Enterprise Opening This Week at Waterfront Station

A sign has been posted at the old L’Enfant Plaza Enterprise car rental location on D Street stating that they will be moving to their new Waterfront Station storefront on or near December 7. A peek inside the new storefront shows that the Enterprise sign is ready to go up on the exterior of 1100 4th Street. Has anyone seen whether Enterprise opened today? With the imminent opening of Enterprise, there remains one vacant retail space at Waterfront Station along 4th Street – a storefront located adjacent to Station 4.

Annual Parade of Lighted Boats This Saturday

The 24th annual Parade of Lighted Boats will take place on Saturday evening from 6-8 pm at Gangplank Marina Park located at 600 Water Street.  As in previous years, festivities include photos with Santa Claus, the lighting of the Gangplank Marina Christmas tree, a firepit with s'mores, live holiday music, gingerbread cookie decorating, the first "snowfall" of the season, and of course, the boat parade, where boaters decorate their vessels and compete for prizes.

Leasing Begins at 1000 Maine

Leasing has commenced for 1000 Maine, an office building currently under construction at The Wharf, the development team announced today in a press release. From the looks of it, Hoffman-Madison Waterfront is looking to land a high-profile anchor tenant. From the press release: 

"1000 Maine offers both extraordinary creative office space and the opportunity for classic customized space within a top-tier trophy building with dramatic floor plates," said Amer Hammour, chairman of Madison Marquette. "1000 Maine's setting overlooking the Potomac River - in the heart of the nation's Capital - and with a full complement of outstanding amenities, creates a new benchmark in excellence for office design created to appeal to the most discerning national and global office tenants." 

1000 Maine will be a 250,000 SF trophy office building, designed by Kohn Pederson Fox and Fox Architects for LEED-Gold certification, with ground floor retail, a multi-story atrium, and panoramic views of the Washington Channel and monumental Washington. The office building is scheduled to deliver in 2017. Below is a promotional video from the building’s website.

In other Wharf news, according to the Washington Business Journal, building permits have been obtained for components of Phase I in recent weeks, including Parcel 2 and Parcel 3a. Parcel 2 will contain Wharf Hall and two apartment buildings, as well as a co-generation plant. Parcel 3a is 800 Maine Avenue, an office building that will be the future home of the American Psychiatric Association. Meanwhile, construction is underway at Waterfront Park, located behind 525 Water Street condos and the new St. Augustine’s Church, which should deliver in 2016.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Will St. Matthew’s Lot Finally Turn Dirt?

St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church will be holding another Christmas tree giveaway later this month on their vacant lot, located at 222 M Street. At last year’s giveaway, the development team said construction on a new sanctuary and 221 apartments would begin in April 2015, but financial complications due to the property’s location in a flood zone delayed the start of construction. This problem seems to be resolved, since the 17th Street NW levee project on the National Mall has since been completed, which moves the St. Matthew’s lot outside of the 100-year flood zone. According to Pastor Phillip Huber of St. Matthew’s, the latest estimate for starting construction is mid-January, with completion by the end of 2017, or sooner. The development team includes Trammell Crow Company and CSG Urban Partners.

The Christmas tree giveaway will be on Saturday, December 12, starting at 10am. In order to receive one of the 130 free trees, a reservation is required – either email stmatthewsdc@hughes.net or call 202-484-3189, first come, first serve. Day-of reservations will be accepted on site, starting at 10am to pick up a tree after 12pm, if any remain. Free food and beverages will be provided during the giveaway.

Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates

7th Street Recreational Pier May be Built Sooner

Hoffman-Madison Waterfront has submitted an application for Stage II PUD approval of 7th Street Recreational Pier, which was originally proposed to be built in Phase III of The Wharf, but may now be developed during the initial phase, in concert with construction of 7th Street Park. The pier will be located at the terminus of 7th Street, adjacent to the planned 7th Street Park and is one of the four public piers planned for The Wharf. 

