Wharf Update

Three more cranes have arrived on-site at The Wharf over the past couple of weeks to help with demolishing the existing docks at the Gangplank Marina and the seawall. Gangplank Slipholders Association President Karen Anderson brings word that construction fencing has cut off the lower portion of the seawall promenade between 7th Street and what was formerly Phillips Flagship. The restaurant closed late last month and will reopen in a much smaller takeout format at L’Enfant Plaza this summer. Pier 7 Restaurant at the Channel Inn closed in late March. Meanwhile, Jenny’s Asian Fusion is still open for the time being and the Maine Avenue Fish Market will remain open through the duration of construction. Seventh Street Landing is also a part of the construction zone, so activities that used to take place over there have been moved downchannel to Gangplank Park closer to 6th Street, including Bufus’ King Ribs. 

Water Street

Water Street is now closed to traffic between 7th and 9th Streets while utility relocation work gets started. In addition, parking is no longer allowed along Water Street from 7th Street to the fish market. The street will no longer exist when phase one of The Wharf is completed in late 2017.

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.

A Couple Quick Items: Parade of Lighted Boats, Buzzard Point Photo Tour

The annual Parade of Lighted Boats will take place on Saturday, December 7, from 6pm to 8pm at 7th Street Landing, co-produced by the Washington Waterfront Association and the Old Dominion Boat Club. Activities include live music by Nadine Rae and the All Stars; lighting of the Southwest Christmas Tree; photos with Santa; bonfire with s'mores and marshmallow roasting; hot chocolate and warm apple cinnamon cider; gingerbread cookie decoration; and the parade of boats. In order to register a boat in the holiday parade, visit this website. Boat registration ends on November 29. 

Capital Business has a photo tour of Buzzard Point around the area where a new DC United stadium is proposed.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

June Events at 7th Street Landing

7th Street Landing at 7th and Water streets comes back to life this month with free programming each Thursday through Saturday. On Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8pm, a variety of jazz and blues bands will perform. Friday evenings from 6pm to 8pm will bring bands from different genres. Fitness comes to the landing on Saturday mornings at 9am and 10:30am. Below is the schedule for June:

Thursdays - Waterfront Jazz and Blues from 6pm - 8pm

• June 6: Thad Wilson Quartet
• June 13: Memphis Gold Blues
• June 20: Marshall Keys Jazz Ensemble
• June 27: Tom Newman Blues Band

Fridays - Sounds of Summer from 6pm - 8pm

• June 7: Will Gravatt Band (Country)
• June 14: Levi Stephens Band (Soul)
• June 21: Blue Tips Rhythm Band (Motown)
• June 28: Jonny Grave & The Tombstones (Blues)

Saturdays - Workout Beside the Water from 9am - 11:30am

• June 8: YaLa Fitness (9am) and Flow Yoga (10:30am)
• June 15: YaLa Fitness (9am) and Flow Yoga (10:30am)
• June 22: YaLa Fitness (9am) and Flow Yoga (10:30am)
• June 29: YaLa Fitness (9am) and Flow Yoga (10:30am)

Food and beverages are available for purchase from Cantina Marina's Snack Shack and King Ribs Bar-B-Q with Grillmaster Bufus. Other activities include table tennis, bean baggo and free WiFi access.

Running of the Chihuahuas is Back!

The Running of the Chihuahuas will make its way to the Southwest Waterfront for a second time on cinco de mayo weekend. On Saturday, May 4, the event will be held at 7th Street Landing (located at 7th and Water streets) to help PAWS of Southwest raise funds for a dog park at Lansburgh Park. Check-in for the dogs begins at 11am and the first race begins at noon. Each dog will run in one qualifying heat and the winners of the individual heats will advance to the championship round. The grand champion will take home a trophy and $150 cash. Second place is $100 and third place is $50. Registration is $20 - last year was sold out, so it's better to register early. The races will be for chihuahuas only, but there will be other events that are open to all other dog breeds, such as "Best Dressed" and "Best Trick." Registration for those contests can be done the day of the event. There will be a post-race party at Cantina Marina where dogs are also welcomed.  Rain date for the event is May 11.

Barkley (pictured above) moved from Southwest to New Mexico...que lástima!

SW Waterfront Fireworks Festival Set for April 6

Spring is finally here and with it comes the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year’s SW Waterfront Fireworks Festival will take place on Saturday, April 6 from 1pm – 9pm, which will be produced by the Washington Waterfront Association and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.  There will be four main stages set up along the waterfront during the festival. The opening ceremony will take place at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf with musical entertainment throughout the day from military and reggae bands. In addition, there will be a food truck rally, a beach with games, a beer garden, along with the Very Cherry Marketplace with fine art and crafts.

