400 E Street Ribbon Cutting

District officials, FEMS, E Street Development Group, and members of the community gathered at 400 E Street to celebrate the opening of a mixed-use development, including a new Engine 13 firehouse, Hyatt Place hotel, KidPower headquarters, and ground floor retail. Back in the summer, I got a tour of the project while it was still under construction. FEMS will be moving to the new firehouse sometime over the next month or so, while Hyatt Place is already accepting guests.

The project started construction a little less than two years ago; however, it has been planned for several years. In fact, my very first post on this blog in 2008 had to do with DMPED’s solicitation of development proposals for 400 E Street and a nearby parcel at 6th and E streets. The developers will start designing the second phase of development starting in 2016, with construction likely beginning in 2017.

Below are some photos from the ribbon-cutting.

Geoff Griffis from CityPartners

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Ward 6 Council Member Charles Allen

FEMS Chief Gregory Dean

Here are a few interior photos of the firehouse:

Foam unit

Fire poles

Inside the firehouse

 Interior photos of Hyatt Place:

Gallery Market

Fitness center

Reception area of hotel

Conference room

Business center

Exterior photos:

Building exterior

View from City Bar

City Bar will open in spring

Pool on the third floor

View to the south

Exterior sign

Hyatt Place Coming to 400 E Street

 

E Street Development Group sent a press release today announcing that Hyatt Place will be the operator of the 214-key hotel planned at 400 E Street. The hotel will be called Hyatt Place DC Capitol/National Mall and its entrance will be on E Street, along with space for ground floor retail. A new firehouse for Engine 13 will be on the 4th Street side of the building. This will be the second Hyatt Place hotel to open in the District – one is under construction in NoMa on New York Avenue, NE. 

Here is a description of what will be at the Hyatt Place hotel, from the press release:

Launched in 2006, Hyatt Place brings to the upscale select-service hotel category the authentic hospitality for which Hyatt is known. Inspired by multitasking travelers’ 24/7 lifestyle, Hyatt Place combines stylish design and practical amenities with forward-thinking technology and purposeful service. Spacious guestrooms feature multiple areas to work and relax, and include the Cozy Corner, an eight-foot sectional sofa sleeper; plush Hyatt Grand Bed; and ergonomic work center. 

Every guestroom is also equipped with a state-of-the-art media center that allows electronic devices to plug directly into the 42-inch, high-definition television, giving guests instant access to the technological amenities they’re accustomed to accessing at home or in the office. 

Hyatt Place hotels also feature complimentary Wi-Fi access, a StayFit@Hyatt fitness center, a coffee and wine bar serving specialty coffees and premium wine and beer, and a Grab ’n Go case stocked with freshly made sandwiches and salads. The Guest Kitchen offers made-to-order breakfast, lunch and dinner entrées around the clock, in addition to the a.m. Kitchen SkilletTM, a complimentary continental breakfast served daily for guests. Specially trained Hosts are on hand to offer assistance with everything from directions to check-in to a freshly made meal. 

E Street won the rights to develop 400 E Street and a second parcel at 6th and E streets from the District government back in 2009. At the time, the 400 E Street parcel was planned as an office building with a firehouse on the ground level and space for D.C. Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc., a local non-profit. Since then, the office building changed to a hotel and the exterior changed from a fire truck-red building designed by Beyer, Blinder, Belle to the current design by WDG. The building is still planned to achieve LEED-Silver certification. Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2013 with the hotel opening in 2015.  

Rendering courtesy of WDG

Public Kickoff Meeting for Southwest Neighborhood Plan (Small Area Plan)

A Public Kickoff meeting related to the Southwest Neighborhood Plan will be held on September 11th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Arena Stage. Over the next 6 months, the DC Office of Planning will be engaging Southwest residents and stakeholders to create a community led plan to guide the changes in the Southwest neighborhood for the next 5 to 10 years. The Southwest Plan will focus on four key elements – people, parks, connections, and building.  

