Audi Field Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

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

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

Ground Broken for New Douglass Bridge

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on Tuesday for the new Frederick Douglass Bridge at the site of the new bridge in Buzzard Point. Mayor Bowser, DDOT Director Jeff Marootian, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Congressman Steny Hoyer, DC Council members Charles Allen and Trayon White, and Federal Highway Administration DC Division Administrator Chris Lawson were all there and spoke about the project’s benefits. Bridge construction will last about four years with completion scheduled for 2021. Below are some pictures from the groundbreaking event.

DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton

Construction crane at foot of bridge

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD)

Chris Lawson with FHA DC Division

DDOT Administrator
Jeff Marootian

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen

Ground is officially broken 

On the way to the ground breaking ceremony, I walked by the construction site of Audi Field, which is still on schedule to open by mid-July. A topping off ceremony was held last month and since then, work has begun on installing the facade of the stadium.  Infrastructure work continues on the roads around the stadium, including Potomac Avenue, which will receive new sidewalks, gutters, trees, and street furniture. Earlier this year, Half Street south of Potomac Avenue reopened to traffic where similar improvements were also made to that street. 2nd Street south of R Street remains closed to traffic as work will be done on that street to create a bike lane and other improvements.

New street lights on Half Street

Beginning of work on stadium's facade

View west of stadium from Half Street

New sidewalk on Potomac Avenue

Street furniture on Potomac Avenue

New South Capitol Street Bridge Design

A new design for the replacement Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge which brings South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River was revealed yesterday at a press event with Mayor Bowser, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, and other dignitaries. The new design is a departure from the previous version that looked more traditional and swung open to allow large boats to traverse the Anacostia. Since the display ship U.S.S. Barry that was docked at the Navy Yard was dismantled and moved, there was no longer a need to have a swing span bridge so the design was updated. According to a press release, the new bridge design includes three above-deck arches that capture the District’s arch history, two piers that will appear to float in the river, and four pedestrian overlooks. The new bridge will carry six lanes of vehicular traffic (three on each side), as well as bike and pedestrian lanes on each side of the bridge. In addition to the new bridge, traffic ovals will be built on both sides of the bridge – the oval on the west side of the river will connect South Capitol Street with Potomac Avenue and Q Street.  

Current bridge

New bridge

The bridge project is part of the South Capitol Street Corridor Project, a two-phase project that will eventually include additional improvements to South Capitol Street and adjacent streets on both sides of the river. On the west side of the river, improvements in phase II will reach all the way to the intersection with the Southwest freeway. Construction on the first phase will begin in late 2017 and will run through 2021. More images and an animated video showing the bridge project can be found on the project website.

Buzzard Point Vision Framework Plan

Over the past several months, the District Office of Planning has been working on a vision framework plan for Buzzard Point, a peninsula which has been isolated from the rest of Southwest for several decades and up until now has been dominated by industrial uses. However, that is all about to change. There are several major projects happening in the area over the next few years, from a soccer stadium to a new Frederick Douglass bridge, to a Pepco substation, and with these improvements, there will likely be more interest in the Buzzard Point area. A Draft Urban Design Framework Plan was released back in 2014. 

From the current Plan: 

The vision for Buzzard Point is to create a lively compact neighborhood, establish a strong public realm, enhance the environment, improve transportation connections, and leverage public investment in the soccer stadium and the South Capitol Street corridor project to serve as catalysts and anchors for additional development. 

If the principles from the framework plan are fully implemented over the next 10-15 years, Buzzard Point could yield approximately 11.3 million SF of development, of which 6.6 million SF would be dedicated to residential, or 6,040 housing units. Through inclusionary zoning, 480 of those residential units would be created as affordable housing. Under existing zoning, approximately 16.6 million SF of development is possible, with 9.0 million SF of it dedicated to housing, or 8,170 housing units – 570 of those units would be affordable housing. 

Waterfront Park concept at South Capitol & S streets

According to the framework plan, the new Buzzard Point will make the Anacostia River the focus of the neighborhood with a series of open spaces and plazas along the water, which would extend the Anacostia Riverfront Trail through the area and portions of it could extend into the river. One of these plazas would be located at South Capitol and S streets and could contain a proposed Maritime Museum on its southern edge. Another plaza would be located at the terminus of 2nd Street, adjacent to James Creek Marina and the Transpoint Building, as well as at the terminus of other north-south streets. Aquatic vegetation can be planted along the river’s edge to help soften the shoreline and clean the river. The planned park within the traffic oval should be programmed with activities and a portion of it could be set aside as a future memorial site. Any commercial buildings planned around the oval should help define the space with entrances facing the oval. 

Oval Park concept

Potomac Avenue would serve as the grand entrance point to the neighborhood and will be where the majority of soccer fans access the new DC United stadium. Half Street would serve as a tree-lined pedestrian thoroughfare without curb cuts while 1st Street would be a service street. The majority of storm water collection would happen along 2nd Street due to its lower elevation compared to surrounding streets. This street would also serve as a bikeway. Meanwhile, east-west streets would serve as local service streets. 

