PUD Extensions Sought for Development Parcels

 

In addition to Forest City’s request for an extension of their PUD at Waterfront Station (and potential change in use from office to residential), PN Hoffman is seeking a two-year extension for the NE parcel next to CVS. Last year, PN Hoffman won the development rights for this parcel from DMPED to build a mixed-use project with ground floor retail, a black box theater, and 443 rental apartments. While extensions have been granted for the site before by DMPED, this is the first request from the developer of the project. PN Hoffman is still working on a disposition agreement with the city and intends to start the PUD process for their proposed project next winter. 

Another extension is being sought for the Randall School project, a long-planned development on I Street. Similar to the Waterfront Station project, this extension is being sought by a new developer. Lowe Enterprises recently came to an agreement with Telesis/Rubell to become the primary developer of the project. While the main elements of the project will remain, including a modern art museum, retail, commercial space, and mixed income apartments, some changes are planned. According to the developer, the two-year extension will allow Lowe Enterprises to make modifications to the plan to make the project work financially. If the extension is granted, a building permit would need to be obtained within two years and another year for construction to commence. Abatement of the historic buildings are expected to start in late 2018, then demolition of the non-historic portion, which would likely put the start of construction in 2020. 

Both of these extensions were presented at the April ANC 6D meeting and were supported by the commissioners. On the Waterfront Station site, the commissioners want PN Hoffman to maintain the brick pavers and activate the site prior to construction. At Randall, Lowe Enterprises has agreed to maintain the derelict property and put up signage touting plans for development.

New Standalone SW Branch Library; PN Hoffman Wins Waterfront Station Project

At this morning’s “March Madness” economic development event, DMPED and other District agencies offered several parcels across the city for development. One such parcel is located in Southwest – the Southwest Branch Library at 900 Wesley Place. The current Southwest Branch Library is a 21,600 SF building with three levels and was built in 1965. A mini-makeover was done in 2011, but funding for an extensive renovation was removed from the budget a few years ago. The library will be replaced with a standalone facility designed to achieve LEED-Silver certification.

The library’s future was hotly debated in 2014 when DMPED, OP and DCPL proposed to move the library to the city-owned NE parcel at Waterfront Station, which would have been part of a mixed use building with residential, retail, and the library. That proposal was shot down by the community in favor of keeping the library at its current location and build a new, standalone library, which the city intends to do. 

Earlier concept for a SW Branch Library on 4th Street.

As a result, DMPED released a RFP after last year’s “March Madness” event for the Waterfront Station site at 1000 4th Street without the library requirement. Several redevelopment teams responded to the RFP with three of them making the final cut last summer. While a decision was expected back in November, DMPED finally announced today that PN Hoffman’s bid was selected. 

PN Hoffman’s presentation was unique in that the amount of proposed retail space was more than double the amount proposed by the other teams and prospective retail tenants were announced. The development plan includes 443 rental apartment units, 22,500 SF of community-oriented retail, and a 10,000 SF, 200-seat black box theater, all in a LEED-Gold building designed by Torti Gallas. The 133 units of affordable housing includes 34 units at up to 30% of AMI and 99 units at up to 50% of AMI. Retail would be located on 4th Street, wrapping around to a new private drive on the north end of the site. A letter of intent has been signed by Constantine Stavropoulous, the owner of Tryst, Open City, The Diner, and The Coupe to open a diner at the corner of 4th Street and the private drive. Other retail uses such as a daycare center and artist space could be located on the north side of the development along the private drive, which serves as a connector between the Southwest Library branch and the SW Duck Pond. The private drive could be closed off at times for arts-focused events. The proposal was the preferred choice of ANC 6D, which will get to weigh in again once PN Hoffman goes through the second stage PUD process. 

The RFP for a design-build contract for the new library will be released this fall. A flyer about the project says the following: 

The new Southwest Neighborhood Library will reflect the program and goals of the library and the needs of the District of Columbia residents who use it. The building will incorporate forward-thinking approaches to urban design, architecture, engineering, and environmental technologies in the public realm. The new Southwest Library will be a destination that will attract and support hundreds of users per day, and promote a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood and active street environment. 

According to SWBID Director Steve Moore, DCPL will receive $1 million in next year’s budget for planning the new library. There will more than likely be community involvement in that planning process. 

