Audi Field Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for Audi Field was held on Monday, less than a week prior to D.C. United's inaugural match at the new stadium against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Below are some pictures from the event, which brought the team, including captain Steve Birnbaum and newcomer superstar Wayne Rooney (the rest of the team was seated in the audience); D.C. United ownership - Jason Levien and Erick Thohir; MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and politicians including Mayor Bowser and Councilmembers Allen and Evans.  Dave Johnson, the voice of D.C. United, was the emcee.

Now that the inaugural game is just days away, construction fences have come down and finishing touches are being put in place in and around the stadium in Buzzard Point.  Along Potomac Avenue, the fan plaza is still under construction. A parcel adjacent to the stadium will one day contain mixed-use development, but for now will be a grassy field. The first Capitol Bikeshare station in the neighborhood has been installed at the northwest corner of Potomac Avenue and Half Street.  A Circulator stop is located on Potomac Avenue east of Half Street - this match-day service will be implemented after the inaugural match. New signage has been installed by the Capitol Riverfront BID to promote Buzzard Point with a new website and slogan: It All Connects Here. Meanwhile, construction continues on the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. 

Peninsula 88 Groundbreaking

According to the Capitol Riverfront BID, a ceremonial groundbreaking for Peninsula 88 condos in Buzzard Point was held late last month. The condo project site from Capital City Real Estate is located adjacent to the shuttered Buzzard Point Marina at 88 V Street. There will be a total of 110 units with a mix of 1BR, 1BR/den, 2BR and penthouse units. Prices will range from $500,000 to $2.5 million. 

This is the first residential building to start construction in Buzzard Point south of Q Street. Other proposed projects include Riverpoint, the redevelopment of the former Coast Guard headquarters located to the west of Peninsula 88; 1900 Half Street, a former office building that will be converted to a 462-unit apartment project; 1800 Half Street, the site of warehouses and Ziegfield’s/Secrets that will be redeveloped as an approximately 300-unit apartment project. In addition, the vacant “Parcel B” adjacent to Audi Field may one day contain a residential component. Akridge’s 100 V Street parcel may also include residential (if Amazon H2Q doesn’t locate there). 

Even though a groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 26, actual construction has still not started. Sales at Peninsula 88 are expected to begin in 2018 with delivery in about two years.

Renderings courtesy of Eric Colbert & Associates

Anacostia Riverfront Eyed as Possible Amazon HQ2 Location

The Bowser administration this week released details on the four areas of the District that city officials are supporting in its bid to win the continent-wide competition to lure the second headquarters campus of Amazon. One of the four proposed areas is dubbed the Anacostia Riverfront, an area that includes portions of Capitol Riverfront and Poplar Point. The Capitol Riverfront parcels include undeveloped portions of the Yards in Southeast, as well as most of Buzzard Point. In all, 12.6 million SF of development potential exists, which would be sufficient to fully build out Amazon HQ2. Not all of it would be built as once – an initial phase could accommodate 1.4 million SF of space with a portion being built at Riverpoint (former Coast Guard headquarters) in Buzzard Point. In the District’s press release, it describes the Anacostia Riverfront neighborhood as a “riverfront entertainment hub accessible by land and water.” 

From the press release:

The Anacostia Riverfront proposal provides riverfront space along one of Washington, DC’s main waterways. It offers the best of two worlds: a breathtaking river corridor with more than 1,200 acres of parklands integrated into a high-density and transit-oriented community that is accessible by walking, biking, metro, ferry, or even kayak.

The other neighborhoods under consideration are NoMa-Union Station, Capitol Hill East, and Shaw-Howard University. Bids for the Amazon HQ2 RFP are due on 10/19. The company is expected to select a winner sometime in 2018. 

Renderings courtesy of DMPED

More Buzzard Point Residential Development Planned

DC-based MRP has long-term plans for a mixed-use development across from the planned DC United stadium on Buzzard Point. The site in question is a group of warehouses on the 1800 block of Half Street, including Ziegfield’s/Secrets. The site has been for sale for some time now. There were clues that MRP had plans to develop on Buzzard Point – the first being one of the firm’s principles stated it during a speech at the Capitol Riverfront BID's annual meeting I attended last month, although the site was not identified during his remarks. The second clue was a little more obvious...the Office of Planning’s Buzzard Point Design Framework Plan states MRP was one of the owners of the Half Street site. The Washington Business Journal reports that the proposed development will be a 300,000 SF residential over retail building, but construction will not begin until after the stadium is built, so it's still too early to know exactly what will be constructed. 

