Events Announced for Audi Field Opening

As anticipated, D.C. United has released a schedule of events for the next five days leading up to its inaugural match at Audi Field. Here’s a rundown of what is planned so far, which is also located here:  

• Monday: There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for Audi Field and Housewarming Party from 4:30 to 7pm, located at the NW gate at R and 2nd streets. 
• Tuesday & Wednesday: The club will hold World Cup watch parties at Fado Irish pub and Freedom Plaza downtown. 
• Thursday: There will be an inaugural match ticket giveaway at 10AM via social media. 
• Friday: Happy hour at Bardo Beer Garden from 4:30 to 6:30pm, which is located across South Capitol Street next to Dock 79 apartments in Near SE/Navy Yard/Capitol Riverfront. 
• Saturday (Matchday): The new fan plaza near the NE entrance of Audi Field at Potomac Avenue and Half Street will open at 4pm and will feature a live concert by White Ford Bronco. In addition, there will be a beer garden, games, food trucks, free D.C. United swag, and a fan photo mosaic. Fans can use the hashtag #UnitedAtHome when taking a picture throughout the week and the photo will be added to a photo time capsule that will be hung permanently at the stadium. The Club Shop on the R Street side of the stadium will also open at 4pm. Gates open at 6pm.

This post will be updated with any other opening-related events.

T-Minus 30 Days...

One month from today, D.C. United will host its inaugural match at Audi Field in Buzzard Point, against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Construction in and around the stadium is starting to reach the homestretch (wrong sports analogy) with the pitch now installed, concession areas starting to come into shape, and infrastructure around Audi Field resembling streets in other parts of the city with bike lanes and functional traffic lights along Half Street. Below are some more pictures of the stadium exterior. 

Intersection of R and 2nd streets

View east on R Street

Team store on R Street

2nd Street facade and cycle track

South side of Audi Field on T Street

Meanwhile, DDOT has announced special game-day service to Audi Field, although due to road closures anticipated on opening day, this service won’t be available on July 14. In addition to changing the Navy Yard-Union Station route on a daily basis to L’Enfant Plaza-Eastern Market via M Street starting on June 24, game-day service will bring the Circulator south off of M Street to Half Street with a stop at Half & O streets, then turning left onto Potomac Avenue with a second stop at Potomac Avenue & Half Street serving Audi Field, then across South Capitol Street and left onto 1st Street, SE before turning back onto M Street SE. The route will take this detour east- and west-bound. 

In addition, a new Capital Bikeshare station will be installed in the vicinity of the stadium, although its exact location has not been finalized yet.

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

Photo Tour Part 2: Buzzard Point

Over in Buzzard Point, progress is being made at Audi Field (the new home of D.C. United) at 2nd and R streets and construction of a Pepco substation across R Street from the stadium site. The former is scheduled to open in June 2018 while the latter is much further along. Groundbreaking for Audi Field occurred back in February, but environmental remediation started months prior. At the July ANC meeting, Victor Melara from D.C. United stated that most of the environmental remediation was complete - just one area was left to finish. Precast seating bowl installation along the west side of the stadium was supposed to start in late July. Site utility installation was also expected to start in late July. On the south side of the stadium, basement excavation is complete and grade beams are being installed.

The Pepco Waterfront substation project includes the substation structure, transmission lines, and the installation of duct banks. The substation structure is nearly complete, but electrical work still needs to be completed.  Duct banks north and west of the substation also need to be installed. Pepco is partnering with the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities to bring artwork worth $250,000 to the planned plaza on the south side of the substation at 1st and R streets near Audi Field. A sculpture designed by local artists David and Eli Hess called Flash Point will be located in the plaza. An additional $100,000 will be spent to adorn portions of the exterior of the substation with a light installation from local artists. 

East aerial view of Audi Field.

Pepco substation at 1st & Q streets.

