Buzzard Point Jail?

Capital Business reports this week that Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells has proposed a land swap with Akridge - the city would give Akridge land in Hill East where the DC Jail is currently located in exchange for the 9-acre parcel the developer owns in Buzzard Point. This is the same parcel (100 V Street) that is rumored to be the site of a new stadium for DC United. If the land swap were to occur, then the stadium could be built at the old DC Jail site, which is south of RFK Stadium. This idea hasn't gained much traction, though. From the article:

Wells has a lot of convincing to do. Victor Hoskins, D.C. deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said he was aware of Wells’s idea but hadn’t seen any specifics. Matt Klein, president of Akridge, said that “of the half a dozen or a dozen ideas that have been tossed around for Buzzard Point, that is not one of the ones that has been the subject of any kind of substantive discussion.”

However, Council member Wells recently became chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation, which has oversight of the Office of Planning. OP is intrigued by the land swap idea.  Stay tuned.

Rendering courtesy of Akridge

Opinion Piece from a Southwester: Cantina Marina Disappoints...AGAIN

The following post was written by reader Audrina based on her experience at Cantina Marina on July 15.

Let me start by saying that I really want to love all the businesses and especially the restaurants and bars in SW. I REALLY want to! I live and work in SW. I like to tell people that “we’ve got good shit here too!” Sadly, though, the dining and bar options in SW DC are sorely lacking. But, because I want so desperately to support my neighborhood businesses (and a dear friend was having a birthday gathering), I found myself at Cantina Marina Friday night. I also found myself wondering why in the world I keep going back. I already knew the food and drinks were mediocre at best. Seriously… if you have “cantina” in your name, you ought to be able to make a decent margarita! What I didn’t know until Friday night was that the service was even worse than the food and drinks. To make a long story short, I (and others in the birthday party) felt one of the servers was actually trying to make our experience a bad one to hasten our departure and free up our table for another party.

Apparently, and unfortunately, the owners and management of Cantina Marina are aware of the fact that they don’t have to deliver good food, drinks, or service because they have one thing going for them that trumps everything else – location. If Cantina Marina was located anywhere other than in SW on the water, they would have long been gone. I can’t wait until the SW Waterfront redevelopment brings competition to force Cantina Marina to either shape up or ship out.

Note: Management did try to remedy the situation by offering the party seating upstairs, complimentary drinks and appetizers.

Get Ready for SW ArtsFest 2011!

I've been meaning to post about this for weeks, but better late than never!  From September 23-25, Southwest will host the inaugural SW ArtsFest at several venues across the quadrant. According to the press release, the collaboration will include:

• (e)merge art fair from Friday to Sunday at the Capitol Skyline Hotel
• Marcātus Creative Art Market on Saturday & Sunday
• Performances and children’s activities at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
• 10th Annual DC Jazz Preservation Festival on Saturday at Westminster Presbyterian Church 
• Open House on Saturday at Christ United Methodist Church
• Amnesty International Human Rights Film Festival on Sunday at Westminster Presbyterian Church
• End-of-Summer Fair at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church
• Neighborhood Walking Tours on Saturday & Sunday by Washington Walks
• Children's activities on Saturday at 7th Street Landing
• Southwest Church Musical Showcase at Second Baptist Church Southwest

Admission to all events are free, except for the (e)merge art fair, which will charge an admission fee of $10.  For more information on SW ArtsFest 2011, check out their website.

A Few Quick Items: Thievery Corporation at Kastles Stadium, Homeless Encampment Removed, Zoning Commission Video

- The 13-0 Washington Kastles are playoff-bound and end their regular season tomorrow at home. After the season, the stadium will not remain empty for long. Thievery Corporation will have a concert at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf on Saturday, August 20th at 6pm.  Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 10am.  Follow this link to purchase tickets - prices are not available yet.  In addition, a charity soccer tournament will occur on July 31st. General admission for Celebrity Soccer Challenge 2011, hosted by Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra, is $23 and benefits the Mia Hamm Foundation & Children's National Medical Center.

