Buzzard Point Nominated as Opportunity Zone

Last week, the District government nominated 25 Census tracts to be Opportunity Zones and one of those was Census tract 6400, covering a portion of Southwest including all of Buzzard Point. Census tract 6400 is bordered by Delaware Avenue and Fort McNair to the west, South Capitol Street to the east, M Street to the north, and the Anacostia River to the south. The nomination was the result of tax cut legislation passed last year by Congress, which created a federal program to facilitate investment and job creation in low-income urban and rural areas. In the District, a majority of the nominated Census tracts are located in Wards 7 and 8 – the only nomination in Ward 6 is the Buzzard Point area. According to a press release by DMPED: 

The tracts were selected with a focus on bringing new investment to communities most in need of jobs, commercial activity and amenities by leveraging actionable investment opportunities. As certain benefits end in 2026, census tracts with projects ready for investment were given greater consideration as the sooner funds can be deployed, the greater the value. 

Census tract 6400 falls into this category – billions of dollars’ worth of development is planned, but the area is currently lacking in jobs and opportunities for residents. According to Census data, the unemployment rate is over 15% and 2016 median household income is $23,485. This compares to the 20024 ZIP code median household income of $75,703.  While Audi Field is seen as a driver of recent activity in Buzzard Point, the Opportunity Zone designation could potentially put development in this area of Southwest into overdrive.  Whether this new designation ultimately helps current residents get jobs and climb out of poverty remains to be seen...

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.

Tentative Deal for New DC United Stadium

 

Who says nothing gets done in DC over the summer?  The Washington Post reports that District officials and DC United have reached a tentative deal to build a new $300 million stadium for the team in Buzzard Point, a few blocks southwest of Nationals Park at 2nd and R streets.  DC United currently plays at RFK Stadium, which is more than 50 years old. The area where the new stadium is planned is currently dominated by industrial uses and is adjacent to Fort McNair. The new stadium will seat between 20,000 and 25,000 people and can host other events besides MLS matches. The Post’s story is ahead of an official announcement on Thursday.

Aerial view of Buzzard Point looking southwest.

While metro access is not ideal compared to RFK – the nearest Green line stations are several blocks away – a new streetcar line is planned to run near the new stadium. In addition, there will be limited parking available at the stadium due to the tight footprint; however, parking lots used for Nationals games could presumably be used by United fans when the Nationals are not playing.

The new DC United stadium would be only a few blocks from Nationals Park.

The District will split the costs with DC United, with the city paying for land assembly and infrastructure costs while the team will pay for stadium construction. It appears that the city will not have to pay much for the land, but instead will use land swaps to obtain the land it needs. One of the District assets under consideration for a land swap is the Reeves Center at 14th and U streets, NW.  Presumably, the Reeves Center would be swapped for land owned by Akridge at 100 V Street.  Additional information about the tentative deal from the article:

D.C. United would be granted a 25- to 35-year lease for the land and would have the opportunity to develop restaurants, shops and possibly a hotel along Half Street. A sales and use tax abatement worth as much as $2.6 million in its first year is also a part of the tentative deal.

The earliest the stadium would open is 2016. Perhaps one day, Potomac Avenue, which will connect the two stadiums, could become an entertainment district lined with shops and restaurants, a far cry from what the area looks like now. There will most likely be a lot of coverage of this stadium deal over the coming days, weeks, and months, so stay tuned!

Renderings courtesy of HKS and Gensler

A Few Quick Items: Basketball Star Coming to Amidon-Bowen, History of SW, Opposing Views on DC United Land Swap, SW Ecodistrict Meeting

 

- It was reported in PoPville that basketball legend and children's author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be reading to students at Amidon-Bowen Elementary on Friday, May 10 at a "Where the Wild Things Are" celebration.  Each student will receive a free copy of the book. Also in attendance will be Tracy Hutson from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and DC Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

- An article in Atlantic Cities describes the history of Southwest and how the construction of the Southwest freeway cut off the waterfront from the rest of the city. The authors also have a proposal on how to reconnect the quadrant with the rest of the city - which includes removing the freeway, adding a Metro and ferry terminal at East Potomac Park, and creating a "New Mall" on the site of Fort McNair, the second oldest military installation in the US.  Like most of that will ever happen...

- The folks over at Greater Greater Washington make an argument for the city doing a land swap with Akridge in order to allow DC United to build a new soccer stadium in Buzzard Point.  Meanwhile over at Slate, Matthew Yglesias argues that the city should encourage affordable housing instead at Buzzard Point.