Another developer in the area also has plans for Buzzard Point. The Office of Planning identified 1900 Half Street as one of six major projects planned on Buzzard Point during their Buzzard Point Design Framework Plan presentation to the community on February 3. Douglas Development owns 1900 Half Street, an office building catty-corner to MRP’s site and has plans to redevelop it into approximately 400 multifamily units. 

In other Buzzard Point news, Stadium District Lofts received unanimous ANC support during Monday’s ANC 6D meeting. This eight-unit apartment development at 1542 1st Street is planned as a 4-5-story building without parking. The project will be before the Zoning Commission on March 17.

DC United Stadium PUD Application Filed

DC United submitted a PUD application yesterday for their new planned stadium on Buzzard Point, to be located three blocks from Nationals Park at 100 Potomac Avenue. The 19,000-seat stadium has been designed by Populous (the same designers of Nationals Park) and DC-based Marshall Moya as “contemporary-industrial” as a nod to Buzzard Point’s industrial nature. Building materials include glass, concrete panels, zinc and aluminum panels and the stadium will rise to a maximum height of 98 feet. The stadium will also be designed to meet LEED-Gold standards (Nationals Park was designed to meet LEED-Silver standards). No on-site parking is planned, although 3,400 off-site parking spaces have been identified for use by patrons, both on Buzzard Point and at parking lots used for Nationals games. There will be 233 bicycle spaces, although it is unclear whether a bike valet will be set up at the soccer stadium like Nationals Park. 

The main entrance will be on the northeast corner of the site at a plaza along Potomac Avenue with 18 gates. From Potomac Avenue, spectators will get a view of the inside of the stadium and field since the pitch will be near ground level. The zoning application touts this street-activating feature as unique to any other professional sports stadium. Premium ticket holders will enter through a separate gate area south of the main entrance. Other entrances for fans will be at the northwest and southwest corners of the stadium. An entrance on the southeast corner will be used for media. 

Ticket booths will be located on the east side of the stadium. A building straddling the stadium at the corner of 2nd and T streets will contain retail on the first floor with office space on the second floor outside of the stadium. Inside the stadium, this building will contain concessions on the first floor and DC United’s offices on the second floor. The team’s locker room will be in the basement of this building. Decorative fencing will run along the west edge of the stadium along 2nd Street and a pedestrian walkway will be located on the east side to minimize disruption of the pedestrian flow on 1st Street.

Most of the seating will be on the east side of the stadium, due to an easement with Pepco which gives the utility access on the east side of the property. The west side of the stadium has outdoor seating while the east and north sides will have both outdoor seats and suites. The team store will be a separate, one-story building fronting R Street, located to the northwest of the main entrance so it will be accessible not just during game days. 

There is a separate parcel on the northeast section of the stadium footprint adjacent to the entry plaza that is not a part of the PUD application. This parcel will be developed in the future, likely as a hotel with retail. The stadium is scheduled to start construction in September, although PUD approval is needed first and the city needs to do environmental remediation and utility work to prep the land for construction. Construction is expected to be complete in time for the start of the 2018 MLS season.

Stay tuned for more about this project.

Renderings courtesy of DC United

Southwest May Have Three Circulator Routes by 2024

DC Circulator service to Southwest will be restored and enhanced if proposed changes by DDOT are approved (the DC Council already approved funding for a 1.4-mile westward extension of the Union Station – Navy Yard route along M Street to the Waterfront Metro to begin operations in FY 2015). Last week, DDOT released the DC Circulator Transit Development Plan for the next 10 years that shows a total of three Circulator lines that could service Southwest by 2024. Aside from the aforementioned extension, the Convention Center – Southwest Waterfront route would be restored in Phase II by FY 2020 (it was discontinued in 2011 and replaced by the 74 Bus) and a new route would connect Dupont Circle to Southwest via 17th Street, NW and Maine Avenue during Phase III by FY 2024. These new (and restored) lines would coincide with the opening of The Wharf and other planned development in Southwest. 