^{Lifeguard chair set up in the "beach" area at last year's festival.}

Over at the Washington Channel Stage, the John Glenn fireboat will parade along the channel with its spray jets, as well as paddle boat & dragon boat excursions, and DC Sail sailing activities. In the evening, the channel will be illuminated with pink lights from the houseboats at Gangplank Marina, the grand lantern will be illuminated, along with lighted Koi in the water, welcomed by the Nen Daiko Japanese Drummers who will be on a barge in the channel. Gangplank Marina Park will have more musical acts, face painters, model boat-making, strolling costumed characters, and Japanese-inspired balloon art. 7th Street Landing will also have jazz performances, windsock-making, and Japanese lantern crafting & origami. The fireworks show will begin at 8:30 and last until 9pm. This year’s peak bloom is forecast to take place during the fireworks festival!

Crowds at last year's festival.

A Couple Quick Items: Photos from the Parade of Lighted Boats, St. Matthew's Christmas Tree Sale

A large crowd gathered for the 20th annual Parade of Lighted Boats at 7th Street Landing last Saturday.  There were several family-friendly activities, including photos with Santa, gingerbread cookie decorating, and the tree lighting with artificial snow. Below are a few photos of the boats from the event.

Peace and love.

Happy Hanukkah!

One of the house barges docked at the Gangplank Marina.

A view of some of the boats docked at the Gangplank Marina.

While the Planned Unit Development (PUD) was approved for the new St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and apartments at M Street and Delaware Avenue earlier this year, construction won't begin at least until 2013 so the church will use its lot again this year as a Christmas tree lot.  The St. Matthew's lot is the only Christmas tree lot in the neighborhood. Trees and wreaths are available for purchase on Thursdays & Fridays from 5pm - 8:30pm and Saturdays & Sundays from 1pm - 5pm.  Scotch Pines and Frazier Furs are available.  Click on the flyer for more information.

20th Annual Parade of Lighted Boats - December 1

The 20th annual parade of lighted boats will be this Saturday at 7th Street Landing with festivities beginning at 5pm.  This year’s parade will start from the Alexandria waterfront and will make its way north to the Washington Channel. Events include the lighting of The Wharf Christmas Tree at 5:30pm, pictures with Santa, music from the Earl Wilson Quintet, and the lighted boat contest. In addition, there will be s’more-making and marshmallow roasting by the bonfire and holiday cookie decorating. “Snow” will fall during the event, although the forecast temperature is supposed to be in the mid-50s during the day on Saturday.  

Wiener Dog Race at 7th Street Landing

Running of the Chihuahuas Benefit

If you're looking for something to do on cinco de mayo, check out the "Running of the Chihuahuas" at 7th Street Landing from 11am to 2pm. Click here to enter your Chihuahua or Chihuahua mix for the race.  There will be other contests for all breeds as well. Proceeds will go towards the PAWS of Southwest, the organization that is trying to raise funds to build a dog park at Lansburgh Park.

Southwester Barkley is ready and raring to go!

Photos from the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival

Below are some photos from Saturday's Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival. Except for some wind, the weather this year was perfect. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any photos from the events in the evening leading to the fireworks show.  If you have any photos from throughout the day, feel free to send them to southwest.tlqtc@gmail.com. 

The "beach" area next to Kastles Stadium featured a beer garden and two food trucks.

The lifeguard chair at the beach.

Lines began forming early at the beach-area food trucks DC Slices and TaKorean.

The beach area was full all afternoon.  All 20 kegs of beer were sold out by 6pm.

There were free dragon boat rides offered all afternoon. At the end of the commercial pier is a large metal flame in the shape of a cherry blossom that was illuminated in the evening.  The John Glenn fire boat is in the background.

Kids were able to build small boats and sail them in a makeshift pond near the Gangplank Marina Stage.

MPD Officer Williams makes a t-shirt near the Gangplank Marina stage.

Balloon artists and windsock koi were given to children at the festival.

The Lavenia Nesmith Quintet performs at the 7th Street Landing Stage.

Crowds gather by the Lincoln vehicles on display by Kastles Stadium.

Update: Below are photos from the festival submitted by readers.

Kastles Stadium Stage, courtesy of Wizzyliz.

Cherry Blossom Fever

The cherry blossoms may be peaking early, but there's still plenty of time left to celebrate the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Southwest, which has been extended this year to five weeks to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC.  The Odyssey, Spirit of Washington, and Capital Elite cruise ships from Entertainment Cruises have been "planted" with cherry blossoms for the occasion as the "first blooms on the Potomac."

The Odyssey cruise ship, which is docked next to Cantina Marina, will be offering lunch, brunch, and dinner cruises with a specialty Cherry Blossom Centennial dessert from March 24 until April 8.  In addition, the Capital Elite yacht will offer two 45-minute sightseeing tours each day (at 2pm and 4pm) along the Washington Channel and Potomac River to see the blossoms.  On Saturday, April 7, both the Odyssey and the Spirit of Washington will offer Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks cruises, which will be set off along the Washington Channel. For more information on schedules and pricing, check out the Entertainment Cruises website.



Roving street performers from last year's festival at 7th Street Landing.