- Earlier today, the District government removed a homeless encampment on the north side of Maine Avenue underneath the 14th Street Bridge near the Tidal Basin. This follows the removal last month of an encampment on the south side of the street. The encampments have finally been removed after several months of complaints from residents. I remember seeing the encampments going back to this past winter.

- For those of you who missed the 5-hour Zoning Commission meeting on Monday evening where The Wharf PUD was hashed out, it is now available on video.  The video is below, or use this link.  For your reference: the Deputy Mayor's Office presentation begins around minute 00:18, the developer presentation begins around minute 00:31, Office of Planning testimony begins around minute 02:37, ANC 6D presentation begins around minute 03:14, testimony of those in support of the project begins around minute 03:29, and opposition testimony begins around 04:43.  The remaining testimony of those who are opposed will be held Thursday evening at 6:30pm.

Gangplank Slipholders Association Supports Wharf PUD

Ahead of today's Zoning Commission meeting, the Gangplank Slipholders Association (GPSA) released their letter of support for The Wharf PUD application on Friday. While the GPSA generally supports the plan, there are a number of outstanding issues that they need to work through with the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team, which include:

• the policies associated with transfer of live-aboard status, which constitutes a significant portion of the equity of the vessels it is associated with;
• the details of how essential services will be provided to our members during the development;
• controls on slip fees; and
• the lack of a back-up plan should complications in the proposed plan arise or the required Congressional bill fail to be passed.

The Zoning Commission meeting will take place tonight at 6:30pm at 441 4th Street, NW, Suite 220-S. To see the meeting live, follow this link.

A Few Quick Items: Digging at Camden South Capitol, Kastles in 1st Place, Redistricting Update

- Digging is underway at Camden South Capitol apartments at the northwest corner of South Capitol and O Street.  The ceremonial groundbreaking (with Nationals mascot Screech) occurred on June 1st, but actual digging of the foundation started later in the month. The hole is deeper now than when this photo was taken a couple weeks ago. The 276-unit project is located across the street from Nationals Park and is being developed by Camden Property Trust.  WDG designed the building. Its location should allow views into the stadium, the Anacostia River, and the Capitol for upper level residents. Some of the amenities planned for the $88 million apartment building include a rooftop pool and deck, below-grade parking for 250 vehicles, and ground-floor retail (perhaps a pub for baseball patrons?). Twelve of the units will be set aside as affordable housing. Leasing should begin around the middle of 2013.

- The Washington Kastles are 7-0 halfway through the season and on top of the standings in the Eastern Conference. There are still four home matches this season left at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf (as well as some away games). As a reminder, Friday's match is Southwest Night where Southwesters get 10% off ticket prices when ordering on Ticketmaster. Chris Evert will play in an exhibition match during halftime and Billie Jean King will be in attendance.  Fox 5 News' Holly Morris did a video series last week about the new stadium and the team. One of the videos is below.

 - JDLand provides information on the Ward 6 ANC/SMD redistricting process. The ANC 6D community listening meeting will take place on Thursday, July 28th at 6:30pm (location to be announced). Then there will be meetings on the first draft of the new boundaries, which is scheduled to be sent to the ANCs on Tuesday, August 18th. The task force will then make the rounds of the September ANC business meetings, submitting a final draft to Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells by September 26th, which he then will submit to the council by the required September 30th deadline.

ANC 6D Approves Stage 1 PUD for The Wharf *

Updated: After two hours of discussion of The Wharf Stage One PUD, with a presentation by lead developer Monty Hoffman from the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team and a question & answer period, ANC 6D voted unanimously to approve the application at their monthly meeting this evening.  That approval came with 27 conditions that need to be addressed by the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team before they meet with the Zoning Commission next Monday. Below is a summary of the 27 concerns and conditions from the ANC resolution:

- bus traffic should be removed from Pier 4 and away from existing residential areas of Southwest, as well as the residential units planned at parcel 11 (St. Augustine's Church)

- a Plan B in case pending legislation in Congress to transfer jurisdiction of the Channel and the ability to allow homeownership along the waterfront do not pass

- a transition plan for residents of the Gangplank Marina

- a dedicated walkway along the Washington Channel of 20 feet

- residential housing at Pier 4 (about 26 townhouses are planned at the current site of the the Spirit Cruises pier) should maintain a minimum 10-foot setback from the existing waterside edges of the pier and not be higher than 45 feet