The project area contains a number of underutilized District-owned properties, including Randall Recreation Center, NE parcel of Waterfront Station, First District headquarters, Lansburgh Park, the DMV inspection station, and DCFD Repair Shop/Engine Co. # 7, among others. One of the main reasons for the Southwest Neighborhood Plan is to provide guidance for the future of these parcels. It was reported in Housing Complex earlier this month that a couple of the parcels that may be in play to trade for land in Buzzard Point for a new DC United soccer stadium are 1001 and 1101 Half Street, home to the DMV inspection station and DCFD Repair Shop/Engine Co. #7, respectively. 

OP has created a project website and will soon create a second website called “Engage Southwest” where community members can interact. Other ways to participate in the process include using social media (use the hashtag #SWDCPlan on Twitter, “like” posts on Facebook, etc.), submitting hand-written comments or questions at the public meetings, calling the Office of Planning at 202-442-7600, or sending an email to Melissa Bird, Ward 6 Planning Coordinator.

Southwest Neighborhood Plan coverage map courtesy of Office of Planning

400 E Street Renderings

New renderings were released for the 400 E Street firehouse/hotel planned by E Street Development. The above rendering shows a view of the building looking southwest from the corner of 4th and E streets. Despite the change in use from an office building to a hotel, KidPower and DC Central Kitchen will still be located in the building. E Street Development will be at February's ANC 6D meeting to review the curb cuts that are required for the project. It should be a busy meeting in February since there are also supposed to be presentations by JBG for their hotels planned at The Wharf and Forest City for the NW parcel apartment building at Waterfront Station.  Forest City will make their presentation on the NW parcel apartment building at the March 11 ANC meeting. (Note: the firehouse project was the very first topic I wrote about when starting the blog over four years ago so it's nice to see that some forward movement is finally happening with the site).

View of E Street frontage of 400 E Street.

 Renderings courtesy of WDG Architecture

Engine 13 Project Back on Track, Now Hotel Instead of Office

It was reported in the Washington Business Journal today that the stalled Engine 13 firehouse project may start site work in April.  However, the project has changed course and instead of an office building, an as-yet unnamed “select service” hotel will be built on top of the new Engine 13 firehouse, planned for the corner of 4th and E Street. A sign has been up on the vacant lot since last year saying the project would deliver in the fourth quarter of 2013, but the new target completion date is the end of 2014. Back in 2011, marketing began for leasing the office space planned in the upper floors of the building. Since then, E Street Development changed their plans – perhaps due to the slowdown in office leasing activity in 2012, especially by the GSA? An office building is planned for the existing Engine 13 firehouse site at 555 E Street next door to the Consolidated Forensic Lab once the new firehouse is complete.

Previous rendering of 400 E Street office building/firehouse.

E Street Development was selected by the District in 2009 with plans for the firehouse building to start construction in 2010.  At one point, there was an effort to lure the headquarters of Northrop Grumman to the building, but ultimately the company chose to relocate to Fairfax County.

According to the WBJ article, financing for the firehouse/hotel has been obtained mainly through foreign (Chinese) investors and negotiations with a hotel operator are still underway. A Holiday Inn and a Courtyard by Marriott are already in close proximity to the site, so it’s doubtful those brands will come to 400 E Street. Perhaps it will be a Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield Inn, or Hyatt Place? As far as noise from I-395 or fire trucks blaring their sirens when responding to a fire disrupting hotel guests?  Not a problem, according to the article:

[E Street Development’s Geoff] Griffis said E Street will build window glazing and acoustical designs into the towers that will virtually eliminate noise generated by the highway and fire station. As an added precaution, the developers will create a signalized intersection at Fourth and E streets that the fire truck operators can control to stop all traffic and pull out onto the street safely when responding to emergency calls.

"They should be able to go out, for at least a good portion of their calls, with just their lights blaring,” he said.