Renderings courtesy of DCPL and PN Hoffman

ANC Supports PN Hoffman Bid for Waterfront Station Parcel

At last night’s ANC 6D monthly meeting, the commissioners unanimously passed a resolution strongly recommending that DMPED choose the PN Hoffman/AHC proposal for the District-owned NE parcel of Waterfront Station. It was one of three proposals presented during a community meeting on September 10. This proposal was also the one which received overwhelming support in an unscientific poll conducted of SWTLQTC readers over the past month with 83% of the votes cast. The other two proposals were from MRP Realty with Taylor Adams Associates, Blue Skye Development, McCullough Construction, Kettler and HOU; and Republic Properties with the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) and Bozzuto Management.

PN Hoffman’s presentation was unique in that the amount of proposed retail space was more than double the amount proposed by the other teams and prospective retail tenants were announced. The development plan includes 443 rental apartment units, 22,500 SF of community-oriented retail, and a 10,000 SF, 200-seat black box theater, all in a LEED-Gold building designed by Torti Gallas. The 133 units of affordable housing includes 34 units at up to 30% of AMI and 99 units at up to 50% of AMI. Retail would be located on 4th Street, wrapping around to a new private drive on the north end of the site. A letter of intent has been signed by Constantine Stavropoulous, the owner of Tryst, Open City, The Diner, and The Coupe to open a diner at the corner of 4th Street and the private drive. Other retail uses such as a daycare center and artist space could be located on the north side of the development along the private drive, which serves as a connector between the Southwest Library branch and the SW Duck Pond. The private drive could be closed off at times for arts-focused events. Forum Theatre would make the return to the District from its current location in Silver Spring to operate the black box theater, which began 12 years ago on H Street NE. The theater would be located on the south side of the site below the courtyard, which would allow the theater space to be without columns. The PN Hoffman team would use the model they implemented to engage the community during The Wharf’s development process with a community benefits group and a construction issues group. During the question and answer period, it was mentioned that a hardware store was not considered by the development team for this project because they are in negotiations to bring one to The Wharf along Maine Avenue. 

In the resolution, there were four principles which the ANC used to guide their recommendation. Those principles include: 

• Broadening the amount of affordable housing in Southwest and deepening the number of affordable units at lower AMI levels. 
• Meet or exceed the amount of retail space that was on the old Waterside Mall footprint. 
• Create more neighborhood gathering spaces for Southwest residents. 
• Establish Southwest as a cultural and creative destination. 

Based on these four principles, the resolution stated the PN Hoffman proposal “most completely addressed the hierarchy of needs consistently articulated by ANC 6D over time and supported in the responses of the members of the Southwest Community through the Small Area Plan process.” In addition, the commissioners felt that PN Hoffman has demonstrated a commitment to long-term ownership and community participation through the development process of The Wharf. 

DMPED is likely to make a final decision on which proposal to choose in November. The winning team will then need to take the proposed development through the second stage PUD process (with ANC support) and the DC Council will need to approve the terms of the proposal before any construction can begin.

Renderings courtesy of PN Hoffman

Pitches for Waterfront Station Parcel

Three different visions for the District owned parcel at Waterfront Station were presented last night at a community meeting held by the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development's office (DMPED). All three proposals contain multifamily buildings with unit sizes ranging from studios to 2BRs, ground floor retail, and a new private drive on the north end of the site, which are included in the stage one PUD approval for the site, but each team approached the proposed development differently. The developer teams that presented include: 

• MRP Realty with Taylor Adams Associates, Blue Skye Development, McCullough Construction, Kettler and HOU 
• Republic Properties with the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) and Bozzuto Management
• PN Hoffman with AHC Inc, Paramount Development, E.R. Bacon Development and CityPartners. 

MRP Realty's proposed building, looking southeast on 4th Street.

First up was MRP, which highlighted their commitment to a larger share of affordable housing units than the 30% mandated by new legislation for District-owned land dispositions. Their proposal calls for an 11-story LEED-Silver building designed by MV+A with 421 rental apartment units and 9,000 SF of ground floor retail. Of the 421 units, 168 (or 40%) are affordable – 31 units at up to 30% of Area Median Income (AMI), 95 units at up to 50% of AMI, and 42 units at up to 80% of AMI. In addition, 5% of the affordable units will be designated Permanent Supportive Housing in an effort to get homeless people off the streets. The retail space will be along 4th Street with the main entrance to the building at the corner of 4th Street and a new private drive at the north end of the site. Some target tenants for the retail space include a hardware store, bank, arts space, or other uses currently lacking in the neighborhood. Other commitments include a $175,000 community improvement grant, job training program through HOU, hiring only DC residents for all permanent jobs, and 50% of all contracts going to CBEs. 

Republic Properties' proposed building, looking southeast on 4th Street.