- the commercial pier structures should not exceed the height of the headhouse structure at Pier 4 except for a two-story office building planned

- the 5-acre Waterfront Park should be built in the first phase and the planned food pavilion should be lowered from 34.5 feet to 20 feet

- massing of buildings

- parcel 11 setbacks should be consistent with the residential buildings along M Street from 6th Street to 2nd Street

- the height of buildings near M Street Landing (parcels 9 and 10) and as the design of the new St. Augustine's Church blocks views along M Street towards the waterfront

- construction staging should be restricted on parcels 10, 11, the Waterfront Park, or any area south of M Street from 6th Street to the Titanic Memorial (basically any area adjacent to existing residential buildings)

- streetcars (no overhead wires along the waterfront and place flange fillers on the tracks until the streetcars are operational)

- no parking at the Waterfront Park nor along the private road leading to Pier 4

- transportation embellishments (bike parking, electric car charging stations, car sharing)

- maintain existing tree canopy along Maine Avenue and the pedestrian walkway between the Washington Channel and Tiber Island and Harbor Square

- restrict Internet gaming that was recently passed citywide by the City Council at The Wharf outside of personal residences

- liquor licenses (the ANC wants to maintain the ability to approve or deny individual liquor licenses)

- provide office space for SWNA and ANC for 20 years starting January 2019 similar to what is provided at Waterfront Station (that space is only available for 10 years)

- environmental issues - abide by federal and District regulations regarding storm water runoff
- create kinetic, programmable recreational spaces for all ages throughout the development, especially toward the western end and the many mews and passageways
- restrict flexibility of future phases on parcels 6, 7, and 8
- create a 37 foot setback along the Maine Avenue side of parcel 7 - similar to the Waterside Towers Townhouses across the street

- placement of the Titanic Memorial and Maine Lobsterman statue within the development

- memorialize commitments to Ward 6 residents from the land disposition agreement between the city and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

- create an advisory committee with members from the ANC, CBCC, SWNA, and other neighborhood stakeholders to enforce workforce development and jobs, 5% of the 35% Certified Business Enterprises requirement be procured from Ward 6, and housing affordability and diversity with a preference for Ward 6 residents

- help with the planning and implementation of a community center

- transportation issues - a comprehensive traffic study of the Maine Avenue-M Street corridor needs to be conducted

Several of these concerns have already been addressed since the resolution was written last week, but the ANC wanted to include all of these items in anticipation for the Zoning Commission meeting next week.

As a refresher to what the ANC voted on this evening, a Phase One PUD application looks at the following aspects of a given development:

• General site, landscape and development plan
• Development areas including height, density, and massing
• Public parks, open space, and roadways are identified
• Parking and loading access and impacts on the existing neighborhood
• Overall project amenities 

The Wharf aims to transform the Southwest Waterfront into a lively mixed use neighborhood with office, residential, retail, open space, marinas, and cultural uses.  See a general description of the plan here. Some more details about what is planned at parcel 2, or the Wharf Center concert venue, were mentioned at the ANC meeting.  The Wharf Center will be located to the northeast of the intersection of 9th Street and Maine Avenue. This 2,500-seat venue will host events between 150 and 200 nights a year, including concerts, performances, and possibly the Washington Kastles. The high use of this facility is similar to the scheduled use of the Verizon Center, but at a smaller scale. It will be developed during the first phase of development, along with parcels from 7th Street to 9th Street, as well as parcel 11 and the Waterfront Park on the southeastern edge of the development.  Parcel 1 and the area by the Fish Market will be done in Phase II, while the area from 7th Street to Pier 4 will be done in Phase III.

The Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, July 18th at 6:30pm (located at 441 4th Street, NW, Suite 220-S) to discuss the PUD.  Those who wish to testify for or against the PUD can contact Dana Hanousek before the 18th at Donna.Hanousek@DC.gov or 202-727-0789 and provide your name, your desire to testify in support or opposition to the Southwest Waterfront Plan, Case No. 11-03, your telephone number, and a request for confirmation you are on the list.  After the PUD goes through the Zoning Commission, the public process for the Waterfront Park will begin in the fall. Around the same time, a luxury hotel operator will be announced for parcel 3, which will also be where the Graduate School USA will be located. A Stage II PUD application for specific buildings in Phase I of development will begin in late 2011/early 2012. Construction is set to begin on Phase I by the end of 2012.

