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.

Extra Southwest Nights for Arena's 'King Hedley II'

Arena Stage will have extra Southwest Nights for the performance of King Hedley II, starring Bowman Wright and E. Faye Butler. In addition to the original Southwest Night date of February 24 at 7:30pm, the following performances have been added at the discounted rate of $25: 2/6 at 8pm, 2/8 at 7:30 pm, 2/10 at 7:30pm, and 2/11 at 7:30pm. From the media release:

Set in the 1980's Hill District of Pittsburgh, the ninth installment of Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's acclaimed play cycle examining Black America follows a scarred ex-convict who struggles to turn his life around and lock away his past.

King Hedley II will be at the Fichlander from February 6 - March 8.

About Southwest Nights: 

People who reside or work in Southwest can buy discounted tickets for specially designated Southwest Nights performances of each production. Tickets are $35 for musicals and $25 for non-musicals, plus fees, and patrons may purchase tickets by phone (202-488-3300) or in person (1101 Sixth Street). Proof of Southwest residency or employment for each member of the party must be presented at the time of pick-up. Tickets are based on availability.

Illustration by Douglas Fraser

440-Unit Apartment Building Planned for The Portals

In what would be the first residential building south of the Mall and north of the SW freeway since urban renewal, Republic Properties has proposed a 15-story, 440-unit residential building at 1399 Maryland Avenue, one of the remaining undeveloped parcels at The Portals. This site was originally planned as office, but Republic Properties switched course and now wants to move forward with the project as residential. The Portals currently includes three office buildings and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. With this new residential building added, there would remain one undeveloped parcel which is currently slated as office. 

Currently, the area south of the National Mall and north of the SW freeway is primarily an office zone (save for a few hotels) which shuts down after work hours. With this new residential project that image may start to change. The SW Ecodistrict Initiative calls for at least 1,000 residential units in this area of Southwest in order to increase the mix of uses and help turn the area into an 18-hour, live-work-play neighborhood. Although technically outside of the SW Ecodistrict Initiative borders, introducing residential to The Portals may incentivize others to eventually do so within the Ecodistrict.

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) reviewed the concept plan for the residential building back in November and expressed concern about the project’s height and design. In addition to being the first residential building in this area of the District, 1399 Maryland Avenue would be among the tallest buildings in the city, since Maryland Avenue is elevated above the rail tracks by 46 feet or so and the 130-foot height is measured from the street surface, not ground level. The other buildings at The Portals are 90 feet tall. With regard to the design, the CFA was concerned that the proposed building’s prominent location at the entrance to the monumental core of the city from the 14th Street Bridge should not have a building that does not stand out too much or is too complex. The Commission requested that Robert A.M Stern Architects refine the design to address these issues. The above and below renderings show the revised concept. 

In its letter to the developer dated January 30, the CFA stated: 

While finding the revised design to be considerably improved, the Commission made several recommendations for the development of the design and did not take a formal action on the concept submission. 

Republic will need to refine the design further and resubmit the project for review by the CFA. The WBJ first reported on this story. 

 Rendering courtesy of Robert A.M. Stern Architects

Reminder: SW Neighborhood Plan Mayoral Hearing Tomorrow!

Here is a reminder that a Mayoral Hearing for the Southwest Neighborhood Plan will be held tomorrow evening at 1100 4th Street, Second Floor (the same room where most ANC 6D meetings are held) from 6:30 – 8:30pm. The hearing will give residents the chance to share their comments on the plan. A summary of the plan can be found here and the full plan here. Written comments may also be submitted for the public record until January 30. Comments should be sent to: 

Melissa Bird 

Neighborhood Planning Coordinator for Ward 6

DC Office of Planning 

1100 4th Street, SW, Suite E650

Washington, DC 20024 

melissa.bird@dc.gov

202.478.1323 

The ANC has also asked that residents who submit comments via email should also CC the ANC office (office@anc6d.org).

Image courtesy of DC Office of Planning

Wharf Hotel Site Sold

Carr City Centers has closed on a development site at The Wharf – Parcel 3B which is slated for a 278-key Intercontinental Hotel. The site was purchased from master developer Hoffman-Madison Waterfront. Parcel 3B is located at the intersection of Maine Avenue and 9th Street on the Wharf Street side. According to a press release, the hotel will have 17,000 square feet of water-view meeting space, a signature restaurant, spa, rooftop pool and bar. A separate entrance with an elevator will lead to a sky-view lounge on the 12th floor. The hotel will begin construction in the first quarter of 2016 with completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2017. This is one of three hotels that will open in the first phase of The Wharf. Hoffman-Madison Waterfront purchased Parcel 5 from The JBG Companies where an extended stay and lifestyle brand hotel will be built. An Aloft and Element were mentioned previously as the hotel brands that would be coming to Parcel 5, but a formal announcement will be made over the next three months. 

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Update: The WBJ has some additional details about the hotel.  Additional amenities for this "urban resort" include a rooftop infinity pool, a two-story presidential suite on the 11th and 12th floors, and about 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.  From the article:

The Wharf Intercontinental Hotel will be the brand's more contemporary version of luxury: clad in glass on two sides, an open-concept, glass-enclosed lobby with a restaurant whose glass outer wall will open up to the sidewalk, creating an interaction between diners and the waterfront...Industrial and maritime touches will be included throughout the hotel, which is being designed by a collaboration between project architect BBGM and Parker-Torres.