The second team to present was Republic Properties, which decided not to build up to the maximum square footage permitted on the site. Republic’s proposal includes 378 rental apartment units in a LEED-Silver building designed by WDG Architecture and 8,000 SF of retail. Two-story walk-out duplex units with 2BRs designed for families would be built along the new private drive and the northern portion of Wesley Place. Of the 30% set aside as affordable housing, half would be for up to 30% of AMI and the other half for up to 60% of AMI. These affordability levels are not in line with the recently passed DC Council legislation, so Steve Grigg of Republic stated those percentages will change. The courtyard space on the ground floor of the building could potentially be used by the community for events such as movie screenings while the rooftop space with a pool, jogging trail, and BBQ grills would be reserved for building residents. Along the private drive, the developer would allow neighboring Christ United Methodist Church to use the space to park cars on Sundays. In addition, the area could be blocked off on Saturdays for a farmers market or other events. Retail will be along 4th Street with four storefronts at 2,000 SF each. These spaces have been designed for use by community-oriented retailers such as a bike shop, yoga studio, pet supply store, plant/flower shop, or gift/stationery shop. This proposal has the highest parking ratio, with 258 parking spaces, bike racks, Zipcar spaces, and electric car charging stations. A total of 320 construction jobs will be created and 40 permanent jobs – 50% of all jobs will be filled by DC residents. The development team will also work with the Office of Apprenticeship Programs and the DC Apprenticeship Council for job training opportunities for residents. 

PN Hoffman's proposed building, looking southeast on 4th Street.

PN Hoffman’s presentation was unique in that the amount of proposed retail space was more than double the amount proposed by the other teams and prospective retail tenants were announced. The development plan includes 443 rental apartment units, 22,500 SF of community-oriented retail, and a 10,000 SF, 200-seat black box theater, all in a LEED-Gold building designed by Torti Gallas. The 133 units of affordable housing includes 34 units at up to 30% of AMI and 99 units at up to 50% of AMI. Retail would be located on 4th Street, wrapping around to the new private drive. A letter of intent has been signed by Constantine Stavropoulous, the owner of Tryst, Open City, The Diner, and The Coupe to open a diner at the corner of 4th Street and the private drive. Other retail uses such as a daycare center and artist space could be located on the north side of the development along the private drive, which serves as a connector between the Southwest Library branch and the SW Duck Pond. The private drive could be closed off at times for arts-focused events. Forum Theatre would make the return to the District from its current location in Silver Spring to operate the black box theater, which began 12 years ago on H Street NE. The theater would be located on the south side of the site below the courtyard, which would allow the theater space to be without columns. The PN Hoffman team would use the model they implemented to engage the community during The Wharf’s development process with a community benefits group and a construction issues group. During the question and answer period, it was mentioned that a hardware store was not considered by the development team for this project because they are in negotiations to bring one to The Wharf along Maine Avenue.

The public comment period will be open through October 9. For more information on the proposals, the slideshow presentations from last night’s meeting can be found here. Comments can be sent to Marc Bleyer from DMPED, the project director for the Waterfront Station parcel at marc.bleyer@dc.gov. Bleyer will be at a future ANC 6D meeting to take questions from the commissioners and hear their input on a preferred proposal. A decision will likely be made by DMPED by November. 

Which proposal do you like best? Vote for your favorite using the poll on the left side of the blog home page and/or leave a comment.

Renderings courtesy of MRP Realty, Republic Properties, and PN Hoffman

Waterfront Station Update

Two tower cranes have arrived at Forest City’s 1001 4th Street construction site at Waterfront Station, a little more than six months after the groundbreaking. 1001 4th Street is designed by Perkins Eastman and is planned as an 11-story, 365-unit rental apartment building with 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail along with multi-story residential units facing the private drive at the north end of the site and Makemie Place. Substantial completion is scheduled for November 2016. 

Meanwhile, across the street from 1001 4th Street, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development received six responses to the RFP for the District-owned parcel. This is the last residential parcel to be developed at Waterfront Station. The respondents include: 

• Donohoe Development with Spectrum Management 
• Jair Lynch Development 
• MRP Realty with Taylor Adams Associates and Absolute Hospitality 
• PN Hoffman 
• Potomac Investment with Argos Group 
• Republic Properties with the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) 

According to the RFP, the site uses should include mixed-income housing and ground floor community-serving retail or municipal services. A municipal use that won’t be included is a new Southwest Branch library, which will remain at its current location on Wesley Place. A developer will be selected later this year after the ANC and the community has a chance to see the proposals.