- The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) will hold a meeting on May 21 to discuss how to improve the 10th Street corridor from Independence Avenue to Banneker Overlook as a part of the SW Ecodistrict Initiative. The meeting will take place at 401 9th Street, NW, Suite 500 North from 6:30 - 8:30pm.

Image courtesy of the NCPC

More Changes Coming to 4th & M

At last night's ANC 6D meeting, the commissioners voted on a proposal led by the ANC for DDOT to make some improvements to the intersection of 4th & M Street. The intersection was built by Waterfront Associates (the developers of Waterfront Station) and since 4th Street was reopened to traffic last spring, the intersection has been the scene of several collisions and hit-and-run incidents. At the beginning of the month, DDOT made some changes to the intersection, but these changes have not eased traffic problems and have confused drivers & pedestrians. As a result, the ANC has requested that DDOT make the following changes to the intersection.

• Restore left-turn traffic signals on east & westbound M Street to turn on 4th Street.
• Allow drivers to make left turns on two lanes of northbound 4th Street towards M Street so employees at Fort McNair can get out of the neighborhood faster (the left lane would be left turn only and the next lane will allow cars to either turn left, go straight, or turn right).
• The Metrobus stop will return to the northeast corner of the intersection.
• U-turns will be illegal again on M Street.
• Restrict drivers from turning left from southbound 4th Street onto M Street (drivers leaving Safeway can use I Street as an alternative to go towards Near SE).

Restricting drivers from turning left onto eastbound M Street from 4th Street will allow pedestrians more time to cross the intersection on all sides since traffic signals in the District operate on a 100-second cycle. DDOT will have MPD enforce the new traffic rules. The commissioners voted 5-1-1 to approve these changes, which will take place once DDOT gives 30 days notice to residents.

What a DC United Stadium *Could* Mean for Buzzard Point Development

Over the past week (which happens from time to time), there have been several reports about DC United looking for sites to build a soccer stadium in the District. This time around, one of the leading sites under consideration is in Buzzard Point, specifically Akridge’s 100 V Street. Currently, 100 V Street is planned as a secure federal campus, but there have been no tenants lined up so far. Due to the size of the sites under consideration, the Greater Greater Washington blog contends that a stadium would be “urban” with few surface parking spaces and would fit within the current street grid (except for the possible closure of T Street between 1st and 2nd Streets).

This site is located three blocks southwest of Nationals Park and if the soccer stadium is located there, the area would become a stadium district of sorts, akin to the Meadowlands (before the Nets and Devils left Izod Arena) or Philadelphia. Linking the stadiums would be Potomac Avenue, which currently is lined mostly with industrial operations west of South Capitol Street. With a soccer stadium on one end and a ballpark on the other, Potomac Avenue could become an entertainment district with retail stores, bars and restaurants to cater to fans, as well as for neighborhood residents and employees at Fort McNair. The DC streetcar is planned to have a couple lines come down to Buzzard Point and possibly run along Potomac Avenue, which is a wide boulevard that would have room for a streetcar. Perhaps ferry service can be introduced on game days via James Creek Marina, located just to the southwest of the stadium site.

While there are differing opinions over the effect that stadiums have on development nearby, a DC United Stadium in Buzzard Point may cause other projects to get underway that otherwise would take several years or decades to get built, including development on Potomac Avenue. The introduction of retail to the neighborhood, coupled with a streetcar line could help spur residential development in the area, like Marina Place, a planned condo project catty corner to the stadium footprint at 1st & V Street. Just to the east of the stadium footprint is the Buzzard Point Power Plant, which Pepco plans to decommission by May 2012. The power plant itself will most likely be landmarked, but perhaps can be repurposed as a cultural amenity like a museum or art gallery space. With the planned departure of the U.S. Coast Guard from its headquarters at 2nd & V Street to St. Elizabeth's in SE by 2015, perhaps that site can be redeveloped as a mixed use project that embraces its location next to the river and provide public access to the waterfront. Some of these ideas for Buzzard Point stem from a neighborhood study done in 2009 by the American Planning Association’s Planning Assistance Team (PAT). For now, talk about DC United moving to Buzzard Point is just that...talk. Who knows whether they will choose Buzzard Point over other areas under consideration and if they can obtain financing to build a stadium. However, it's fun to talk about what possibilities exist for Buzzard Point, with or without a soccer stadium in the neighborhood.

Renderings courtesy of Akridge and Buzzards Point LLC.