It is estimated that ridership will increase by nearly 14% with the Southwest extension of the Union Station – Navy Yard route; however, ridership along this route is currently the lowest of the five existing Circulator routes. This route extension (along with two others) did not meet several key Circulator performance metrics, but it will still move forward since it was already funded by the DC Council. DDOT will be evaluating whether the Near SE/Navy Yard/Capitol Riverfront area can support year-round Saturday service and year-round service after 7pm on the Union Station – Navy Yard route, which would benefit Southwest once this line is extended to the west. Currently, service hours vary depending on the time of year; there is no plan to offer Sunday service on this route. 

Of the three lines proposed for Southwest, ridership projections for the new Dupont Circle – Southwest Waterfront route are highest. Over 1.2 million annual riders are expected on the new route, compared to 762,000 riders for the restored Convention Center – Southwest Waterfront route. 

During the public engagement process earlier in the year, there were six pop-up events across the city where surveys were collected, in addition to online surveys. Of the six pop-up events, the most responses were collected at the Waterfront Metro station pop-up, garnering 15% of all survey responses. More than half of the respondents to the survey indicated that the Southwest Waterfront should be served next by the Circulator – the most of any location, followed by U Street Corridor/Shaw/Howard University. 

Other new routes are planned as well in other parts of the city – one would connect Columbia Heights to Brookland and NoMa, while another would go from the National Mall to Union Station, as well as extensions of existing lines. Circulator fares would increase to $1.50 on SmarTrip and $2.00 cash from the current fare of $1.00. 

The DC Circulator Transit Development Plan is open for public comment until November 7. A Semi-Annual Open House on October 20 from 6-8pm will provide residents the opportunity to weigh in on the plan. It will be located at Pinstripes in Georgetown (1064 Wisconsin Avenue, NW).  In addition, comments may be submitted by clicking on the contact us link located on the DC Circulator website. For more information on the TDP, contact Circe Torruellas or call 202-671-2847.

BID Turf War

It was reported in the Washington Business Journal last week that Vornado, which owns four parcels at the northwest corner of M and South Capitol streets would prefer to be a part of the Capitol Riverfront BID instead of the budding SW BID. This news was revealed at a DC Council hearing on the legislation that would create the SW BID. The current western boundary of the Capitol Riverfront BID is the east side of South Capitol Street, but according to the article:

For the purposes of marketing, corridor planning, trash removal, security and installation of banners, it makes sense for one BID to oversee both sides of South Capitol Street, Vornado’s vice president of development, Gordon Fraley, told the council in a letter submitted for the record. It’s why Vornado is asking its M Street parcels to be annexed by the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District.

A Vornado parcel before it was demolished & replaced with a parking lot.

 More from the article:

“With major development poised to continue at Waterfront Station and begin at The Wharf, the Southwest BID needs to focus on these locations and not be distracted by development at its periphery along South Capitol Street,” Fraley said.

Although the same thing could be said about the Capitol Riverfront BID, which has major development at The Yards, the DC United stadium in Buzzard Point, Capper Carrollsburg's Hope VI project, and other parcels.  When the Capitol Riverfront BID was originally formed, was it not anticipated that there would be development eventually on the Southwest side of South Capitol Street?  Would the Randall Recreation Center, Captiol Skyline Hotel, and the Ruben Companies parcels also be annexed by the Capitol Riverfront BID? What about the area of South Capitol Street south of M Street? Is Half Street a better boundary for the BIDs than South Capitol Street?

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is part of The Portals complex.

In addition, the owners of The Portals project at 12th Street and Maryland Avenue do not want to be part of the SW BID, since the owners already maintain the streets and plaza within the development, along with landscaping, street cleaning, and other services that a BID normally performs. We'll see how this all gets resolved...

Buzzard Point Development Potential

(This post will appear in the South by West article in November's Hill Rag.)

With news that a new stadium may be built for DC United in Buzzard Point (or “The Point” as Capitol Riverfront BID President Michael Stevens is now calling it), reporters and bloggers alike have been in a frenzy over whether the stadium deal is a good one for the city and if the area near the proposed site will benefit. Currently, Buzzard Point contains mainly industrial uses, but there are a few sites that are either planned for development or are candidates for redevelopment. A new soccer stadium nearby may accelerate plans for the following properties: 

(1) 100 V Street

Akridge owns a two-acre portion of the stadium footprint as well as the remaining seven acres of 100 V Street located to the south of the stadium site. 100 V Street was originally planned as an office complex targeted for a secure federal tenant; however, the site was not able to attract a tenant. With the potential development of the stadium on the northern section of the property, the southern portion is now being reevaluated as a mixed use project.

