A rendering of Atlantic Plumbing project. (Courtesy of JBG Cos.)
Construction may start in July on the Atlantic Plumbing Building project by JBG Companies and Walton Street Capital. The project will bring three residential buildings and more than 25,000 square feet of retail space to 8th and V Streets NW, near the 9:30 Club.
The project includes retail space dedicated to local artists, luxury “green” amenities and streetscape improvements.
The addresses for the three sites are:
- 807 V Street NW and 2112 8th Street NW
- 2030 8th Street NW
- 933-945 Florida Avenue NW
JBG representatives recently gave an update on the project and expect to receive raze permits for the buildings at 2030 8th Street, 807 V Street and 2112 8th Street next week. They will start demolition as soon as possible. JBG hasn’t yet selected a general contractor but once they have they will be meeting with all surrounding neighbors to discuss construction traffic control plans, construction mobilization and staging-delivery plans, pedestrian pathways, parking, security, etc.
The parking garage access was moved to 8th Street due to pedestrian safety and possible traffic backups mid-block on V Street NW.
The project will tie in with the 9:30 Club and other neighbors, “targeting more artistic/cultural uses including a possible small theater, as well as a café or restaurant,” said James Nozar from JBG Cos. in an interview given to Borderstan last year.
Development on the 14th Street Corridor: Click above for the slide show. (Luis Gomez Photos)
See photos of the changes that have come, and are coming, to 14th Street NW.
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
The neighborhood has changed and 14th Street NW, from Thomas Circle north to Florida Avenue and beyond, is probably the best example. On one block after another for the past decade, we have seen the transformation of the 14th Street corridor.
A note to potential commenters itching to comment on “change” and “gentrification” — these are observations and you are free to make your own interpretations as to their desirability. You can always consider what the Don Draper character on “Mad Men” says: “Change is neither good nor bad. It simply is. It can be greeted with terror or joy, a tantrum that says ‘I want it the way it was,’ or a dance that says, ‘Look, something new!’ ” Or not.
Newcomers of the past three to five years are to be forgiven if they don’t remember when residential buildings at 14th and N, 14th and Q and on the 1500 block of 14th Street (east side) did not exist. The same applies to the north side of the 1400 block of P Street NW (and Church Street just to the north) where large residential buildings face Whole Foods, which opened in the fall of 2000.
We “old-timers” still consider these to be “new” buildings.
The Retail Catch-Up
More than a decade ago, older businesses began closing shop to make way for new businesses that catered to the multitudes of new arrivals in Logan Circle — and more than few of those businesses are now gone (Garden District and go mama go! are two examples). However, Cafe Saint-Ex, Pulp and Home Rule are still going strong.
Shuttered store fronts on 14th Street opened as art galleries, restaurants, posh drinking establishments and upscale home decor stores. It’s been said that it takes a decade for retail to catch up with residential changes in gentrifying neighborhoods. If that is the case, then around 2000 the catch-up began. And, yes, it is hard to over-estimate the importance of Whole Foods as an anchor store for the 14th and P Streets shopping and residential corridor.
Residential Construction Boom
The boom in residential building construction continues on the 14th Street corridor. New residents, including young families have brought a different vibe to the sidewalks. Done or nearing completion are District, The Aston and Northern Exchange — the first on 14th between S and Swann, and the later two at 14th and R.
Coming in the next year are the massive Louis complex at 14th and U Streets and 1919 14th Street at Wallach Place. All will bring more residents — and more businesses to the first floors of the buildings.
Next Up
The remainder of 2013 as well as 2014 will see even more residential-retail and business buildings on the 14th Street corridor:
- The Jefferson 14W is finishing up at the northeast corner of 14th and W Streets, including a large YMCA.
- The former site of Latino Auto Sales at the southeast corner of 14th and Florida will become condos by the end of 2013.
- The Central Union Mission will be moving out this year, from the southeast corner of 14th and R. UrbanTurf reports that construction will begin June.
- Filling in a gap on 14th Street, Furioso Development will bring an office building, which will be leased by Whitman-Walker Health.
- An empty warehouse at 1728 14th Street will become a commercial business building.
- Elevation Media reports that a 48-unit, seven story building will break ground in the last quarter of 2013 on the Zipcar lot at the northeast corner of 14th and Corcoran.
- Abdo has plans for the corner of 14th & Rhode Island.
