District Square Retailers and Other Wharf News

 

While dozens of restaurants have been announced for District Wharf over the past several months, only recently have we been hearing about other types of retail that will be opening in the first phase of development. Today brings news of six more retailers – five of which will be coming to District Square, the area connected to District Pier at 9th Street and Maine Avenue. Joining Politics and Prose will be the following, according to a press release: 

• A Beautiful Closet, a boutique concept founded by former World Bank staff member Pamela Sofola, CPA, will open its first DC location at The Wharf. The 1,045 SF boutique will feature an artfully curated selection of clothing, jewelry, gifts, home décor, fair trade goods, and inspirational items from countries around the world, as well as offer personalized styling consultations. 
• BLINK Optical, the DC-based eyewear company, will open its third DC location in District Square, focusing on handmade eyewear, including prescription glasses and sunglasses, and will introduce exciting, exclusive new products handmade ins the U.S. as well as the new ic! Berlin screwless eyewear and Tarian spring collections at its new 1,149 SF location. Dr. George Flocos will provide eye exams at this location. 
• Blush Med Skincare, the Washington, DC area “health club for your skin,” brings its innovative monthly membership-based skin care concept to District Square. Founded by Dr. Arleen Lamba, Blush Med Skincare merges together skincare and makeup lines with a unique mix of skincare products many of which as exclusive to the market and organic. The 1,500 SF space will be the brand’s third DC area location. 
• Harper Macaw, the local and responsibly-sourced chocolate manufacturer founded in Washington, DC, will open its first store outside of the Northeast DC factory. Harper Macaw’s mission is to provide customers with the ultimate chocolate experience with products that support rainforest restoration and protection. The 831 SF space will sell their full line of chocolate bars and drops. 
• Ligne Roset, the high-end contemporary French furniture manufacturer, with showrooms around the world, is opening its second DC location at The Wharf with a 2,749 SF corner store. Collaborating with established and up-and coming designers, The Wharf location will feature a more edgy selection from the brand’s furniture line as well as long time classics and complementary accessories and lighting. 

In addition, a retailer not located on District Square was announced: 

• Patrick’s Fine Linens & Home Decor, the Alexandria-based lifestyle luxury retail store will open its first Washington, DC location at The Wharf. Patrick's second location is excited to bring upscale home decor brands and quality gifts to the charming 899 square foot store on Water Street facing DC’s southwest waterfront. 

Apparently, there has been a name change for Med Lahou’s (the owner of Station 4) planned Italian restaurant coming to Pearl Street from Marinai Pizzeria to Lupo Marino. These retail announcements follow the feature that Eater published earlier this month about restaurants coming to District Wharf. They include: 

• District Doughnut, which first opened on Barracks Row in Capitol Hill. 
• Kith and Kin, per the Washington Business Journal, will be a 3,500 SF restaurant from Top Chef’s Kwame Onwuachi (who opened Shaw Bijou and then closed within three months) coming to the ground floor of the InterContinental Hotel with “Caribbean flavors, Creole cuisine and African accents.” 
• Whiskey Charlie, a 2,200 SF rooftop bar at the Canopy by Hilton hotel. The name is the call signal WC for the Washington Channel. 

In other Wharf news, a parking garage is now open for patrons who want to visit the Municipal Fish Market. The cost is $2.00 for the first hour with validation. More information about cost and how to access the garage can be found here. 

Renderings courtesy of District Wharf

Italian Market Purveyor Announced for The Wharf

Back in 2015, a PUD filed for Parcel 1 and the area in and around the Municipal Fish Market mentioned space for a market hall with an “Italian butcher/deli and large market hall/restaurant.” Now we know who will operate the market hall space. It was announced that Nick Stefanelli, which opened Masseria at Union Market in NE last year, will operate the Italian market at The Wharf. The planned three-story building along Maine Avenue will contain nearly 12,000 SF of space, as well as a 5,600 SF private roof deck. In addition to the roof deck, the concept includes an artisanal Italian Market with a salumeria, cheese cave, and butcher shop, among other things, and a trattoria on the second floor with an exclusive 12-seat table in the wine cellar. 