Construction Progress at Audi Field

Vertical construction is underway at Audi Field, the future home of D.C. United at 2nd and R streets in Buzzard Point. The most visible portion so far is on the western side of the construction site along 2nd Street, where a portion of the stands has been erected. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred in February after the Zoning Commission approved the PUD for the project, but site work was underway for several months prior. A webcam has been installed so you can keep track of construction progress. Across R Street from the stadium site is the new Pepco substation, which is concurrently under construction. Its brick exterior is visible in the photo below looking north. An easement for Pepco transmission lines runs below the stadium site and will connect to the new substation. 

Audi Field will contain about 20,000 seats and 31 luxury suites. An adjacent site on the east side of the stadium will eventually contain mixed-use development, likely to be retail and residential. The stadium is scheduled to be completed around June 2018, so D.C. United will need to play the first portion of their season on the road since their lease at RFK ends this year.

Audi Field Breaks Ground

While I was out of town, D.C. United decided to hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for Audi Field (the nerve!) at Buzzard Point. Alas, I was unable to get a picture of the ceremonial shovels digging in the ground, but below is a photo from when the District started site work several months ago. You can also check out coverage of the groundbreaking ceremony from several sources: 

• DC United 
• MLS 
• NBC 4 
• Sports Illustrated 
• Washington Business Journal 
• Washington Post 
• WJLA 

The 19,400-seat stadium will open during the 2018 MLS season at 2nd and R streets. While not as contentious as the Washington Nationals baseball stadium deal more than a decade ago, the D.C. United stadium deal had its share of drama, including a land swap proposal, eminent domain, and flirtations with moving the club to Prince George’s County and Baltimore. 

Rendering courtesy of D.C. United

More Stadium Drama

ANC 6D met earlier this month to vote on whether to support the D.C. United stadium PUD project at 2nd and R streets in Buzzard Point. The venue is planned as a 19,100-seat soccer stadium that can also be used for other events, including concerts and other sporting events. During the ANC meeting, Victor Melara, Director of Community Relations for D.C. United described some additional community benefits the team has agreed to, including $50,000 for an air purifier system at the construction site; a health fair for Buzzard Point residents; and monthly community meetings to be held at King-Greenleaf Recreation Center. John Knight from architectural firm Populous reviewed the design of the stadium and a representative from Gorove/Slade did a transportation review. 

The ANC voted unanimously to withhold support for the project until a variety of items have been addressed by the team. One of the major outstanding issues yet to be resolved is transportation. There are few roads in and out of the Buzzard Point peninsula, so game-day at the stadium could cause traffic gridlock. Although there are no parking spaces on-site at the stadium, the team identified more than 7,000 off-street parking spaces that could be used during games – about 3,700 spaces have already been secured. Projected demand ranges from 2,700 to 3,900 spaces. Many of these spaces are also used by the Nationals, but the two teams have agreed to coordinate their schedules so none of their games occur concurrently. Also, the nearest Metro stations are more than a half mile away, so pedestrians will need to cross South Capitol Street in order to access the stadium from the Navy Yard Metro. Construction on the new Frederick Douglass Bridge and traffic oval will not be complete before the stadium opens, so this may pose a hazard for pedestrians. While Waterfront Metro is a secondary access point for the stadium, using this option would drive pedestrian traffic through residential neighborhoods.

Environmental issues also remain a major concern for the ANC. The stadium site is contaminated and a voluntary environmental clean-up is necessary to prepare it for development. However, the ANC wants to make sure best practices are in place for the clean-up, preventative remediation measures provided to the community (such as air purifiers, dust mats, and vacuums) and the health of nearby residents is monitored. One audience member who lives near the stadium site complained of a burning sensation in his throat, likely due to work being done in the area.