7th Street Recreational Pier has been designed by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and Moffatt & Nichol, according to the Zoning Commission application as “a narrow quay for enjoying views of the water and the monuments, and will have a lower floating pier that can accommodate various rental activities and other water-based recreational program.” On the upper portion of the pier, wooden benches, oversized swings, lighting, and a “fire feature” are planned. As designed, the pier will gradually descend towards the water’s surface before rising to its terminus, 432 feet into the Washington Channel. A series of floating wetlands will be located to the east of the pier, providing visual interest and environmental benefits. A large shade structure is planned for the area where the pier, wharf promenade and 7th Street Park meet, which will include a gathering area and retail kiosk. 

In order to build the pier during Phase I of construction, a revised transition plan needed to be developed, specifically for the live-aboards at Gangplank Marina. The revised plan moves access to Gangplank Marina away from the construction zone of the pier and moves the live-aboards to a centralized location. ANC 6D will need to give its support before the pier design is taken up by the Zoning Commission. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the concept design back in July. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

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

Retail Replaced by Residential at Camden South Capitol

It appears that the retail space on the ground floor of Camden South Capitol will instead be used as residential. It was reported in the Washington Business Journal that a permit was granted to convert the 4,382 SF of ground floor retail into five apartments. These will be the only residential units in the building that front South Capitol Street. Camden South Capitol opened at the northwest corner of South Capitol and O streets in 2013. At the time, the developer was hoping to attract a restaurant to the space, located across the street from Nationals Park. On the same block as Camden South Capitol, the planned residential building just to the north of Camden South Capitol plans to include ground floor retail.

Pepco to Increase Name Recognition in Buzzard Point

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

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

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

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

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

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

Renderings courtesy of DDOT and DGS

Greenleaf Redevelopment Meeting Summary

A public meeting was held last month by DCHA, master planner Perkins Eastman, and consultant HR&A Advisors to discuss the redevelopment of Greenleaf. Unfortunately I was out of town, but slides from the October 24 meeting have become available. From what I’ve heard, over 100 people attended the meeting at Westminster Presbyterian Church, including Greenleaf residents, the greater Southwest community, and public officials. 

Greenleaf stretches 15 acres across several city blocks on either side of M Street and includes 493 public housing units in 23 buildings. The majority of the units are 2BR apartments, but the mix ranges from 1BR up to 5BR units. 

The purpose of the Greenleaf Redevelopment Plan is to develop a vision for the redevelopment of the Greenleaf community. It will also inform the criteria DCHA uses to evaluate redevelopment proposals from private developers. In addition the plan will establish the feasibility of different approaches based on community goals, market studies, financial feasibility, design guidelines, and the construction plan. At the meeting, there were five design principles discussed which will be used in the redevelopment of Greenleaf: 

1. Utilize a mix of tall and low buildings. 
2. Create a well-defined public green space. 
3. Use trees to beautify, help make place, and create a healthier living environment. 
4. Connect the new Greenleaf to other areas of the city. 
5. All new construction must first and foremost be exemplary urban architecture. 

The October meeting was the first chance for the greater Southwest community to get involved in the redevelopment process, but Greenleaf residents have been engaged over the past year or so. The redevelopment plan will be created over the next 6-9 months with two additional community meetings planned in the interim. The final plan is expected to be completed sometime in mid-2016. After that, an RFP will be released, which will take another 6-9 months to receive responses, get community input, and select a winning developer. Then, developer negotiations will take a year to 18 months to complete, but design and permitting can be done concurrently. After that construction can begin on the first phases, which can take 2-3 years to complete. Other phases will be completed depending on market conditions.

Buzzard Point Marina Meeting Scheduled

A community meeting will be held by DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on November 23 at 6:30pm to discuss the closing of Buzzard Point Marina, which is scheduled to occur at the end of the year. Buzzard Point Marina is located on V Street, adjacent to a site proposed as a condominium project called Marina Place. It is one of two marinas on Buzzard Point along the Anacostia River - the other is James Creek Marina, According to Norton’s office: 

The meeting will allow affected residents to give feedback and receive information on the upcoming closure. The marina is in dire shape and needs substantial repairs, and economic constraints prevent the marina from being profitable in its current state, according to National Park Service officials. 

The meeting will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church.