I have undoubtedly missed some changes and some projects here. But the main point is that the 14th Street corridor is far from done. Expect to see something more in 2014 and beyond — there are still plenty of empty lots and one-story build-ins just itching for something new.
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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Corner of 7th and R Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
A city-owned plot of land in Shaw at 7th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW — dubbed Parcel 42 — is one step closer to being the neighborhood’s next big development project.
In November 2012, the DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced that six bidders met the qualifications of the Request for Expressions of Interest. Now that pool has been narrowed down to three bidding developers.
Urban Turf reports the three candidates include a a 102-suite hotel from Baywood Hotels and Dantes Partners, an eight-story residential building from Neighborhood Development Company and a 105-unit residential building from TenSquare Group and Chapman Development.
Baywood Hotels and Dantes Partners
After ANC 2C/Shaw voted 2-1 in favor of bringing Dantes Partners’ vision to Parcel 42, the developer gave us the details on the proposed plan. The hotel will have 102 hotel suites and will feature a rooftop pool with green space, parking spaces for residents and hotel guests and a Milk and Honey grocer/market on the ground floor. Additionally, the project will include 22 subsidized housing units and will create 65 to 75 long-term jobs.
Neighborhood Development Company
Similar to Dantes Partners’ plan, the eight-story building from Neighborhood Development also features parking and a food/grocery space for ground-floor retail. Urban Turf reports that the development company submitted two plans: one with 81 one-and-two-bedroom units and another with 99 residential units. Neighborhood Development Company says the ground-floor retail (a 9,500 square-foot space) will most likely be Yes! Organic Market with outdoor seating and dining.
TenSquare Group and Chapman Development
While the plan for this team’s 105-unit residential building does call call for a specific retailer to occupy the building’s ground floor retail space, the developers say the retailer could also be a grocery or pharmacy. The team of developers say they plan to make the top floors contemporary and made from recycled materials. The seven-floor building will also include 21 units dedicated to affordable housing. The developers estimate the project will create around 15 long-term jobs.
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From Willis Shawver. Follow him on Twitter at @WShawver or email him at Willis[AT]borderstan.com.
A rendering of the Citadel apartments. (Photo by Capital Pixel’s Lori Steenhoek.)
What’s on your list of must haves when looking for a new apartment in DC?
Well, the new Citadel Apartments in Adams Morgan (1631 Kalorama Road NW) might have everything you desire.
Modern design? Check. Within walking distance of Mt. Pleasant and U Street? Check. Close proximity to a supermarket? Double check. Windows? Well, about that …
Urban Turf reports that Washington DC based developer Douglas Development plans to build 39 apartments in the space above Harris Teeter that once held the old Kalorama skating rink and bowling alley.
In order to maximize space in the unique domed, circular layout of the old skating rink, architects designed an outside ring of 31 apartments and an inside block of eight apartments.
An unusual quirk of those eight center apartments – no windows. Without access to the perimeter windows of the dome, the architects decided to incorporate skylights into the layout to allow for natural light.
Having lived in a few basement apartments in the District, I know how important natural light can be for the human psyche. Windows provide a connection to the outside world, a fresh breeze on a sunny day, and most importantly, an emergency exit in case of a fire.
And maybe it’s just me, but DC needs fewer windowless apartments and more roller skating rinks.
The apartments will be delivered sometime this spring.
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Construction has begun for Aura Spa at VIDA Fitness on U Street. (Courtesy of Urban Adventures Companies, Inc.)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Urban Adventures Companies, Inc. announced last week that construction has begun on Aura Spa, located at VIDA Fitness (1612 U Street NW). The new 5,000 square-foot space will be right off the gym’s main lobby and will feature modern decor, several treatment rooms and a menu of services, such as facials, body treatments and massage therapy.
The spa, which is the company’s third location, is expected to open in April 2013 with $1 million in development costs. Later this month, Aura Spa plans to launch a new website at www.auraspa.net, highlighting the new spa’s offerings in late January 2013.
VIDA Fitness and Bang Salon opened at 1612 U Street in the summer of 2011, and the Penthouse Pool Club opened in spring 2012. The building also currently houses a first-floor restaurant space and executive office suites marketed to local professional services businesses.