Meanwhile, a campaign effort by a group of developers to force D.C. United to improve the stadium design ahead of November’s Zoning Commission hearing has resulted in additional changes to the project. Fliers have been circulated around the community documenting some of the issues the developers have with the stadium design, which include the lack of retail along the perimeter (except for a team store on R Street), no on-site parking, minimal vehicular access on 1st Street, and noise (the preliminary design included covered seating around the stadium, but the current one has it only on the east and west sides). Since the ANC meeting, the team has come to an “agreeable solution” with the neighboring developers, but needs more time to revise architectural drawings. The Zoning Commission was scheduled to meet on November 2 to discuss the stadium PUD, but the hearing has been postponed to November 28 in order for the team to further revise its application. This will give the ANC the opportunity to review the revised application and perhaps change their stance on the stadium project.

Renderings courtesy of D.C. United

Revised Stadium PUD Application

Last week, D.C. United submitted a revised PUD application for their planned 19,000-seat, LEED-Gold stadium on Buzzard Point and released new renderings via social media. Compare to the original filing from January.  The application was revised based on comments from the Zoning Commission back in the spring. In their letter to the Zoning Commission, submitted with the application, the team identifies two major changes to the stadium design, including: 

• A two-way private street will run along the east side of the stadium site. This street is an extension of 1st Street and will be open to the public on non-game days, but closed on days when D.C. United has a match. The street will allow a pedestrian and vehicular connection north-south through the site. It will be 23 feet wide with sidewalks on both sides of the street, ranging from 13 feet to 30 feet. South of S Street, there will only be a sidewalk on the west side of the street. On the south side of the stadium site, there will be a coffee shop and the team offices. 

1st Street extension (stadium is at left)

Main entry gate (1st Street extension & Potomac Avenue)

• The PUD boundary now includes the large plaza located on the northeast portion of the stadium site near the main entrance. The southern edge of the plaza will have a canopy park with trees, seating area and structural canopies for vendors to use or for farmers’ markets. In the middle of the plaza, there will be a sculpture with the letters “D.C. United”. On non-game days, the D.C. United sculpture letters will be surrounded by a splash fountain. The plaza will be activated on match day with a variety of activities, including food trucks and other food vendors, merchandise sales, sponsor booths, kids zone, games like soccer tennis, beer garden, tailgating, live music, and a broadcast set, a la College Gameday. Other yard games will be held on an adjacent parcel (Parcel B) where future development is planned. 

Plaza area on match day

In addition to these major changes, D.C. United addressed some other issues, such as: 

• 3,950 parking spaces in the vicinity of the stadium have been identified for use by D.C. United on game days. These include many of the same surface lots and garages used for Nationals games, as well as street parking. There will be zero parking spaces in the stadium. 
• Pedestrian routes to the stadium have been identified – most fans will use Potomac Avenue via South Capitol Street and 1st Street SE. 
• Development on the adjacent Parcel B will likely start in 1-2 years and may include multiple uses, including a hotel, office, ground floor retail, and/or event space. 

Concept rendering of Parcel B, south of large plaza

• The revised drawings are more clear, refined and have more color. 
• Along 2nd Street on the west side of the stadium, parklets will be installed which will include seating areas and bike parking. 
• There will be 83 bicycle parking spaces and a bike valet at the corner of 2nd and T streets holding up to 150 bikes. 

Below are a few more renderings.

Team store on R Street

Staff entry and ticket office on 1st Street extension

NW entry gate at 2nd and R streets

If approved by the Zoning Commission, construction of the stadium could start before the end of the year and be ready in time for the 2018 MLS season. Demolition was completed earlier this summer.

Renderings courtesy of D.C. United and Populous

Update: The WBJ (subscribers only) reports that the team will issue a RFP for the 2-acre Parcel B within the coming weeks to a select pool of developers, but construction will not start at least until the end of the inaugural season at the new stadium in 2018. However, that timetable could be pushed up based on market forces. 

