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.

National Mall Circulator Route to Restart

A new National Mall Circulator route makes its debut on Sunday, which will connect Union Station to the National Mall and Tidal Basin. Click on the map above to see where the stops will be located. A ceremonial ribbon cutting will be held tomorrow at 11am at the Lincoln Memorial with dignitaries including Mayor Bowser and DC Delegate Holmes Norton. Now the question is, when will the Convention Center-Buzzard Point Circulator route that was funded in the DC United stadium deal restart? Also, when will the Union Station-Navy Yard route extension to Waterfront Station occur?

A Few Quick Monday Evening Items: Water Taxi, SW History, Wharf Retail

Potomac Riverboat Company is now offering a new water taxi service on the Potomac River connecting Old Town Alexandria and National Harbor to the National Mall. The National Mall stop is located at West Basin and Ohio drives. The average trip time from Old Town Alexandria to the National Mall is approximately 30 minutes and from National Harbor to the National Mall is 45 minutes. Tickets are $14 one way or $28 round-trip for adults, and $8 O/W & $16 R/T for children.

SWNA will have its monthly meeting tomorrow at Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I Street), starting at 7pm. The meeting will include a presentation from Marjorie Lightman, Bill Zeisel, and Peter Sefton from QED Associates LLC, who will share their preliminary findings from a historic context study of Southwest that was commissioned by SWNA. The context study is a step in the process of establishing a Southwest Historic District.

In today's Real Estate Bisnow, Monty Hoffman from PN Hoffman is profiled. An interesting factoid about the retail planned at The Wharf was mentioned:

About two-thirds of The Wharf's restaurant space is under LOI, and celebrity chefs Mike Isabella, Robert Wiedemeyer, Stephen Starr, and Fabio Trabocchi are in talks for new concepts.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Buzzard Point Streetcar Line Study

DDOT is preparing to undertake a year-long study of a new streetcar line that will run from Buzzard Point to Takoma according to WAMU. The nine-mile line will run through the Southwest Waterfront, the National Mall, downtown, Shaw, Columbia Heights, and Petworth. With the exception of the end points, the streetcar route is similar to Metro's Green line. Presumably, the study of this line is related to the planned DC United stadium in Buzzard Point. From the article:

Once this initial study is completed and the environmental approval process is underway, DDOT will be looking for a contractor to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the streetcar, Metro buses whose routes are entirely within the District’s border, and D.C. Circulator – as part of a public-private partnership. Project spokeswoman Dara Ward said finding a contractor to handle all aspects of the transportation network’s construction and operations would speed up its completion.

Over the next several weeks, the public outreach campaign will begin and DDOT will meet with neighborhood stakeholders. This initial planning comes at the same time WMATA is looking to eliminate the 74 bus whose route is pretty similar to a portion of the streetcar route. Another bus route that may be eliminated is the 5A bus that goes from L'Enfant Plaza to Dulles Airport since the Silver line to Wiehle Avenue in Reston is set to open early next year.

New Douglass Bridge Process Moving Forward

There is $622 million set aside in the District’s FY2014 budget to fund Phase 1 (Segments 1 and 2) of the South Capitol Street Corridor project, which includes a new bascule design Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, traffic ovals on either side of the bridge, and the reconstruction of the I-295/Suitland Parkway interchange.  Federal funds will also be used for the project.  The second phase has yet to be funded and will include the boulevardization of South Capitol Street from N Street to Independence Avenue, a new, at-grade intersection with M Street, and other improvements on both sides of the Anacostia River.  

The western section of the bridge.

The new bridge will have three lanes of vehicular traffic on each side as well as space for pedestrians and bikes. There will be an 18-foot shared use bike and pedestrian lanes on both sides of the bridge with connections to Potomac Avenue and R Street on the west side of the river. Ten feet will be dedicated to a two-way cycle track and eight feet will be used for a pedestrian pathway. In addition, viewing platforms will be located along the bridge. A shared use path will be located in the inner part of the traffic oval.

