Northwest corner of 14th and S Streets NW: District Condos project switches to rentals. (Luis Gomez Photos)

See In Pictures: Development Projects Line the 14th Street Corridor (August 11, 2011).

From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email. You can follow him on Twitter @Tomonswann.

In a press release issued this afternoon JBG Companies and Grosvenor announced that the much heralded condominium project at the corner of 14th and S Streets NW would be developed instead as a “boutique apartment building.” When delivered in fall 2012 the seven-story building will have 125 apartments.

Kai Reynolds, a principal with JBG, said “We received a substantial amount of interest in the condominium project, but the strong fundamentals of the rental market and our confidence in the opportunity to deliver an exceptional boutique apartment building ultimately swayed our decision to deliver the project as an apartment.”

The condo project was unveiled last fall at an event attended by Councilmembers Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2). The project was to be called District Condos. The site includes the historic building at the northwest corner of 14th and S that once housed the Whitman Walker Clinic, and the now-demolished one-story properties north to Swann Street. Graham had once served as director of the Whitman Walker Clinic (now Whitman Walker Health)  from 1984 until election to the City Council in 1998.

Whitman Walker bought the building for $1.25 million in 1986. When the District Condos project broke ground, James Nozar of JBG said the condo prices would likely start in the low $300,000 range, with a bulk of the units priced under $600,000 and a few running up more than $1 million.

Projects Underway on 14th & U Corridor

Numerous residential projects line 14th Street from Thomas Circle north toward Columbia Heights. Some of them include –

• Two condominium projects are underway a block south of the JBG / Grosvenor project — one in a former Verizon building the other on a former Zipcar lot next to AYT Auto Service (which is departing at the end of the year).
• At 14th and Wallach NW,  Level 2 Development is also readying plans for an apartment building.
• Across the street at the southwese\t corner of 14th and U, work will begin shortly on a large 200-plus unit project that JBG is a partner in as well.
• South of P Street, a small condominium project is in the works for 1328 14th Street, just south of the 7-11.
• Around the corner on the south side of Rhode Island Avenue developer ABDO  has plans for a building on the last bit of vacant land on that block.

Previous Stories On The Project

• In Pictures: Development Projects Line the 14th Street Corridor
• Construction to Begin this Month at 14th and S NW
• 14th & S Project to Be Named “District Condos”

The west side of the 1800 block of 14th Street NW at Swann Street. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay

DC Mud is reporting that JBG Companies has taken another step forward in their efforts to build a mixed use building on the west side of the 1800 block of 14th Street. The cornerstone of the project will be the former Whitman-Walker Clinic building at the corner of S and 14th which will be saved and incorporated into the plan for the block which extends north to Swann Street.

According to the DC Mud story, JBG has filed a demolition permit for buildings adjacent to the historic Whitman-Walker structure extending to Swann Street.

The properties adjacent to the Whitman-Walker building have served as home to various clinic programs over the years.  Most recently one of the properties served as temporary headquarters for The DC Center, whose mission is to support the LGBT community of DC.  The former laundromat at the corner of 14th and Swann Streets closed earlier this year. Portions of the site are now being used as evening parking for the crowds who flock to the area restaurants and clubs.

Plans for the project include 120 residential units, 18,000 square feet of retail and 90 below ground parking spots.  Beyond the Clinic building the new construction will rise to seven stories along the 14th Street side.

The DC Zoning Commission recently increased the Arts overlay restriction on allowable food and beverage establishments for the corridor; I am sure we can expect to see a number of restaurants or bars opening in the space.   The block has become an eyesore for the neighborhood in recent months, so I think most will be pleased to see this project moving forward.

Last week we reported that the Utopia project at 14th and U was also moving forward. Looks like two-year lull in condo development is nearing an end?

DDOT will implement Alternative 5 on 15th Street NW north of Massachusetts Avenue. (Image: DDOT courtesy of TheWashCycle.com Web site.)

Two great postings today at Greater Greater Washington… one on the plans for the Whitman-Walker property on 14th Street NW between S and Swann NW… and the other on DDOT’s traffic flow plans for 15th Street NW (Borderstan postings here and here).

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