Buzzard Point Construction Activity

A stroll down 2nd Street in Buzzard Point reveals a much changed landscape. In two years, there will be a new Pepco Waterfront substation and a D.C. United soccer stadium, but for now, the area is a large construction zone. Hardly any buildings exist from Q Street to T Street, save for the historic Dent house at the corner of 2nd and R streets, which is owned by Pepco and will be preserved while they build their new substation. The Pepco substation construction is further along – digging has reached 15 feet below grade and excavation is complete with the foundation being poured (see above photo). Construction should be complete by June 2017. 

Looking NE toward Nationals Park from S Street

Meanwhile, demolition of existing structures at the D.C. United stadium site is complete and utility work is about to begin. The District is responsible for horizontal development, so the District’s portion of the process will be complete this fall.  A demolition ceremony was held in April when Mayor Bowser helped take down a metal-clad building at 2nd and S streets. Once utility work is complete and D.C. United finishes the PUD process for the design of the stadium, the team will be responsible for building the stadium, along with implementing the environmental remediation plan the District devised. The latest estimate of when construction could begin is the end of 2016 with the stadium opening in 2018. 

Both projects are happening simultaneously, so the two are coordinating a traffic control plan with phased street closures as delivery trucks haul away dirt and bring in concrete. There will be an enforced work zone around Buzzard Point with a 15 MPH speed limit in the area; cameras will be set up by MPD; and no construction trucks will be allowed in the residential neighborhood north of Q Street. The traffic consultant from Dewberry presented phase one of the Traffic Control Plan at Monday’s ANC meeting, which involves street closures at Potomac Avenue, Half Street, and R Street.

Buzzard Point Will be Buzzing with Construction Activity in 2016

2016 will be a big year for Buzzard Point as a multitude of projects both large and small are expected to get underway on the peninsula. The most high-profile project is construction of a new soccer stadium for DC United, which is scheduled to start by September. Raze permits were filed last month for the parcels the city purchased in the stadium footprint, including Super Salvage which is now closed. Meanwhile, eminent domain proceedings are underway for a two-acre parcel in the stadium footprint previously owned by Akridge. The city still needs to remediate the stadium site before construction can begin, which is filled with containments due to the area’s former heavy industrial use. The 20,000 seat stadium will be located at 2nd and R streets and is scheduled to open in time for the beginning of the 2018 MLS season. 

Pepco has already cleared land across R Street from the stadium site to build a new substation in order to handle all of the new development occurring in Southwest and Navy Yard/Near SE/Capitol Riverfront. The new Waterfront substation has been designed to blend in with the area and will replace the unsightly exposed substation that currently exists a couple blocks to the southeast. On the southeastern side of the new substation where R Street, 1st Street and Potomac Avenue intersect, the area will complement the public plaza planned as a part of the new DC United stadium. Aside from the substation, transmission lines will be installed along several nearby streets. The new Waterfront substation will be open by June 2017. 

Five years after Marina Place was approved and more than a decade after it was first proposed, the condo and retail project may finally move forward this year. Capital City Real Estate purchased the lot fronting the recently shuttered Buzzard Point Marina at 1st and V streets from Duane Deason in December for $9.8 million, according to the Washington Business Journal. The new owners are planning a 90-107-unit condominium project, which will have sweeping views of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers due to its location near the tip of Buzzard Point. Construction is expected to wrap up by early 2018. 

A raze permit was filed last month for 69 Q Street, a row house dating to the late 1800’s recently purchased for $599,000 according to Zillow. No details yet on what will replace it, but it is a block east of where a new hotel and hostel by Carr Hospitality is supposed to be built. 

Construction of a new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and traffic oval by DDOT is also expected to begin by the end of 2016 or early 2017. The two-phase project involves building a new, six-lane bridge across the Anacostia River with pedestrian and bike paths, as well as new traffic ovals on either side of the bridge, the transformation of South Capitol Street into a grand urban boulevard with interchange improvements including an at-grade intersection at M Street and new ramps to I-695. The interchange improvements are part of the second phase of construction.

Renderings courtesy of DC United, Pepco, Eric Colbert & Associates PC, and DDOT