Waterfront Park Preview

On this first day of spring, I thought I’d share a few photos of Waterfront Park, the new park expected to open soon at District Wharf. The park is located south of 525 Water condos along the Washington Channel. Fencing is still up around the park, but you can get a good idea of what it will look like when it is complete. There will be more photos to come once the park is open and trees/flowers are in bloom.

Stairs leading to large pergola

Pergola

Grassy area leads to 525 Water condos

Stonework

Promenade

New Z Dock at Gangplank Marina

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).

Going...Going...Gone

Over the past few weeks, demolition has moved along the Southwest Waterfront to make way for The Wharf development, claiming Zanzibar and 7th Street Landing in the process. This area of Water Street looks a lot different now than it did a few months ago. In addition, a raze permit was recently issued for the former Phillips Flagship restaurant over at 900 Water Street. 

View of dock construction from East Potomac Park.

Construction of the docks for the Capitol Yacht Club is underway now that pilings have been installed in the Washington Channel with completion scheduled for sometime in October. Once the Capitol Yacht Club docks are completed, work will begin on District Pier, which will extend from 9th Street out into the channel. 

St. Augustine's Church closed in June.

Meanwhile, demolition is scheduled to begin at St. Augustine’s Church in September. According to the Washington Business Journal, PN Hoffman has awarded the construction contract for the condos planned there to Balfour Beatty. The address of the condo building was first reported as 600 Water Street, but now, it appears that the address has changed to 625 Water Street. Completion of the 108-unit building is anticipated for the beginning of 2016 with sales to begin in 2015.

Update: The WBJ now reports that prices for the condos will "start out at around $400,000 and move on up to $1 million or more."

Kastles Stadium Leaves the Wharf

In a sign that construction may begin at The Wharf sometime before next July, Kastles Stadium at The Wharf has been dismantled. The stadium has been a fixture at 9th and Water streets for the past three seasons and all that's left now are the lights and ticket window. Before the stadium opened in 2011, Hogates/H2O nighclub was located at that corner.  By 2016, the site will become an office building and an Intercontinental Hotel with ground level retail. The office building will front Maine Avenue and the hotel will face the wharf and Washington Channel.

An earlier rendering of the planned Intercontinental Hotel from Transit Pier.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman Madison Waterfront

SW Waterfront Fireworks Festival Set for April 6

Spring is finally here and with it comes the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year’s SW Waterfront Fireworks Festival will take place on Saturday, April 6 from 1pm – 9pm, which will be produced by the Washington Waterfront Association and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.  There will be four main stages set up along the waterfront during the festival. The opening ceremony will take place at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf with musical entertainment throughout the day from military and reggae bands. In addition, there will be a food truck rally, a beach with games, a beer garden, along with the Very Cherry Marketplace with fine art and crafts.

^{Lifeguard chair set up in the "beach" area at last year's festival.}

Over at the Washington Channel Stage, the John Glenn fireboat will parade along the channel with its spray jets, as well as paddle boat & dragon boat excursions, and DC Sail sailing activities. In the evening, the channel will be illuminated with pink lights from the houseboats at Gangplank Marina, the grand lantern will be illuminated, along with lighted Koi in the water, welcomed by the Nen Daiko Japanese Drummers who will be on a barge in the channel. Gangplank Marina Park will have more musical acts, face painters, model boat-making, strolling costumed characters, and Japanese-inspired balloon art. 7th Street Landing will also have jazz performances, windsock-making, and Japanese lantern crafting & origami. The fireworks show will begin at 8:30 and last until 9pm. This year’s peak bloom is forecast to take place during the fireworks festival!

Crowds at last year's festival.

20th Annual Parade of Lighted Boats - December 1

The 20th annual parade of lighted boats will be this Saturday at 7th Street Landing with festivities beginning at 5pm.  This year’s parade will start from the Alexandria waterfront and will make its way north to the Washington Channel. Events include the lighting of The Wharf Christmas Tree at 5:30pm, pictures with Santa, music from the Earl Wilson Quintet, and the lighted boat contest. In addition, there will be s’more-making and marshmallow roasting by the bonfire and holiday cookie decorating. “Snow” will fall during the event, although the forecast temperature is supposed to be in the mid-50s during the day on Saturday.  