Lane configuration on the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

A change from the earlier design of the bridge is its alignment, which will now be parallel to the existing bridge. Another difference is now there will be a traffic oval on the east side of the bridge instead of a traffic circle. The traffic oval on the west side will connect Nationals Park with the proposed DC United stadium and can serve as a focal point for the area, perhaps with a new memorial.

A new traffic oval will be built adjacent to the bridge.

DDOT will released a request for proposals in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a design-build team will be selected by the second quarter of 2014. Construction will begin by the end of 2014 and completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2018. During the construction period, some steps that will be taken to help minimize disruption to the neighborhood include the delivery of construction materials by water, the use of water trucks to reduce dust, designated haul routes, and no construction worker parking in neighborhoods.

Renderings courtesy of DDOT

Screen on the Green

Screen on the Green will be back this summer on the National Mall from 7th to 12th streets. There will be four movies shown on Monday evenings starting on July 22. Below is this year's lineup:

• Monday, July 22:  "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
• Monday, July 29: "Norma Rae"
• Monday, August 5: "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"
• Monday, August 12: "Tootsie"

Movies begin around dusk.

Takeaways from SW Ecodistrict Meeting

There was a SW Ecodistrict public meeting Tuesday night hosted by NCPC that discussed some options that are being contemplated for 10th Street, Banneker Park, and stormwater management throughout the ecodistrict. The Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative is comprehensive plan to create a sustainable mixed-use community in a 110-acre area south of the National Mall, which currently includes a significant amount of federal office space.  The slides from the meeting are available here. 

10th Street 

In the interim, there are plans to activate portions of 10th Street with programming. The street has a 150’ right-of-way and at some places, the distance from building to building is 230’. It was suggested that some street festivals that currently take place on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW could be accommodated on 10th Street from Independence to Maryland avenues. Perhaps the Southwest BID in the works could help bring some of that programming to 10th Street. Other ways to improve the street in the interim include furnishings, street painting, lighting, and wayfinding signage. 

In the long-term, it’s recommended that the right-of-way remain at 150’, but the median along 10th Street should be widened from 39’ to 52’ and the sidewalk and vehicle lanes be narrowed to accommodate a five-foot bike lane on both sides of the street. Different alternatives are available to allow trees of varying height to grow on 10th Street, which is built mostly on a bridge structure. In addition, there are three programmatic alternatives for the street – one emphasizes on hardscape (which would allow more flexibility for programming in the median); the second emphasizes on softscape (continuing the feel of the National Mall); and the third emphasizes on water (10th Street used to have water elements). Questions remain about whether the character of 10th Street should be more like a park, a street, linear, episodic, or formal in nature. 

A phased approach to improving the streetscape on 10th Street is preferred, since there is currently no financing dedicated to make improvements. Perhaps some of the funding can be obtained as a result of private development adjacent to the street, such as JBG’s plans for L’Enfant Plaza, or the GSA’s planned redevelopment of the area closest to Independence Avenue called Federal Triangle South. 

Banneker Park 

While there is currently no financing available for streetscape improvements along 10th Street, the developers of The Wharf will finance the construction of a temporary staircase connecting Maine Avenue with Banneker Park to facilitate access from the National Mall and L’Enfant Plaza Metro. Due to the grade change, the stairs can be straight, include switchbacks, or a combination of both. Design of the stair could be monumental, contemporary, natural, or have “District” features found in other areas of the city.

   

Banneker Park.

Stormwater Management 

Even though the amount of development in the SW Ecodistrict will increase to 15 million SF of space compared to about 10 million SF now, the amount of water usage is anticipated to decline. The design of the SW Ecodistrict will allow more stormwater to be captured on site and recycled instead of being sent untreated to the Washington Channel and the Anacostia River. Large cisterns can be built beneath 10th Street and other areas to help store water. Green roofs, flow through swales, and trees can help reduce runoff. In the summer, condensation from air conditioner coils can be collected to create potable water. Capturing and treating stormwater and grey water can be used for non-potable uses such as washing & irrigation while rain and well water can help satisfy potable water demand. 

Comments are being accepted on the SW Ecodistrict website until June 21. 

Rendering courtesy of NCPC

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.