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A hotel is proposed for Parcel 42 at 7th and Rhode Island NW. (Courtesy of Dantes Partners)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Last Wednesday night, ANC 2C voted 2-1 in favor of the proposed plan to turn Parcel 42 (a city-owned lot at the intersection of 7th Street NW and Rhode Island Avenue NW) into a 102-suite hotel with a rooftop pool and a local grocery store on the ground-floor.
Additionally, the proposed building will create 65 to 75 long-term jobs, more than 300 construction jobs and 22 housing units for families that meet income qualifications. To get some more details on the proposed plans, we talked with the developers of the plan, Dantes Partners, to hear all about what could be coming to Shaw.
Borderstan: Why did your group choose to pitch a hotel for the space? How do you think a hotel will benefit the neighborhood?
Dantes Partners: A hotel has numerous benefits, one of the most significant benefits is allowing our group to provide Shaw residents more of what they want (according to an ANC letter) and still remain a profitable and sustainable project. Twenty-four-seven foot traffic has potential to make the area safer. Hotel residents are more likely to utilize nearby retail establishments than apartment residents.
Hotel development spurs new support centers, especially restaurants, which would improve the local corridor and increase more traffic to the neighborhood from other DC residents. Additionally, the project would create 60 to 75 living wage jobs and over $18 million in tax revenue to the District – way more than any other proposal can achieve.
Borderstan: How many rooms is the hotel expected to have? Will the hotel include any interesting features?
Dantes Partners: The hotel will have 102 suites, currently. That number could increase down the road once detailed plans are drafted. The exterior of the hotel has some unique features to create an iconic, high quality building. Currently, we’re planning a rooftop pool with green space, LED lighting on the exterior of the building with the possibility to change colors. There is also a balcony for the hotel guests (as shown in the picture). Specifically, there will likely be two balcony/patio type spaces. One for hotel tenants and the other for the residential tenants. The hotel will also offer valet parking for hotel guests with dedicated parking for residential tenants.
Borderstan: Can you estimate how many jobs a hotel will employ?
Dantes Partners: The project over all will provide for some 65 to 75 long term jobs, of which 45 to 55 will be provided through the hotel. These jobs are not to be confused with construction jobs. We’re focused on long term, career focused job growth. That said, the project will create nearly 300 construction jobs as well.
Borderstan: We read that the proposal would have Milk and Honey as the ground-floor retail. What is Milk and Honey and why were they chosen?
Dantes Partners: Milk and Honey is a unique grocer/market that works with local farmers. The owner of the Baltimore store is a very good friend of mine and is also very interested in opening a store in DC. With the hotel serving as an anchor, we have a place where our guest could eat a sandwich and work remotely in the sit down area of the restaurant.
Borderstan: We read that there will be some housing on the space for those who meet income qualifications. Will the housing be a separate building? Or will it be inside the hotel? How much space is designated for the housing?
Dantes Partners: Another very unique feature of proposal — the housing space (22 units) will be located on floors two and three and will have its own unique entrance, lobby and public space apart from the hotel. The residential build out will represent 24 percent of FAR, or 22,378 SF. The units will be available for working professionals making no more than $50,000.
The housing will be available for those who are income eligible and it is our hope that our employees of the hotel will also take advantage of this offer. Now that the ANC has voted for the proposal, Urban Turf reports ANC 2C will be writing a letter of support to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, who will make the final decision.
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From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
1525 14th Street, Furioso Development. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Last year the sign appeared at 1525 14th Street NW. This morning it was confirmed, Furioso Development is bringing office space to 14th Street, with the construction date slated for December 10. DCmud spoke to him and have the info.
The new six-story office building will have two levels of underground parking and will be nestled between Posto restaurant on the south, and Great Wall Szechuan House restaurant on the north.
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The residential-retail complex coming to 13th U Streets NW. (Courtesy JBG Cos.)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
The project planned for the corner of 13th and U streets NW recently underwent some changes, due to community feedback.
The planned 134-unit space, which was once thought to be a hotel, was originally rejected by residents who attended a design committee meeting this summer. Although the committee in advance of an Historic Preservation Review Board hearing approved the plans, some residents were concerned with the height and scale of the development.
Urban Turf reports that in response, the architect David M. Schwartz brought the height down to 86 feet and set back the seventh and eighth floors. The firm also eliminated plans for a rooftop pool.
At the November 19 meeting, the committee voted to support the project. In December, JBG will go before the full ANC and will plan on submitting their PUD before the end of the year.