(2) Transpoint Building

The U.S. Coast Guard has moved out of the Transpoint Building at 2100 2nd Street located just to the south of 100 V Street, to a new headquarters complex at St. Elizabeths in Congress Heights. GSA has found a temporary replacement for the Coast Guard with the Navy taking space at the Transpoint Building. Meanwhile, owner Monday Properties has no plans to redevelop the building, which sits near the confluence of the Anacostia River & the Washington Channel and currently blocks public access to the water. With GSA cutting back on leasing new space and a new soccer stadium planned up the street, would redevelopment of this building make sense?

(3) Marina Place

Rendering courtesy of Eric Colbert Associates

A 99-unit condo project called Marina Place with about 2,000 square feet of ground floor retail is planned for a parcel to the east of the Transpoint Building and adjacent to the Buzzard Point Marina at First and V streets. The Eric Colbert-designed building was approved by the Zoning Commission in 2011 and since then, the owner has been looking for a developer partner for the project.

(4) Pepco Power Plant

The art-deco Buzzard Point Plant building, located to the southeast from the stadium footprint, was decommissioned last year by Pepco, although the substation to the north is still in use.  Recently, the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly has applied for historic status for the building, which could be a candidate for an adaptive reuse akin to Tate Modern art gallery in the Southwark section of London.

(5) 1900 Half Street

Douglas Development owns an office building at 1900 Half Street along the Anacostia River that blocks public access to the river and is occupied by the U.S. Coast Guard.

(6) Ziegfields/Secrets

One of the gay nightclubs displaced from Near Southeast when Nationals Park was built moved to Buzzard Point and is located just to the east of the soccer stadium footprint. According to an article from The Blade, the proprietors of Ziegfields/Secrets lease the building from Denver businessman Marty Chernoff. The article speculates that the club may have to move yet again once the stadium is built, even though it is located outside of the stadium footprint. It is too early to know what would be built in its place if the nightclub is moved again.

(7) Florida Rock

Florida Rock moved its operations across South Capitol Street in 2012 to make way for the eventual development of their riverfront parcel just to the south of Nationals Park. Their new operation along Half Street is now across the street from the new stadium site.

(8) C Hostel and Hotel

Rendering courtesy of JP2 Architects.

Carr Hospitality submitted plans for a 109-room hostel and hotel with 489 beds in 2010 at 129 Q Street, one block north of the stadium site.  According to the zoning application, half of the hostel/hotel will be comprised of rooms with single and double beds and in-room bathrooms. The other half of the hostel/hotel will be comprised of dormitory styled rooms and shared female and male showers on each floor. Shared guest amenities will include: a hip lifestyle lounge, game areas for children and adults, a bean bag movie theatre, self-service kitchen, guest laundry, lounge lockers, a cyber lounge, complimentary breakfast and a shuttle bus service to the Waterfront Metro station. The Zoning Commission approved the project, but afterwards, a principal from Carr who spearheaded the project passed away and the site has been tied up in probate ever since. A 2-year extension was recently granted for the project due to probate and the difficulty in obtaining financing for a hospitality project during the Great Recession. It is estimated that probate will be settled sometime in 2013, so theoretically, the project will be able to move forward. Currently, the site is home to a taxi cab service and repair garage.

(9) James C. Dent House

Pepco owns the James C. Dent House at 156 Q Street, which was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2010. It was built in 1906 by William James Palmer for James C. Dent, a former slave who moved to Buzzard Point as a laborer and eventually helped found the Mount Moriah Baptist Church and became its pastor. The home was more recently used as the headquarters of the now defunct Southwest Community House, a non-profit organization that vacated the property in 2004. It has remained vacant ever since.

(10) Lyon Bakery

Lyon Bakery is a wholesale baker located just to the north of the stadium footprint at 135 R Street. This site has redevelopment potential once the stadium is built, or at least will have a new customer across the street.