SOUP-er Bowl Tomorrow

Here’s a reminder that tomorrow is the SOUP-er Bowl, a soup taste-off between area chefs at Waterfront Station from 1 to 4pm. The event will be held in a heated tent on the vacant southwest parcel. There will be soup and chili samples from the area restaurants, including Station 4, Soup Up, Halsa, and Bar Pilar. A beer and wine garden will be on-site, with prices ranging from $5 to $7, as well as a complimentary football lounge that will stream highlights from past Super Bowls. Live music will be performed by a Motown band called The Original Moonlighters and there will also be DJs. Admission is free. 

This is the second event to be held at Waterfront Station over the past two months. In December, there was a fashion truck event. At last week’s ANC meeting, Gordon Fraley from Vornado and David Smith from Forest City indicated that there will be more events on the vacant parcels – at least one per quarter. They were at the meeting to request a two-year extension for stage one Planned Unit Development (PUD) approval, since the office market has not recovered yet in the District. It’s likely that the parcels will remain vacant for the time being, but if the developers keep to their word, there will be more events to activate the space.

Sky House West is now Lex at Waterfront Station

With new ownership, Sky House West apartments has changed names to Lex at Waterfront Station. Bernstein Management recently purchased the building (and has Sky House East under contract) from Urban Atlantic and the JBG Companies. I hope to get inside the building soon and take some pictures. Community amenities include a fitness center, BBQ/Picnic area, rooftop pool and sundeck, clubhouse, business center, media room, bike racks, and concierge service. Unit finishes appear to be somewhat similar to Sky House East, including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, subway tile backsplash, dark or light cabinets, hardwood floors in living areas, concrete walls, and interior bedrooms in select units. Leasing began this month.

Excavation to Begin This Week at 1001 4th Street

At tonight’s ANC 6D meeting, David Smith from Forest City Washington gave the commissioners an update on their planned 365-unit apartment building at the northwest parcel of Waterfront Station at 1001 4th Street. Since the developer received permits last month and it was announced last week that financing has been secured, construction is imminent. In fact, excavation is expected to begin this week – the construction trailer will arrive on Wednesday and a fence will go up around the site on Thursday. As a result, there will be a loss of six parking spaces along 4th Street for the duration of construction. Construction will last about 22 months with substantial completion scheduled for November of 2016. 

In other Waterfront Station news, Vornado and Forest City have requested a two-year extension of stage one PUD approval for 425 and 375 M Street, the two planned office buildings on the southwest and southeast parcels. Currently, PUD approval is set to expire on April 15 – the southwest parcel will be the expiration of an extension while the southeast parcel is the expiration of the original PUD approval. The office market is still challenged in the District and the developers have been unable to find tenants for the proposed buildings. Vornado and Forest City had a hearing scheduled with the Zoning Commission on February 9, but the hearing would have been on the same evening as the February ANC meeting and the commissioners wanted to meet with the developers regarding their concerns about the lack of maintenance and interim uses of the vacant parcels. There has been limited activity on the vacant parcels thus far – there was a bocce tournament and fashion truck event in 2014 and Souper Bowl (a soup competition) will take place on January 24; however, there are plans to host an event moving forward at least once a quarter. The developers agreed to push back the hearing date to March, so the commissioners tabled the resolution until next month. 

Marc Bleyer from DMPED also asked for support for extending stage one PUD approval for the District-owned northeast parcel, which also expires on April 15. A RFP has already been written for the parcel and will be released once the PUD extension has been granted, sometime this spring. A 400,000 square-foot residential building with 20% of the units set aside as affordable housing and ground floor retail has been approved for the site during the phase one PUD approval. It will take about 12 to 18 months to choose a developer and close on the sale of the parcel, which means the full two-year extension may not be necessary. The ANC also decided to table consideration of this extension request until next month.

Rendering courtesy of Perkins Eastman

Sky House West Apartments Sold

In case you were wondering what was taking so long for Sky House West apartments at Waterfront Station to start leasing, it was reported today in the Washington Business Journal that the building was sold by Urban Atlantic and The JBG Companies to Bernstein Management Corp for $80 million. Typically, if a newly constructed apartment building in DC is sold, it is done so before tenants move in so TOPA rules do not go into effect. Sky House West is a 264-unit building which was formerly an office building that served as the headquarters of the EPA. From the article: 

Bernstein owns and manages nearly 90 properties in the D.C. area. Its CEO said Sky House West is a "terrific asset," that Urban Atlantic "did an excellent job with the gut renovation, creating a quality product." 

Its sister building Sky House East, which is still owned by Urban Atlantic and The JBG Companies, began leasing in early 2014 and is now more than 95% occupied.

Top 10 Read Posts of 2014

Here are the Top 10 Read Posts of 2014:

1. Exclusive: Trader Joe's Coming to The Wharf (APRIL FOOLS POST)
2. Buzzard Point Draft Urban Design Framework Released
3. A Few Quick Monday Evening Items: Water Taxi, SW History, Wharf Retail
4. M Street Yoga Opening Soon
5. Wharf Groundbreaking Next Month
6. 2013 in Review
7. Stadium Deal Finalized, Ziegfeld’s/Secrets Building for Sale
8. Wharf Update
9. Portions of The Wharf are Ahead of Schedule
10. Demolition Underway for 500 L'Enfant Plaza

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront