Cotton Annex Sold

The auction of the historic Cotton Annex building at 12th and C streets by the GSA was completed last month and it was revealed this week the winning bidder was Douglas Development. Due to some sleuthing by the Washington Business Journal, they figured out a new company called Jemal’s Cotton Annex LLC was filed with the District Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Douglas’ bid for the property was $30.3 million. 

During an interview with Bisnow, Douglas Development’s Norman Jemal did not reveal its intended use for the building. From the article: 

"We loved the location," Jemal said. "It's a block away from Metro and Southwest is absolutely going through a renaissance and the tide is rising. We want to be a part of that rising tide. We have some very exciting ideas for it." 

Douglas Development’s other holdings in Southwest include a block of one-story retail buildings on the 1200 block of South Capitol Street and a large office building at 1900 Half Street in Buzzard Point, the latter of which will be redeveloped as a 462-unit rental apartment building with ground floor retail. Elsewhere in the city, the company has specialized in redeveloping historic structures or incorporating them in new development, including commercial buildings near the Verizon Center in Chinatown (now retail and office space), the Hecht warehouse in Ivy City (now apartments), and the Uline Arena in NoMa (now a flagship REI store and offices). 

With its location a block from the Smithsonian Metro and the National Mall, just off an exit ramp from the 12th Street Expressway, and within walking distance of the Portals and District Wharf, there is potential for the redevelopment of the Cotton Annex. What do you think Douglas Development should do with the Cotton Annex building and adjacent land? Vote in the poll on the left sidebar or leave a comment.

GSA to Auction Cotton Annex

After unsuccessfully trying to swap several parcels in “Federal Triangle South” in exchange for construction services elsewhere in the city, GSA has changed course and decided to auction individual buildings, starting with the Cotton Annex at 300 12th Street. The Cotton Annex is a six-story building constructed in 1937 for use by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and sits on a 1.41 acre site. It is an 118,000 SF building with a large parking lot on the east side. In 2015, GSA applied for the building’s designation on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the historic designation application, the building is split into an “L” shaped administrative wing and a rectangular warehouse. The pending historic designation could limit how the building is repurposed, but zoning allows for mixed use development. 

The Industry Day/Tour will be held today from 10am to 1pm and the auction will start on December 1 with a starting bid of $5 million.

Photo courtesy of GSA

A Few Quick Saturday Morning Items: GSA Open House, Circulator Pop-Up Meetings, Running of the Chihuahuas, New Amidon-Bowen Windows

The GSA will host an open house on April 30 at the SW Library to solicit input on their RFQ involving the transfer of the Cotton Annex and GSA regional headquarters in exchange for construction services at GSA HQ and up to three historic properties at St. Elizabeths. As a part of the RFQ process, GSA needs to perform an Environmental Assessment, which involves community engagement, hence the planned open house. In addition, the GSA will be accepting comments on the "scope" of the Environmental Assessment through May 14. Comments can be sent by email to cottonannexrob@gsa.gov to via snail mail to:

Suzanne Hill, Regional Environmental Planning Officer

U.S. General Services Administration, NCR

301 7th Street, SW, Room 4004

Washington, DC 20407

 Image courtesy of GSA

DDOT will be hosting a series of "pop-up" meetings next week to solicit feedback on the Circulator system. One will be held at the Waterfront Metro station on Thursday, April 24 from 3:30-6:30pm. A survey to gather feedback will open April 22 on the DC Circulator website. Each participant will be entered to win a $50 SmarTrip card with a winner randomly selected after the survey closes on May 9.  As a part of the Mayor's FY 2015 budget proposal, the Union Station - Navy Yard Metro Circulator line will be extended to Southwest.

The third annual Running of the Chihuahuas will take place on May 3 at Gangplank Park at The Wharf (between 6th and 7th streets) from 12-3pm.  The entry fee is $20 and there will be cash prizes totaling $500. Entry fees will benefit animal charities. In previous years, PAWS of Southwest was the beneficiary, but the dog park is now fully funded and should open within the next couple of months at Lansburgh Park. Be on the look out for a leash-cutting ceremony soon. 



Renovations continue at Amidon-Bowen Elementary. The latest improvements include new windows, which have been installed over the past couple of weeks. Other improvements that have been made over the past couple of years include a substantial interior renovation that happened two summers ago, as well as a new playground and soccer field.

GSA's Latest RFQ Involves Federal Triangle South Parcels

The General Services Administration (GSA) issued a Request for Qualifications today to interested entities that can provide construction and related services in an “Exchange Consideration” for GSA’s headquarters building at 1800 F Street, NW and for up to three buildings at St. Elizabeths West for use by the Department of Homeland Security in exchange for the Cotton Annex and GSA’s National Capital Region Regional Office Building in Federal Triangle South. This area south of the National Mall has a concentration of GSA-owned office buildings that the agency is looking to either modernize or redevelop. 

The Cotton Annex is a nearly two-acre parcel located at 12th and C streets, across the street from GSA’s Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant and cattycorner from The Portals complex. According to testimony given by the GSA in 2012, the Cotton Annex was built in 1937 and was used by the Department of Agriculture until 2007, when the agency vacated the space. The parking lot behind the building has most recently been used by the Federal Protective Service to inspect packages and trucks that visit the Ronald Reagan Building International Trade Center downtown. The building was considered to house the National Health Museum and the National Women’s History Museum was interested in the vacant triangular parcel north of C Street. The six-story building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. 

The second property is the GSA Regional Office Building (ROB), a three-acre facility located at 7th and D streets, across the street from HUD headquarters and L’Enfant Plaza. It is a 942,000 square-foot, seven-story office building with one level below-grade that is currently occupied by GSA. These employees would move to the F Street, NW headquarters once those renovations are complete. The rear of the  ROB fronts on the L’Enfant commuter rail station and Reservation 113, both of which are recommended for improvements in NCPC’s Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative. The office building is not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, so any redevelopment at the site would be easier to complete. Perhaps part of the land could be used as a “Union Station South” that could be an intermodal transit station with Metro, bus, VRE, MARC, and streetcar service? 

Don’t expect activity on these sites to happen anytime soon; however, renovations to the GSA Headquarters and the St. Elizabeths administration buildings must be completed before the parcels are conveyed to the winning developer in Quitclaim Deeds. Responses are due for Stage One of the solicitation by May 22. After that, those that qualify will be invited to a second stage of the solicitation to submit specific proposals. Then, a winner will be selected sometime in 2015. What uses do you envision for these two sites?

Image courtesy of GSA

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.

A Few Quick Items While I Was Away: Wharf, Buzzard Point, L'Enfant Plaza Hotel

Capital Business reports that the Graduate School USA will not be coming to The Wharf. It was announced back in March 2011 that the school would be the anchor tenant. The article states that the Graduate School informed Hoffman Madison Waterfront over 18 months ago that they wouldn't be coming to the development due to instability in the market. Despite the setback (which apparently the developers have known for a while), the project is moving forward.  From the article:

“Overall we feel very good about it,” [Monty] Hoffman said. “Our tenancy and our letters of intent for restaurants are going very well and we are in for building permits.”

Hoffman said he was “working with a prospective capital group” to invest in the project. The D.C. government has agreed to put up approximately $198 million for the project, and last year Hoffman traveled to China with D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray last summer to try to raise capital.

 Rendering courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront

It was reported in the Washington Business Journal that the GSA is close to finalizing a deal to allow the Navy to use the space vacated by the Coast Guard in Buzzard Point. From the article:

A handful of workers from the Naval Sea Systems Command were shifted to Transpoint in the aftermath of last month's Navy Yard shooting, but the Navy and GSA are working on a more formal agreement that would let the Navy officially take over the building once the Coast Guard clears out, the GSA said.

The L'Enfant Plaza Hotel is set for closure in December for extensive renovations according to an article in the Washington Business Journal. From the article:

Stanford [Hotels Corp.] plans to complete its $48.7 million acquisition of the hotel on Dec. 3 and will close down the property when that happens, said sources, including two employees set to be impacted by the closure. Stanford is buying the hotel from an affiliate of The JBG Cos. as part of a D.C. Superior Court order issued July 31. The hotel is not accepting reservations, either over the phone or through its website, beyond Dec. 2.

Demolition Begins at 400 6th Street

 

Construction fencing has been installed around the Donohoe Building at 400 6th Street, the former home of the District's Child and Family Services Agency. Their lease ended last year and now demolition is underway at the office building, which was purchased by Trammell Crow and the AFL-CIO Building Investment for $41.9 million in 2012. Once demolition is complete, construction will begin on a speculative 12-story office building designed by Gensler with 342,000 rentable square feet. There is space on the ground level for retail if demand supports it. The new office building is located less than one block from the D Street entrance to the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station. From the look of the above rendering, they are looking for a GSA tenant. Next door to the site is Constitution Center, which has its share of GSA tenants. Perhaps the office market in general (and GSA's appetite for leasing new space) will be improved by the end of 2015 when this building is scheduled to deliver.

Construction fencing went up this week.

Rendering courtesy of Trammell Crow

Federal Triangle South Meeting

There was a meeting yesterday put together by the Urban Land Institute on the newly dubbed Federal Triangle South, a swath of Southwest south of the National Mall where federal government tenants have dominance and over 12,000 employees now work in office buildings that average in age between 48 and 80 years old. The boundaries of Federal Triangle South are Independence Avenue to the north, 12th Street to the west, Maryland Avenue and D Street to the south, and 6th Street to the east. The GSA owns five properties in Federal Triangle South with the largest of those being the department of Energy’s Forrestal complex at 10th Street and Independence Avenue. Back in December, the GSA issued a Request for Information (RFI) to see what interest there was in the development community for possibly redeveloping their parcels in Federal Triangle South. It was reported earlier this month that 10 development firms responded to the RFI. The GSA is exploring different disposition scenarios for the parcels, including maintaining federal ownership, a ground lease, acquisition exchange, exchange for services, or a leaseback. Federal Triangle South is part of the Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative, a long-term vision for most of the office district between the National Mall and the Southwest Freeway spearheaded by NCPC. In addition, the DC Office of Planning conducted a Small Area Plan for Maryland Avenue, which falls within the SW Ecodistrict. Here are a few tidbits I learned at the meeting:

• A Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released this summer for Federal Triangle South and a winner for phase one will be awarded by the spring of 2014.
• The Department of Energy wants to remain on Independence Avenue, but it could be located elsewhere along the street within Federal Triangle South besides its current location.
• There are approximately 4 million square feet of office space within Federal Triangle South and an additional 2 million square feet of space can be built under current zoning. More could be accommodated with PUDs.
• Republic Properties, who developed The Portals complex at 12th Street and Maryland Avenue, is considering residential for a future phase at the project instead of office. The site was zoned industrial so residential couldn’t be done there, but with the rewrite of the Comprehensive Plan that the Office of Planning is conducting, the entire Southwest Ecodistrict area will be rezoned similar to downtown, which will be high density commercial, residential, and governmental.
• Some components of the Maryland Avenue plan could take up to 30 years to complete.
• NCPC will conduct a community meeting in May (perhaps May 21) to discuss plans for 10th Street.

Image courtesy of GSA

A Couple Quick Items: Interest in Federal Triangle South, Blarney Bash

- It was reported in Capital Business yesterday that 10 developers responded to GSA's Notice of Intent for proposals to redevelop Federal Triangle South - a collection of five buildings owned by the federal government south of the National Mall. One of those buildings includes the Forrestal Complex, which is the headquarters of the Department of Energy at Independence Avenue and 10th Street. According to the article, the GSA has not released the names of the firms that responded to their NOI. This is the first concrete step made in response to the final SW Ecodistrict plan that was approved earlier this year that calls for adding more uses besides federal office space to the area south of the Mall including L'Enfant Plaza. From the article:

The Federal Triangle South responses indicated that an exchange was a viable transaction, but that infrastructure “will be a significant challenge and will require the coordination of many stakeholders,”according to the GSA. To move forward, the agency would likely issue a more targeted request for a development partner.

 
- George and Mason Inn are hosting Blarney Bash on Saturday, March 16 at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf. Blarney Bash is a 5-hour open bar event and will feature live music, bocce, corn hole, food trucks, and more from 3:30 - 9pm.

Final SW Ecodistrict Plan Approved

I'm starting to play catch up on news items that occurred while I was away on vacation in SE Asia for the holidays, so this should be a busy posting week on the blog...  

 

Last week, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved the final plan of the SW Ecodistrict Initiative, a comprehensive approach to transform a large swath of acreage in and around L'Enfant Plaza from a federal office enclave to a mixed-use, environmentally sustainable neighborhood.  The 15-block study area comprising 110 acres of federal and private land is bounded by Independence Avenue to the north, Maine Avenue to the south, 12th Street to the west, and 4th Street to the east. The plan revolves around four focus areas:

Reservation 113 at the intersection of Maryland and Virginia Avenues.

• Independence Quarter: A mixed-use community anchored by a national museum and a new headquarters for the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Maryland Avenue: An urban boulevard centered on a signature park and an expanded L'Enfant Station intermodal center.
• 10th Street and Banneker Park: An inviting civic corridor connecting the National Mall and Smithsonian Museums to the southwest waterfront, anchored by an improved Banneker Park, nationally significant cultural destination.
• Southwest Freeway: A private mixed-use development atop the Southwest Freeway will support new connections between existing Southwest neighborhoods, the SW Ecodistrict, and the National Mall.

View of a redeveloped Banneker Park from Maine Avenue.

Although the time frame for implementation of the plan (especially the SW Freeway portion) will be decades, a portion of the plan is already in motion. The General Services Administration (GSA), the largest landlord in the study area, has recently released a Request for Information (RFI) to developers to partner with the GSA to redevelop several parcels it owns in Independence Quarter (or Federal Center South as the real estate agency calls it), including the Forrestal Complex, Cotton Annex, the Wilbur and Orville Wright FAA buildings, and GSA's regional office building.  Other short-term actions will include an economic analysis, an implementation program, a stormwater infrastructure study, and an interim 10th Street/Banneker connection.

The full plan is available here and previous posts on the plan can be found here.

Renderings courtesy of NCPC; ZGF Architects

A Few Quick Items: New South Capitol Street Bridge, Constitution Center Sale, Randall Rec. Center, Federal Triangle South

- DDOT is prepping for the replacement of the Frederick Douglass Bridge with a Request for Qualifications from contractors for design-build construction of the first two segments of the South Capitol Street corridor project.  Segment one involves the replacement of the bridge with an arched bascule bridge, along with approaches to the bridge, including a new traffic oval at South Capitol Street & Potomac Avenue and a traffic circle at South Capitol Street and Suitland Parkway. Segment two will reconstruct the Suitland Parkway and Interstate 295 interchange.  Future segments will include the reconstruction of the South Capitol Street corridor from M Street to Independence Avenue, part of which is making the South Capitol Street and M Street intersection at-grade. Funding for the first two segments is still pending so the start date of construction hasn't been determined.

Rendering courtesy of DDOT

- It was reported last week in the Washington Business Journal that Constitution Center sold for $734 million by MetLife, making it one of the most expensive commercial buildings ever in the District.  It was easier to sell the building once the building was fully leased.

- A concept plan was released for the exterior of the Randall Recreation Center based on feedback from a community meeting held last month. The plan includes a playground for children ages 2-12 and swings.  The dreary plaza area that fronts I Street would be replaced with freshened up landscaping, picnic tables, a spray plaza, game tables, sculptures, and a skate spot.  The revamped park space is supposed to be completed in 2013 and has already been funded by the city.

- The GSA has released a Request for Information (or RFI) for several parcels it owns in an area they have dubbed "Federal Triangle South." The RFI follows up on their Notice of Intent to release a RFI within the next 90 days back in September. The redevelopment of these parcels would result in the need for new office space for 5,300 Department of Energy employees, roughly 5,400 Federal Aviation Administration employees, and nearly 2,500 Department of Homeland Security employees.