(11) Fort McNair

While there is no development potential here, Fort Lesley J. McNair would be the stadium’s neighbor to the west across 2nd Street and pre-dates any other development at Buzzard Point since the Army post has been at this site for over 200 years. The fort is the headquarters of the Army’s Military District of Washington and includes the National Defense University.

SW BID in the Works

(This post is an abbreviated version of the South by West article that will appear in June's Hill Rag.)

There are currently nine Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the District of Columbia and by this fall, a 10th could be created right here in Southwest. BIDs are funded by a property assessment levied on property owners in order to provide services such as cleaning, hospitality, marketing, beautification, planning, safety, event organizing, and programming. In the case of Southwest, commercial property owners and large apartment building operators will be taxed, while condo and co-op buildings, as well as single-family/townhouse owners will not. Organizations such as the Waterfront Gateway Neighborhood Association, a group of six homeowner associations located south of the Southwest freeway, may have the option to opt-in for certain services, such as landscaping and security. 

While the Capitol Riverfront BID includes a small portion of Southwest in Buzzard Point, the proposed Southwest BID will cover a large swath of the quadrant. The proposed boundaries of the Southwest BID are Independence Avenue to the north, 15th Street and the Washington Channel to the west, M Street to the south, and South Capitol Street to the east. This geography includes a diverse area, including the federal enclave around L’Enfant Plaza; the existing residential communities north of M Street; Waterfront Station; Arena Stage; as well as The Wharf development. 

Steve Moore, who was once the Deputy Director of the Downtown BID, is now with Hoffman-Madison Waterfront and is helping to get the Southwest BID off the ground. Hoffman-Madison Waterfront is the master developer of The Wharf project along the Southwest Waterfront and during the Planned Unit Development process for that project, the possible creation of a BID was one of the line items the developers agreed to undertake.

Services could begin as soon as next spring, but before that happens, a lot still needs to happen over the next few months. Solicitations went out to commercial property owners in April to gauge interest in forming a BID. A bylaws structure still needs to be firmed up as well as incorporation as a non-profit, raise funds, and get legislation introduced into the DC Council establishing the BID. Some of the goals of the Southwest BID are to help give the area an identity and program public spaces, along with the more conventional BID services such as street cleaning. While the GSA is not allowed to be taxed for BID services, they will be involved in the BID in some capacity. While the creation of a BID will not be the cure-all for everything that ails Southwest, it can help with some basic issues such as cleanliness and safety, which could go a long way towards making the area a more enjoyable place to live and help to market the neighborhood for additional investment, retail, and office tenants.

M Street Transportation Study Kick-Off Meeting

DDOT held the first of three community meetings this evening to kick-off the M Street SE/SW Transportation Study, which has been a LONG time coming. The study area boundary includes the Southeast-Southwest Freeway to the north, 14th Street, SW and the Washington Channel to the west, the Anacostia River to the south, and 12th Street, SE to the east. During the nine-month study period, DDOT will work with CH2MHILL to identify current and future transportation issues and mitigation strategies along the M Street SE/SW Corridor and the Southwest/Southeast Waterfronts. A great deal of development is coming to the area and a comprehensive study is needed. DDOT will look at more than 30 other studies that have been done previously by others, including individual developers and the Complete Streets study that Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID commissioned a couple years ago. Tonight's meeting allowed residents to gather around maps of three areas of focus (the Southwest Waterfront, the Ballpark District, and the SE Federal Center) and provide input on issues or challenges in those areas. On the Southwest Waterfront map, some of the issues mentioned by residents include the 4th & M Street intersection, lack of connectivity between Southwest and Near SE, commuters using P Street as a cut-through to avoid M Street, sidewalks, and parking, among other things. The next public meeting will be held in the spring and a third meeting will be in June. A stakeholder survey is available on the project website and is due on January 31 at 5pm. 