Cannon Shots Tomorrow at Fort McNair

It's been a busy day of posting! Here's a notice to pass along from MPD's District One Lieutenant Nicholas Gallucci:

During ceremonies at Ft McNair tomorrow there will be a total of 34 cannon shots to honor the changing of the Commodore & Vice-Commodore of the USCG. The event spans from 10:00am - 1:00pm. It may sound like “explosions”.

What Should Waterfront-SEU Metro be Renamed?

With construction set to start on the new Waterfront-SEU Metro station plaza before the end of the year, perhaps it’s a good time to bring up the subject (as readers have done in the past) of the name of the Metro station itself. Southeastern University shuttered its doors back in September, so its future is in doubt. Perhaps WMATA should consider dropping SEU from the station name and add the name of a major historic institution in the area like Fort McNair? Waterfront-Fort McNair would give a good description of the neighborhood the Metro station covers. Fort Lesley J. McNair has been at Buzzard Point since 1794 and is the third oldest military installation in the nation (according to Wikipedia), so I doubt it will be going anywhere soon, unless a future BRAC Act closes the fort. Another alternative could be to rename the station Waterfront-Buzzard Point. Using Buzzard Point in the Metro station name would give attention to a neglected neighborhood that will be undergoing dramatic changes over the next couple of decades. Instead of replacing SEU with another local destination, WMATA could simplify the name by renaming the station Waterfront or Southwest Waterfront. In most cases, the way a station name change happens is the local government (in this case the DC Government) makes a request to WMATA to change the name of a station and will also pay for any expenses related to the name change. We'll see if the DC Government will opt to have the name changed, but at any event, what would you rename the Metro station? Vote in December’s poll on the upper left corner of the sidebar and feel free to leave a comment after this post.

Could DC United Move to Buzzard Point?

DC United is in talks again with the District government for a new soccer stadium, after their plan to move to Poplar Point in SE fell through for the second time earlier this year, and was rebuffed by Prince George’s County over plans to move there. One of the sites that have come up, according to the Breaking Ground blog in the Washington Business Journal, is Buzzard Point, specifically, Akridge’s 9-acre site at 100 V Street. In the WBJ article, a representative from Akridge confirmed that DC United inquired about several of their properties. The article notes that other sizable holdings of Akridge’s include 15-acre Burnham Place in NoMa and 136 acres along the Dulles Greenway in Virginia. 100 V Street is close to Nationals Park, which would give the area a Meadowlands-esque stadium district feel to it, and is fairly close to the Waterfront and Navy Yard Metro stations. Neighbors may have a problem with having two stadiums in close proximity to each other, with the potential to cause major traffic problems if both teams have a game on the same day. A soccer stadium might not even be able to fit on the site. Although 100 V Street is three blocks long, it is only one block wide, which may be too small for a soccer stadium. Akridge built Gallery Place near the Verizon Center and is developing part of Half Street near Nationals Park, so it’s possible they may get involved with DC United at V Street, or some other venue in the metro area (I think a more plausible site would be Burnham Place, due to its proximity to Union Station and potential to connect with the H Street NE streetcar line). The current plan for 100 V Street is to be built as a secure federal campus, since it has natural (water on two sides) and man-made barriers (Fort McNair). What would be preferable for 100 V Street…a federal campus, or a soccer stadium?

West Nile Virus Found Near Fort McNair

WUSA reports that the DC Department of Health have determined that three mosquito pools near Fort McNair have tested positive for West Nile Virus. So far, no cases of the virus have been reported in DC this year. Residents are encouraged to remove standing water near their homes to help reduce the spread of the virus. Last month, the pond at Town Center Park contained standing water due to deferred maintenance and a resident posted a sign (pictured above) warning about the mosquito larvae collecting in the pond. Since then, DPR has repaired the pond at the park and the fountains are functional again.

Update: Within the past couple of weeks, the fountains have stopped working again and need to be replaced. DPR will install new fountains, but in the meantime, the pond will need to be drained since the water is now stagnant and can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

FEMA Reverses Course on Flood Maps

Earlier this week, according to this article from the Examiner, FEMA officials decided to rescind its plan to expand the floodplain in Downtown DC after city officials said they would address flood concerns around the National Mall. If the new floodplain maps went into effect, homeowners and businesses in the affected area would be required to purchase flood insurance and developers would need to adhere to more stringent design codes. The expanded flood zone included parts of Southwest from 3rd Street to South Capitol Street and Fort McNair.