According to the RFI, the vision of Federal Triangle South is the following:

Redeveloping FTS has the potential to transform an uninviting federal office precinct into an area that: 

• Provides right-sized, efficiently designed Federal facilities; 
• Includes sustainable land and smart buildings; 
• Successfully merges commercial, residential, civic, institutional, and green space; 
• Maintains a significant Federal presence along Independence Avenue; 
• Reintroduces portions of the L’Enfant Plan street grid.

Federal Triangle South?

Well that was fast.  Only a couple of months after finalizing the Southwest Ecodistrict Draft Plan, the General Services Administration issued a "Notice of Intent" to issue a Request for Information over the next 90 days for five properties the agency controls in the area, including its Regional Office Building at 7th & D Street.  The other properties include the Department of Energy's Forrestal Complex, the Cotton Annex, and two buildings occupied by the FAA.  The properties roughly create a triangle shape, bounded by Independence Avenue to the north, 12th Street to the west, and Maryland Avenue, parts of 9th Street, D Street, and 7th Street to the south.  In fact, the parcels are referred to as Federal Triangle South in the Notice of Intent. The RFI seeks to do the following:

• Gather market input on meeting Federal facility space needs
• Identify potential redevelopment and transaction structures
• Achieve best value to the Government, promote fair and transparent competition and discover the most beneficial technical and financial solution

 

This move by the GSA can potentially lead to the transformation of a large area adjacent to the National Mall into a lively, mixed-use environment.  However, with a name like Federal Triangle South, that doesn't exactly give off a "mixed use" vibe, given the way the original Federal Triangle looks right now.  Personally, I prefer the "Independence Quarter" moniker used in the SW Ecodistrict Draft Plan for the area.

A Few Quick Items: Development Map, Arena Stage Scales Back Institute, BoA Checking Out SE, Civilian BRAC Could Involve Deptartment of Energy, Constitution Center in Search of a Tenant

- I've created a new page on the blog with a development map showing projects that are either under construction or planned in Southwest. It's not complete, so other projects will be added in the coming days. Soon, I'll add a map showing projects that have recently been completed.

- Arena Stage is scaling back its American Voices New Play Institute according to The Washington Post.  From the article:

Underlining the challenges it faces in realizing its aspirations to be a national center for research, Arena Stage announced Wednesday that major components of its 2½-year-old American Voices New Play Institute are relocating to Emerson College in Boston.

The transfer will mean a loss of some key personnel who have been deeply involved in the molding of Arena’s widely talked-about play development programs. Most notably, David Dower — Arena’s associate artistic director and one of the chief architects of Arena’s transition to its refurbished complex in Southwest Washington — will be leaving in April for a new job at Emerson. Departing, too, is the institute’s director, Polly Carl, who joined Arena only last July from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and will be working with Dower in Boston.

More from the article:

What will leave with Dower and Carl are the institute’s online projects, run for the industry as a whole: the New Play Map, the live-streamed New Play TV and Howlround, a journal of provocative essays on American theater edited by Carl that has become a lively and popular digital forum.

In addition, Dower and Carl will run out of Emerson the industry “convenings” that had been based at Arena, on topics such as diversity, black playwrights and developing new work, though the company will continue to be an occasional site for the symposium.

The actual institute will remain at Arena, as well as Theater 101, which allows spectators to view a production as it evolves during the rehearsal process.

- JDLand reports that Bank of America is in negotiations with Monument Realty to move from their trailer at Waterfront Station to 55 M Street, SE. The current lease at Waterfront Station ends in December 2012, but the bank may leave sooner than that.

- The Washington Business Journal (subscribers only) reported a couple weeks ago that the disposition of federal property called for in a House bill dubbed "Civilian BRAC" would save the Federal government $565M over the next five years according to the Congressional Budget Office.  The bill includes the sale of the Department of Energy headquarters (the Forrestal Building straddles 10th Street near L'Enfant Plaza) as well as the move of the Federal Trade Commission to Constitution Center. The redevelopment of the DOE campus would go a long way towards jump-starting the Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative.