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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
ANC 2F. Click for a larger image. (DC Board of Elections)
ANC 2F/Logan will hold a Community Development Committee Meeting on Wednesday, November 28, at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle NW). The meeting will focus on several new developments in the area, including:
- An application request for special exception approval and variances in order to permit the use of the subject property for pet grooming, animal boarding and animal shelter uses in the C-2-A District at 1232 9th Street NW.
- A DDOT request for a sidewalk cafe at 1225 Eye Street NW.
- A DDOT request for a sidewalk cafe at Bar Bari.
- A BZA Application from Abdo Development for 1400-1402 14th Street NW.
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Six new possible developments for parcel 42. (Courtesy of developers)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Proposed plans for a Parcel 42, a plot of land in Shaw at 7th Street NW and Rhode Island Avenue NW and a rectangular lot at 7th and R Street, were revealed Wednesday night at a DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) meeting.
Six bidders met the qualifications of the previously solicited Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI). Urban Turf lists the details of the six proposed projects.
The proposed projects for Parcel 42 include:
- 105-unit residential building with retail
- 102-room hotel, 22 affordable units and 74-space underground parking
- 50-unit apartment building with community garden and 60 underground parking spaces
- 100-unit residential project with retail, community garden and live-work spaces
- 81-unit or a 99-unit project with a Yes! Organic Market
- 96-unit residential project with two levels of retail, rooftop garden and a public courtyard
DMPED will select the winning development among the list in the next few months. Community members are also encouraged to give feedback; the local ANC will meet on Dec. 5 to assess the plans for the 17,000-square-foot plot of space.
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Corner of 7th and R Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
DC’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is in the early stages of fully developing a city-owned lot at the southeast corner of 7th and R Streets NW. The City recently solicited a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the development of the lot, dubbed Parcel 42, which is 17,008 square feet.
- High architectural design quality that maximizes density
- Economic viability
- Mixed-income residential rental component that maximizes affordability based upon the District’s contribution of land value
- Local and small business neighborhood serving retail
- A transit oriented development that reflects the project’s adjacency to the Shaw/Howard Metro Station
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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Developing Physical and Digital Communities November 8 at 7:30 pm.
On Thursday November 8th, Ally Behnke with AlaCarte Life and Stages Realtors will host a discussion with experts on how real estate developers, web developers and community developers shape the way we interact with the world around us.
The discussion will focus on the role of creativity and cross-pollination throughout the development of projects, the incorporation of the public and the pros and cons of how different projects interface with digital and physical worlds.
Panelists for the discussion include:
- Peter Chang (No Kings Collective)
- Tom Pipkin (Founding board member of the Petworth Farmers Market and producer of the Petworth Jazz Project)
- Kristina Bilonick (Pleasant Plains Workshop)
- Brandon Jenkins (Westmill Capital, Popularise & Fundrise)
- David Dewane (International tech and community developer with Gensler)
- Alex Chi (Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) DC Government)
- Laurenellen McCann (Creator of ArtAround and the Alley of Doom)
- Lisa Markuson (Local philanthropist, arts manager and Captain of The Pinkline Project Street Team)
- Brandon Schmittling (Director of User Experience, Weber Shandwick)
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Construction on a 220-unit apartment building at 17th and O Streets NW will begin this December. (Image courtesy of Eric Colbert & Associates)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
After more than one year of planning and approvals, construction on the 17th and O Street apartments is expected to begin in late December. The planned development, currently a parking lot owned by First Baptist Church of Washington at 16th and O Streets NW in the 16th Street Historic District, will include 220 residential units.
According to Eric Colbert of Eric Colbert & Associates, the architectural firm on the project, most of the units will be junior bedrooms (with a few two bedrooms) and all apartments will be rental units. DC Mud reports that developers expect the total construction time to be about 18 months. The building’s design will complement other historic buildings in the area.
In 2011, initial plans for the project were met with opposition, mostly from residents of neighboring condo and apartment buildings. Concerns were mostly about the size, density and noise created by a new building.
Colbert worked with neighbors and the local ANC (2B) to revise the plans and renderings of the project that addressed some concerns raised at earlier public meetings. Notable changes were made to the rooftop common areas and the landscaping, and Colbert showed a reduction in the number of efficiency units — the revised design will include a tier of two-bedroom apartments.