House Passes Waterfront Legislation, First Wharf Hearing Tomorrow

According to Roll Call, the House of Representatives passed the bill yesterday which will allow the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team to redevelop the Southwest Waterfront into The Wharf as currently planned, with piers that will extend into the Washington Channel (such as District Pier, a rendering of which is above).  The bill also allows the sale of fruits, vegetables, and other items at the Maine Avenue Fish Market.  This is the second time the House has approved the bill, since the Senate made a slight change to the bill when they passed the measure back in March.  With the passage of this legislation, another roadblock has been removed and brings the project one step closer to groundbreaking in 2013. 

Before that can happen though, they need to get approval from the Zoning Commission. Get some popcorn, because the first Zoning Commission hearing on the Stage Two PUD for Phase One of The Wharf will be held tomorrow evening at 6:30pm, where the following aspects of the development will be discussed: General comments, Parcel 2A, and 2B, Co-Gen Plant, Parcel 1 temporary uses, and Transit Pier.  A live broadcast of the hearing will be available, as well as On Demand starting on Friday.  ANC 6D voted earlier this month not to support the PUD due to some issues that need to be resolved, especially whether the existing liveaboard community at Gangplank Marina will be preserved. The commissioners and the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team are working to iron out any differences before the next ANC meeting on July 9, where another vote on the PUD may take place.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

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. 

Cherry Blossom Fever

The cherry blossoms may be peaking early, but there's still plenty of time left to celebrate the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Southwest, which has been extended this year to five weeks to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC.  The Odyssey, Spirit of Washington, and Capital Elite cruise ships from Entertainment Cruises have been "planted" with cherry blossoms for the occasion as the "first blooms on the Potomac."

The Odyssey cruise ship, which is docked next to Cantina Marina, will be offering lunch, brunch, and dinner cruises with a specialty Cherry Blossom Centennial dessert from March 24 until April 8.  In addition, the Capital Elite yacht will offer two 45-minute sightseeing tours each day (at 2pm and 4pm) along the Washington Channel and Potomac River to see the blossoms.  On Saturday, April 7, both the Odyssey and the Spirit of Washington will offer Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks cruises, which will be set off along the Washington Channel. For more information on schedules and pricing, check out the Entertainment Cruises website.



Roving street performers from last year's festival at 7th Street Landing.

Prior to the fireworks show at 8:30pm on April 7, there will be over seven hours of free entertainment along with food and drink at the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, which begins at 1pm. Last year's large-scale festival was a dry run for 2012, which will be even bigger to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the gift of trees. Several stages will be set up along the waterfront, including Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, the Washington Channel Stage, Gangplank Marina Park, and 7th Street Landing. Each of the stages will have different activities, including live music, a beach with a waterfront beer & sake garden, food trucks, arts & crafts, face painting, origami-making, roving street performers, and more. Check out the latest issue of The Southwester for a 2-page pull-out with details.



Replica ship from last year's festival.



Nen Daiko Japanese Drummers from last year's festival.

In the evening, there will be some special tributes right before the fireworks show, including the illumination of vessels along the seawall in pink, a theatrical performance by Dance Afire, a school of swimming Koi, and an imaginative pink flaming salute to the Centennial Celebration. This year's fireworks show will feature special Japanese fireworks presented by the City of Nagaoka, Japan and the mayor of that city is expected to attend. The Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival is produced by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington Waterfront Association, and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.  

Stage 2 PUD Submitted for The Wharf

The Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team has submitted their Stage 2 PUD application for Phase 1 of The Wharf to the Zoning Commission today according to a press release.  In it, there are details about what is planned in Phase 1 of development, which includes parcels 2, 3, 4, 11, the Promenade and Waterfront Park.  I'll do a few more blog posts about the PUD, including the public spaces, affordable component, etc. once I have a chance to look through it completely. The PUD application can be found in the Southwest Waterfront Redevelopment page and a basic description of each parcel is below:

Parcel 2

View of Parcel 2 residential and Wharf Center from the Transit Pier.

View of Parcel 2 residential and Wharf Center from Maine Avenue.

Parcel 2 is located approximately where Phillips Flagship now stands, to the west of 9th Street.  In its place will be The Wharf Center, a 135,000 SF multipurpose entertainment and cultural venue.  Presumably this is where the Washington Kastles will play their matches. Wrapped around it will be 494 apartment units in two towers (292 units in the east tower and 202 units in the west tower), and 39,000 SF of ground floor retail.  In addition, there will be a Combined Heating and Power Facility (CHP) that will provide all the necessary heating, cooling, and electrical power sources for The Wharf northwest of 7th Street.  The Wharf Center will be a five-level facility while the residential buildings will rise 12 stories to a height of 130 feet. An unoccupied tower at one corner of the building facing the District Pier will reach 200 feet.  The residential buildings will be made with brick, stone cladding, precast concrete, composite metals, glass, and a painted aluminum curtain wall system.  Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will develop this parcel and the architect is Perkins Eastman.

