Wonderbread Factory looking good in Shaw.

Tougher times in 2011:

@DCRA tweeted the good news Friday:

“Yesterday, we issued bldg permits for the reconstruction of 3145 Mt Pleasant St NW.”

On March 13th 2008 a reader alerted us to the sadness:

“We are homeless.

Love,
the former residents of 3145 mt pleasant st. washington, dc

(it burnt down)”

Another resident writes:

“i was living on the first floor, the fire started in the basement. i saw the fire started on some machinery, after i put a extinguisher on it, it kept reigniting, by the time the fire engines showed up, the first basement was out of control.”

On March 17th 2008 a reader updated us:

“I can only imagine what those without renters insurance are going through but the community has come together to help make things a bit easier. Unfortunately no phone calls have been returned/and no statement has been made from the management company/owners of the building (just goes to show you how concerned they are). We hope all the other residents are doing well.”

It’s been a long time.

You can read all back posts on the former Deauville, now the Monseñor Romero Apartments here.

From the TakomaDC Listserv:

We are elected officials representing the area that includes and surrounds the Takoma Metro station. As officials, we reached out to WMATA (Metro) to understand the agency’s intentions regarding development at the station. WMATA executives briefed us last Friday, May 31. We very much appreciate the executives’ willingness to meet, and we feel community members also deserve to know about WMATA’s plans.

PROPOSED NEW BUILDING @ TAKOMA METRO

WMATA is working with development partner EYA toward creating a 255-unit, five-story residential structure at the Takoma Metro site. The five stories include ground-level parking for transit users and a level of parking for residents with three stories of one- and two-bedroom apartments above the parking. There would be a step-back of the upper levels on the Eastern Avenue side to three stories.

The structure would replace the current paved parking area. The current set of bus bays would be preserved in place, with the addition of one bus bay and three bus layover spaces carved from the current park. WMATA would claim the right to place an additional bus loop or other transit functions in the park in the future. WMATA would also construct a bicycle-parking structure, for transit users, on the station grounds.

The revised design is at least a partial victory for community members, who had pointed out that EYA’s previous design, over 80 townhouses with two-car garages and new surface streets to support them, was the antithesis of transit-oriented design.

But 255 residences are more than twice the 65-95 units called for in the District of Columbia’s Small Area Plan for the site. And this would be the largest project by far in the area around the station. The planned 255 units, supported by nearly 200 residential parking spaces, would have a significant Takoma-area impact that must be thoroughly analyzed.

Continues after the jump.

TIMING

The WMATA Board is set to hold its first vote on the project in late July. They would hold a public hearing in mid to late September. The public may comment throughout the WMATA process. The project also needs approval from DC’s Zoning Commission as a Planned Unit Development.

We thank WMATA for a proposal that preserves for the immediate future much of the existing park, includes a bicycle facility, adds connections to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, includes a station-planning study, and makes future transit services possible at the site.

However, a project of this size at a mass transit facility calls for a comprehensive traffic study which would thoroughly analyze this project’s likely impacts on vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety. We ask that it be completed prior to the WMATA public hearing.

We think that the community needs more time to analyze the proposal and will ask to modify the timetable.

NEXT STEPS

We are working to quickly gather information about this development and determine the best ways that the Takoma DC and Maryland communities can have their voices heard. For cross-neighborhood discussions, we invite you to join a new TakomaMetro email list. Join via the Web site, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TakomaMetro/

Sara Green, ANC 4B01 Commissioner and ANC 4B Chair
Faith Wheeler, ANC 4B02 Commissioner and ANC 4B Vice Chair
Seth Grimes, Takoma Park City Council, Ward 1

Ed. Note: You can read an awesome history of the Old Post Office Building here.

From a press release:

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced it has completed negotiations with the Trump Organization on a 60 year lease agreement to redevelop and manage the iconic Old Post Office building and annex on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Under the agreement, $200 million of private sector funds will be invested to restore the 114 year old federal building and convert it into a luxury mixed-use development — Trump International Hotel, The Old Post Office, Washington D.C.– that will serve the local community, preserve the facility, and save taxpayer dollars. The pending agreement now moves to Congress for a review period of 30 in-session days.

Continues after the jump.

“Redeveloping the Old Post Office with a private sector partner will save millions of taxpayer dollars while restoring a unique and important historic asset,” said Dan Tangherlini, GSA Acting Administrator. “GSA is committed to delivering the best value for the American people and managing federal real estate assets efficiently. We are pleased that the negotiations have finished and the deal now moves to Congress for review.”

“It is a great honor and privilege to be given the responsibility of transforming one of our country’s most important landmarks into what will be one of the great hotels of the world,” said Donald J. Trump, Chairman and President of The Trump Organization.

“It has been a tremendous pleasure to work with the GSA and the numerous agencies and organizations that have been involved in getting us to this important milestone in the project’s redevelopment. Our plans are virtually complete and we look forward to starting construction immediately upon turnover of the building,” added Ivanka Trump, Executive Vice President of Development and Acquisitions.

GSA and the Trump Organization have been negotiating for over a year on the terms and conditions of this complex transaction. GSA selected the Trump Organization as the preferred developer after an open and robust competitive process. The Trump Organization’s offer was deemed the most compelling, and it included the strongest development team, provided long term benefits to the local community, and offered the best overall proposal to the federal government.