E Street Development tells me that new renderings will soon be available for the project so I’ll post those once they are available.  WDG Architecture is designing the buildings and Nelson Architects has designed the firehouse.

New Design for Engine 13

I guess the original firehouse-red design for the new Engine 13 firehouse/office building was too risque for conservative Washington because the design has been dramatically changed. Last week, a sign was erected at the site, located at the corner of 4th & E Street, advertising 165,000 SF of office space for delivery in the 4th quarter of 2013 and the above rendering was on the billboard. Gone are the red accents and jagged-tooth corner design by Beyer, Blinder, Belle and in its place is a new design by WDG Architecture. 



The Beyer, Blinder, Belle design for Engine 13 has been scrapped.

While the old design has been replaced, some components have been kept, including a green roof, LEED certification (the project will now seek LEED-Gold instead of LEED-Silver) and the partnership with Kid Power and DC Central Kitchen. The firehouse entrance and bays will be located on 4th Street while access to the lobby of the office building will be on E Street. CB Richard Ellis is handling leasing at 400 E Street for E Street Development Group LLC and a website has been created for the project with additional information and building renderings. The development team was selected by the District in 2009 with plans for the firehouse building to start construction in 2010.  Last year, there was an effort to lure the headquarters of Northrop Grumman to the building, but ultimately the company chose to relocate to Fairfax County. According to a representative from E Street Development Group LLC, there has been a lot of interest in the building, so they don't anticipate having to build the project on spec.

Renderings courtesy of E Street Development Group, LLC

Northrop Not Coming to Southwest

According to The Washington Post, Southwest is out of the running to become the corporate headquarters of Northrop Grumman. It appeared that the deal to bring the company to DC was unraveling last month when members of the DC Council started to withdraw their support for a $25 million incentives package. If the aerospace company chose Southwest, they most likely would have moved to the planned office building at 4th & E Streets, SW, with a new Engine 13 firehouse on the ground floor. Jurisdictions still in the running include Arlington, Fairfax, and Montgomery Counties and a final decision should be made later this month.

A Couple Quick Items About Northrop Grumman

- The Washington Business Journal reported last week that Northrop Grumman Information Technology, an entity of aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman, signed a lease for 6,134 square feet at 370 L'Enfant Promenade, a Class A office building that opened in 1987 across from L'Enfant Plaza and now owned by CIM Group. That lease, along with a renewal of 187,000 square feet by the GSA for the Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, brings the building to 100% occupancy.

- An article in today's WBJ mentions that the DC Council may try to use subsidies to entice Northrop Grumman to relocate their headquarters from California to the District instead of the suburbs. An interesting quote from the article comes from Council member Jack Evans, chair of the Finance and Revenue Committee. Evans is quoted as saying, when referring to where Northrop Grumman should locate in the city:

"If I wanted something staid and traditional I would look along the K Street corridor, at the corner of 18th Street,” Evans said of the company. If Northrop “wanted to be a little more adventuresome” it could look in Southeast, future home to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or Southwest, where the city plans a massive waterfront overhaul.

The DC Council may introduce emergency legislation on Tuesday to offer Northrop financial incentives. It'll be interesting to see if the city can convince the company to relocate to the city, and if so, whether Northrop chooses to be staid or adventuresome in their office space choice...

Update: On Tuesday, according to the WBJ, the DC Council introduced legislation to offer $25 million in incentives for Northrop to move to the District, but the bill targets the Engine 13 sites as the preferred location for the company. Most likely, the planned building where the new firehouse will be built at the corner of 4th and E Street would be the headquarters, because the Council legislation gives a deadline of 3/31/12 for Northrop to move into their space and the firehouse building is the first one to open. The 4th & E site will be a 191,000 SF, 10-story office building, with a new Engine 13 firehouse on the ground floor. The firehouse will be facing 4th Street, while the office building's lobby will be oriented towards E Street. There will be 3,000 SF of community space on the second floor of the building, where Kid Power Inc. will have space to implement their programs. Above is a rendering of the 4th & E Street building planned by E Street Development...could it be the new headquarters of Northrop Grumman?