Prepping for Inauguration Weekend

The presidential inauguration is nearly upon us and as such, the city is making preparations for large crowds to descend on the National Mall to see President Obama take the oath of office for his second term and the inaugural parade. A representative from DDOT briefed the community on the city's plans at Monday's ANC 6D meeting. While crowds are expected to be much smaller this time around than the estimated 1.8 million who visited the city back in 2009, between 500,000 and 800,000 people are anticipated to attend inaugural events this year. Above is a map of the pedestrian routes that will be used to access the National Mall and the parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. In Southwest, the main pedestrian routes will be along South Capitol Street, I Street, 4th Street, 7th Street, 15th Street, 17th Street, and Independence Avenue. Secret Service checkpoints in Southwest will be set up along Independence Avenue at 7th Street and 12th Street. For those who do not have tickets for the inauguration, the area of the National Mall from 4th Street to 12th Street will be available for viewing the ceremony on jumbotron screens. Parking restrictions will be in place on Inauguration Day along Maine Avenue and M Street from the Maine Avenue Fish Market to New Jersey Avenue, SE. Buses won't be parked on the streets as they were in 2009 - buses will need to park at RFK Stadium or a pay parking lot - ones that will be used in Southwest include 1st & V Streets in Buzzard Point and 14th & D Streets. There will be a maximum of 2,500 buses permitted in the city and about 300 of them are expected to park in Southwest.  None of these buses will be allowed to use local streets and National Guard personnel will be stationed at key intersections to enforce the ban. A taxi stand will be located long E Street from 4th to 6th Streets.  In addition, a water taxi will operate from Alexandria and will drop off passengers at the Gangplank Marina.  Metro will open on Monday at 4am and will stay open until 2am with rush hour and peak fare until 9pm, but the Smithsonian, Archives/Navy Memorial, and Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center stations will be closed. Metrobus will operate on a normal weekday morning rush hour schedule followed by an early afternoon rush hour schedule. Some routes will be diverted that usually traverse the National Mall. Another way to get around is Capital Bikeshare, which will have a bike corral on Inauguration Day at 12th Street and Independence Avenue; however, two stations along Jefferson Drive at 12th & 14th Streets will be closed that day.

Pedestrians on 7th Street during the 2009 Inauguration

Local schools, including Amidon-Bowen Elementary and Jefferson Academy will be used as warming areas and a large 100' x 100' tent will be erected in Lansburgh Park for additional inaugural activities. DCPS buses will be stationed in various locations to serve as warming stations, including a couple at Lansburgh Park.  For more information about the inauguration, check out the website set up by the city.

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.

SW Ecodistrict Draft Released

The National Capital Planning Commission released the SW Ecodistrict Draft Plan last week.  The plan proposes to transform a 15-block predominantly federal precinct located just south of the National Mall into a highly sustainable, walkable neighborhood that connects the Mall and the Southwest Waterfront, and becomes a showcase of sustainable urban development and the site for new nationally significant memorials, museums, and events.  The proposed SW Ecodistrict comprises almost 110-acres bounded by Independence Avenue, Maine Avenue, 12th Street, and 4th Street.  I've written about the process on several occasions, so I won't go into much detail here about what the plan contains, but following are some highlights:


The plan suggests to re-create and connect streets throughout the Ecodistrict, including Maryland Avenue, Virginia Avenue, and 9th Street.  New pedestrian connections will also be created throughout.


The draft plan proposes four focus areas that would transform the area:

• Independence Quarter: A mixed-use community anchored by a new U.S. Department of Energy headquarters. The Forrestal Headquarters would be redeveloped with uses including residential, hotel, museums, and office.
• Maryland Avenue: A restored urban boulevard centered on a re-imagined park and an expanded L’Enfant Station intermodal center.  The DC Department of Planning released a draft plan for the Maryland Avenue corridor that was approved by the DC Council earlier this year.

An expanded L'Enfant commuter rail station.

• 10th Street and Banneker Park: An inviting civic corridor connecting the National Mall to the SW Waterfront, highlighted by Banneker Park—a nationally significant cultural destination. The demolition of the Forrestal complex would open views along 10th Street to the Smithsonian Castle.

Rendering of the 10th Street corridor.

A redesigned Banneker Park.