Stefanelli's market hall is scheduled to open by the spring of 2018, a few months after the first phase of The Wharf is expected to deliver. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

New Fish Market Intersection Opens This Week

A new intersection on Maine Avenue is scheduled to open this Friday at the entrance to the Maine Avenue Fish Market. This will allow patrons to make a left turn into the market off on Maine Avenue for the first time. The intersection will also help pedestrians coming south from L’Enfant Plaza cross Maine Avenue. Eventually, there will be a new stairway leading down from Banneker Overlook to ease access to The Wharf development. In addition to the new intersection, a parking lot has been built for patrons of the market.

Coming Soon to The Wharf: Norton Plaza

Within the past week or so, demolition was completed at St. Augustine's Church located at 6th Street and Maine Avenue, which will be replaced with a new sanctuary and 108 mixed-income condos. A sheeting and shoring permit has been obtained and excavation is scheduled to begin by mid-December. Waterfront Park will begin construction next May and will be completed the following April, around the same time the adjacent church and condo building will be finished. 

Meanwhile, office leasing has begun for the two office buildings planned in the first phase of development at The Wharf totaling 485,000 square feet on parcels 1 and 3a. 800 Maine Avenue (parcel 3a) will be 220,000 square and 1000 Maine Avenue (parcel 1) will be 265,000 square feet. An added amenity for tenants of 800 Maine Avenue will be access to the Wharf Club, containing a 7,000 SF fitness center, meeting space, an infinity pool, and a one-acre park above the planned Wharf Center concert venue, overlooking the Washington Channel. Both builings will be completed in the third quarter of 2017 and are anticipated to achieve LEED-Gold certification. 

The Wharf was featured in an article in the New York Times. Some news-worthy items from the article:

• One of the public plazas at The Wharf will be named after DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who was responsible for coming up with the name "The Wharf" and whose great-grandfather escaped slavery in Virginia and came to Southwest in the 1850s.
• 20 restaurants will open in the first phase of development.  
• Among the planned businesses to open will be a rum distillery.
• Letters of intent have been signed for two-thirds of the planned retail space in phase one.
• The Maine Avenue Fish Market will be enhanced with the addition of pincic tables,  transient docks for day-trippers, and fruit & vegetable vendors. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Wharf Construction Update

At tonight’s ANC 6D meeting, representatives from Hoffman-Madison Waterfront provided an update on progress at The Wharf. Construction began in April on phase one, which covers the area from 7th Street to the Maine Avenue Fish Market. Following is a summary of the latest on construction: 

Demolition is about 75% complete along the 700 to 900 block of Water Street, including Zanzibar, the Kastles Stadium site, and Phillips Flagship. Work on the marina side is eight weeks ahead of schedule with piles completed for the new Capital Yacht Club and work underway for the Transit Pier and District Pier. About 8-10 piles are driven into the Washington Channel per week, with about 130 piles needed to complete pier construction. 

Meanwhile, demolition will begin later this month at St. Augustine’s Church and a large storm drain will be relocated before construction begins in late October to early November on a 108-unit condo building. Construction of the new church will begin in early 2015 and Waterfront Park will begin construction in the spring of 2015. The church and park will be completed around the same time – the first quarter of 2016. The large Copper Beech tree on the church’s property will be relocated to the site of the Maine Lobsterman statue in the future Waterfront Park to the south. The statue will be put in storage until phase one of The Wharf is complete and will be reinstalled near the Maine Avenue Fish Market. 

The former Channel Inn will soon be the temporary home for the Capital Yacht Club, The Wharf’s marketing center, space for master planner Perkins Eastman, the construction office for Clark, and the corporate offices for PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette. In addition, the cafeteria space will be converted to a café operated by the proprietors of Jenny’s Asian Fusion restaurant. Jenny’s Asian Fusion will close on September 28 from its current location on the waterfront and will relocate to a smaller café space at the Channel Inn sometime in December. 

Over by the fish market, a new parking lot will open by mid-October, which should alleviate some of the parking issues on the east side closer to the Channel Inn. Also, pedestrian and bike access will soon be diverted from the south side of Maine Avenue to the north side between 7th and 9th streets. The construction team will soon begin posting weekly updates of their traffic control plan.

Here Comes the Fence...

 

As more tangible signs (both literal and figurative) begin to appear along the Southwest Waterfront confirming that construction is imminent on phase one of the billion dollar Wharf development, whose groundbreaking is scheduled for March 19 at 11am, let’s take a brief look back one last time at the portion of the Southwest Waterfront that soon will be history. 

