Capitol Hill Firm Moving to The Wharf

Add another lobbying firm to the list of office tenants at The Wharf. If was announced that Cornerstone Government Affairs will relocate its headquarters from Capitol Hill to 800 Maine Avenue in 2018. The public policy firm will take 15,000 SF of space on the 7th floor of the 11-story office building. Cornerstone Government Affairs will join the American Psychiatric Association, MakeOffices, and Van Scoyoc Associates at 800 Maine. 

In retail and restaurant news, the following liquor licenses were supported by the ANC at last week’s meeting: 

• Hank’s Oyster Bar (facing 7th Street Park on the ground floor of Canopy by Hilton)
• Shake Shack (on Wharf Street near to the entrance of The Anthem)
• Intercontinental Hotel (restaurant, lobby bar, and rooftop bar) 
• Kaliwa by Cathal Armstrong (ground floor of Vio Condominiums on Pearl Street)
• Cantina Marina Bambina (on Transit Pier near The Anthem)
• The Brighton (on Wharf Street next to entrance of The Anthem)
• La Vie (near District Square on the ground floor of The Channel Apartments)
• Marinai Pizzeria (an Italian restaurant from the same owners of Station 4 on the ground floor of Incanto apartments on Pearl Street ) 

The only one not supported was for The Anthem. In light of the reduction in hours on Metro, the ANC has concerns about the egress of concertgoers late in the evening. A group of commissioners will negotiate with the operator to come up with a solution that will give the ANC more confidence to give their support for the liquor license. 

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront

Pearl Street Warehouse Opening This Fall at District Wharf

More details have been revealed about Pearl Street Warehouse, one of the venues coming to District Wharf’s entertainment street. According to a press release, Pearl Street Warehouse will include a live music venue that can hold up to 300 people and a 40-seat diner serving comfort food all day. There will be a mix of music genres, ranging from Americana, Rock, Country, Blues, Roots, Bluegrass to Alt-Country. Pearl Street Warehouse will be operated by the same team that owns Cantina Marina. 

Pearl Street will be an alley running parallel to Maine Avenue filled with entertainment venues. Other establishments planned so far along Pearl Street include Kaliwa by Cathal Armstrong and Kirwan’s Irish pub. The first phase of District Wharf, along with Pearl Street Warehouse, is scheduled to open this October.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Wharf Hall to be Called The Anthem

The concert venue formerly known as Wharf Hall, planned by the operator of the 9:30 Club has a new name. According to Billboard, the venue will be called The Anthem and will open on October 12, the same date as the rest of phase one of District Wharf, which relaunched their website. Since the stage and backdrop are movable, seating capacity for The Anthem can vary between 2,500 to 6,000 seats, giving the venue an intimate feel. Aside from the moving stage, concert-goers will be able to see part of the rooftop pool on top of The Anthem since the bottom of the pool will be glass. The $60 million I.M.P. venue will be located at 9th Street and Maine Avenue with an entrance along Wharf Street. 

Rendering courtesy of District Wharf

25th Annual Parade of Lights and Amidon Fundraiser on Saturday!

The 25th annual Parade of Lights will take place along the Southwest Waterfront on Saturday, starting at 5pm. The parade features boats decorated with lights which will make their way up the Potomac River from Old Town Alexandria towards the Washington Channel and the District Wharf. There will be other activities as well, including photos with Santa, a bonfire, gingerbread cookie making, and sailboat crafting. Although the current forecast high for Saturday is 48 degrees, event planners guarantee there will be snowfall. The event will end at 8pm and the location is 600 Water Street.

Also on Saturday, there will be a fundraiser at All About Burger for Amidon-Bowen Elementary, so you can grab a burger before or after the Parade of Lights for a good cause. Below is the flyer that must be presented to the cashier when ordering food so Amidon-Bowen receives the proceeds. 

Don’t forget about the Christmas tree giveaway on Saturday morning at the St. Matthew’s lot (3rd and M streets).