- Also in the WBJ (subscribers only), there's an article about Constitution Center and the search for a tenant to replace the SEC, who backed out of their lease a few months after taking 900K SF in the summer of 2010.  Since then, the SEC has worked with the GSA to find replacement tenants. The Federal Housing Financing Agency will start moving there in January and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency should move into their space by the end of next year. About 358K SF of space is still left to lease. Besides the pending legislation in Congress to move the Federal Trade Commission to Constitution Center (see above), the SEC and GSA are close to a deal with an undisclosed federal agency.

A Few Quick Items: Redistricting, Amidon-Bowen Library, Buzzard Point Stadium, SEC Lease Drama

- JDLand reports that the draft redistricting map has been released and the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood (as well as Near SE) will remain in Ward 6. In addition, the section of Ward 2 on the north side of the Southwest Freeway south of Independence Avenue will become a part of Ward 6.

- Amidon-Bowen Elementary School is one of five DC schools (42 schools nationwide) to receive a $200,000 grant from Target this summer, according to the Examiner.  From the article:

The minimum $200,000-per-school renovation will include light construction, technology updates, new furniture, carpet and shelves, and 2,000 books...Every student at the 42 selected schools and his or her siblings will receive seven new books. Target will also establish Meals for Minds pantry sites at each school to allow all students and their families to choose food to take home.

- More buzz about DC United's search for a new stadium site, this time from The Washington Post's Soccer Insider. The insider takes a tour of Buzzard Point to check out 100 V Street as a potential stadium location.

- The Washington Business Journal reports that the SEC and the GSA are having discussions about the lease the SEC signed at Constitution Center last year and the issues revolving around excess space the agency may or may not use.  In addition, the WBJ reports that the inspector general for the SEC says the agency could owe $94 million in damages for the space it leased but backed out of a few months later.

Patriots Plaza Almost Fully Leased

According to Real Estate Bisnow, Phases II & III of Patriots Plaza will most likely be fully leased by the end of the year (they are currently 95% leased to government tenants). Recent tenants include the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General and Office of the National Coordinator for Information Technology. There was an event at Arena Stage in late November hosted by Bisnow where real estate developers came together to talk about Southwest. In another article in Bisnow, a lawyer from Arent Fox that specializes in real estate development made some comments about the future of Southwest stemming from one of the panel discussions she moderated:

There really seem to be two “Southwests” (the GSA-dominated area at the edge of the Mall and the residential neighborhoods closer to the water). JBG's L’Enfant Plaza, PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette's Southwest Waterfront, and Forest City, Vornado/Charles E. Smith, and Bresler & Reiner's Waterfront Station will bring the quadrant together. “In five to 10 years, District residents will start to see Southwest as a live/work/play environment unlike any other in the city.

I would argue that Southwest is already unlike any other place in DC.

Phase One of L'Enfant Promenade Almost Complete

About a year ago, renovations began at L'Enfant Promenade, the retail area at L'Enfant Plaza. The first phase of renovations include a new food court near the Metro entrance. As a result of the renovation project, the 9th & D Street Metro entrance temporarily closed yesterday and will remain closed through December 8th. The closure will allow the installation of new windows facing the HUD building that will add more natural light to the promenade. Phase one will open January 2011 and then phase two will begin, which includes the remainder of the promenade and the installation of a large glass atrium to replace the pyramid currently used as a skylight. Nationally-recognized retail will open in the second phase - no restaurants have been announced yet for the first phase. The second phase won't open until fall/winter 2012.

Earlier this week, JBG released an updated rendering of a 650,000 SF office building planned for the plaza itself, which is much bolder than the earlier design for the building. The atrium will be located between the two sides of the office building. It is designed by SmithGroup and will aim for LEED-Platinum certification. The developer will look for a federal tenant for the space, since Southwest is considered to be the "Connecticut and K" for the GSA.

Update: There was an article in the Washington City Paper about whether I.M. Pei would get a say in how L'Enfant Plaza gets redeveloped, or if new buildings are proposed for the complex, since he designed most of the buildings. An example used in the article was a proposed campus tower at NYU among a complex of towers designed by Pei that was nixed by planners after Pei expressed his displeasure with the design.

