New Rendering and More Details about The Wren (you know, the Shaw Whole Foods) near 9:30 Club

965 Florida Ave, NW. Image courtesy of MRP Realty and Ellis Development Group with JBG SMITH

From a press release:

“MRP Realty, developers of commercial, residential, and mixed-use real estate across the Washington Metropolitan region, and Ellis Development Group, in partnership with JBG SMITH, have broken ground on their new mixed-use development, The Wren, located at 965 Florida Avenue NW. The celebratory event took place on November 30, and included remarks by Mayor Bowser.

The Wren is a 289,686-square-foot development in the Shaw neighborhood. The building features 433 residential units, of which 132 units will be affordable. Along with best-in-class amenities, The Wren will be a LEED Silver Certified building with solar panels providing a portion of the building’s energy. Anchoring the ground floor will be a 43,406-square-foot Whole Foods–the seventh location of the grocery retailer in the District and its first store in the District since being purchased by Amazon.

“The Wren is truly a one-of-a-kind product in this market,” said Bob Murphy, managing principal of MRP Realty. “This development is not about building another apartment building, but about creating and contributing to a community. Mayor Bowser and Whole Foods have been critical in helping us achieve our vision for this project, and we’re looking forward to delivering it.”

“Washington real estate can be competitive,” said Chip Ellis, president of Ellis Development. “This project demonstrates that it’s not about who built what, but doing everything we can to give the market what it’s missing. Being able to work with great partners to deliver much-needed affordable units and neighborhood improvements is an added bonus.”

“The Shaw neighborhood has been a major focus for JBG SMITH,” said Kai Reynolds, co-chief development officer of JBG SMITH. “Participating in the neighborhood’s transformation from night-life driven to a hub for dining and retail has been remarkable. And now, with the addition of The Wren, even more people will have the opportunity to enjoy Shaw and call it home.”

The Wren project is one of the first developments in DC to follow the District’s new land disposition rules whereby 30 percent of residential units in new buildings built on previously District-owned land must be affordable at the 30% and 50% AMI levels. Along with widening the sidewalks around the site of the project and building a continuation of Bryant Street NW, the development team will also be improving the adjacent building’s intersections, travel lanes and streetscape along Sherman Avenue NW.”