International Inaugural Ball to be Held in SW

Festivities surrounding the presidential inauguration will come to Southwest on Saturday, January 17th in the form of the International Inaugural Ball. Inner Caucus Entertainment, Inc., along with Howard University Radio (WHUR), Hidden Beach Recordings, and Knockboyz Productions will host this ball at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Tickets are $150 and the event will last from 7:30 PM - 3:00 AM. The L'Enfant Plaza Hotel is located at 480 L'Enfant Plaza. Check the website for more details.

(The above photo is of the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel taken in December 2008.)

SW Waterfront One of WBJ's Top Stories

As I predicted on Sunday, the Washington Business Journal (subscribers only) has listed the Southwest Waterfront as one of its top Commercial Real Estate development stories of the year. From the article:

A team led by PN Hoffman Inc. and Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse spent two years getting control of a site on the Southwest waterfront and lining up partnerships before asking the city to contribute its long-promised portion of land for the project.

The development offers 700 residential units, three office buildings, three hotels, more than 300,000 square feet of retail, a maritime museum and 10 acres of public space, including four piers — an entire new neighborhood for Southwest D.C.

After months of fits and starts, D.C. Councilman Kwame Brown, chairman of the Economic Development Committee, and Neil Albert, the deputy mayor for economic development, came together on an agreement the council passed unanimously during its last day of voting for the year. Next step for the development team: getting financing.

Next week, Southwest...TLQTC will compile a list of the top Southwest stories of 2008.

Happy Holidays from Southwest...TLQTC!

MPD has gotten into the holiday spirit by decorating the entryway to the 1st District Headquarters on 4th Street.

Updated Town Center Apartments Photos

Windows are starting to be installed in the South tower of the former Town Center Apartments. The North tower was renovated earlier in 2008 and is now called 1001 at Waterfront.

The side of the South tower facing the courtyard is first to receive new windows. Even more of this facade has received windows since I took this photo back on December 19th. These windows look different than the ones on the renovated North tower and resemble the new windows installed at The View at Waterfront on the west side of Waterfront Station.

Here is a view of the South tower from M Street. This side of the building hasn't received windows yet.

Email from Syphax Village Condo Association

Southwest...TLQTC received the following email from Ann Allen, President of the Syphax Village Condo Association:

Neighbors, Family, and Friends are invited to attend a Health Care Community Discussion.

WHEN: Monday, December 29, 2008

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Syphax Village Community Room
1322 Half Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20024

Your Health Care questions and shared personal stories will be submitted to the Obama-Biden Transition Health Policy Team for consideration, as they draft an affordable health care plan for all Americans. Please RSVP asap to: ann_g_allen@hotmail.com or (301)537-7985

*We may have a visit from Sen. Tom Daschle [nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services] or the Press. Thank you for your participation.

WBJ Chock Full of Southwest-Related Articles

In addition to the news that Arena Stage will receive $10 million to facilitate construction of the new theater, the WBJ reports (subscribers only) on the unanimous approval by the D.C. Council of the transfer of land along the Southwest Waterfront to the Hoffman-Struever team. From the article:

Now D.C.-based PN Hoffman Inc. and its partner, Baltimore-based Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, will start the new year with a huge challenge: landing financing for a project that could entail 770 housing units, 700,000 square feet of offices, three hotels, 280,000 square feet of retail and 150,000 square feet of cultural attractions. “This very important project will be a landmark for our region and carries enormous responsibility,” said Hoffman, chief executive officer, in a statement released by the development team. “Our collective concern for the success of this project is very real, and we are pleased that all sides have come together. We can now focus on the matter at hand — moving this vision forward.”

The third story in this week's WBJ was an editorial (subscribers only) on the delays in getting the land transfer through the D.C. Council. From the editorial:

It’s not clear how the delay will affect the development team’s ability to get financing in this troubled market. Chances are, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. But symbolically, the kerfluffle in the Wilson Building speaks volumes: How can the city continue to ask private developers to invest time and money in risky projects when it repeatedly beats them down? Our president-elect has earned the nickname “no drama Obama” for his unflappable nature, his ability to play politics at a level high above pettiness and for his focus on the big picture. Perhaps D.C.’s officials will be inspired to emulate these qualities, remembering that turf wars are usually more about ego than substance and that political grandstanding is not leadership.

I bet that the Southwest Waterfront drama will rank as one of the top stories of 2008 for the WBJ. Speaking of which, Southwest...TLQTC will put together a list of top Southwest news stories of the year during the week between Christmas and New Year's. Stay tuned!

(Photo is of the Maine Avenue fish market at night)

Culture News

- Arena Stage receives additional $10 million in funding from the D.C. Council, according to an article from this week's Washington Business Journal. This is in addition to the $5 million it received from the city back in 2006. Construction is moving along and the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is set to open by 2010. As a matter of fact, Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog reports that there was a "Topping Out Celebration" on December 13th. (The rendering is the new Arena Stage from the Arena Stage website)

- The Corcoran Gallery of Art is offering free admission (normal admission is $14) to residents of ANC 6D on Friday, December 26th at the second annual Randall Neighbor Day 2008. ID is required in order to prove residency. The Corcoran is located at 500 17th Street, NW. I went last year to see the Annie Liebowitz and Ansel Adams exhibits, and both were excellent. This year, in addition to the permanent collection, there are special exhibits, including Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power and Wounded Cities Portraits by Leo Rubinfien. Randall Neighbor Day was one of the community benefits that the ANC negotiated with the Corcoran as a part of their PUD submission last year. Southwest...TLQTC posted back in November that the Corcoran's development partner Monument Realty pulled out of the Randall School deal, but the Corcoran was looking for a new partner.

Updated Waterfront Station Photos

It appears that the west tower of Waterfront Station is winning the race to the top. Back in October, the east tower was rising out of the ground faster than the west tower. By next spring, both towers should reach their full height of eight stories. The following photos show the progress that has been made over the past two months.

This is the site of the west tower back on October 11th of this year.

Here is the west tower as of December 14th. Construction has reached the 4th floor.

This photo of the east tower was also taken on October 11th.

Here is the east tower of Waterfront Station on December 14th. Construction on this tower is only at the third floor.

The 4th Street corridor back on October 11th.

The 4th Street corridor is more pronounced as of December 14th.

Support beams hold up the sidewalk along M Street.

The two office buildings and the reopened 4th Street should be ready by March 2010, while the new urban lifestyle Safeway should open in May 2010.

Updated Patriots Plaza Photos

Construction at Phase II & III of Patriots Plaza, the office complex being developed by Trammell Crow, at 4th & E Street is well underway. Phase I was completed back in 2005 and is fully leased with federal tenants, including FEMA. In total, the three buildings equal 1 million square feet of office space. Patriots Plaza is across the street from MPD District 1 Headquarters, which will soon move to the former Bowen Elementary School and be replaced by the city's new CFL.

This is the Phase II building, when it reached ground level back in June 20, 2008 .

This photo from December 7, 2008 shows the Phase II building at the 12th floor, stepped back due to the building's size.

This photo from December 7, 2008 shows the Phase III building reaching the 7th floor. To the right is the edge of the Phase I building.

Phase II & III are scheduled to be completed in 2009 and are seeking a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. So far, no tenants have been lined up yet for those buildings.

Special ANC 6D Meeting Scheduled

Date: December 22, 2008
Time: 6pm
Location: ANC6D office at 1501 Half Street, SW
Topic: Discussion on the request to issue a temporary ABC license to a new establishment called Hogates by Kristina, at the site of the former H2O at 800 Water Street.