Law Firm, Additional Retailers, Water Taxis, and Construction Update for District Wharf

It was announced at a press event this morning with the Spanish tall ship replica El Galeón as a backdrop (alas, I was unable to attend) that law firm Fish + Richardson will occupy 60,000 SF of space on the top two floors of 1000 Maine, a 250,000 SF trophy office building just starting to come out of the ground on parcel one of District Wharf next to the...Municipal Fish Market. The law firm will move from its current downtown location by May 2018. This is the first office tenant announced for 1000 Maine, but more than 65% of 800 Maine has already been pre-leased. The third office building under construction is Pier 4, which will be partially occupied by Entertainment Cruises. In other tenant news, more retail leases were announced: 

• Blue Bottle Coffee: a San Francisco-based artisan coffee roaster will open in the Market Square area of District Wharf near the Municipal Fish Market. 
• FLORENTIJN: a unique, ultra-modern Belgian-concept bistro by Chef Jan Van Haute. 
• The Press: a neighborhood dry cleaning and laundry shop with tailoring services by Je Kang.

Bisnow reported that two additional retailers will be coming as well, including Ben & Jerry’s and Bella Moda Salon & Spa. 

Entertainment Cruises will operate a water taxi service which will connect District Wharf with Georgetown, Nationals Park, Old Town Alexandria, and National Harbor, as well as the potential for a larger network in the near future (perhaps to the new D.C. United stadium in Buzzard Point or Reagan National Airport?). The vessels will have a maximum capacity of 100 and will allow bikes and luggage on board. They will also have WiFi access and outlets available. Using new vessels designed for faster travel in no-wake zones, a water taxi trip from District Wharf to Old Town Alexandria will take about 20 minutes. The water taxi service will operate from March to December, with peak season from Memorial Day to Labor Day with three routes that pick up passengers at District Wharf more than 10 times daily. During the non-peak season, there will be less frequent service with a minimum of four pick-ups per day. 

In addition, during Monday’s ANC 6D meeting it was announced that a free water taxi jitney will connect District Wharf with East Potomac Park. The boats will hold up to 12 passengers and will depart District Wharf from the Transit Pier. A new pier will be built in East Potomac Park near where a historic pier was located. The jitney will also operate from March to December. 

Meanwhile, construction continues on Z Dock, which will be used by the liveaboards at Gangplank Marina once completed in early 2017. Afterwards, the docks by what was formerly 7th Street Landing will be demolished so construction can begin on the 7th Street Recreation Pier. Portions of the park near the Titanic Memorial have reopened and Waterfront Park should be completed by April 2017. While the Washington Business Journal reports that the Washington Kastles will not return to The Wharf in a planned floating barge, part of the Transit Pier will have an ice skating rink during winter.

The first phase of District Wharf is scheduled to be complete by October 12, 2017, but initial planning is already underway for phase two (parcels 6-10), which includes the Gangplank Marina, three office buildings, an apartment building, a condo building, retail, and public spaces. The design team has already been selected and plans will be submitted to the Zoning Commission in 2017 with a hearing likely scheduled for next summer. Parcels 8 through 10 are referred to as Phase 2A, which will get underway sooner than the other remaining parcels. Here is a summary of what is currently planned at each parcel: 

• Parcels 6 & 7: 500,000 SF of trophy office space with ground floor retail (two levels of retail on parcel 6) which will be built depending on market conditions 
• Parcel 8: 225,000 SF of rental apartments with ground floor retail 
• Parcel 9: A 155,000 SF of condominiums with ground floor retail 
• Parcel 10: A 65,000 SF office building described as a “jewel box” with ground floor retail 

Construction on Phase 2A is expected to start in mid-2018 with completion in 2021, so there will be less than one year of a lull in construction between phase one and phase two. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront

Names Emerge for District Wharf Apartment Buildings

Banners were recently placed on the apartment buildings under construction at District Wharf. Parcel 4A apartments (or 770 Maine Avenue) is now known as Incanto. The word incanto is Italian for “to attract and delight” or “to cast a spell.” Most of the brick along the Maine Avenue façade of the building is already up and a splash page for the project indicates that residents will be welcomed to the 175-unit building in the summer of 2017. The building will contain studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom units. District Hardware & Bike will be on the ground floor of Incanto with an address of 730 Maine Avenue. The 6,400 SF store, designed by Natalie Park Design Studio, will offer outdoor café space, two entrances, a glass garage door that can be opened on nice days, and a walk-up window where Vigilante Coffee will be sold. The bike shop will feature a bicycle fit studio. In addition to being a hardware store, bike shop, and café, the store will sell marine supplies, fishing rods, and stand-up paddleboards. With 7th Street Recreation Pier around the corner and a protected bike lane in front of the store, the location fits well with its hybrid retail concept. 

Meanwhile, the larger apartment project located at Parcel 2 will now be called The Channel, named presumably after the Washington Channel, the body of water separating District Wharf from East Potomac Park. The two-building apartment complex wraps around the Wharf Hall concert venue, which itself will be renamed something else before it opens next year. Several of the units in this 500-plus unit building will be micro units with Murphy beds and other built-in furniture. A unique feature of the building will be the large Wharf Club complex on the roof of Wharf Hall, containing a 7,000 SF fitness center, meeting space, infinity pool and one-acre park. According to the splash page, leasing will begin in the spring. However, I suspect move-ins won’t start on this project until after Incanto, perhaps in the fall. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront

District Wharf Photo Update

The countdown is on for the grand opening of the first phase of development at District Wharf (formerly known as The Wharf). A new clock was installed along Maine Avenue, counting down the days until October 12, 2017. While 525 Water and St. Augustine’s church are both complete, the bulk of construction for phase one won’t be complete until next fall. The massive parking garage which will span most of the development will open in the middle of 2017. Many of the buildings have already “topped-off”, but progress seems to be furthest along on the apartments at 750 Maine Avenue and VIO condos. Meanwhile, 1000 Maine Avenue is finally starting to come out of the ground. A law firm may be one of the office tenants in either 1000 Maine or 800 Maine, which would be a significant milestone for the project and the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood since the majority of office tenants that have traditionally called Southwest home are government agencies or contractors. Following are a few progress photos taken from East Potomac Park.

Parcel 2 apartments & Wharf Hall

Parcel 1, District Pier & Parcel 2

District Pier & Intercontinental Hotel

Intercontinental Hotel, VIO &
Capitol Yacht Club (center) 

Docks under construction near Pier 4

Hyatt House & Canopy by Hilton 

View looking north

View looking south

Pub, Live Music Venue, and Ethnic Cuisine Announced for The Wharf

The Wharf continues to roll out its restaurant and entertainment lineup for the first phase of development which is scheduled to open starting in October 2017. Four new establishments have been announced: 

• The Brighton: A “high-energy” waterfront pub by the Hilton brothers, who are known for places such as The Gibson at 14th and U streets NW and Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown. 
• Pearl Street Warehouse: A small-format, live music venue and tavern on Pearl Street, an east-west alley running parallel to Maine Avenue by Nick Fontana, Bruce Gates and Henry Gandy, the owners of Cantina Marina. 
• Kaliwa: An Asian fusion restaurant on Pearl Street with Filipino, Thai, and Korean cuisine by Cathal Armstrong. 
• A yet-to-be-named Indian concept by chef K.N. Vinod and Surfy Rahman, who operates Indique and Bombay Bistro. 

These are in addition to the other restaurants and retailers announced in recent months. So far, there are 16 confirmed retail tenants. Needless to say, these new dining options will vastly change the restaurant scene in Southwest! 

Rendering courtesy of The Wharf

Italian Market Purveyor Announced for The Wharf

Back in 2015, a PUD filed for Parcel 1 and the area in and around the Municipal Fish Market mentioned space for a market hall with an “Italian butcher/deli and large market hall/restaurant.” Now we know who will operate the market hall space. It was announced that Nick Stefanelli, which opened Masseria at Union Market in NE last year, will operate the Italian market at The Wharf. The planned three-story building along Maine Avenue will contain nearly 12,000 SF of space, as well as a 5,600 SF private roof deck. In addition to the roof deck, the concept includes an artisanal Italian Market with a salumeria, cheese cave, and butcher shop, among other things, and a trattoria on the second floor with an exclusive 12-seat table in the wine cellar. 