• Southwest Freeway: A collection of private mixed-use development and solar panels built on air rights over the SW Freeway. A deck over I-395 would stretch from 12th Street to 9th Street while solar panels would be installed from 9th Street to east of 7th Street.

Aerial view of the SW Ecodistrict.

The public comment period on the draft plan will last until September 10.  If you want to learn more about the draft plan, there will be a public meeting tomorrow from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at 1100 4th Street, second floor.

Renderings courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission

A Few Quick Items: Capitol Park Tower TOPA, Wharf to Zoning Commission, Senate Passes Wharf Legislation, Redesign of National Mall

- It was reported in the Housing Complex blog that Capitol Park Tower apartments is under contract to Urban Investment Partners. According to the post, the tenants are trying to pull resources together to purchase the building, with 50% +1 of tenants needed to enforce their Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) rights.  Capitol Park Tower is located at 4th & G Street and contains 488 rent-controlled units.  It is part of the Capitol Park development, which was the first residential development built in Southwest after urban renewal.

- A setdown for the Stage 2 PUD application of Phase I of The Wharf development was granted unanimously by the Zoning Commission last week. The Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team will go before ANC 6D within the next couple of months to get support for their Stage 2 PUD application before they meet with the Zoning Commission this summer.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

- On a related note, the Senate passed legislation to allow the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront to proceed as planned according to The Hill, which will allow the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team to build piers into the Washington Channel, as well as allow the sale of fruits, vegetables, and other items at the Maine Avenue Fish Market. The Maine Lobsterman statue, which is maintained by the National Park Service, must remain somewhere along the waterfront. The House of Representatives already passed similar legislation, but an amendment was added in the Senate version regarding navigation of the Washington Channel, so the House will need to vote again before the bill can be signed by the President. 

- Design alternatives have been released for three areas of the National Mall and were on display at the Smithsonian Castle, according to The Washington Post.  The three areas include Constitution Gardens, the Washington Monument grounds, and Union Square near the Capitol.  Four finalists have been chosen for each area and a winner for each will be announced next month. Check out the Post's photo gallery for renderings. 

A Stroll Down 4th Street

View 4th Street Development in a larger map

There is a lot of construction activity either underway or planned along 4th Street with something going on at almost every block from the National Mall to N Street. Above is a map of construction projects along the corridor with a summary of each project listed below from north to south.

Going south on 4th from the National Mall, the first project that comes up is the reseeding of the lawn on a section of the Mall stretching from 7th Street to 3rd Street. 

After crossing Independence Avenue, the west side of the street in front of the Department of Education will be transformed into a memorial to President Eisenhower. The memorial will take up the rectangle bordered by 6th Street to the west, Independence Avenue to the north, 4th Street to the east, and the Department of Education headquarters to the south. There’s been a lot of controversy over the memorial’s design, done by famed architect Frank Gehry.

Image courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP

On the next block between C Street and D Street, renovations continue at the Mary E. Switzer federal building. Interior work is being done, along with the creation of green space along C Street that will replace the surface parking lot that once was there.

At the northwest corner of 4th & E Streets, the new Consolidated Forensic Laboratory (CFL) is nearing completion.  I took a tour of the building last fall (unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside) which will include a forensic lab, MPD test firing range, and the coroner’s office.  Interior build-out is underway.

On the southwest corner of the intersection, a new office building with the address 400 E Street will replace the parking lot, and a new Engine 13 firehouse will be on the ground floor on the 4th Street side. In addition, there will be space on the E Street side for DC Central Kitchen and KidPower. A sign on the lot says the building will deliver in the 4th Quarter of 2013, but I don’t see that deadline being met since a major tenant hasn’t been lined up yet for the office building and construction has not begun.

Rendering courtesy of WDG Architecture

On 4th Street from School Street to I Street, a bike lane has been created on either side of the street.  The bike lanes were supposed to be installed a couple years ago shortly after the I Street to M Street segment was done, but better late than never I guess.

Potomac Place Tower, the condo conversion by Monument Realty at 800 4th Street has sold over 80% of its 396 units and is the largest condo project currently selling in the city.