DC United stadium plaza

Commercial development would be concentrated near the planned traffic oval (Pepco Park?) on South Capitol Street, while residential development would be located primarily on the northern and southern ends of the peninsula. Meanwhile, retail nodes would be created in different areas, including along Potomac Avenue and at South Capitol and S streets. A buffer zone with less-intensive development is planned to help shield the residential neighborhood to the north of Buzzard Point and orient development to the east toward the rest of the Capitol Riverfront BID area. In addition, building heights would be lower along the riverfront and gradually increase in height further away from the water. 

Transportation is key in order to accommodate the thousands of soccer fans and new residents. The framework plan identifies bike routes, pedestrian priority corridors, a Circulator line, and potential streetcar routes through Buzzard Point, but also encourages the flow of cars on several smaller streets instead of relying on a few arterials. No parking lots are planned for the new DC United stadium, but several lots within Buzzard Point and to the north (many already used by Nationals Park patrons) have been identified for use during game days. 

For more information about the framework plan, the full document is available here. SWNA is hosting a community meeting tomorrow evening at 1101 4th Street, Second Floor at 7pm where the Office of Planning and other District agencies will be available to answer questions about the plan.

Renderings courtesy of DC Office of Planning and DC United

DC United Stadium PUD Application Filed

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned for more about this project.

Renderings courtesy of DC United

Pepco to Increase Name Recognition in Buzzard Point

In addition to a new substation, Pepco is planning to place its name on a few other pieces of real estate in Buzzard Point. According to the Washington Business Journal, the utility company paid the District $25 million in a sponsorship deal which would allow the following in Buzzard Point, among other neighborhoods across the city: 

• Rename a four-block stretch of Half Street between Potomac Avenue and V Street as “Pepco Place” along with new signage. 
• Designate the planned traffic oval on South Capitol Street at the foot of the new Frederick Douglass Bridge as “Pepco Park.” 

The DC Council authorized DPR to allow corporate sponsorship of its facilities when it passed its 2012 budget. Then-council member Muriel Bowser sponsored the original legislation. According to DCist: 

Buried in the 209-page-long Budget Support Act, the provision would allow the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to "contract for, pursuant to all applicable contracting and procurement guidelines, advertisements and sponsorship for recreation centers, fields, pools, and play courts within the Department's inventory."…The provision would also allow for the establishment of "friends groups" -- organizations of residents willing to help maintain their local parks and recreation centers, be it by maintaining them or raising funds to help improve them. Additionally, fees gathered from developers seeking exemptions from zoning laws will go towards parks and recreation centers located in the ANC where the development is to take place. 

In Southwest, “friends groups” have been created for multiple DPR facilities, including the SW Duck Pond and the 3rd and I Streets Park, and one may be formed for Randall Recreation Center. Meanwhile, Under Armour will have its logo on the new turf field it’s helping to finance at Randall Field, which is currently under construction. 

Most of the $25 million contributed by Pepco has already been used by the District government to place in escrow, covering the cost of acquiring Akridge’s two-acre parcel in the planned soccer stadium footprint through eminent domain. According to the Bowser administration, the Pepco sponsorship deal is separate from negotiations to support the Pepco-Exelon merger, but yesterday at a press conference in Buzzard Point by environmentalists and good government groups, they claim the two are related and are calling for an ethics investigation, as reported in The Washington Post.

Renderings courtesy of DDOT and DGS

New DC United Soccer Stadium Renderings

Coinciding with the start of the World Cup in Brazil and ahead of the first DC Council hearing on the soccer stadium deal later this month, DC United has released new renderings of the planned $300 million stadium at 2nd and R streets in Buzzard Point, which has been designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport). Populous also designed Nationals Park down the street and FedEx Field, in addition to Sporting Park for the MLS team in Kansas City. The Buzzard Point stadium will seat 20-25,000 fans and will host MLS matches; international friendlies; high school & college lacrosse, football, and rugby; concerts; cultural events; meetings; and banquets. Check out some of the renderings below (courtesy of DC United): 

View of the stadium from Potomac Avenue.

View of DC United Plaza.

View of the north Main Concourse.

View of pitch from lower level seating area.

As currently designed, the length of the stadium’s pitch will run along 2nd Street from R to T streets and the width will cover approximately one block from 2nd to 1st streets. Potomac Avenue will end in a traffic circle at 1st Street and will turn into R Street for one block until it terminates at 2nd Street. The portion of R Street that currently exists from Potomac Avenue to Half Street will disappear and become part of a large plaza that will front the stadium. A group of small buildings will line most of Half Street except for the northern-most section that will be part of the plaza. (see below rendering) The southeastern corner of the stadium footprint at Half and T streets will still contain Pepco’s outdoor substation, so some screening will need to be done to cover that up until a new substation building is constructed at 1st and Q streets. Power is no longer generated at the Buzzard Point Power Plant, which is located at Half and V streets. 

View of the stadium toward the southwest.

The first DC Council hearing will take place at the Wilson Building downtown on June 26, starting at 9:30am.

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