Top Southwest Stories of 2009

Despite an economic downturn, several events occurred in The Little Quadrant That Could in 2009...some were major projects that have been ongoing for years, while other events had their start in 2009. Below is a list of what I think were the top stories in Southwest during the past year (in no particular order). Feel free to comment on which of these events you think is the top local story of the year, and/or vote in January's poll at the top left corner of the blog.

Arena Stage Looms Large

Construction on the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater was in full swing in 2009 and was getting attention from bloggers around the city. In June, DCMetrocentric gave a critique of the new theater complex and by November, the structure was fully enclosed. Interior work is now taking place and construction is on schedule for a community day event open to the public on October 24, 2010. The following day, there will be a black-tie opening night gala. Above is a construction photo of the new Arena Stage taken in late December.

CFL Drama
Progress was made in 2009 towards creating the city's very own Consolidated Forensic Lab (CFL), but not without delays. On the progress front, MPD's First District moved in April from their old building on 4th Street to their new headquarters on M Street at the former Bowen Elementary School. This move would allow the old headquarters building to be demolished and replaced by the CFL. The city then named Whiting-Turner the contractor for the construction project. However, after the announcement, the mayor had to withdraw the contract after an appeals court ruled that the Mayor skirted city laws when awarding the contract. After more than a five month delay, the city's appellate board dismissed the case a rival contractor had against Whiting-Turner and the city was free to re-award the contract to the same contractor in November and start interior demolition in December. The CFL is now scheduled to open in 2012. Above is a rendering of the CFL, from the CFL website.

Demolition Derby
Several parcels in Southwest were leveled during the past year, but not replaced with new buildings, in order to wait for the recovery of the economy. For example, Vornado demolished the Bernstein Liquors building and other small structures at South Capitol and M Street and paved over the site to serve as a parking lot. Eventually, the developer has plans for a mixed-use project. Along South Capitol Street, the Ruben Companies demolished a gas station and the old Taco Bell/KFC site in September to make way for their planned 1101 South Capitol Street office building, which hasn't gotten underway yet. In December, the old Market Inn restaurant was demolished and will most likely be replaced by an office building. Also in December, interior demolition started at the old First District headquarters building on 4th Street. Above is a photo of the lot owned by the Ruben Companies on South Capitol Street, which was taken this fall after the Exxon gas station on the site was demolished.

First District Moves to New Digs

In April, MPD's First District headquarters moved from 4th & E Street to the former Bowen Elementary School at 1st & M Street. In October, there was an open house to welcome the community. The new site is located in the heart of the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, whereas the former headquarters was north of the freeway in the Federal Center SW area. Despite moving closer to a crime hot spot, a fatal shooting occurred less than two blocks from the new building in mid-October. Above is a photo of the new First District headquarters building, taken right before it was opened.

Engine 13 Not That Unlucky

In February, three developer teams made presentations to the community to garner support for their proposals for the Engine 13 sites at 4th & E Street and 6th & E Street. DMPED ended up choosing the proposal made by E Street Development in April, following the recommendation of ANC 6D. E Street Development is a combination of Potomac Investment Properties, CityPartners, and Adams Investment Group. Their architect is Beyer, Blinder, Belle. Highlights of the proposal include a partnership with community organizations including Kid Power Inc. and D.C. Central Kitchen, LEED-Silver certification, green roof technology, and neighborhood retail along E Street. Approval of the land lease was delayed by the DC Council over the summer, but final approval was given in November. Construction of the firehouse is supposed to start in August of 2010. Above is a rendering of the proposed fire house/office building complex planned at the corner of 4th & E Street, from the February presentation.