The northeast and northwest parcels of Waterfront Station are currently slated for residential.  Construction on the northwest parcel may begin in 2014 once Sky House Apartments are completed a couple blocks south. The District owns the northeast parcel and the timetable for issuing a RFP has not been determined yet.

Construction at Sky House I Apartments began in February, the conversion of the former EPA towers at Waterfront Station by Urban Atlantic and the JBG Companies. Upon completion, both buildings will contain 530 apartments with 20% set aside as affordable housing for households earning up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI).

The two vacant lots (well, one of those lots has a Bank of America trailer) at Waterfront Station fronting M Street are slated for office buildings.  No timetable has been set yet for construction.  

Tiber Island is planning to redo the stark, wind-swept plaza area that connects the four towers at the complex with a new oval-shaped fountain, seating, a pergola, and plantings.

 Rendering courtesy of SmithGroup

New Bike Lanes

Bike lanes have been installed along 4th Street from School Street to I Street and also on I Street from 7th Street to 6th Street & 3rd Street to South Capitol Street and beyond. Above is a photo of the new bike lanes on the 800 block of 4th Street. Eventually, the 4th Street bike lanes will go north all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue and south to P Street. Bike lanes were installed on 4th between I Street and M Street when that road reopened in 2010 and the rest of the street was supposed to be completed the same year, but the installation was delayed. Renovations are ongoing at the Mary E. Switzer federal office building between C & D Streets, closing off part of 4th Street, so I imagine once that is complete, the bike lanes will be installed to connect residential Southwest to the National Mall.  Several bikers already use 4th Street as a commuter route and there are two Capital Bikeshare stations on the street - one at Waterfront Station (4th & M Streets) and the other next to Patriots Plaza (4th & E Streets).  The pre-existing I Street bike lanes were installed a couple of years ago from 6th Street to 3rd Street.   According to the DC Bicycle Master Plan, bike lanes will also be installed on 3rd Street between I and M Streets, portions of M Street, 1st Street, O Street, and Potomac Avenue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Bikeshare Stations Proposed for the Southwest Portion of the National Mall

View Proposed Capital Bikeshare Stations on the National Mall in a larger map 

The National Park Service has proposed to place five Capital Bikeshare stations on the National Mall. Check the above map for the locations of each proposed station, which are all located in the Southwest portion of the Mall. These locations are near popular attractions including the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. When the citywide bikeshare program debuted in 2010, NPS was against installing stations on the Mall, but they changed their mind last fall. The proposed stations are scheduled to be installed this spring, perhaps in time for the month-long National Cherry Blossom Festival. These new stations will double the number of Capital Bikeshare locations in Southwest to 10.

ARTLAB+ Opens at Hirshhorn

Over the summer, renovations at the Sculpture Garden of the Hirshhorn Museum resulted in the creation of ARTLAB+, a free after school and weekend community center for teens. Below is an explanation of what ARTLAB+ does, from their website:

What is the ArtLab?

• A community center outfitted with digital media tools located in the Sculpture Garden of the Hirshhorn Museum

• A drop-in zone for DC area teens to come after school and on the weekend

• A place to experiment with visual and audio technology

• An online space to communicate with other ARTLAB+ teens through a social network

• A resource to meet and work with artist mentors

• A network of interest-based clubs where teens can plan social events

• A studio where teens form production teams and create media projects

• A classroom hosting short and long-term workshops for teens and school groups

What do teens in ARTLAB+ programs do?

• Hang out with other like-minded peers

• Form clubs with teens who share similar interests

• Create production teams and take on their own projects

• Learn the media skills they want to learn from mentors and experts

• Design and compose videos, animations, websites, games, podcasts, and more

• Visit the Hirshhorn and other Smithsonian museums for research and inspiration

• Make unique products for use by Hirshhorn Museum visitors

• Give back to local communities by voicing their opinions on important district and regional issues

ARTLAB+ programs include advance registration workshops (a new one called Art Breakers is starting on November 15 and registration is now open) and club meetings that unite teens who share common interests in gaming, radio broadcasting, photography, or music. Also, teens can simply drop in and explore, hang out, work with mentors on digital projects, etc. during open hours: Mon.-Fri. from 3 to 7 pm, and Sat. from noon to 5 pm. The Hirshhorn is located at 7th Street and Independence Avenue.

