page-long Budget Support Act, the provision would allow the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to "contract for, pursuant to all applicable contracting and procurement guidelines, advertisements and sponsorship for recreation centers, fields, pools, and play courts within the Department's inventory."…The provision would also allow for the establishment of "friends groups" -- organizations of residents willing to help maintain their local parks and recreation centers, be it by maintaining them or raising funds to help improve them. Additionally, fees gathered from developers seeking exemptions from zoning laws will go towards parks and recreation centers located in the ANC where the development is to take place. 

In Southwest, “friends groups” have been created for multiple DPR facilities, including the SW Duck Pond and the 3rd and I Streets Park, and one may be formed for Randall Recreation Center. Meanwhile, Under Armour will have its logo on the new turf field it’s helping to finance at Randall Field, which is currently under construction. 

Most of the $25 million contributed by Pepco has already been used by the District government to place in escrow, covering the cost of acquiring Akridge’s two-acre parcel in the planned soccer stadium footprint through eminent domain. According to the Bowser administration, the Pepco sponsorship deal is separate from negotiations to support the Pepco-Exelon merger, but yesterday at a press conference in Buzzard Point by environmentalists and good government groups, they claim the two are related and are calling for an ethics investigation, as reported in The Washington Post.

Renderings courtesy of DDOT and DGS

The Evolution of the Waterfront Substation Design

There have been at least three different iterations of the design of Pepco’s planned Waterfront substation at 1st and Q streets on Buzzard Point. The first design took its cues from neighboring Fort McNair to resemble an office building. After receiving feedback from the community, CORE Architects redesigned the building, but has been further refined since then. The latest design proposal plays on the area’s industrial past & present. Green space, artistic features, and a plaza have been incorporated into the design; however, other tweaks may be made in the coming weeks. The above rendering is the current design, looking at the intersection of 1st and R streets; see below to see how the design has evolved since 2013.  

Design from November 2013.

Same intersection from October 2014 redesign.

The ANC voted on a resolution this week to work with DC Climate Action to create a working group addressing health and safety issues related to the construction and operation of the substation, as well as its proposed size. Pepco is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission to build the substation, which plans to open by 2017 before the existing substation a few blocks away surpasses capacity. Below is a video of how underground transmission lines are installed. These will be built on 2nd Street between Q and T streets, as well as R and T streets between 1st and 2nd streets.

Renderings and video courtesy of Pepco

Pepco Community Meeting Tonight

Pepco will be holding a community meeting this evening to discuss the proposed Waterfront subststion the utility wants to build on Buzzard Point. It wants to replace the existing substation at First and T streets with a new facility at First and R streets to accommodate growth in the Capitol Riverfront and Southwest Waterfront neighborhoods. The meeting will be held from 6-8pm at King-Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St).

Rendering courtesy of Pepco

Pepco Submits Application for Waterfront Substation

 

Pepco submitted its application to the Board of Zoning Adjustment last month in order to build a new distribution substation across the street from the proposed DC United stadium site at 2nd and R streets on Buzzard Point. The substation is needed in order to accommodate growth in Southwest and Near SE/Navy Yard/Capitol Riverfront. According to the application, the proposed Waterfront Substation will consist of a two-story plus cellar building with approximately 57,751 square feet of gross floor area and approximately 33,022 square feet of cellar floor area. The building will have a maximum height of 59 feet and six parking spaces will be located on the western side of the site with loading facilities on Q Street. 

View of substation from the corner of 2nd and R streets.

The design of the substation by CORE Architects will include an open court on Q Street and a landscaped plaza on R Street; the building will be set back from the property line. In addition, the façade will have vegetated screens with “creeping vines” and an art installation on the corner of First and R streets. Adjacent to the proposed substation is the historic Dent House at the corner of First and Q streets. Pepco also owns the house, but will not incorporate it into the substation. 