Highlands Library
Bellevue will soon get a new library. The new Washington Highlands library was designed by London architect David Adjaye and will be located at 115 Atlantic Street. Once the community saw the plans for the library, there was some criticism of the design. The new library will be three stories tall, contain approximately 20,000 square feet of space, and will aim for LEED-Silver certification. By the spring of 2011, the new library should be open. Above is a rendering of the Washington Highlands Library, from the DCPL website.

L'Enfant Promenade Renovations Begin
Back in November, the JBG Companies began a $40 renovation of the retail promenade at L'Enfant Plaza. The first phase of renovations will be complete in 2011 and will bring a revamped food court to the corridor nearest the Metro entrance. Subsequent phases of the renovation will include a new sculptural glass entryway and expanded retail options. In addition, the developer has plans to expand L'Enfant Plaza by building two new office buildings, an extended-stay hotel, and an apartment building. Above is a rendering of the renovated food court area, courtesy of JBG.

Southeastern University Shuts Its Doors

A major institution in Southwest closed its doors at the end of August, when Southeastern University lost its accreditation with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools due to financial instability, dwindling enrollment, and a lack of academic rigor. At one point, SEU was in talks with UDC to become a part of that university. Then, it was trying to merge with the GS Graduate School, which is affiliated with the USDA. The University, which had been in existence since the 1800s, had its final graduation ceremony in June. Above is a photo of Southeastern University taken this past summer, located at the corner of 6th & I Streets.

Waterfront Station

Major milestones at Waterfront Station during 2009 included: the topping off of the two office buildings in March; the installation of the glass and terracotta façade; designs for the Metro plaza; the unveiling of the features of the new Safeway; the addition of a sit-down restaurant to the retail mix; and the paving of 4th Street. The first phase of Waterfront Station will open in the first half of 2010, with two office buildings, a new Safeway, CVS, convenience retailers, restaurants, a Metro plaza and a reopened 4th Street. Above is a photo of the 1100 4th Street building taken in the last week of December.

Firehouse Deal Approved by DC Council

While Mayor Fenty awarded a contract to Whiting-Turner today for the CFL, the DC Council was busy with work of their own in Southwest. Today, according to DCMud, the Council finally approved the ground lease between the city and E Street Development, which will allow the construction of a new Engine 13 firehouse next door to the new CFL, along with two office buildings with ground floor retail. The city chose E Street Development from a pool of three development teams back in April, but in July, the Council delayed action on the land transfer until after the August recess. Then, last month, Council member Kwame Brown removed the land deal from consideration because E Street Development did not have signed agreements to hire city-certified small businesses or hire District residents. It appears that those concerns have been addressed. Now that the ground lease has been approved, planning can continue for the project, with construction slated to begin on the first office building (with the new firehouse on the ground level) next August. Above is a rendering of the new firehouse on the corner of 4th & E Street, designed by Beyer, Blinder, Belle, from E Street Development's February 25th presentation.

Engine 13 Land Deal Delayed Again by Council

According to an article in the Washington Business Journal, the D.C. Council has approved three land deals East of the River, but a fourth deal that would allow the construction of a new Engine 13 firehouse and two office buildings with ground-level retail was removed from consideration by Council member Kwame Brown, chair of the Economic Development Committee. The reason stated for holding the bill for approval was E Street Development did not have signed agreements to hire city-certified small businesses or hire District residents. Presumably, once these agreements are reached, the land deal will be brought to the full Council for approval. Back in April, the DC Government chose E Street Development to build the new firehouse and office buildings, located on the corners of 4th & E Street and 6th & E Street. Since then, the developers have been working with the city to come up with a land lease agreement. Back in July, the Council delayed voting on the agreement until after the August recess and now it has delayed voting again. Above is a rendering of the green roof planned at the new Engine 13, designed by Beyer, Blinder, Belle, from E Street Development's February 25th presentation.