A large Coming in 2017 sign will likely be installed here at 9th St & Maine Ave.

Phillips Flagship occupies roughly where Parcel 2 will be built. An entertainment venue called Wharf Hall with capacity for up to 6,500 patrons, along with a co-generation plant and two mixed income apartment buildings (several with micro units), will replace Phillips Flagship. A Transit Pier will be built nearby to serve water taxis and can accommodate several roles, such as an ice skating rink in the winter and (with the addition of barges along its sides for seating) a stadium for the Washington Kastles, if they choose to return. The building which houses the Capital Yacht Club and Jenny’s Asian Fusion will make way for a temporary parking lot (or an office building if an anchor tenant can be found – at one point The Wharf was a contender for the new Washington Post headquarters, although it is unclear if that is still the case). 

 

 

Transit Pier in foreground and Parcel 2 located to the left.

The plaza where 9th Street dead-ends at Water Street will be transformed into District Pier, a 650-foot pier that will start at Maine Avenue and extend out into the Washington Channel. District Pier will be where tall ships dock and the Dockmaster building will be located at the channel end of the pier. On the land side, District Pier will serve as the area where visitors will emerge from the parking garage and begin to interact with The Wharf with retail shops and cafes. 

Future site of District Pier.

View from Washington Channel.

District Pier and Intercontinental Hotel from the Washington Channel.

H2O Nightclub/Hogates was torn down nearly four years ago and was replaced temporarily by Kastles Stadium. The stadium was in place for three years and during that time, the Washington Kastles won three Mylan WTT championships and lost only once at home during that stretch. Kastles Stadium has been dismantled and will be replaced by Parcel 3, an office building and an Intercontinental Hotel. The office building will face Maine Avenue and the hotel will be on Wharf Street, a woonerf (a Dutch term for a street where pedestrians and cyclists have priority over vehicles) that will run along the length of the waterfront, with areas for outdoor café seating, a promenade, and limited vehicular traffic. A new Capital Yacht Club will be built adjacent to the hotel on the Wharf Street side. Next door is Parcel 4 which will be a mixed income apartment building facing Maine Avenue and a luxury condo building facing Wharf Street. 

Hogates was demolished in 2010.

Kastles Stadium opened in 2011.

Parcel 3 office building along Maine Avenue.

Wharf Groundbreaking Next Month

It was announced at this evening's ANC 6D meeting by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront that they intend to hold a groundbreaking ceremony sometime in late March for phase one of The Wharf. Phase one includes parcels 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, and the waterfront park, which goes from west of 9th Street  to 7th Street and then skips to St. Augustine's at 6th and Maine avenues. More information about phase one can be found here. Waterfront establishments including Phillips Flagship and the Channel Inn have been given official notice that they must close by May 10th. The Channel Inn will become the construction office for the builders and the Capital Yacht Club will be moving its operations there until their new building is completed. Jenny's Asian Fusion may also reopen in a smaller space at the Channel Inn. Phillips Flagship will not be relocated to the Channel Inn, but has signed a lease in the neighborhood (presumably at L'Enfant Plaza since it was reported back in July that it was one of the restaurants that may open at phase two of the retail redevelopment). Cantina Marina and the Fish Market will remain open through construction of phase one, although the land side of the fish market will be cleaned up (above-ground utility poles will be relocated, etc.).

An eight-foot fence and signage will arrive at the waterfront over the next couple of weeks. The construction process of phase one will last approximately 42 months with completion expected in late 2017. One of the first things to happen on the site will be the construction of a 50-space parking lot for the Maine Avenue Fish Market, followed by lane closures along portions of Maine Avenue to allow the relocation of utilities from Water Street and the construction of a new northbound turn lane to the fish market. At the same time, the piers at Gangplank Marina will be dismantled. During this summer, more utility work will be done on Maine Avenue, Phillips Flagship will be demolished, and bulkhead demolition will occur. By the end of 2014, all utilities will be moved to Maine Avenue and excavation will begin on the site. Vertical construction will be done by the middle of 2016 with facade work and interiors completed by the fall of 2017.

Information about the construction schedule, including street closures, a FAQ, and other details will be posted on the project's website within the next 48 hours.