Concerns have been brought up about having a substation in close proximity to homes by neighboring residents, led by ANC 6D Commissioner Rhonda Hamilton whose single-member district includes the proposed substation location. Pepco has stated that they have several substations across the city near homes and any emissions are within safe levels.  There will be a public meeting tomorrow evening at Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I Street) to go over the proposal starting at 6pm. If approved, construction on the substation is expected to begin in 2015 with completion by the end of 2016. 

Renderings courtesy of Pepco

Some Movement on Buzzard Point Hostel?

A raze permit was filed on September 26 for 129 Q Street, which is a taxi repair garage one block north of the proposed DC United soccer stadium site in Buzzard Point. It’s also across the street from the soon-to-be-built Pepco Waterfront Substation. Back in 2010, the Zoning Commission approved an application for the C Hostel & Hotel, a 109-key property with 489 beds that would have both hotel-style and hostel-style rooms in the same facility. According to the zoning application, half of the hostel/hotel will be comprised of rooms with single and double beds and in-room bathrooms. The other half of the hostel/hotel will be comprised of dormitory styled rooms and shared female and male showers on each floor. Shared guest amenities will include: a hip lifestyle lounge, game areas for children and adults, a bean bag movie theatre, self-service kitchen, guest laundry, lounge lockers, a cyber lounge, complimentary breakfast and a shuttle bus service to the Waterfront Metro station. At the time, Tiber Creek LLC (Carr Hospitality) was planning this project, but the company’s owner passed away shortly after approval and the development was tied up in probate until recently. The economy was also not favorable for development, so the project was delayed. 

In the Office of Planning’s letter of support for the project back in 2010, it stated, “the current uses on the property are projected to remain until all approvals and financing for the proposed use have been secured.” Since a raze permit has been filed, does that mean financing has been secured and development is imminent? We should know soon enough because in 2012, the Zoning Commission gave a two-year extension to the approval of the project and that expiration occurs on November 12, 2014. By next month, the developer will need to file for a building permit or reapply for approval. As of today, there is no indication that the developer will go before the ANC to seek an extension, so it’s likely this project will finally be moving forward. I’ve reached out to the owner for more details and will share what I find out. 

 Rendering courtesy of JP2 Architects

Latest on Buzzard Point Soccer Stadium Proposal

At Tuesday night’s soccer stadium Open House, representatives from the District government, DC United, and developer Akridge had a series of information stations covering different aspects of the proposal, such as transportation and planning. This Open House follows the forum hosted by SWNA back on September 15. Over the summer, a series of plans and studies have been conducted for the stadium proposal and surrounding Buzzard Point neighborhood, including a Special Events Study, a Transportation Management Plan, and the Buzzard Point Urban Design Framework. Here’s what we now know about the proposal: 

The Stadium 

The District and DC United propose a $300 million, 20,000-seat soccer stadium at 2nd and R streets in Buzzard Point, about two blocks southwest of Nationals Park. There is a chance that in the final design, the number of seats at the stadium could decrease to 18,000. The District will contribute up to $150 million in a series of land swaps with Akridge and Pepco, as well as infrastructure improvements needed for the stadium site; a tax abatement will be provided to the team over a period of 20 years. The land swaps will allow the District to provide a subsidy for the stadium without breaching the debt limit cap placed on the city. DC United will contribute the remaining $150 million to build the stadium.

Major League Soccer’s season lasts from March to November and most of DC United’s home matches occur on weekend nights. Once the stadium opens in the Spring of 2017, there will be an average of 23 home matches per season with an average attendance of 19,200; five sold-out international soccer matches; three sold out concerts; five community events with an average attendance of 4,000 people; and 10 other events with an average attendance of 6,000 people for a total of 46 events a year.