Firehouse Agreement Reached

On July 14th, the D.C. Council will vote to approve the land disposition agreement between the city and E Street Development, according to an article in this week's Washington Business Journal (subscribers only). Back in April, DMPED chose E Street Development over two other teams to build a new DCFD Engine 13 firehouse at the corner of 4th & E Street. In addition, the development team will build two office buildings - one on top of the new firehouse and the other at the site of the current Engine 13 on the corner of 6th & E Street. E Street Development will partner with two local community organizations, including Kid Power Inc. and D.C. Central Kitchen, as well as seek LEED-silver certification, use green roof technology, and provide neighborhood-serving retail along E Street. The WBJ article states that the developers will provide the city with an upfront ground lease payment of $2.5 million and construction of the firehouse (phase I of development) could begin in August 2010. In total, the project will cost $193 million to build.

Update: A couple members of the D.C. Council decided to delay the vote on the land agreement until after their August recess, according to the WBJ.

E Street Development Chosen for Engine 13

DCMud reports that the District government has chosen E Street Development (Proposal #1) to develop a new DCFD Engine 13 firehouse at the corner of 4th & E Street. Additionally, the team will build an office building on top of the new firehouse and a second office building at the site of the current Engine 13 firehouse. Read my post from February for details on the proposal, but highlights include a partnership with community organizations including Kid Power Inc. and D.C. Central Kitchen, LEED-Silver certification, green roof technology, and neighborhood retail along E Street. This is the same development team that ANC6D recommended last month to DMPED. In the post from DCMud, it states that construction of the new firehouse will happen in 2010 and the current firehouse will stay open until the new one is complete. The above rendering is the new office building planned at the current site of Engine 13, designed by Beyer,Blinder,Belle.

ANC 6D Recommends to DMPED to Select E Street Development

At this evening's ANC 6D meeting, a multi-pronged resolution passed 7-0 to recommend to DMPED that they select E Street Partners (proposal #1) as the preferred developer for the DCFD Engine 13 parcels. Here is a link to part 1 and part 2 of proposal #1 (the file sizes are large). The resolution also requests that the winning development team have community partners in their proposal; makes the winning team come before the ANC to discuss their plans for community benefits; the team must attempt to hire ANC 6D constituents in the design and construction of the project; and they must attempt to hire locals to work in the retail space. E Street Partners was the only team to specifically name community partners with their proposal - the D.C. Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc. (coincidentally, or not, a former ANC 6D commissioner works for Kid Power Inc.). While the recommendations of an ANC are supposed to carry great weight with the District government, DMPED is not required to follow the ANC's resolution in whole or in part. Also passed was a resolution to appoint Commissioner Jorgensen to represent the interests of the ANC and the community as an ex-oficio member when the DMPED panel meets to select the winning proposal. Jorgensen will compile a list of comments and concerns of the ANC and community members by this Wednesday and will present them to the selection panel. If members of the community want their questions addressed at the selection panel meeting by Jorgensen, send an email to dcbiz@dc.gov with a cc: to the ANC office@anc6d.org. The panel will make its recommendation to Deputy Mayor Albert by St. Patrick's Day. (The above rendering is an office building with ground-level retail on the corner of 6th & E Street planned by E Street Partners, from their presentation to the community on February 25th)

And the Winner* Is...

Proposal #3 received the most votes in our poll of which proposal is the best for the Engine 13 parcels. However, after monitoring the vote totals, it was pretty obvious that there was a ballot stuffing initiative where all but one of the final 130 votes were for proposal #3, which tipped the scales in this proposal's favor with 62% of the vote. Proposal #1 received 21% of the vote and Proposal #2 received 17%. DMPED has final say over which proposal will be chosen and representatives from the deputy mayor's office will be at tomorrow's ANC 6D monthly meeting to discuss the proposals. Here's the link for the agenda.

Don't Forget to Vote!

