Development

“Mayor Gray and District Delegation Return from China Trade Mission, Highlight Investment in District Project”

By Prince Of Petworth


Market at O Street

From a press release:

This week, Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins returned to the District of Columbia along with other members of the District delegation who participated in a seven-day economic development mission to the People’s Republic of China. The trip ended on Saturday in Shanghai with the announcement of a sizeable Chinese investment in the City Market at O Street project managed by District-based Roadside Development, LLC. A ceremonial check in the amount of $40 million was presented to Roadside’s co-founder Armond Spikell. The funding will support future phases of this important development.

“We are delighted to return home from China with the knowledge that our work is already proving successful,” said Mayor Gray. “I want to congratulate the Roadside Development team on securing a major funding component for City Market at O Street, which is a critical component of the revitalization of the District’s Shaw neighborhood. In order to remain the best real-estate market in the country, we must continue to attract, entice and support such investments in the District. By launching the D.C. China Center in Shanghai, we will do that work and more, bringing more business to D.C. and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with D.C. businesses as they compete in China and create good, high-paying jobs here at home. I also want to thank the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou for the spirit of hospitality and friendship with which we were received. The relationships we developed will increase economic opportunity for District residents and our Chinese partners.”

“Roadside Development was pleased and proud to be a part of the Washington, D.C.’s trade delegation to China,” said Richard Lake of Roadside Development. “We saw immediate opportunities to attract new capital sources and form new partnerships for future developments in the District. Through Mayor Gray’s leadership and vision, our City Market at O project is well under way. During this mission, City Market at O received an additional $40 million (through EB-5 financing) for future phases of this exciting project.”

Draft SW Ecodistrict Plan Public Comment Kick-Off

By Prince Of Petworth


Click to enlarge. Rendering via National Capital Planning Commission

From an email:

The draft SW Ecodistrict Plan is ready for your review. On July 19, NCPC will walk you through plans for transforming this predominantly federal precinct into a lively mixed-use community and environmental showcase. Learn details of the plan and share your thoughts in person.

WHEN
Thursday, July 19, 2012
6:30 – 8:30 pm

WHERE
District Office of Planning

2nd Floor Conference Room
1100 4th Street, SW Washington, DC
Metro: Waterfront

DETAILS
Event details | View draft plan online beginning July 12

RSVP
Attendance is free and open to the public. www.ncpc.gov/rsvp

“Norton’s Southwest Waterfront Redevelopment Bill Passed, Groundbreaking Expected in January”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today celebrated House passage of her Southwest Waterfront redevelopment bill (H.R. 2297), which is now headed to the White House for President Obama to sign into law. The bill clarifies the legal status of property at the Southwest Waterfront in order to allow the District to move forward with a major redevelopment project that will include 2.5 million square feet of hotel, office, retail, and residential space, as well as clear the way for increased maritime activity there. Norton expects the issuance of a permit by the fall, and the groundbreaking in January.

“This is a major economic development bill for the District of Columbia,” Norton said. “The bill allows the District to move forward with a 21st-century vision for the Southwest Waterfront, the most valuable underused asset in the District. Restrictions on the District’s own land have long prevented the city from putting the Southwest Waterfront to its best use, driven down property values, and deprived residents and visitors alike of a vibrant waterfront. In the end, the city will have a world-class Southwest Waterfront to match the Southeast Waterfront, now called The Yards, being redeveloped from our prior bill. D.C. residents will have access to jobs and small business opportunities to build a new waterfront as well as to thousands of permanent jobs that will come with the new mixed-use Southwest Waterfront. Our city will get millions of dollars in new tax revenue annually.”

First Tenant Signed for Wonder Bread Factory in Shaw

By Prince Of Petworth


641 S Street, NW

From Douglas Development:

Douglas Development is pleased to announce that WorkSpaces LLC, a strategic furniture solutions consulting agency, has leased 20,817 square feet in the historic Wonder Bread Factory at 641 S Street, NW. WorkSpaces LLC will be the redeveloped property’s first tenant since the building closed in 1988.

WorkSpaces LLC will occupy the entire third floor of the District landmark and is expected to move in immediately following completion of construction. Douglas Development anticipates construction to be completed in January 2013.