Sky House East was sold to Bernstein Management for $91 million according to the Washington Business Journal and has changed names to Leo at Waterfront Station. Its sister building was sold several months ago to the same owner and was renamed Lex at Waterfront Station. More than half of the units at Lex have been leased since marketing began in December.

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

Where Will a New SW Library be Built?

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the Office of Planning are pushing for a plan to include a new Southwest Branch Library as a component of a mixed-use building on a 4th Street parcel the city owns at Waterfront Station. As a part of the agreement made with Waterfront Associates when the former Waterside Mall at 4th and M streets was demolished and redeveloped, the city (formerly the National Capital Revitalization Corporation) would retain the NE parcel for future development as a mixed-use building with ground floor retail and residential units above, a percentage set aside as affordable housing. Marc Bleyer from DMPED is now the point man for disposition of the District-owned NE parcel and is looking to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) soon; however, he needs to determine first whether space for a new library should be included in the planned mixed-use building. 

DMPED has engaged CORE Architects to come up with some concepts for what is possible for a library that is contained within a mixed-use building, as well as how a standalone library at Wesley Place would look. These concepts will be developed over the next six weeks and presented to the community to gauge support for either option. The city has been building several new or substantially renovated libraries recently – mostly as standalone buildings; however, a library in a mixed-use building is planned in the West End and there are plans to put a non-library addition in the flagship Martin Luther King, Jr. library downtown. Some of the new, standalone library branches built in the city recent years include those in Bellevue, Anacostia, and Deanwood, while other branches that are architecturally significant have been substantially renovated, such as those in Petworth, Georgetown, and Northeast. 

At a recent meeting with community leaders, most of the attendees expressed their preference for a standalone library for several reasons. A concern shared by many was that a library on 4th Street would take away street-level retail space from potential retailers. Melissa Bird from the Office of Planning pointed out that the 4th Street retail corridor has struggled to sign tenants and a library would enliven the street, potentially attracting more tenants. Also, the library could be placed on the second floor, reducing the space it would take away on the ground level. Some were concerned that children would not feel welcome if the library was on 4th Street because of how some businesses along the street have become inhospitable to minors in their efforts to curb shoplifting. It was felt that children need a place to let off some steam after an altercation in the library and the library park serves that purpose – no such space would exist on 4th Street. Related to the library park, another concern was there would be lost synergy between the planned playground at the park and the library if it moved to 4th Street. 

Others were concerned that a standalone library at the current site would be overwhelmed by high-rise buildings surrounding it on three sides – the NE parcel at Waterfront Station to the west, a new building planned at Town Center East to the south, and the redevelopment of Greenleaf to the east. Along that line of reasoning, officials from the District Public Library system prefer to move to 4th Street in order to increase visibility and usage of the library. Meanwhile, a majority of respondents to a recent SWTLQTC unscientific poll preferred a mixed-use library on 4th Street. Fifty-two percent of respondents preferred a library on 4th Street, SW, compared to 35% of those who preferred a standalone library. The remaining 12% were unsure. 

Currently, funding for a new Southwest branch library is tied to the sale of city-owned land. That does not necessarily mean that the land to be sold must be the current library site, but it is implied. There are other city-owned sites around the community that could be sold to fund a new Southwest branch library, including the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) inspection station, DMV office, and the fire truck repair facility at Half and M streets. Ward 6 Council Member Tommy Wells has stated that the DC Council could find a way to fund the new library in future budgets without the need to sell District land. 

If the current library site is sold, under current zoning, a building up to six stories tall could be built in its place if the owner goes through the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process. Proposed changes to the zoning code would allow for a similar amount of density on the site by-right. The library park to the north would remain whether the library is retained at its current site or moved to 4th Street, so the planned playground is not in danger of being scrapped. In fact, a design-build contract was recently awarded by the Department of General Services for phase one of the park, which includes infrastructure improvements and play equipment in the center berm area. 

A community meeting will be planned sometime this summer to discuss the concepts that CORE Architects has developed, then a RFP could be released sometime in the fall, with or without the library component. In the meantime, the vacant NE parcel will receive some upgrades in the coming months. The diagonal gravel pathway will be replaced with concrete or interlocking concrete pavers and semi-circular pathways will also be constructed using compressed stone. These improvements will accommodate a temporary art installation for 5 x 5, A Project of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. 5 x 5 is the largest, temporary public art project in the District. Designed by Lance Fung, the Waterfront Station installation will feature the work of five artists in a piece called Nonuments, described as “a temporary sculpture park featuring ‘monuments’ devoted not to the great but to ordinary people, to the ideals of democracy, and to the common struggles of humanity.” Nonuments will be on display from September 1 to December 6.