Stefanelli's market hall is scheduled to open by the spring of 2018, a few months after the first phase of The Wharf is expected to deliver. 

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Photo Tour Part Two: Parcel 11 & Waterfront Park

Parcel 11 at The Wharf is further along than the other portions of phase one of development. 525 Condos started settlements in late July while St. Augustine's Church will have its convocation service celebrating its grand opening in September. Utility work is complete at Waterfront Park and some vertical construction is now evident - the large trellis has now been built.

Kitchen in model unit in 525 Water

Living room in 525 Water model unit

525 Water lobby area

Street access to units at 525 Water

Trellis at Waterfront Park

St. Augustine's Church

Photo Tour Part One: The Wharf

Last weekend, I took a lot of pictures around the neighborhood to capture most of the major construction projects. First up is The Wharf. The buildings in phase one are getting closer and closer to their maximum height. Looking across from Hains Point, the waterfront skyline has changed significantly. The only building that hasn't reached above street level yet is 1000 Maine Avenue. Aside from 525 Water and St. Augustine's church, the Parcel 4 buildings are furthest along, with glass going up on VIO condos and brick appearing on the exterior of the apartment building facing Maine Avenue.

1000 Maine, Wharf Hall & apartments

District Pier & Intercontinental Hotel

Hyatt House & Canopy by Hilton

VIO condos

Here are a few photos of the buildings looking from Maine Avenue:

Wharf Hall & apartments 

800 Maine

Parcel 4 apartments

Hyatt House & Canopy by Hilton

Construction Begins at The View at Waterfront

Construction fencing started going up in early August around the two parking lots for The View at Waterfront apartments at 6th and K and 6th and M streets, located between Arena Stage and Waterfront Station. Last week, demolition of the parking lots began, which will make way for two new mid-rise apartment buildings with 276 units (h/t to reader Alexander for the scoop that demolition had begun). Back in the spring, some upgrades were made to the courtyard between the Pei buildings. There will also be courtyards between the Pei and new buildings. Each will be about 57 feet wide. 

K St. side of The View

M St. side of The View

Mill Creek Realty Trust owns The View and is developing the new apartment buildings. Parking for the new construction and the existing I.M. Pei-designed apartment buildings will be below-grade. The M Street building will have some ground floor retail. Both buildings are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2019 while leasing will commence in the second half of 2018. 

Construction of The View joins 301 M Street, The Eliot on 4th, and the St. Matthew's site (its groundbreaking will be on September 11), which are all in the vicinity of Waterfront Station. In addition, there are three apartment buildings and two condominium projects underway at The Wharf (525 Water received its certificate of occupation last month). Other multifamily buildings that may get underway in 2016 around the quadrant include The Portals (1200-block of Maryland Avenue), Riverside Baptist Church at 7th Street and Maine Avenue, and the addition at Capitol Park Tower (4th and G streets).

Rendering courtesy of SK&I Architecture

Case Bridge Illumination Ceremony

Last night at a lighting ceremony held on District Pier at The Wharf, Mayor Bowser had the honor of pressing a big button to illuminate the Case Bridge over the Washington Channel. The bridge now has a blue light strip along the south-facing side of the bridge and soft white lights highlighting the stonework on the pillars. The reflection of the blue light strip gives the waters of the Washington Channel near the bridge a blue hue. Citelum designed the LED lighting scheme for the bridge. Accompanying the unveiling was a fireworks show - below is a video clip.

The new lighting scheme on the Case Bridge is permanent (minus the fireworks) and is part of the two billion dollar transformation of the Southwest waterfront to The Wharf. Blue lighting will also be located along the Wharf promenade. Over the next year or so, other components of The Wharf will be coming online, including Waterfront Park, a revamped Municipal Fish Market, Wharf Hall concert venue, three apartment buildings, two condominium buildings (525 Water delivered last month), two office buildings, three hotels, several restaurants and other retail, a new St. Augustine's Church, as well as a water taxi service, public piers and marina.