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

NCPC Recommendations for 10th Street Corridor Improvements

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) held a public meeting on December 4th to discuss its preliminary long-term and interim recommendations for the 10th Street corridor as a part of the SW Ecodistrict. There are several initiatives simultaneously underway in the general vicinity of the project area. Within the larger SW Ecodistrict area is Federal Triangle South, where GSA will soon issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop five parcels it owns from 12th Street to the west, to 6th Street to the east, to Independence Avenue to the north, to Maryland Avenue and a portion of D Street to the south. The northern portion of 10th Street is included within Federal Triangle South. The Office of Planning recently conducted a Small Area Plan for Maryland Avenue, which will intersect with 10th Street when the historic L’Enfant roadway is reconstructed. DDOT is currently undertaking a year-long transportation study of Maryland Avenue. A new SW Business Improvement District, which includes the SW Ecodistrict boundaries, is in the process of being formed and if approved, will begin services next spring. Just to the north of the SW Ecodistrict, the Smithsonian is working on a master plan to improve the southern section of the National Mall in the vicinity of the Smithsonian Castle. Slides from the December 4 NCPC presentation are available here.

Current view up 10th Street from Banneker Park.

10th Street is envisioned as an urban garden promenade that extends the civic character of the National Mall to Banneker Park. The Forrestal complex would be demolished which would allow new streets to be introduced to the area, including Virginia Avenue and Maryland Avenue. This will reduce the blockiness of the building design that’s currently in place. The width of the right-of-way along 10th Street is recommended to be the same as it is today (150 feet), but the sidewalks are narrowed from 29 feet to 24 feet; a five-foot bike lane is added on either side of the street; the roadway on each side is reduced from 26.5 feet to 20 feet; and the median is expanded from 39 feet to 52 feet. 

On the northern section of the street where it is at-grade, a large tree canopy is recommended with trees growing as high as 50 feet in a linear garden. A “Magnet” Plaza to draw people to 10th Street from the Smithsonian Castle is recommended with a water feature near its northern terminus with Independence Avenue. 

Where the street meets L’Enfant Plaza, an Urban Plaza is recommended. The design of the urban plaza can take shape in a variety of forms, including a framed water feature in the median, an architectural feature in the median, a design that encompasses the right-of-way, and stretching out the plaza from the edge of a building to the east to the building on the west. 

Further south, garden rooms are envisioned with shorter trees cascading down to Banneker Park. Pedestrian access through the tree canopy in the northern section and in the southern section would be limited, but the greatest amount of pedestrian crossings would be at the Urban Plaza near L’Enfant Plaza. Programming space could be accommodated at the “Magnet” Plaza, at the intersection with reconstructed Maryland Avenue, and at the Urban Plaza. 

Vision for a new Banneker Park connection to The Wharf.

Short-term improvements include changes to the street where it meets Independence Avenue, programming, wayfinding signage, and connections. 

• Entry – Where the street intersects with Independence Avenue, it is recommended to improve the area with defined crosswalks and Tactical Urbanism, defined by Atlantic Cities’ Nate Berg as “quick, often temporary, cheap projects that aim to make a small part of the city more lively or enjoyable.” Examples of Tactical Urbanism include guerrilla gardening, pavement-to-parks, and open streets.
• Programming – On certain stretches of 10th Street, festival programming can occur, from Independence Avenue to Maryland Avenue, as well as from L’Enfant Plaza to Banneker Park. 
• Wayfinding – Improvements are recommended for the entire length of 10th Street. 
• Connections – Bike lanes, enhanced crosswalks, and lane modifications are recommended. In addition, a stair connection to the Maine Avenue Fish Market is proposed and a path connection to 9th Street. At Banneker Park, a terraced stairway is proposed on the west side with enhanced landscaping that leads down to Maine Avenue where a new signalized intersection is planned along with green walls to help soften the appearance of the existing structure. 

Public comments will be accepted until December 31.

Renderings courtesy of NCPC

The Wharf a Contender for Washington Post Headquarters

It was reported in Capital Business that Hoffman Madison Waterfront was one of several developers to respond to a request for proposals for The Washington Post Co., which is looking for a site for a new headquarters building for the paper (the new ownership group of The Washington Post will still need a new headquarters building). According to Matt Steenhoek at PN Hoffman, "we think it is a tremendous location for the Post that offers unparalleled visibility, access, amenities, views, and surroundings." The site proposed by Hoffman Madison Waterfront is parcel 1 at The Wharf, which is currently designated as an office building.  Parcel 1 is located to the west of Parcel 2 (Wharf Center and 2 apartment buildings), adjacent to Market Pier and would be near the rejuvenated Maine Avenue Fish Market.