ANC Reconsiders Vote on Waterfront Station PUD

At last week's ANC 6D meeting, the developers of Waterfront Station came back before the commissioners to get their support for extending their PUD until April 2014 for the southwest and northeast parcels. At last month’s meeting, the ANC voted to not support the extension, due to several pending issues that the commissioners wanted resolved with regard to the two vacant parcels.  Since the October meeting, the developers and DMPED (who controls the northeast parcel) have addressed most of those issues.

For instance, signage along the vacant retail spaces on 4th Street now have the correct contact information listed for those who are interested in leasing space at Waterfront Station.  In addition, the southwest parcel has been resurfaced. This site will not be grassed over like the other vacant parcels because a one-level parking garage still exists under this parcel, which is a vestige of the old Waterside Mall.  The garage will not be excavated until redevelopment of the site occurs. A staircase leading to that garage has also been fenced off.  Even though the lot has been resurfaced, it will not serve as a parking lot, but instead will be animated with interim uses starting in 2013.  The developers are evaluating proposals made by different organizations, such as Diverse Markets Management and Washington Parks & People, among others, who will use the space. Most of the landscaping that was planted earlier this year has died due to the warmer & drier than average summer, so those plantings will be replaced next spring. The Waterfront Station website is in the process of being updated with more information about who owns which portions of the site (Waterfront Associates sold the office buildings and retail spaces to USAA last year and also sold the former EPA buildings, now known as Sky House, to Urban Atlantic, but they retain development rights to 3 out of 4 remaining sites). They will work with USAA to put up signage along 4th Street to promote the development as Southwest’s “town center” and jersey barriers on 4th Street will be removed.

On the District-owned northeast parcel, a paved pathway will be created over the next month to replace the sometimes muddy dirt path well-worn by people who traverse the lot.  In addition, DMPED is also exploring interim uses for their parcel and a date has been set for when the site will be solicited for development (although that date was not mentioned at the meeting).

Afterwards, the commissioner voted 5-2 to reconsider their vote from last month and supported the PUD extension (Commissioners Craycraft and Shockley opposed).

Waterfront Station Residential on Tap

An article in this month's Hill Rag (now available online) states that the city will be "patient" with the land they own at Waterfront Station, the northeast parcel as seen circled on the map at the top of this post. The city retained a portion of the Waterfront Station site as a result of their land sale negotiations with the developers a few years ago, in order to increase the number of residential units planned at the project. Sean Madigan, communications director for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, states the following about the timeline for residential development on their parcel in the Hill Rag article:

But with the housing market being what it is, we are probably going to be a little patient on this one and not put it out on the street for bids until conditions improve.

In the meantime, their parcel, along with the other undeveloped parcels, will be grassed over until these sites get built, as David Smith from Waterfront Associates mentioned at last month's Safeway town hall meeting. Three other residential towers will be built by the developers in later phases, including the adaptive reuse of the two old EPA buildings.

ANC 6D Recommends to DMPED to Select E Street Development

At this evening's ANC 6D meeting, a multi-pronged resolution passed 7-0 to recommend to DMPED that they select E Street Partners (proposal #1) as the preferred developer for the DCFD Engine 13 parcels. Here is a link to part 1 and part 2 of proposal #1 (the file sizes are large). The resolution also requests that the winning development team have community partners in their proposal; makes the winning team come before the ANC to discuss their plans for community benefits; the team must attempt to hire ANC 6D constituents in the design and construction of the project; and they must attempt to hire locals to work in the retail space. E Street Partners was the only team to specifically name community partners with their proposal - the D.C. Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc. (coincidentally, or not, a former ANC 6D commissioner works for Kid Power Inc.). While the recommendations of an ANC are supposed to carry great weight with the District government, DMPED is not required to follow the ANC's resolution in whole or in part. Also passed was a resolution to appoint Commissioner Jorgensen to represent the interests of the ANC and the community as an ex-oficio member when the DMPED panel meets to select the winning proposal. Jorgensen will compile a list of comments and concerns of the ANC and community members by this Wednesday and will present them to the selection panel. If members of the community want their questions addressed at the selection panel meeting by Jorgensen, send an email to dcbiz@dc.gov with a cc: to the ANC office@anc6d.org. The panel will make its recommendation to Deputy Mayor Albert by St. Patrick's Day. (The above rendering is an office building with ground-level retail on the corner of 6th & E Street planned by E Street Partners, from their presentation to the community on February 25th)