525 Water Begins Settlements

The first units have settled at 525 Water, one of the condo buildings at The Wharf. According to the Washington Business Journal, four units have settled so far, and all of them belong to leadership at PN Hoffman, the master developer of the mega project on the Southwest waterfront. More than 50 percent of the units at 525 Water have sold so far, which means that settlements can begin. The article states that the building received its certificate of occupancy within the past week. 525 Water is part of Parcel 11 at The Wharf, which will be the first buildings to deliver in phase one. The new St. Augustine’s will open its doors next month with a convocation service on September 24. The remaining buildings in phase one from 7th Street to the Municipal Fish Market will deliver in the fall of 2017.

Parcel 11 Update

Construction will be wrapping up at the new St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in the next couple of months. On Wednesday, September 24, the church will celebrate its reopening with a convocation, starting at 4pm. Meanwhile, 525 Water condos are approaching 50% pre-sold and the building is open for unit tours. Move-ins are scheduled to start this summer. These are the first buildings at The Wharf that will be completed. Infrastructure work continues at Waterfront Park, a three-acre open space adjacent to 525 Water, and construction should be completed either late this year or by early next year. The remaining buildings in phase one are supposed to be complete in the fall of 2017.

Wharf Retail News

A few more retailers have been announced for the first phase of The Wharf. According to the Washington Business Journal, Social Restaurant Group plans to open a French-Mediterranean restaurant called La Vie. From the rendering, it appears that La Vie will be located in Parcel 2, which includes Wharf Hall and an apartment building. La Vie will be a 9,800 SF restaurant with a 1,100 SF waterfront terrace and will have access to a 5,000 SF rooftop terrace. Social Restaurant Group operates other establishments across the city, including Provision 14, The Prospect, and Bonfire.

In addition to La Vie, a lease has been signed with District Hardware and Bike, which would be the first hardware store (and bike shop) in Southwest. From the WBJ: 

The Foggy Bottom mainstay will open its second location at The Wharf, with a 6,300-square foot store. In addition to the hardware offerings and the bike shop, the Southwest location will also sell water sports equipment and feature a café in conjunction with local coffee roaster Vigilante Coffee. 

At this month’s ANC 6D meeting, it was announced that Cordial Craft Wine, Beer & Spirits was applying for a liquor license at The Wharf on the future Pearl Street, an interior street between Maine Avenue and Wharf Street. The shop has an outpost at Union Market in NE and will be opening a 525 SF space at The Wharf. The commissioners decided to protest the license application because not enough information was known about the shop. According to the ABRA application, Cordial Craft Wine, Beer & Spirits will be: 

”A neighborhood liquor store serving alcoholic beverages and offering tastings on premise.” 

The proposed hours of operation would be Sunday through Thursday 7:00 am - 2:00 am, Friday and Saturday 8:00 am - 3:00 am. 

A 9,000 SF CVS is also planned – likely to be along Maine Avenue, which was where neighborhood-serving retail was supposed to be placed. Several other tenants were announced back in March, but the new batch are the first non-restaurant retailers to sign at The Wharf. 

In other Wharf news, Globest.com states that a lease has been signed with MakeOffices, a collaborative office space provider for 45,000 SF at 800 Maine Avenue. The office building is one of two that will be built during the first phase of development at the Wharf.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Neighborhood Events

• On Thursday evenings, live jazz and blues will be played at Gangplank Marina Park at The Wharf, located at 600 Water Street from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The remaining schedule for June includes: 

June 9: Thad Wilson Quintet
June 16: Shirletta Settles & Friends
June 23: Marshall Keys Jazz Ensemble
June 30: Swampdog Blues Band 

• Tonight is the first “Dive-In Movie” night, a Friday night free movie series with water-themed movies at Gangplank Marina Park. Tonight’s movie is Sharknado. Dive-In Movie night begins at 8pm. Other movies in June include:

June 10: Finding Nemo
June 17: The Perfect Storm
June 24: Splash 

• Saturday mornings in June will bring Waterfront Workouts, including DC Dragons at 8am; YaLa Fitness at 9am; and M Street Yoga at 10am. 