Parcel 3a

View of Parcel 3a office building from Maine Avenue.

Parcel 3a is located approximately where the Kastles Stadium at The Wharf is currently located, to the east of 9th Street. The Graduate School USA will occupy the 11-story, 218,000 SF office building (at a height of 130 feet) facing Maine Avenue and there will be 15,000 SF of ground floor retail. A 170-foot unoccupied tower element will be in one corner of the building. Building materials include brick, limestone, composite metal, glass, and a painted aluminum curtain wall system. Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will develop this parcel and the architect is Perkins Eastman.

Parcel 3b

View of Parcel 3b InterContinental Hotel from Wharf Street promenade.

Parcel 3b is located to the south of parcel 3a and faces the Washington Channel.  a 278-key InterContinental Hotel (the other InterContinental Hotel in the city is The Willard) is planned at this location along with 7,000 SF of retail. The hotel will rise 12 stories reaching 130 feet with a clock tower at one corner approximately 159 feet in height. Construction materials include red & gray brick, terracotta, tinted glass, granite, metal, and concrete. Carr Hospitality will develop this parcel and the architect is BBG-BBGM.

Parcel 4

View of Parcel 4 residential from Wharf Street promenade.

View of Parcel 4 residential from Maine Avenue.

Parcel 4 is also located somewhat in the Kastles stadium footprint and will contain 168 apartments and 130 condos in two buildings. There will be 77,000 SF of retail in two levels, including a health club.  The apartments and condos will rise 13 stories and reach a height of 130 feet.  These buildings will have more of an industrial feel and sort of remind me of The Odyssey condos in Arlington (at least the perspective from Wharf Street). Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will develop this parcel and the architect is Handel Architects.

Parcel 11a

View of Parcel 11a St. Augustine's Church from M Street.

View of Parcel 11a St. Augustine's Church from Maine Avenue.

Parcel 11a is the site of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church at 6th Street and Maine Avenue.  The old church will be demolished and in its place will be a new, 15,000 SF facility as rendered above.  It will be two stories and will include building elements such as blue & gray glass, cast stone, mill finish aluminum screen, and white aluminum storefront.  St. Augustine's will develop this parcel and MTFA Architecture is the designer.

Parcel 11b

View of Parcel 11b condos from the Waterfront Park.

Adjacent to St. Augustine's will be a 109-unit condo building at parcel 11b.  The 5-story condo will be U-shaped and will line 6th Street.  Building materials include brick, metal panels, stone, wood, and glass. Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will develop this parcel and the architect is SK&I Architectural Design Group.

There will be a public presentation on February 27 at 6pm at Arena Stage and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will most likely meet with the Zoning Commission in July. Groundbreaking is now scheduled for the first quarter of 2013 with phase one opening in 2015.  What are your initial thoughts on the Stage 2 application?

Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

M Street Transportation Study Kick-Off Meeting

DDOT held the first of three community meetings this evening to kick-off the M Street SE/SW Transportation Study, which has been a LONG time coming. The study area boundary includes the Southeast-Southwest Freeway to the north, 14th Street, SW and the Washington Channel to the west, the Anacostia River to the south, and 12th Street, SE to the east. During the nine-month study period, DDOT will work with CH2MHILL to identify current and future transportation issues and mitigation strategies along the M Street SE/SW Corridor and the Southwest/Southeast Waterfronts. A great deal of development is coming to the area and a comprehensive study is needed. DDOT will look at more than 30 other studies that have been done previously by others, including individual developers and the Complete Streets study that Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID commissioned a couple years ago. Tonight's meeting allowed residents to gather around maps of three areas of focus (the Southwest Waterfront, the Ballpark District, and the SE Federal Center) and provide input on issues or challenges in those areas. On the Southwest Waterfront map, some of the issues mentioned by residents include the 4th & M Street intersection, lack of connectivity between Southwest and Near SE, commuters using P Street as a cut-through to avoid M Street, sidewalks, and parking, among other things. The next public meeting will be held in the spring and a third meeting will be in June. A stakeholder survey is available on the project website and is due on January 31 at 5pm. 