A Few Quick Items: Camden South Capitol Project Website, ANC Supports Wharf PUD, MLK Drive Unveiled

- In the latest FRONT Page News e-newsletter from the Capitol Riverfront BID, the Camden South Capitol apartment project is featured - the first rental apartment building to start construction in SW in decades. The 276-unit apartment building is under construction at the northeast corner of South Capitol and O Street. Although the building is technically outside the borders of the BID, the Capitol Riverfront is keeping tabs on the project. A website has been set up for the project and includes information on in-unit features such as:Energy Star stainless steel appliances, electric oven ranges with ceramic glass cook tops, solar shades, 42" upper cabinets, double vanities in select units, garden soaking tubs, and stand-up showers in select units. Community features will include a rooftop pool with BBQ grills and outdoor fire pit, cyber cafe, and a resident gaming lounge with kitchen. Camden South Capitol is being developed by Camden Property Trust and designed by WDG Architecture. The building is scheduled to deliver in the summer of 2013.

Rendering of the rear of Camden South Capitol courtesy of WDG Architecture

- At Monday's special ANC 6D meeting on The Wharf PUD, the commissioners voted unanimously to support the Stage 1 PUD application after several amendments were approved.  Back in July, the ANC gave conditional support to the PUD but had 27 concerns that needed to be addressed by the Hoffman Madison Waterfront team before the commissioners could give their full support. Since that meeting, HMW has been in discussions with the ANC and most of the concerns have been addressed. Here is a link to the responses to the ANC's concerns by HMW.

Thanks to Jason Kopp for covering the meeting via Twitter!

- Mayor Gray and other dignitaries were on hand Thursday morning to help unveil MLK Drive at Maine Avenue and 14th Street, a symbolic renaming of sections of road in the District linking Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue east of the Anacostia to the new MLK Memorial along the Tidal Basin. The dedication ceremony for the memorial was scheduled for Sunday, but has been postponed until September or October due to Hurricane Irene.

PAT's Final Report Released on Buzzard Point

A Planning Assistance Team (PAT) from the American Planning Association studied Buzzard Point in November 2009 at the request of Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID, whose boundaries include the isolated waterfront neighborhood.  The final report was finally released and includes a vision for how the area should be developed over the next 20-25 years.  Since Fort McNair isn't going anywhere, the report focuses on the mixed-use part of the neighborhood south of the existing residential neighborhood and east of the military installation. The report admits there are constraints on this part of the neighborhood, including the PEPCO plant and the Coast Guard Headquarters building and another office building, both of which block access to the waterfront.  The PAT recommends the neighborhood should be "a center for low-intensity recreational uses by area residents, visitors to the area and residents of other parts of the District, as well as an important link along the Anacostia River chain."  Major points include the following:

• Increase the quality and accessibility of the Buzzard Point waterfront, while recognizing its distinctive character.
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle linkages through the area and to the water along P Street and 2nd Street.
• Preserve and upgrade existing affordable housing in area.
• Make the South Capitol Street oval a major gateway to the District, creating an iconic building on the adjacent Steuart site.
• Strengthen Potomac Avenue as the link between the area and the Southeast waterfront.
• Ensure that development of the Akridge site maximizes connectivity and economic benefits to the Buzzard Point community.
• Change the proposed streetcar alignment to better serve the Buzzard Point area.
• Develop a long-range strategy for the PEPCO property, including ultimate reuse of the historic power plant building for cultural or educational use.

Buzzard Point has been making news lately, including plans for a condo building adjacent to the Buzzard Point Marina and rumors that DC United is looking at the 100 V Street parcel as a potential stadium site.

Rendering of Buzzard Point neighborhood courtesy of Akridge.

4th & M

There was a lengthy discussion at Monday's ANC 6D meeting about the intersection of 4th & M Streets, which has been the scene of three car accidents involving pedestrians in the past year. Some of the ANC commissioners met with DDOT officials to discuss pedestrian safety and as a result, some changes are on the way. Here is an excerpt from an email DDOT Director Gabe Klein sent to a local list-serv today on the issue:

We are still pursuing the “complete street” plan on M Street and would like to move beyond concept and to design. There has been back and forth on whether to have shared bus/bike lanes and other questions. I am asking Jamie Henson for a complete run down. After the accidents, I talked to US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood personally about the concept, and he wholeheartedly supports it. In addition, we made safety improvements in the area including eliminating right turns on red at key intersections.