A Few Quick Items: On the Ground Floor in SW, Buzzard Point, Circulator Changes, DC CAS Tests, SW Duck Pond

- UrbanTurf writes about the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood's potential to become "the next hot neighborhood" in DC. The article includes a couple quotes from me, so go check it out!

- JDLand reports that the Florida Rock concrete plant across from Nationals Park on Potomac Avenue, SE will be razed, but it will be moved a few blocks away to another Florida Rock Properties-owned site in...you guessed it, Buzzard Point, located at S Street and the Anacostia River.

- DDOT announced that there will be some changes made to DC Circulator routes starting on April 1.  The National Mall loop will be discontinued.  Also, the SW Waterfront-Convention Center route will be changed slightly in Southwest.  The route will run along Maine Avenue instead of Water Street to accommodate construction of the new Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, which should be complete by early July.  However, it is recommended in a new Transit Development Plan for the Circulator to suspend the SW Waterfront-Convention Center route until development at The Wharf and O Street Market in Shaw are further along.  This route is one of the most subsidized out of the six Circulator routes because of low ridership. Another recommendation is to create a new route, from Dupont Circle down to the Mall area, running along Maine Avenue to the Navy Yard.  This new route would most likely be introduced within the next couple of years.  DDOT will host a meeting tomorrow at the Capital Hilton, located at 16th & K Street, NW from 6-9pm where the public can comment about the proposed changes to Circulator routes.  Comments can also be made online.

- Volunteers are needed next week to help monitor students at Jefferson Middle School as they take their DC CAS tests.  Monitors will sit in the classrooms with teachers.  The tests will take place from 9am - 11am Tuesday - Friday.  If anyone is interested to volunteer for any of those days, contact Ms. Nedra Jones at Jefferson Middle School at 729-3270, or nedra.jones@dc.gov.

- Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells introduced legislation yesterday to change the name of the park at the corner of 6th & I Street to the "Southwest Duck Pond."  Monthly clean-ups have been done by the Neighbors of Southwest Duck Pond group at the park since last year and they have made great progress towards rehabbing the neglected park.  There will be a press event on Saturday at 12:30pm to activate the fountains for the season at the park, announce the Volunteer of the Year for 2010, as well as an announcement about the future of the park.  Council member Wells is expected to attend.

SW Ecodistrict Public Comment Forum Created

There was a meeting last month held by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to discuss the Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative, an area roughly comprised of the Southwest Federal Center west of 4th Street to 12th Street (including L'Enfant Plaza) and south to Banneker Overlook. The two main corridors that will be analyzed in this district is 10th Street (connecting the National Mall to the Southwest Waterfront) and Maryland Avenue (connecting the Capitol and the Jefferson Memorial). The DC Office of Planning will conduct a study of the Maryland Avenue corridor this summer and the NCPC is exploring the feasibility of decking part of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway from just west of 10th Street over to 9th Street. To follow up with the meeting, a lot of information has been posted on the SW Ecodistrict website, including a public comment forum. If you want to comment about the Ecodistrict plan, sign-up to use the forum - the public comment period will end on April 15th.

Rendering courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

A Couple Quick Items

- Actress Meryl Streep does her part to get the Senate to pass legislation to allow the purchase of federal property to build the National Women's History Museum at 12th Street and Independence Avenue by attending a fundraiser last week at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, according to WTOP. The House of Representatives passed the bill last October. Streep is an honorary board member for the group working to build the museum and serves as its national spokeswoman.

- Also from WTOP, the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $4.6 million contract to Hirani Engineering and Land Surveying to start construction on a levee system next month on 17th Street, NW on the National Mall. A new floodplain map was recently done that shows parts of Southwest and downtown now fall under the flood plain, which prompted the city to get the levee built. Here is a map that shows which areas of the city now fall under the flood plain. Properties that fall in the new flood plain are required to get flood insurance, but this insurance will be temporary, since the levee will cause the flood plain map to change once the construction project is complete in 2011.