Wharf Waterfront Park Design Evolves

A third meeting of the Waterfront Park charrette occurred last week, where the landscape architects presented their updated plans for the park (above is a rendering of a fountain and semicircular pergola). The park will be located at the southern end of The Wharf development, which is now dominated by a parking lot for the cruise ship operators. If you recall, there were two other charrette sessions late last year where a select group of community members (me included) were invited to help plan the 4.2-acre site. As a result of the prior sessions, the landscape architects from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects and Lee and Associates Inc. presented their plan for the park, as seen below.

The park as planned will be built in two phases. There is a section of the park footprint that is now owned by the National Park Service near the Titanic Memorial that will be built in a second phase once an agreement is made with the federal agency. The biggest change to the park from the earlier version is the reduction in size of the pavilion to about 800 square feet. It will no longer offer food service and will serve mainly as storage for equipment used in the park, such as bocce balls and other items. The storage pavilion will have a green roof and perhaps a green trellis on the side. Otherwise, the other elements of the park have remained the same. The existing willow oaks will be maintained and will frame the northern and eastern edges of the park.  A semicircular pergola on the northern end will offer some shade (with integrated solar panels in some areas to help power the lights planned in the park) while a seat wall (potentially made of natural materials like stone) and a shallow fountain will follow the shape of the pergola. The play lawn and pergola will be elevated to allow views out toward the Washington Channel and the Potomac River. Play mounds will be positioned to help screen the townhouses planned at Pier 4 and the Harbor Patrol. A garden area will be located near the willow oaks and rain gardens will be placed throughout the park to help capture runoff before it gets in the channel. Ramps and stairs will lead down from the play lawn to the roadway where access must be maintained for Pier 4 and the Harbor Patrol; however, the road won't be visible from above. Parking spaces for the Harbor Patrol and Pier 4 will be built using porous pavement and pathways throughout the park will be made with either concrete pavers or exposed oyster shell concrete. The cafe terrace shown on the rendering is where the Maine Lobsterman statue is currently located and is not officially part of the park, but is close enough for patrons to grab a refreshment or bite to eat to take to the park in lieu of a pavilion inside the park. Security will be provided by Hoffman Madison Waterfront, so the risk of homeless people sleeping in the park will be minimized.

The charrette group will reconvene once the park design is closer to being finalized. There are still elements of the park that still need to be decided, such as lighting, seating, and a name.  What name would you give the park?

Renderings courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects and Lee and Associates, Inc.

A Few Quick Items: SW Waterfront House Legislation Advances, Fish Market is Location of the Month, SEU to be Removed from Metro Name, Maine Ave Road Work Delayed

- Last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's bill to allow the development of the Southwest Waterfront as currently planned to proceed. H.R. 2297 clears up some legal issues regarding the transfer of the Southwest Waterfront that occurred between the Federal government and the District back in the 1960s which will allow the construction of piers that extend out to the Washington Channel. The bill will also ensure the Maine Lobsterman statue and Titanic Memorial will be maintained, although the Lobsterman statue may be moved to another area of The Wharf. An affirmative vote in the full House and Senate will allow the development to proceed. Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

- DC's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development has designated the Maine Avenue Fish Market as the One City Location of the Month for the month of November. Back in March, the MPTD began the monthly designation to help bring attention to sights in the city that can be used as filming locations. The fish market was most recently featured in the film "State of Play". Arena Stage was designated back in April.

- WMATA decided in a meeting last week to make some changes to Metro station names ahead of a reworking of the Metrorail map needed to reflect service changes as well as the introduction of the Silver Line. In Southwest, the Waterfront-SEU station will revert back to its original name - Waterfront. Since Southeastern University is no longer in existence, that appendage has been dropped. A bid to add Arena Stage to the station name, which was supported by ANC 6D, was rejected by the Metro board. Also, a proposal to add National Mall to the Smithsonian Metro station name was rejected. The Navy Yard station in Near SE will become Navy Yard-Ballpark. These changes will be implemented in the fall of 2012.

- ANC 6D 01 Commissioner Bob Craycraft reports on his Facebook page that DDOT has pushed back the completion date of the road work on Maine Avenue near the fish market to the end of November. The road work was originally scheduled to be complete back in mid-October. Below is a description from DDOT about what is being done to the road:

The project will replace the existing 4-foot-wide sidewalk with a new 14-foot-wide trail, accommodating both bicyclists and pedestrians, and replace the existing road surface. Installation of new storm water drainage elements, bio-retention areas, trees, lighting, signs, curb, gutter and fencing is also included in the project. To accommodate these amenities, on-street parking in this area will be eliminated. The number of vehicular lanes will be reduced from two to one and some driveway entrances to businesses will be realigned. 