Buzzard Point 

The Urban Design Framework developed for Buzzard Point will inform and guide public and private development decisions for the next 10 years. A summary of the draft can be found here, but some interesting details were mentioned at the forum and Open House. Development in Buzzard Point will be focused toward the rest of the Capitol Riverfront BID area along Potomac Avenue in order to protect the existing housing north of the stadium site. A riverfront esplanade will connect to Yards Park and a more naturalized shoreline is envisioned. A Maritime Museum is planned for a site that lines up with the axis of the Capitol and the soccer stadium south of the proposed traffic oval on South Capitol Street. The addition of residential units in Buzzard Point will come from new construction on empty lots, but will also come from the repurposing of existing buildings in the area, including the Transpoint Building, 1900 Half Street, and the Buzzard Point Power Plant.

Stadium Deal Finalized, Ziegfeld’s/Secrets Building for Sale

 

Mayor Gray announced today in a press release that the city has reached final business terms with DC United to build a new 20,000 – 25,000-seat soccer stadium in Buzzard Point at 2nd and R streets. The announcement comes ten months after the city signed a term sheet with DC United. Currently, the city controls 88 percent of the stadium site and “has also brokered an agreement in principle for acquisition of the final parcels for full possession of the required land for the stadium,” according to the press release. 

“This is a major step forward for economic development in the District of Columbia,” said Mayor Gray in a prepared statement. “The new soccer stadium will be the connector between developing areas around our baseball stadium and the new Wharf development along our Southwest Waterfront. The new soccer stadium is the final catalyst for what is certain to become one of the most vibrant and sustainable sports and retail districts in America.” 

Some of the components of the deal include a land swap with Akridge – the city will offer the Reeves Building at 14th and U streets, NW in exchange for a portion of the stadium site. Akridge originally planned a secure office campus ideally for a federal tenant on their three-block long, nine-acre site, which was being marketed as 100 V Street. The developer will retain the southern two blocks of the site and will more than likely build a mixed-use project oriented to an entertainment district rather than a federal enclave, although that is pure speculation at this point. A new Reeves complex will be built in Anacostia that will be completed in three years. The city will also acquire land owned by Pepco in the stadium footprint and in turn, Pepco will buy city-owned land at 1st and K streets, NW, where they will be required to build a new substation. This substation is in addition to the one Pepco has planned in Buzzard Point at 1st and Q streets. Details on the sale of the other parcels needed for the stadium have not been finalized yet. 

The city will spend a maximum of $150 million for land acquisition and infrastructure, while DC United will pay an estimated $150 million to build the stadium. Additional uses will be built adjacent to the actual stadium within the footprint, presumably a hotel, team offices, and some retail. The land will be leased by the team for 30 years (up to 40 years if renewed) at a subsidized rate of $1 per year, but the ancillary uses portion of the site can be renewed for a longer term provided the team pays market rent during that additional term. Property and sales taxes will be phased in during the life of the ground lease, as well as a $2 ticket surcharge. 

Stadium Deal Near?

Capital Business reports that sources indicate the city is closing in on a deal for the proposed DC United stadium in Buzzard Point and that the DC Council will likely receive the terms of the agreement in a legislative package later this week…which is only five months later than the Council was anticipated to vote on the deal, according to the term sheet signed by the Mayor and the team back in July 2013. From the article: 

A hang-up in the discussions has been how to replace an original provision in which the District would have shared in any profits the team made. After vetting the profit-sharing provision with members of the D.C. Council, City Administrator Allen Lew, the District’s chief negotiator for D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D), agreed with the team to replace it with a combination of sales tax payments and a future $2 surcharge on tickets. 

A recent Southwest...The Little Quadrant That Could unscientific poll stated that 80% of respondents approved the deal, which calls for the District to spend up to $150 million for land acquisition and infrastructure improvements while the team spends $150 to build the stadium. Agreements have been made with Akridge and Pepco regarding their parcels in the stadium’s footprint, but negotiations continue with Kastles’ owner Mark Ein, who with Super Salvage, controls land in the northern end of the site. If an agreement cannot be made, then according to the article, the city is prepared to use eminent domain. Akridge owns most of the land needed for the stadium, which will be located at 2nd and R streets while Pepco’s parcel is located on the eastern side of the site. A land swap has been negotiated with Akridge involving the Reeves Center at 14th and U streets, NW. Presumably, the Pepco site is a cash deal, although details should be forthcoming soon once legislation is introduced in the Council. 