Vote for your favorite proposal for the Engine 13 parcels by using the poll on the top left hand side of this blog. Here is a link to my post from last week with a description of each of the proposals as well as a link to DMPED's website with PDFs of the proposals that were presented at last Wednesday's meeting. The poll will remain open until Friday at 5pm. The results are non-binding, since DMPED has final say over who will be awarded the parcels, but they will be shared with the project director at DMPED in charge of the Engine 13 RFP. (The Google Earth map shows the location of the two parcels up for bid by DMPED)

Engine 13 Presentations Held Tonight

Earlier this evening, DMPED held a forum where the three development teams vying for Squares 494 and 495 had the opportunity to present their project proposals to the community. DMPED will post the slide show presentations from the three teams on their website tomorrow, and then I'll have a more in-depth post about the proposals. Meanwhile, I thought I'd whet your appetite with a rendering of one of the proposals for the new Engine 13, courtesy of E Street Development. The above rendering is a view of a new two-story firehouse, with an office building on top, at the corner of 4th & E Street (the vacant parcel alongside the SE-SW Freeway).

Update #1: The presentations have been uploaded to the DMPED website. You can see the presentations for E Street Development, 494 Partners, and Trammell/CSG/MVH. I'll give more details on each proposal by this weekend.

Update #2: Following is a description of each of the proposals, along with some renderings. For reference purposes, parcel A is the site of the current Engine 13, which is located at the corner of 6th & E Street. Parcel B is the parking lot at the corner of 4th & E Street. All three proposals plan to move Engine 13 to Parcel B into a 22,000 SF space and all include some office space and ground-level retail. The similarities end there...

Proposal 1 (E Street Development)

E Street Development is a combination of Potomac Investment Properties, CityPartners, and Adams Investment Group. Their architect is Beyer, Blinder, Belle. E Street Development has partnered with the D.C. Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc. to provide community-oriented space in their development. Both parcels will be designated LEED Silver and will have green roofs. In this proposal, parcel A would become a 307,000 SF nine-story office building with ground floor retail space along E Street. The D.C. Central Kitchen wants to create a retail outlet on the first floor of the building, in the form of a restaurant where their trained cooking staff can prepare affordable nutritious meals. Retailers that the development team will target include a coffee shop and daycare center. Parcel B will be a 191,000 SF, 10-story office building, with a new Engine 13 firehouse on the ground floor. The firehouse will be facing 4th Street, while the office building's lobby will be oriented towards E Street. There will be 3,000 SF of community space on the second floor of the building, where Kid Power Inc. will have space to implement their programs. Locally, Kid Power Inc. works with 50 kids at Amidon-Bowen Elementary and Jefferson Middle School, but currently don't have enough space to do after school programs. (The above rendering is parcel A, viewed from the corner of 6th & E Street, from the DMPED website)

Proposal 2 (494 Partners)

494 Partners is made up of a partnership between JLH Partners, Chapman Development, and CDC Companies. Their architect is Compu.tecture, and as in proposal 1, both parcels will have green roofs. This proposal would put a 208-key extended-stay hotel on parcel A. The hotel would be 9-stories tall, shaped like an L, and the main lobby would face E Street. In the hollow area of the "L", there would be an 11,000 SF all-weather atrium, which would be open to the public 365 days a year. The atrium would be oriented towards historic St. Dominic Church and contain green space. There would be 6,000 SF of ground-level retail space, targeting a restaurant, coffee shop, and drug store. During the presentation, the development team mentioned that they have spoken with the proprietors of La Tomate (a restaurant along Connecticut Avenue, NW in Dupont Circle) about opening a second restaurant at their site. Parcel B will have a 103,000 SF eight-story office building with a firehouse on the first two floors, and 3,450 SF of retail space on floors 1-2. Compu.tecture designed the upper floors of the office building to curve along 4th Street. The firehouse entrance would be on 4th Street and the office building lobby would be on E Street. (The first rendering is parcel A, viewed from the corner of 6th & E Street; the second rendering is parcel B, viewed from the corner of 4th & E Street, from the DMPED website)

Proposal 3 (Trammell/CSG/MVH)