Wharf Waterfront Park Planning Moves Forward

The landscape architects charged with designing the planned waterfront park at The Wharf came to  the October 24 SWNA meeting and presented their initial concept. Warren Byrd from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects gave the presentation. The initial concept design was the result of the charrette process held over the past couple of months with community members that was convened by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, and attended by representatives from Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, as well as Lee and Associates Inc., the other landscape architectural firm involved with the park.  At the second charrette in early October, the participants walked through the site, then went over two alternatives for the park based on the discussion from the first charrette - one with an oval shape and the other shaped like a fan. 

The 4.2-acre park will replace the parking lot for the cruise ships on the south end of the Southwest waterfront by the police and fire pier. As seen in the above rendering, the design is similar in shape to a fan. An informal lawn area will cover the northeastern corner of the park with a pergola wrapping along the edge and an interactive water feature. This area will be raised higher in order to afford a better view down towards the Washington Channel and Potomac River beyond. Gardens will be planted near the 50-year old willow oaks that frame the northern and eastern border of the park. Play mounds will be provided near the informal lawn and curving paths created throughout the park. One of the "necessary" portions of the park is a pavilion, where some food and beverage service, as well as storage for park-related furnishings will be located. The pavilion will be designed to be less intrusive on the landscape, with the possibility of the pavilion being embedded in the hillside since the access road (another necessary portion of the park) will be at a lower grade than the informal lawn. Rain gardens will be interspersed throughout to help retain rainwater runoff before entering the channel. Tree plantings at the park will offer a variety of color as the seasons change. A total of 26 parking spaces have to be maintained for guests of the townhouses proposed at Pier 4 and the police and fire pier as well as a traffic circle that can be used for emergencies. Most of the land to the south of the traffic circle is owned by the National Park Service, but Hoffman-Madison Waterfront wants to work with NPS to rehabilitate the area leading down to the Titanic Memorial with lawn terraces and a rain garden. 

The charrette members will meet again as the design process continues so the final result of the park will not be a surprise to the community. What do you think of the design draft?

Rendering courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects and Lee and Associates, Inc.

Cantina Cup 2011 Video

Below is a video done by SWer Raymond Schillinger of the 4th Annual Cantina Cup Regatta, which took place on October 1 along the Washington Channel. Proceeds from the Cantina Cup benefit DC Sail's adult sailing program.

Cantina Cup 2011 - DC Sail from media | sophe films on Vimeo.

Kastles Stadium at The Wharf Ready for its Close-Up

It took a little over a month for the new Washington Kastles stadium at The Wharf to rise along the Southwest Waterfront and is just about ready for the first Kastles match on July 5 against the Kansas City Explorers. After three seasons playing in a stadium downtown, the tennis team has moved to Southwest and will be a component of The Wharf. Meanwhile, the new tennis venue hosted the 4th annual Street Soccer USA US Cup where 200 players from 20 teams gathered to play from June 10-12 to benefit the homeless.

Players practice before the start of the tournament.

On Tuesday, tennis legend Billie Jean King joined Mayor Gray to inaugurate the stadium.  Due to the stadium's location mere steps away from the Washington Channel (see photo at the top of the post), there will be limited boat parking available for season ticket holders at the Gangplank Marina - the first tennis venue in the country to offer such a luxury. Here is a quote from Ms. King about the tennis facility from a Washington Post article:

“I think about it as a player, and I just hope it doesn’t get too windy,” said King as she gazed at Kastles Stadium at the Wharf, which sits along the docks of the Washington Channel near the corner of Maine Avenue and Ninth Street. “But it just looks more beautiful and it’ll keep it cooler for the fans during the summer time. For Washington, it’s unbelievable."

In the article, Hoffman-Madison Waterfront lead developer Monty Hoffman says the stadium will stay at its current location for the next two years and then will move further east near the Channel Inn as development gets underway at The Wharf.

 Take a look at Washingtonian Magazine for some sneak peek photos of the interior. In that article, it states that the stadium will host a charity soccer event on July 31 called Celebrity Soccer Challenge 2011 hosted by Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra.

Photos from my ART and CaBi Ride Before the "Rapture"

Water taxi this way!



The Dolley Madison docked at the Gangplank Marina.



The back side of Cantina Marina facing the Washington Channel.



Going around Hains Point and the Naval War College.



The Washington Monument and the Old Post Office Building.



About to pass under the Memorial Bridge.



On the other side of the Memorial Bridge.

Riding past the new MLK Memorial - under construction along the Tidal Basin.



The DC World War I Memorial is getting refurbished across from the MLK Memorial.