• The USDA Farmers Market at Night starts today from 4-7pm at 12th Street and Independence Avenue. The market will operate each Friday from now until September 30. Below is a list of vendors: 

Farmers and Growers: 

Eco Friendly Food, Moneta, VA
Good Sense Farm & Apiary, Washington, DC
Quaker Valley Orchards, Biglerville, PA
Ryan’s Fruit Market, Timberville, VA
TLV (Triadelphia Lake View) Tree Farm, Glenelg, MD

Baker: 

Black Pearl Tarts
Emma's Bakeshop
Lynnette's Cakes and Catering
Second Rising
The Cookie Jar 

DC Food Truck: 

Ball or Nothing
Dirty South Deli
Far East Taco Grill
Federal City Brothers  

Food Concessions: 

Eat 170
Thunder Beast
Timber Pizza Company  

Soap Maker: 

Georges Botanique Aromatiques
Specialty: Greca Terra
Undone Chocolate
Value Added Food Producers:
Number 1 Sons
PinUp Preserves
Senzu Juicery
She Peppers  

Dairy Product Maker: 

Ruby Scoops Ice Cream  

This is in addition to the day market at the same location every Friday through October from 9am to 2pm. 

• Another farmer’s market can be found at The Lot at 4th and M streets on Saturdays from 10am – 2pm though November 19th. Dreaming Out Loud is bringing the Southwest DC Farmers Market to Waterfront Station with the support of SWBID and Waterfront Associates.

• Market SW night market returns for a second year to The Lot at 4th and M streets and will take place on the fourth Friday of each month (the first one was last Friday) until November. The next one will be on June 24. For more information, visit marketSWdc.com.

• There will be a Southwest Community Yard Sale tomorrow starting at 9am. The yard sale will be at Harbor Square and Tiber Island (4th and N streets).

Running of the Chihuahuas Rain Date is May 7

The 5th Annual Running of the Chihuahuas event at The Wharf was postponed from last Saturday to May 7 from 1-4pm due to inclement weather. The event will be located at 600 Water Street and include food from Sol Mexican, Red Hook, and Captain Cookie food trucks, as well as live music from Phil Kominski. The deadline to register dogs is Friday, May 6, but walk-ins will be accepted until all spots are full. Chihuahuas will only be permitted to run in the races, but other dog breeds can be entered for other contests including “Best Dressed Dog” and “Best Trick.” Admission to the event is free, but the entry fee for dogs to race is $25 per dog. All race proceeds will benefit Rural Dog Rescue, a non-profit organization which rescues dogs from high-kill rural shelters. 

So far this spring, the weather hasn’t been cooperative with events at The Wharf. Back in April, the SW Waterfront Fireworks Festival was cancelled due to high winds and chilly weather. Luckily, the current weather forecast for Saturday’s Running of the Chihuahuas looks promising.

Wharf Update

The Wharf is buzzing with construction activity, as structural steel framing for the new Wharf Hall at Parcel 2 is out of the ground and pillars for the apartment building there are now above ground. Meanwhile, the apartment building at Parcel 4A has now reached the fourth floor and VIO condos (Parcel 4B) is not far behind.

It was announced in Globest.com that Hoffman Madison Waterfront received construction financing for the dual Canopy by Hilton/Hyatt House hotel project on Parcel 5 adjacent to 7th Street Park. 

Starting next month, 7th Street at Maine Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic so work can get started at 7th Street Park. Also in May, traffic will reopen on Water Street and M Place around the new 525 Water condo building and St. Augustine’s Church, the former of which looks almost complete.

Utility work continues at the new Waterfront Park adjacent to 525 Water condos. Construction on the park is expected to be complete late this year.

Work on extending the commercial Pier 4 continues. Look here for more information on what’s planned at the new Pier 4. A pair of construction cameras have been set up so you can keep track of what’s going on at The Wharf. 525 Water/St. Augustine's should open in 2016 while the rest of phase one should be complete by the fall of 2017.