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Photos from Wednesday's Anniversary Celebration

Over 40 people came to Station 4 for happy hour on Wednesday evening to help celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Southwest...The Little Quadrant That Could. The actual anniversary of the blog took place on June 4, but I wanted to have the happy hour at Station 4 and since the restaurant opening was delayed, the anniversary celebration took place later than expected. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Below are a few photos from the happy hour.

The happy hour even drew fans from Capitol Hill and Bethesda!



One of these people doesn't read this blog (but I don't hold it against her).



Gangplank Slipholders Association Jason Kopp approves of the anniversary cake (especially the boat).

 

Potomac Place Tower residents represent!




I finally got from behind the camera grudgingly (but I only do it for anniversary celebrations).

Community Groups Gear up for The Wharf PUD

Ahead of the ANC 6D meeting next Monday and the DC Zoning Commission meeting the following Monday, the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly (SWNA) and the Community Benefits Coordinating Council (CBCC) have made their concerns known regarding portions of the PUD application for The Wharf. SWNA has released their written testimony they plan to deliver at the July 18 Zoning Commission meeting.  A summary of it is below:

We support the general framework of the plan.  The HMW team  has developed a captivating plan for reactivating the Southwest Waterfront ("SWW").  We believe the plan establishes a bold vision for redeveloping our waterfront, long suffering from incomplete development and inadequate maintenance.  We appreciate HMW efforts to-date by meeting with community leaders and organizations and establishing an active 7th Street Landing in the interim.

However, the plans require further refinement and modification.  Given the unprecedented size and complexity of the development this can be expected.

SWNA has identified shortcomings in five areas:

Zoning and Development

SWNA is concerned about the height, bulk, and design of the buildings since they do not relate to the existing community. Some buildings are planned to top out at 130 feet while current buildings in Southwest are only 90 feet. Setbacks on upper floors are insufficient and the design of the buildings are reminiscent of generic suburban development. Also, large billboards are planned on the north side of the development, which might cause an increase in light pollution. The design of Pier 4 is inconsistent with other parts of the waterfront, including the planned headhouse market. SWNA generally supports the waterside plan, but has concerns about provisions for the live-aboards at the Gangplank Marina.

Circulation

There are concerns about an increase in traffic from development at The Wharf and other projects in the pipeline, especially at the intersection of 9th Street and Maine Avenue. The transportation impact study done by Grove/Slade for HMW assumes that 35-45% of people will visit The Wharf using transit, but the comparable development projects the consulting team used to make that assumption have Metro access much closer to their developments than The Wharf. SWNA prefers three streetcar stops  at the development instead of the four that are currently planned. A second entrance to the Waterfront-SEU Metro station at 6th Street and Maine Avenue is preferred. There are also concerns about idling buses on neighborhood streets, DDOT's responsiveness, and the "limited access" nature of most of the development.

Open Space

The HMW plan closes off the waterfront from the surrounding community and Maine Avenue will be converted from an urban boulevard to a mundane city street. There are concerns that there isn't enough detailed plans about the mews, arcades, and other dense corridors - which could become dark, undesirable alleys if not done properly. The design of pavilions are out of scale with the neighborhood (reminiscent of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore) and some structures jut out onto the M Street corridor. Ecologically and functionally sustainable plantings should be considered instead of the several grassy lawns that are currently in the plan. Larger open space areas such as M Street Landing and the Waterfront Park are generally designed well, but the water features at M Street Landing should be signature elements and there should be language written about a community-led progress to design the Waterfront Park as the developers have mentioned at community meetings.

Sustainability

The HMW team should aim for certified LEED-ND Platinum and create a true low-impact development meeting today's highest standard. Almost half of the Waterfront Park area is paved, but instead should be primarily a space with pervious surfaces. The surface parking area currently planned for the Pier 4 area should be replaced with underground spaces as is planned for the rest of the development.