Renderings courtesy of JBG

Switzer Building to Add Public Plaza

The street scape along a couple blocks of C Street will soon be enhanced with public plazas and an increase of green space, if the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approves the landscaping plans by the GSA for the Mary E. Switzer Building at its September meeting. Interior renovations are ongoing at the Switzer Building, which are scheduled to be complete by July 2011. Currently, the C Street frontage of the Switzer Building contains a 114-space surface parking lot and narrow sidewalks. The Cohen Building, which is similar in design to the Switzer Building and is located on the north side of C Street, also has a large surface parking lot along C Street.

There are three design alternatives under consideration for the Switzer Building, but all three alternatives will bring the following improvements: C Street, from 3rd Street to 4th Street, will be reduced to one lane in each direction, which will allow the sidewalks on both sides of the street to be widened; bulb-outs at the corners of 4th & C Street and 3rd & C Street; the installation of curb cuts and wheelchair ramps to comply with ADA regulations; a landscaped plaza on the north side of the building; street trees; a concession/coffee stand; public art to hide vent shafts; permanent perimeter security measures; install a back-up generator below-grade; provide Level IV security for the building; and use sustainable practices. Here are descriptions of the three design alternatives from the Environmental Assessment:

Alternative A
Under Alternative A, the entire existing surface parking lot on the north side of the building would be converted to landscaped plaza. The proposed design would combine both open lawn and fully planted landscaped panels. A coffee/concession stand accessible to the public would be installed at the east end of the plaza.

Alternative B
Alternative B proposes to convert the existing surface parking lot to a landscaped plaza. The landscaped plaza design would include open lawn panels opposite the two entrances with fully planted landscaped panels flanking
the lawns on the east and west ends. Surface parking for approximately 11 vehicles would be located at the center of the plaza and would be bordered on 4 sides by planting beds. The lot would be designed such that it could serve as an additional outdoor venue when not used for parking. A coffee/concession stand and small seating area would be installed at the east end of the plaza adjacent to the 3rd Street sidewalk.

Alternative C
Alternative C proposes to convert the existing surface parking lot to a landscaped plaza. The landscaped plaza design would include open lawn panels opposite the two entrances with fully planted landscaped panels flanking the lawns on the east and west ends. Surface parking for approximately 28 vehicles would be located at the center of the plaza and would be bordered on the north, east, and west sides by planting beds. The lot would be designed such that it could serve as an additional outdoor venue when not used for parking. A coffee/concession stand and small seating area would be installed at the east end of the plaza adjacent to the 3rd Street sidewalk.

These proposed improvements come on the heels of plans for Federal Building #8 next door, which is currently under renovation and will also incorporate elements of the Switzer Building landscaping plan. Other improvements in the SW Federal Center area include Eisenhower Square at 4th Street & Independence Avenue and the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial at 2nd Street and Washington Avenue.

The GSA prefers Alternative B and will make its case to the NCPC at the September 2nd meeting. Public comment is open on the proposal until August 9th.

Patriots Plaza Gets HHS Lease

The GSA, on behalf of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response – a part of the Department of Health & Human Services, has signed a 58,143 SF lease at Patriots Plaza II, according to the Washington Business Journal. With this signing, the building will be about 74% leased. The other tenant at Phase II is the FBI, which signed a lease in March. Both Phase II and III buildings were recently awarded LEED-Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

What Bloggers Are Saying About Southwest

- JDLand tweets about an article in the Navy Times, which describes efforts to bring the Navy Museum to the Southwest Waterfront, although the Navy itself isn't on board yet. Back in January, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells voiced his support for the move in a letter to Navy Admiral Gary Roughead.

- Over on DCMud, there's a post about the continued space needs of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even though their headquarters is being moved to St. Elizabeths in SE. The U.S. Coast Guard, which currently resides in Buzzard Point, will be one of the first agencies to make the move to St. Elizabeths, as their new headquarters is currently under construction. According to the DCMud post, the GSA will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for 1.1 million square feet of space to suit the needs of DHS. Constitution Center has 1.2 million square feet of empty space in a highly secure environment, so that complex is an obvious candidate for the RFP, but the space needs don't necessarily have to be filled in one building.