Earlier rendering of Waterfront Substation

On a related note, Pepco representatives came to the monthly ANC 6D meeting last week to provide an update on their plans to build a new Waterfront Substation north of the stadium site and 1st and Q streets to replace the one in the decommissioned Buzzard Point Plant at Half and V streets. Originally, the façade of the substation was designed by CORE Architects to look like an office building and mimicked the brick architecture of Fort McNair, but after receiving feedback from the community and the Office of Planning, the utility company has decided to rework the design. The new design uses a variety of forms around the building, with more of a residential feeling on the north side near the existing community with brick veneer and a vegetative wall - the historic James C. Dent House is on the northwest corner of the site and will remain intact. The south side faces a planned plaza as a part of the soccer stadium development and will have more of a commercial look with light screens and the use of concrete. The existing buildings on the site (Lyon Bakery and Ana Towing) will be demolished later this year. Construction of phase one of the substation will be complete in 2016. A second phase is planned on the south side of the site to increase capacity at the substation in the future, although the façade of the entire site will be completed during the first phase. 

Renderings courtesy of Gensler and Pepco

Pepco Purchases Bakery, Plans New Substation

Here is an update on the Buzzard Point development potential post from last month. Pepco closed on the sale of the Lyon Bakery, across the street from the proposed DC United stadium site at 2nd and R streets, on October 31. Now, Pepco owns the entire block bounded by 1st Street, R Street, Q Street, and 2nd Street, which includes the James C. Dent House and Ana Towing. The utility company has plans to build a new substation on the site, which will be able to handle the increased demand for power in the Southwest Waterfront, Navy Yard, and a portion of Capitol Hill. The vacant, but historic James C. Dent House on Q Street will not be part of the substation and will remain intact, but its intended use is still being determined by Pepco.  The new Waterfront Substation has been designed to look like an office building and the bricks used will resemble the architecture of buildings at Fort McNair. 

Unsightly equipment in Buzzard Point.

Neighbors of the proposed substation site, many of whom are public housing residents, are concerned about the potential health risks associated with living near a substation. At Monday's ANC 6D meeting, commissioner Hamilton brought up those concerns to representatives from Pepco and inquired why the substation has to be built at that site and not on other property owned by Pepco in the neighborhood. A substation's role is to step down high voltage power that comes from a power plant down to levels that can be distributed to homes. Pepco representatives stated that there are several studies by the World Health Organization about the electromagnetic field (EMF) generated by a substation and its health effects are negligible. They will provide the ANC with a list and photos of substations throughout the city that are located adjacent to residential buildings, including the Ritz Residences Georgetown. 

In addressing the proposed location of the substation, Chris Taylor from Pepco stated that the northern portion of the land owned by Pepco near the Buzzard Point Plant will be used for construction of the proposed DC United stadium. Other portions of the property are still in use and cannot be moved to build a new substation. While the generation portion of the Buzzard Point Plant has been decommissioned, the top two levels are still in use as a substation. Those two upper floors will be decommissioned once the new Waterfront Substation is complete in 2016. The plant's future is uncertain, although SWNA recently submitted an application for historic designation of the art deco building.

Buzzard Point Plant.

 

The Waterfront Substation will be built in two phases, with the first phase covering the northern portion of the site. Installation of underground duct banks to carry transmission lines will begin in 2014, while construction of the substation will begin by May 2015 with completion by the end of 2016. Although an exact start date on the second phase has not been determined, it's anticipated that construction would begin on the addition 5-10 years after the first phase is built. As Pepco goes through the approval process, there will be a community meeting to give updates. In addition, information will be available on their website.

With a new substation, DC United stadium, Frederick Douglass Bridge, and traffic oval, Buzzard Point will be one big construction zone for the foreseeable future.

Rendering courtesy of Pepco