In addition to upper-level loft-like office space with industrial-style skylights, the redeveloped building, with a total of 98,000 square feet will offer 24,000 square feet of retail space. Office floor plates range in size from 12,000-22,000 square feet. Ceiling heights range from 11-12 feet. The building will also boast outdoor terrace space, lower level parking, and a combination of exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling glass on all four sides. The exterior design, approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board, features a colorful, contemporary new addition of glass and metal panels to complement the restored brick of the historic building.

The 641 S Street property was initially home to Dorsch’s White Cross Bakery in the early 1900s and then later purchased by Continental Baking Company in 1936, becoming the primary factory for Wonder Bread and Hostess Cake products. The building shut down in 1988 when Continental Baking moved to a larger facility in Philadelphia, and was purchased by Douglas Development in 1997.

You can see renderings of the space here:

641 S St – Renderings

Here’s what a reader saw inside the building back in 2009.

Dear PoPville – Converting Blighted Community Library Kiosks

By Prince Of Petworth


1300 H St, NE

Dear PoPville,

I’m sure you’ve noticed the District’s “Community Libraries” or Kiosks before. There was one on the 1300 block of H St. NE, called The R. L. Christian Community Library, which was repurposed, at least temporarily, into some sort of pop-up laboratory… There are a handful of these blighted buildings still around the District, and the Department of General Services is hoping to sign license agreements with groups for the “use and reactivation of the properties.” I know personally that the Sursum Corda Kiosk (135 New York Ave., NW) is especially dilapidated, and unfortunately, is adjacent to a newly refurbished playground and community center. Maybe PoPville can spread the word and spark interest in these properties, so they can stop contributing to urban decay:

DGS request for Short Term Property Use

Ed. Note: The H Street NE location was previously used as a Temporium.


135 New York Ave., NW

Major Renovation Coming to 1140 19th Street, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in May we learned about Tandoori Time and Via 19/Pho DC closing in the retail spaces of 1140 19th St, NW. A reader mentioned a major renovation was on the way and now we can see some renderings. From Showcase:

“New multi-million dollar renovations planned in 2012-2013 including an all-glass façade, private terrace overlooking the bustling retail corridor, and a modern two-story marble lobby.”

Sweet!

Guessing Game Over – Former Frazier’s Funeral Home to Become “4-5 unit multi-unit residential building”

By Prince Of Petworth


391 Rhode Island Ave, NW

Back in Sept. 2011 the former Frazier’s Funeral Home sold for $850,000. There’s been lots of speculation about who may be moving into the space but we finally have an answer. A reader sends word from the D.C. Historic Preservation Office/Office of Planning:

“it is being converted into a 4-5 unit multi-unit residential building. The building was apparently originally three rowhouses merged together. The party walls are not longer intact on the interior, though. The formstone is being removed and the brick is being renovated.”

Kelsey Gardens Demo Begins, To Become Jefferson at Market Place

By Prince Of Petworth


7th and P St, NW

@SamsGoodMeats sends the photo above and writes:

“Kelsey Gardens demo underway. More great news for ‪#shawdc‬”

From the Jefferson Apartment Group’s Web site:

Jefferson at Market Place is a mixed-use development located at the corner of 7th and P Streets in Northwest Washington, DC. The project will include 281 luxury apartments, 230 below-grade parking spaces, and 13,400 square feet of retail space.

Jefferson at Market Place will feature modern amenity spaces that will include a boutique-style lobby with a 24-hour concierge, state-of-the-art fitness center, resident business center, and community lounge with bar and gaming areas. Residents will also have exclusive access to two private courtyards on the ground floor, a landscaped roof deck on the seventh floor, and a large pool deck on the 8th floor roof.

Jefferson at Market Place is located less than three blocks north of the Washington Convention Center Metro Station and two blocks south of the Shaw-Howard Metro Station. The project has tremendous visibility with over 455 feet of frontage along 7th Street NW and will be located adjacent to the future City Market at O, a 1 million square foot mixed-use project anchored by a new 58,000 square foot Giant Supermarket.


Rendering via Jefferson Apartment Group

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