The third team is made up of Trammell Crow, CSG Urban Partners, and Michele Hagans. Their architect is Gensler, the same designer who did Trammell Crow's Patriots Plaza development catty corner to parcel B, which is currently under construction. This proposal has the most office space planned out of the three development teams, while both buildings would have either green or white roofs and would be LEED Silver. Parcel A would have a 306,000 SF 11-story office building with nearly 14,000 SF of ground level retail along E Street, 6th Street, and School Street. About 2,200 SF of community space would be provided on School Street, however, a community partner has not been identified yet. The main lobby would be on E Street. Parcel B would be a 190,000 SF 11-story office building with Engine 13 on the first two floors. The firehouse entrance would be on 4th Street and the main lobby for the office building would be at the corner of 4th & E Street. Currently, there are four levels of below-grade parking planned, but since Trammell Crow has Patriots Plaza nearby, they may share parking to try and reduce construction costs. (The first rendering is parcel A, viewed from the corner of 6th & E Street; the second rendering is parcel B, viewed from the corner of 4th & E Street, from the DMPED website)

After the presentations, there was a question/answer session, where members of the community were able to ask the development teams questions about their proposals. Not many community members attended the forum, so most of the questions came from ANC 6D commissioners. I asked the development teams whether the large amount of vacant office space in SW would require them to secure a major tenant before starting construction on the office portions of their proposals. All three teams committed to start construction on parcel B first with or without a lead tenant, since opening a new firehouse is a priority. It wasn't clear from their answers whether there would be any delays in building on parcel A. Even if you weren't able to make it to the forum, DMPED wants your input, so questions and commentary about the proposals can be submitted to dcbiz@dc.gov until Tuesday, March 3rd. The questions and the developer teams' responses will be posted on DMPED's website by the end of next week. In addition, please vote on which proposal you like best by participating in our poll (see the left sidebar). While the Deputy Mayor's office will make the final decision on which team will win the bid, I will forward the results of the poll to the project director at DMPED. The poll will be open until Friday, March 6th.

Meeting Set for Firehouse Bidders Presentations

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) tells Southwest...TLQTC that presentations by the three bidding developer groups for the DCFD Engine 13 parcels will be on Wednesday, February 25th from 6:30 - 9pm at Hogate's (800 Water Street). See my post from October for a list of the developer teams and a general description of the proposals for the sites.

What Bloggers Are Saying About Southwest

- JDLand, our prolific blogger neighbor to the east, has a couple recent posts relevant to Southwest. The first is about the new Frederick Douglass Bridge and news that a decision on the design will be released this spring (my personal favorite is the stayed bascule design). The second post shows a map of streets that will either be closed or will have parking restrictions during the inauguration, including the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, I Street, Maine Avenue/M Street, and Water Street.

(The above photo is of the current Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge taken in December 2008)

- DCmud describes the progress, or lack thereof, of development in DC during 2008 and what's in the pipeline in 2009. One of the few large-scale projects that gained momentum in 2008 was the Southwest Waterfront and bids were submitted for two parcels at Fire Engine 13 and the vacant lot at 4th & E Street. Senthil Sankaran from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development told Southwest...TLQTC back in December that there would be a community meeting this month where the three submitted proposals would be presented. I'll let you know as soon as I find out more details.

(The Google Earth map shows the two parcels that DMPED is offering to developers)

- DC Metrocentric reports that the U.S. Coast Guard will remain at their headquarters building in Buzzard Point for the time being, since they just renewed their lease for a 10-year period with Monday Properties. Here is the link for the Washington Business Journal article describing the lease renewal.

Meeting Planned for Firehouse Site Proposals

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development tells Southwest...TLQTC that there will be a meeting in January where the three development teams vying for the DCFD Engine 13 parcel and nearby vacant lot will present their proposals to the community. See my post from October for the list of developer teams and a general description of the proposals for the sites. Once an exact date and time is set for the meeting, I'll post it here. The Google Earth map above shows the location of the two parcels.