Prior to the fireworks show at 8:30pm on April 7, there will be over seven hours of free entertainment along with food and drink at the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, which begins at 1pm. Last year's large-scale festival was a dry run for 2012, which will be even bigger to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the gift of trees. Several stages will be set up along the waterfront, including Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, the Washington Channel Stage, Gangplank Marina Park, and 7th Street Landing. Each of the stages will have different activities, including live music, a beach with a waterfront beer & sake garden, food trucks, arts & crafts, face painting, origami-making, roving street performers, and more. Check out the latest issue of The Southwester for a 2-page pull-out with details.



Replica ship from last year's festival.



Nen Daiko Japanese Drummers from last year's festival.

In the evening, there will be some special tributes right before the fireworks show, including the illumination of vessels along the seawall in pink, a theatrical performance by Dance Afire, a school of swimming Koi, and an imaginative pink flaming salute to the Centennial Celebration. This year's fireworks show will feature special Japanese fireworks presented by the City of Nagaoka, Japan and the mayor of that city is expected to attend. The Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival is produced by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington Waterfront Association, and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.  

A Few Quick Items: Dog Park, St. Matthew's PUD, 7th Street Landing Activities, Capital Bikeshare Expansion, Kastles Roster, Fish Market Restoration, Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival

- The PAWS of SW will be submitting an application to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create an off-leash dog park at Lansburg Park since Southwest is the only quadrant in the city without a dog park. They will be working with the newly created "Friends of Lansburg Park" to do fundraising and organize community events, with the support of SWNA. Over $100,000 is needed to build the dog park, which will go towards ground modification, fencing, running water, and to make the site ADA accessible.  A minimum of 5,000 square feet is needed for a dog park, but the proposed dog park will not take up all of Lansburg Park. Other uses are being explored for the large, underutilized green space, including a playground, community garden, and skate park. The PAWS of SW meets at the SW Library on the first Wednesday of every month and they have a Google Group (sw-dog-park@googlegroups.com).

- The development team behind the St. Matthew's church and multifamily housing project met with the Zoning Commission last week to get approval for their PUD application.  There were so many people who wanted to testify at the meeting that it was adjourned until March 19.   Neighbors of the proposed development have created an online petition in opposition to the development. Below is a video of the March 5 meeting in case you are so inclined to watch the meeting. Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Architects

Update: The second half of the Zoning Commission hearing from March 19 is now available (see below). A few follow-up items still need to be sent to the Zoning Commission and they will meet again on April 30 to make their decision on the PUD application.

- Hoffman-Madison Waterfront is proposing to offer wine and beer sales at 7th Street Landing this season on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Last year, beer and wine was sold only on Thursdays during the farmers market. The farmers market will be back on Thursday evenings with jazz performances starting on June 7 for approximately 16 weeks.  Friday evenings will bring community entertainment, while YaLa and yoga will return on Saturday mornings.  New this year will be family-friendly movie screenings on Saturday evenings. Sundays will be dedicated to recreation, including bocce, table tennis, and cornhole.

-  Renovations are planned this summer at Amidon-Bowen Elementary school.  Phase 1 will include a new administrative office suite at the front of the school, a new walk-through from the front to the play area in back, re-sized classrooms, and a new ADA-compliant entrance. All of the renovations will be complete by the end of August.  Last summer, Target donated funds to renovate the school's library. There will be an open house on Tuesday, April 10 from 6-7pm at the school where the plans will be shared with the community.

- Two Capital Bikeshare stations were installed today on the National Mall.  One is located on Jefferson Drive between 14th and 15th Streets by the Washington Monument and the other is on Ohio Drive near the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.  Three more stations will be installed over the coming weeks.

- The Washington Kastles have completed their roster selection and will bring back most of the team from last season, including Captain Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds, and Arina Rodionova. Replacing retired player Rennae Stubbs will be Arina's sister Anastasia Rodionova.  The Kastles will have two sets of siblings with the Rodionovas and the Williams sisters, who will also return this season.

- The Housing Complex blog describes how the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team will preserve and restore the Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room at the Maine Avenue Fish Market as a component of The Wharf development.  Currently, the white buildings at the market are vacant and in disrepair.  From the post:

The currently unused Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room, a pair of ramshackle buildings surrounded by vending machines and ice boxes, will become a "centerpiece," according to a spokesman for the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. They've submitted an historic landmark application for the seemingly nondescript structures, which were built in 1916 and are now literally falling apart inside. They retain enough integrity, though, to "serve as reminders of the Southwest Waterfront's historic commercial and maritime industries." According to the application, the Lunch Room was home to the Cadillac Restaurant from the 1940s through the 1970s, while fish dealers used the shucking shed to prepare their catch for sale. 

- LivingSocial is hosting a Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf on the weekend of April 21-22 from 12-5pm. There will be 25 craft brewery tents, live local music, 10 food trucks, and backyard lawn games and activities. LivingSocial is currently offering a package for $35 on their website.