View of Parcel 1 office building from the Washington Channel.

The proposed office building has been designed by KPF.  Even though Parcel 1 is planned for the second phase of development, if the Post chooses the Wharf for their new home, the developers would work quickly to get Stage 2 PUD approval and start construction on the building so it could be completed around the same time that the other phase one buildings would be completed in 2016-17.

View from the inside of the proposed WaPo HQ towards the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial.

 Renderings courtesy of KPF

House Passes Waterfront Legislation, First Wharf Hearing Tomorrow

According to Roll Call, the House of Representatives passed the bill yesterday which will allow the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team to redevelop the Southwest Waterfront into The Wharf as currently planned, with piers that will extend into the Washington Channel (such as District Pier, a rendering of which is above).  The bill also allows the sale of fruits, vegetables, and other items at the Maine Avenue Fish Market.  This is the second time the House has approved the bill, since the Senate made a slight change to the bill when they passed the measure back in March.  With the passage of this legislation, another roadblock has been removed and brings the project one step closer to groundbreaking in 2013. 

Before that can happen though, they need to get approval from the Zoning Commission. Get some popcorn, because the first Zoning Commission hearing on the Stage Two PUD for Phase One of The Wharf will be held tomorrow evening at 6:30pm, where the following aspects of the development will be discussed: General comments, Parcel 2A, and 2B, Co-Gen Plant, Parcel 1 temporary uses, and Transit Pier.  A live broadcast of the hearing will be available, as well as On Demand starting on Friday.  ANC 6D voted earlier this month not to support the PUD due to some issues that need to be resolved, especially whether the existing liveaboard community at Gangplank Marina will be preserved. The commissioners and the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team are working to iron out any differences before the next ANC meeting on July 9, where another vote on the PUD may take place.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

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

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

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

A Few Quick Items: SW Waterfront House Legislation Advances, Fish Market is Location of the Month, SEU to be Removed from Metro Name, Maine Ave Road Work Delayed

- Last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's bill to allow the development of the Southwest Waterfront as currently planned to proceed. H.R. 2297 clears up some legal issues regarding the transfer of the Southwest Waterfront that occurred between the Federal government and the District back in the 1960s which will allow the construction of piers that extend out to the Washington Channel. The bill will also ensure the Maine Lobsterman statue and Titanic Memorial will be maintained, although the Lobsterman statue may be moved to another area of The Wharf. An affirmative vote in the full House and Senate will allow the development to proceed. Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

- DC's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development has designated the Maine Avenue Fish Market as the One City Location of the Month for the month of November. Back in March, the MPTD began the monthly designation to help bring attention to sights in the city that can be used as filming locations. The fish market was most recently featured in the film "State of Play". Arena Stage was designated back in April.

- WMATA decided in a meeting last week to make some changes to Metro station names ahead of a reworking of the Metrorail map needed to reflect service changes as well as the introduction of the Silver Line. In Southwest, the Waterfront-SEU station will revert back to its original name - Waterfront. Since Southeastern University is no longer in existence, that appendage has been dropped. A bid to add Arena Stage to the station name, which was supported by ANC 6D, was rejected by the Metro board. Also, a proposal to add National Mall to the Smithsonian Metro station name was rejected. The Navy Yard station in Near SE will become Navy Yard-Ballpark. These changes will be implemented in the fall of 2012.

- ANC 6D 01 Commissioner Bob Craycraft reports on his Facebook page that DDOT has pushed back the completion date of the road work on Maine Avenue near the fish market to the end of November. The road work was originally scheduled to be complete back in mid-October. Below is a description from DDOT about what is being done to the road:

The project will replace the existing 4-foot-wide sidewalk with a new 14-foot-wide trail, accommodating both bicyclists and pedestrians, and replace the existing road surface. Installation of new storm water drainage elements, bio-retention areas, trees, lighting, signs, curb, gutter and fencing is also included in the project. To accommodate these amenities, on-street parking in this area will be eliminated. The number of vehicular lanes will be reduced from two to one and some driveway entrances to businesses will be realigned.