Development

Dear PoPville – What’s Going on with the Proposed Development of the Specialty Hospital on Capitol Hill?

By Prince Of Petworth

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700 Constitution Avenue, NE

“Dear PoPville,

I am wondering if you have any info about the proposed re-development of the Specialty Hospital of Washington DC’s Capitol Hill campus at 700 Constitution Ave NE?

In the last couple of weeks a construction style fence was put up around the perimeter of the property and the hospital appears to be no longer in use. I’ve heard that part of the property will be leased out for developers to re-develop into some sort of condo/apartment property??… Any info would be great.”

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Rendering via 700 Constitution

According to IBG Partners:

“IBG Partners is in the process of studying the feasibility of renovating 700 Constitution Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 into a Class-A apartment building with approximately 140-units and 86-parking spaces. (more…)

Council Member Wells Supports Hill East Redevelopment at Reservation 13

By Prince Of Petworth

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From a press release:

“Councilmember Tommy Wells praised the selection of Donatelli Development and Blue Skye Construction for the Phase 1 redevelopment of Reservation 13. The Hill East project will consist of the construction of two mixed-use buildings focused on parcels F-1 and G-1 to the east of the Stadium-Armory Metro Station.

“The development for Hill East has been long delayed. With nearby access to public transit and bordered by the Anacostia River, this is a great opportunity to bring new amenities to the community, as well as the city. It is an important step toward creating the mixed-use development our city needs.

“The city will now enter into negotiations with the development team, and there is a lot of community-led work that still remains. I am particularly interested in adding affordable housing to the neighborhood to maintain the diversity that makes our city great. I look forward to the next phase of this development and to working with neighbors to honor the community’s vision.”

Developer Responds to Concerns and Clarifies Plans for 11th and Rhode Island Ave, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

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11th and Rhode Island Ave, NW

“Dear PoPville,

While we usually try to stay out of the blogosphere commentary, I felt compelled to simply clarify the facts and circumstances of our project and the vision we are trying to execute.  Also, I would like everyone reading to understand that we are local residents and tenants as well.  The majority of our team (including the owners) live within blocks of this site and our corporate offices are located literally across the street.  We have completed 3 projects in the neighborhood in the last 2 years and fully embrace and appreciate the balance of great design, appropriate scale and community impacts – which I believe our previous approval processes represent well – we always attempt to garner as much neighborhood feedback as possible.  The bottom line is that in these relatively tight urban sites, the 50 year old zoning regulations are not always contemplative (that would be impossible) of every possible building design or scope that makes a project both physically and financially viable.  And while I wish our requested variances were giving us some sort of financial windfall, they are not.  We are simply trying to develop a high–quality neighborhood asset that is financially viable and works within the unique site constraints, shape and environmental issues that exist there today.
REQUEST:  WE INVITE ALL SUPPORTERS OF THIS DEVELOPMENT TO PLEASE JOIN US AT THE ANC PRESENTATION.  TONIGHT AT 7PM.
Below is a summary of the questions looming by the community, which hopefully at least provide some factual clarification as to our plans: (more…)

Dear PoPville – Diamond Cab Building to be Redeveloped in Logan Circle?

By Prince Of Petworth

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11th and Rhode Island Ave, NW

“Dear PoPville,

The building is slated to be built literally in my backyard on the east side of Logan Circle. My neighbors and I are all very receptive to the development — any neighbor will be better than Diamond Cab — but it seems like every zoning variance the developer is requesting is simply to make more money and increase density, squeezing an extra 10% – 20% of space and efficiency at the loss of neighborhood parking, permeable ground cover, etc.

Zoning regulations exist for a reason, and neighbors have come to a consensus that they should enforced.

There are also environmental concerns related to the developer’s desire to not fully remediate the contaminated soils here (the site has had ~9 underground tanks on it over the years). The developer basically says that it would be an undue burden to remove these soils, and the deeper they dig, the more contamination they expect to find. It seems to me that the if a developer knows they’re purchasing a contaminated site, then they really ought to plan to clean it up, especially if they’re planning on creating below-grade residences. The local ANC and DC agencies should look out for the public good in making sure a structure than may stand for 5 or more decades is not built on soil that is known to contain volatile gasoline and diesel residues.

This event / hearing is on Wednesday night at 7pm at the Washington Plaza and we’d encourage all interested neighbors and community members to attend.”