The "complete street" plan Klein is referring to is a plan spearheaded by Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID, which was presented to the community in March. In the interim, two resolutions passed unanimously by the ANC related to the intersection - one would direct DDOT to remove five parking spaces on the south side of M Street between the entrance to Tiber Island (430 M Street) and the intersection of 4th & M. The reason for removing the parking spaces was motorists can't see the "Right Turn Only" sign when approaching 4th Street and will give them time to get in the right lane before making a right onto 4th Street off of M Street. The second resolution would direct MPD to have officers patrol the intersection for two hours a day every day for a week to observe traffic violations. In addition, it was revealed by Naomi Mitchell from Wells' office that the council member will help the ANC get their desired traffic study of the M Street corridor, which the ANC has been requesting for years since a lot of development has been occurring (or are in the planning books) for the corridor without a comprehensive plan for dealing with traffic on M Street (from the 14th Street Bridge to the 11th Street Bridge).

A Couple Quick Items

- According to the Capitol Riverfront BID, the American Planning Association is bringing a Planning Assistance Team (PAT) to Buzzard Point in two weeks to conduct a four-day analysis of the area. The process will result in a series of recommendations and visions for the area for further study and implementation. The PAT will conduct interviews with stakeholders and property owners to gain a better and full understanding of the various sites and property owners involved, and develop a comprehensive vision for Buzzard Point. Last week, we did a post on how the proposed streetcar network may impact development in Buzzard Point. Devising a plan for the area is a good idea because there is great potential for making Buzzard Point a waterfront destination, where the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers meet.

- Earlier this week, Washington Real Estate Bisnow had an article about Waterfront Tower, the condo conversion project next door to Waterfront Station on the corner of 3rd & M Street. This is the first condo conversion the Bernstein Companies has done in 30 years. Eventually, the developer wants to build two more buildings on the parking lots of the existing towers, similar to what Fairfield Residential had planned at The View at Waterfront before it went into foreclosure in August.

A Couple Quick Items

- In yesterday's Real Estate Bisnow, there were two stories about Southwest. The first was an office building sale - 500 12th Street, which is located across from The Portals complex, was sold to a pension fund by Prudential Real Estate. 500 12th Street is fully leased to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The second story was about the increase in contracting by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), whose headquarters is located along Independence Avenue. The increase in government contracts (over $1 billion worth) has caused an increase in demand for office space near the FAA by contractors, such as Apptis, who will occupy nearly 15,000 SF of space at 370 L'Enfant Promenade.

- JDLand found out which boat operators will be permitted to use the new public pier at Diamond Teague Park, located near Nationals Park at the Capitol Riverfront. Most of the operators are currently based at the Gangplank Marina along the Southwest Waterfront. They include: Entertainment Cruises, which runs the Seadog speedboat (pictured above), the Miss Ann, the U.S.S. Sequoia (former presidential yacht), and Capital Yacht Charters. Water taxi service to the ballpark most likely won't start until next year, but these boat operators can offer charter service to the new pier. Do any of you plan on using any of these charters for an outing to a Nats game?

Does the Southwest Waterfront Area Need a BID?

According to reSTORE DC, a business improvement district (BID) is organized and established by property and business owners to enhance the economic vitality of a downtown or neighborhood commercial area. The cost of BID services is financed by a self-imposed tax on the businesses within the community. There are currently eight BIDs in the District, but only one of them covers parts of Southwest. The Capitol Riverfront BID is one of the newest BIDs in the city and its borders include most of Near Southeast and Buzzard Point. (See above map for the BID's borders, from the Capitol Riverfront BID website) I recently interviewed Michael Stevens, Executive Director of the Capitol Riverfront BID, to find out some more about what's going on in the area and whether the BID will expand to other areas of Southwest. See the interview below the photo.

Here is a photo of the South Capitol Street corridor taken in December 2008, which is a part of the Capitol Riverfront BID.

Southwest...TLQTC: How long has the Capitol Riverfront BID been in existence and how did the BID get started?
Stevens: The Capitol Riverfront BID was approved by the District Council in July 2007 and by Executive Order of the Mayor on July 8, 2007. We have been officially in existence and issuing the BID tax for one year and six months. The BID began as a planning process with property owners and stakeholders that started in June 2006 after I approached area stakeholders about the possibility of and the need for creating a BID for this area. I was hired by property owners as a consultant to lead the planning process that involved numerous public meetings that focused on issues confronting the area, the proposed boundaries, the type of BID tax, the necessary budget, etc. I worked with property owners and other stakeholders over an 11 month period before submitting the full application to become a BID to the city in May 2007.