Public Benefits

The main concern about public benefits is they need to be clearly identified, managed, and delivered on a timely basis. Some of the public benefits identified by HMW, such as a new clubhouse for the Capital Yacht Club, are not public.  Also, the geographic distribution of the benefits do not benefit Southwest and Ward 6 specifically. SWNA defers to the CBCC to express their views on community benefits.

The CBCC released their position paper on the PUD application late last week. Listed below are their positions on the four areas of most concern:

Workforce Development and Jobs

a. Workforce intermediary: The Community Benefits Coordinating Council believes that a primary focus of the workforce intermediary should be residents of near SE/SW and Ward 6 as well as the current focus on public housing residents in Wards 5, and 8. Since all of the redevelopment will take place on the SW Waterfront it is important that near SE/SW residents benefit from all of the changes about to occur. The CBCC recommends that the leadership of the CBCC as well as the Family Enhancement Center and other workforce developers, such as Strive DC, should be an integral part of the planning team for the development of the workforce intermediary. Without the active input and expertise of SE/SW stakeholders in the goals of the workforce intermediary, we are concerned that the needs of unemployed and underemployed residents of our community will not benefit from this extensive redevelopment of the waterfront.

b. First Source Requirement - Jobs: The CBCC believes that residents living in the area most impacted by the redevelopment should have a preference in any first source requirement.  Therefore the CBCC requests that language be included in the developer requested PUD which states a preference for residents of Ward 6 in general and the SW in particular.

Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs)

The CBCC requests that language be included in the developer requested PUD which states a preference that 5% of the 35% CBE requirement be procured from Ward 6.  The CBCC further requests that the government entity (Department of Small and Local Business Development - DSLBD) responsible for monitoring the CBE procurement requirements engage the CBCC and other near SE/SW stakeholders in ensuring that these CBE requirements are enforced, and that businesses in the area are guided in the steps they should take to qualify for CBE status.

Housing Affordability and Diversity

a. Housing Affordability: The CBCC requests that a preference be established for all three (3) affordability categories noted above for residents of and workers who provide services in Ward 6. The CBCC also recommends that a formal advisory committee of near SE/SW stakeholders be established to work with the developer and city officials to ensure that these community benefits are actualized.

b. Housing Diversity: The CBCC requests that language be included in the developer requested PUD which states that the current live-aboards will be permitted to return to the SW Waterfront along with language that explains how the temporary displacement of the live-aboards will take place.

Community Participation/Engagement

The CBCC requests that an Advisory Committee be formalized with members selected by ANC, CBCC, SWNA, and other neighborhood stakeholders.  The Committee should be expected to develop a semi-annual Report to the Community, to be shared with the DMPED and City Council on the advice and recommendations to the developer and the responses to said recommendations.

Photos from Opening Night at Kastles Stadium

Enough said.





Here comes the Kastles! First player up is Arina Rodionova.

Bobby Reynolds

Rennae Stubbs

Leander Paes

Venus Williams

Mayor Gray came to the match.

Oklahoma! star Eleasha Gamble sings the National Anthem.



Kansas City Explorers during the National Anthem.



Washington Kastles during the National Anthem.

Team owner Mark Ein welcomes the crowd to the Kastles' new home at The Wharf.

Team huddle.

 

Paes serves in the men's doubles match which the Kastles won 5-4 in the tie-break.

A capacity crowd came to see opening night at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf.

Williams practices before the mixed doubles match.

Williams serves during the mixed doubles match, which the Kastles won 5-3.

Reynolds serves during the men's singles match, which the Kastles won 5-1.

Williams returns a serve during the women's singles match against Christina McHale from the Kansas City Explorers, which the Kastles lost in the tie-break 4-5.

The stadium is right next to the waterfront promenade and Gangplank Marina.

Coach Murphy Jensen answers questions after the Kastles win in overtime 21-18.

Venus Williams interview after the team win.

The Kastles prepare to sign autographs for fans 16 and under.

Kasnas City Explorer Ricardo Mello signs a tennis racket for a fan.

Fans line up to receive an autograph.

Slice, one of the team mascots, keeps the young fans entertained.