The Old Post Office, located at the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the Federal Triangle neighborhood, is currently used primarily as federal office space. Through the Old Post Office Redevelopment Act of 2008, Congress directed GSA to redevelop the Old Post Office in a cost effective manner. The lease agreement provides a path forward for the preservation of the historic features while allowing the private sector to develop it to its fullest potential while also creating economic development opportunities. GSA is relocating the existing federal tenants in the Old Post Office, including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Trump Organization proposal calls for converting the Old Post Office to a luxury hotel with more than 260 rooms, along with world renowned restaurants, an expansive spa, conference and ballroom facilities, while preserving and enhancing all of its historic features. The redevelopment is expected to start in 2014 with the hotel opening scheduled in 2016. Under the agreement, the Old Post Office’s clock tower will continue to be open to the public and will continue to be managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

We last checked on the Lima building back in Feb. 2013. It’s nearly completed bricked up now. Part of me really hopes they’ll somehow figure out a way to keep the old auto repair sign:

And here’s a peek at the pop up halfway down the block on V street:

Last week we learned a Sweetgreen would be coming to Navy Yard at 4th and Tingey SE, opening mid-2014. YardsDC posts the rendering above on Facebook. Like the way it’s planned?

From Douglas Development:

Located at the bustling intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Brandywine Street, the new building will include a modern, mid-rise atop the former Babe’s Billiards building. The property will feature over 19,000 square feet of retail on the lower two levels and five levels of apartment units. This project was the first new construction residential development in the District of Columbia to receive approval to be built without any parking at all.

68,500 rentable square feet (18,260 sf retail; 50,240 sf residential)
Historic building built 1949; Acquired 2009; Redevelopment 2013-2014
Seven-story building
60 rental apartment units

You can see more info and renderings here.

Howard University’s future Interdisciplinary research building coming to Georgia and W St, NW in the Fall of 2014. Like the look?

A reader writes:

“A pop DOWN! North Capitol and T Stret, NE.
Looks like a ditch was dug around the house, the basement deepened, and a walkout will be created.”

Wild, I wonder how the cost of building a pop down compares with building a pop up?

Eden condos will have:

“18 units total there are 11 two-bedrooms, 7 one-bedrooms, private parking spots, outdoor spaces and well insulated Windsor Pinnacle Clad windows to deafen city noise.”

You can see their floorplans here.

Rendering courtesy of Eden

Full press release after the jump.

Delivering July 2013, D.B. Lee Development and Stages Premier, REALTORS of Washington proudly present EDEN, a high-end, brand new luxury condominium building in the heart of Adams Morgan. Just steps away from all D.C. has to offer, these contemporary condominiums are open to the public for sale beginning May 16, 2013. Well situated at 2360 Champlain Street NW, half a block from the charming 18th Street corridor, this residential building is truly a unique urban oasis. With 18 units total there are 11 two-bedrooms, 7 one-bedrooms, private parking spots, outdoor spaces and well insulated Windsor Pinnacle Clad windows to deafen city noise. EDEN offers luxury to all its residents with fine design and quality construction on every level.

EDEN’s design is the latest collaboration between D.B. Lee Development, Bonstra Haresign Architects and Capital Design Group. Capital Design Group is the premier Washington, DC-based design-build construction firm committed to creating modern inspirational living spaces for its clients. Past projects, all in Adams Morgan, include: The Kalorama at 1882 Columbia Road, 2424 18th Street Lofts, and The Erie at 2351 Champlain Street, directly across the street from EDEN. The dramatic lines of the front facade entice you to explore the interior spaces which have been “designed with privacy, and openness to the outdoors with a carefully landscaped courtyard and well appointed roof top terraces.” Open spaces include courtyards, balconies and a communal green roof top deck.

Like Bonstra Haresign and D.B. Lee Development’s other projects, EDEN is a pioneering example of urban architecture that continues to further enhance the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Defined as “living architecture” with sleek and modern core design, D.B. Lee Development has built its latest addition to the ever growing cosmopolitan, diverse, eclectic neighborhood of Adams Morgan. In addition to its flexibility in floor plans, its location, courtyard, and roof top terraces, EDEN has many unique design elements: direct views of the U.S. Capitol dome, being uniquely situated on the anterior fulcrum of Champlain Street’s platted bend, multiple protruding building front balconies with sweeping vistas extending from Columbia Road to Florida Avenue, and great attention to rising exterior wall details that converge to enhance the Adams Morgan skyline. Those that well labor at D.B. Lee Development pride themselves on the positive impacts that their projects contribute in their communities. EDEN is no exception.

In addition to its sleek architectural design, EDEN is truly defined in its urban setting by its unprecedented lavishly appointed landscape designs. Longtime Washington land owner and project partner, Carlos Lumpuy, and New York City landscape consultant, Aaron Jay Fossett, who formally studied with Wolfgang Oehme of Oehme Van Sweden Landscape Architects, created EDEN with lush organic landscaping elements. D.B. Lee Development then realized this vision and says that EDEN’s living spaces have been “designed and built around landscaping, where outdoor spaces are the nascent creative force and priority in modern urban development.” The organic design truly translates into creating an urban escape from metropolitan life for its’ future residents.