From momsinlogancircle:

I wanted to let fellow neighbors and parents know about plans to develop the Diamond Cab property on the corner of 11th and Rhode Island Ave. The developer, CAS Riegler, is proposing to build a 4+ story building with 40-50 condo units. They are requesting an area variance for 13 parking spaces as opposed to the 20-25 that are legally required, which will make parking extremely difficult in that vicinity. In addition, the building will have 2 retail stores adding to the parking burden. There are additional area variances and special exceptions the developer is requesting.

If you are concerned about parking in Logan and the precedence this will set for other developments in the area please attend the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F, Community Development Committee (CDC) Meeting on Wednesday, September 25 at 7PM at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle).

Rendering of proposed bldg at 1101 Rhode Island

ANC Supports 16-screen movie theater for Navy Yard

By Prince Of Petworth

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Rendering via ANC Rep David Garber

From the Capitol Riverfront BID:

“At its September meeting, ANC 6D voted unanimously to support Forest City Washington’s newest project in the Capitol Riverfront, a mixed-use development comprising 600 residential units, 52,000 square feet of retail and a 16-screen movie theater on land across First Street, SE from Nationals Park.

The land is currently owned by the DC Government and occupied by DC Water, which will soon be relocated.

The Forest City Washington movie theater project and adjacent residential development bring another level of excitement and entertainment to the Capitol Riverfront. The Capitol Riverfront BID commends Forest City and Mayor Gray for their vision to continue the momentum on the Anacostia River through a unique public/private partnership.”

Holy Transformation at 3rd and U Street, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

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3rd and U St, NW in 2011

Wow, I hadn’t realized how much the old house at 3rd and U St, NW had been transformed. Here’s the view of the back from U Street:

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2013

View from the front:

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2011

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2013

Check out the transformation of the carriage house after the jump. (more…)

Dear PoPville – What’s Going on with the Former ‘Goins’ Building?

By Prince Of Petworth

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Georgia and Shepherd St, NW

“Dear PoPville,

Do you know what’s going on with the construction site at Shepherd and Georgia? The building on that corner was demolished earlier this summer, and all of the debris was removed. After that the construction equipment went away and now there’s just a big hole with no signs of new construction. Are there plans for a new building? Any idea when they will start building?”

The folks behind the project, PERS Development, tell me they are “looking to break ground in the next 30-45 days. We are excited and look forward to this great project. It’s going to be a cool building!” This will become the the Fahrenheit Condos.

Zoning Meeting Sept. 24th to Discuss Parking for a “grocery store and apartment house” in Navy Yard

By Prince Of Petworth

800NJPlackard

“Dear PoPville,

There is a plackard on the 800 NJ Ave construction site advertising a public hearing to discuss parking for a possible Whole Foods. Here’s the fine print:

“Application of Square 737 LLC Pursuant to 11 DCMR SEC 3103.2, for a variance from parking space location requirements under subsection 2116.12, for a mixed-use (grocery store and apartment house) development in the C-3_c District at premises 800 New Jersey Avenue, S.E> (Square 737, Lot 76). ANC 6D”

Dear PoPville – Is the Fish Market Getting Redeveloped?

By Prince Of Petworth

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“Dear PoPville,

Someone just told me that the fish market is going to close. Have you heard any rumors about this?”

Anyone know the timing for the redevelopment? In January a press release said:

“Hoffman‐Madison Waterfront, the master developer of the 3.2 million square foot Southwest Waterfront project (“The Wharf”), announced today the approval of its Phase1 Planned Unit Development (PUD) by the District of Columbia Zoning Commission. The Zoning Commission’s action approves all of the architectural designs and specific plans for each parcel of the project’s first phase encompassing 1.5 million square feet of residential, hotel, office and retail uses along with three piers, numerous open spaces, gathering places and a 3 ‐ acre waterfront park.”

General info from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development including “Expansion and improvements to the historic Fish Market” (more…)

Dear PoPville – What’s Going on at the Old Hoagie House at 4th and N St, NW?

By Prince Of Petworth

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1251 4th Street, NW

“Dear PoPville,

Do you know what’s going on with the construction at 4th and N St. NW? Looks like it might be some type of restaurant/cafe.”

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A permit was just issued last week for a 6 month extension on the buildout for a mixed use property. It is also interesting to note that on the permit the agent name is Steven May formerly affiliated with Bloomingdale’s North Capitol firehouse project…

CityPaper previously reported:

“It’s actually a long, comma-shaped lot, with more property on 4th Street behind the corner storefront, and Fathi plans to turn most of it into apartments with a cafe on the ground floor.”

Fathi was formerly affiliated with Shaw’s Tavern during their liquor license troubles.

Updates as construction progresses and when more info becomes available on a potential cafe.

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View from 4th Street looking north towards N Stree:

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