Southwest...TLQTC: What kinds of services does the BID provide?
Stevens: The Capitol Riverfront BID provides the following services:
• Clean Teams that maintain the public realm and keep it trash free
• Hospitality/Safety Ambassadors that provide assistance, directions and answer questions from employees, visitors and residents
• Marketing, PR and branding initiatives for the entire 500 acre BID and its development dynamic
• Economic development activities that include business attraction efforts for office, retail and residential uses; infrastructure and access planning; small area plans; and planning for streetscape/landscape systems
• Special events and community building activities including a weekly, seasonal farmers market with DOT; summertime concerts; summertime outdoor movies; and a Holiday Market in December
• Advocacy and educational outreach to DC decision makers on behalf of our property owners, tenants and residents
• Information and database development and research services
• The maintenance and programming of two new parks – the 5 acre Riverfront Park and the 2 acre Canal Park – once they are opened in 2010

Southwest...TLQTC: The Capitol Riverfront BID is competing with other emerging areas of the city, including NoMa and Mt. Vernon Triangle. What competitive advantage does the Capitol Riverfront BID have compared to these other emerging areas?

Stevens:

1) I think that the riverfront is a major competitive advantage. We have only about six areas in the entire region where you can develop a new community with access to the river, or where a riverfront community has been developed (Alexandria & Georgetown). People are drawn to the water and we will have marinas, a 5 acre riverfront park and be a part of the 16 mile Anacostia Riverfront Trail system. We consider the river our ”front porch” and our new parks the “living rooms” of our community.

2) Proximity to the U.S. Capitol Building and the House and Senate complexes, Capitol Hill itself, Reagan National Airport and downtown DC.

3) Regional accessibility from the I-395 and I-295 highway system, the 11th Street and Frederick Douglass Bridge, Metro’s Green Line (only 4 stops from Gallery Place & Chinatown), and from the Blue/Orange Lines at Capitol South.

4) Four new parks that will provide a sense of place and community for our residents, employees and visitors – Canal Park, the Riverfront park, Diamond Teague Park, and Tingey Square – as well as a segment of the 16 mile Anacostia Riverfront Trail system.

5) An established residential neighborhood with more units coming. We have almost 2,000 residential units completed and over 1,200 residents already. At build-out we will have over 9,100 units with a population of over 18,000 residents.

6) Nationals Park is a vibrant sports destination and attraction that attracted 2.3 million visitors last year.

7) A true mix of uses – at build-out we will be home to the following: 1) Over 15 million SF of office space (over 100,000 employees); 2) over 9,100 residential units (approximately 18,000 residents); 3) approximately 1 million SF of retail, restaurant and entertainment uses, including 2 new grocery stores; 4) at least 1,200 hotel rooms; and 5) 4 new parks and a segment of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail system.

8) We are building a brand new city on the river that embraces our past through the renovation of several historic buildings, engages and celebrates the Anacostia River, provides a sense of place and community through the development of new parks, provides neighborhood and employee serving retail and restaurants, and provides a range of residential lifestyle options (apartments, condos, townhouses, etc.).

Southwest...TLQTC: The BID’s current boundaries include Buzzard Point, which is in Southwest. What development plans are in store for Buzzard’s Point over the next 5 years?
Stevens: If some office attraction efforts are successful, you may see the development of a secure office campus for a federal agency or two. Otherwise, with the current economic downturn, we may not see development activity in that area for another 5-7 years.

Southwest...TLQTC: Speaking of Southwest…will the Capitol Riverfront BID eventually expand to include other areas of Southwest, including the Southwest Waterfront and Waterfront Station?
Stevens: I have spoken to the Hoffman team about that possibility and I think it might be best for a new BID to be created that would address the area that includes Waterfront Station, Arena Stage, the SW Waterfront project, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and perhaps some of the office in the SW Federal Center. It seems that that area will have a different development dynamic and destination qualities from our BID that would warrant the creation of a new BID.

I agree with Michael Stevens and think that the Southwest Waterfront needs a BID. The Southwest Waterfront area is experiencing a lot of development activity and will look a lot different in five years than it does now. Forming a BID would do a lot to help market the area to attract office tenants and retailers, keep the neighborhood clean, and deter crime. What do you think?