In addition to receiving support from ANC 2B, developers, Keener Squire, also received approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board and the DC Board of Zoning adjustment.
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14th and T Streets are getting a makeover. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
With two developments underway, Borderstan residents can expect big changes at the 14th and T Streets intersection this spring.
According to a hanging construction sign, the lot of the former historic Post Office at 1407 T Street NW will soon transform into a 7,000 square feet two-story retail and office mixed-use building, featuring two popular DC eating establishments, Taqueria Nacional and BakeHouse. New Legacy Partners is the development firm working on the 14th and T Street site.
Taqueria Nacional, currently located at 400 North Capitol Street NW, will bring quick and casual, yet authentic, Mexican taqueria-style cuisine to the area. Meanwhile, Bakehouse will add to the neighborhood’s coffee and bakery scene.
On the east side of 14th Street (between T Street and Wallach Place NW), Level 2 Development is working on a mixed-use apartment community, featuring 144 studio and one-bedroom rental apartments. The new apartments will offer the following features:
- A roof deck with grilling stations
- A fitness Center
- Eco-conscious building materials
A listserv message on Jim Graham’s website also reports that three retail outlets have signed a lease for the forthcoming Level 2 building, which will be completed by the end of 2013. According to the post, “the retailer on Wallach Place will be Universal Gear a clothing shop moving north from 14th and Q Streets NW.”
Stay tuned to Borderstan.com for more information and developments on the T Street renovations.
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Atlantic Plumbing will bring three new apartment buildings and more than 25,000 square feet of retail to 8th Street NW. (Image courtesy of JBG).
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
JBG Companies and Walton Street Capital are currently working on the Atlantic Plumbing development project, which will bring three buildings of residences and more than 25,000 square feet of retail space to 8th and V Streets NW, the area by the 9:30 Club. The project includes retail space dedicated to local artists, luxury “green” amenities and streetscape improvements.
The addresses for the three sites are:
- 807 V Street NW and 2112 8th Street NW
- 2030 8th Street NW
- 933-945 Florida Avenue NW
Construction on the first two sites is expected to start early next year (Spring 2013) and finish in late 2014.
“We have not determined whether the project will deliver as apartments or condos, or split between the two buildings,” said James Nozar of JBG Companies.
“That decision will be based on market conditions as we get closer to delivery. However, we are building both buildings to such a high-level of design that we could make that determination very near the time of delivery of the buildings without impacting the project’s schedule.”
In addition to 375 living units, the Atlantic Plumbing project’s first two sites will also deliver approximately 25,000 square feet of combined ground-floor retail space.
A rendering of Atlantic Plumbing. (Courtesy of JBG)
“We’re targeting more artistic/cultural uses including a possible small theater, as well as a café or restaurant,” said Nozar. “There will be approximately eight ground-floor studio spaces of approximately 500 square feet each that will be discounted and targeted to artists and other creative users, subject to them being open during certain hours in order to activate the streetscape and provide a haven for arts-related uses.”
Atlantic Plumbing will also have a large setback along V Street NW to allow for a small plaza and outdoor dining uses. This space will also accommodate the evening lines from the project’s neighbor, the 9:30 Club.
According to Nozar, it’s too early to project price-points for the living spaces; these will be set closer to completion of the project. The project plans to include units that range from 500 square-foot junior one bedrooms, to 1,400 square foot two-plus bedroom units.
Atlantic Plumbing will also dedicate approximately 10 percent of the units as affordable housing units to those earning at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income, per DC’s Inclusionary Housing policy.
The designers of the project include Morris Adjmi, who will be leading the design of the exterior and interiors. Morris is teamed with local architect Eric Colbert & Associates, the Architect of Record.
Currently planned amenities for the project, include:
- State-of-the art fitness center with stretching and yoga/spin area
- Lounge area with bar, living room and home theater
- Large landscaped garden
- Private rooftop vegetable garden plots
- Rooftop pool with panoramic city views from 110 feet in the air
- Rooftop flume pools
- Rooftop bar and commercial kitchen for food classes and resident use
- Rooftop kitchenettes/BBQs with private seating areas
- Outdoor rooftop movie screening area
- Rooftop living room with fire pit
- Significant green roof and an eight-story vertical garden
- Programming of artist studios at the ground level
- Private bike storage rooms
- Electric car charging stations
- Significant streetscape improvements, including plazas and landscaping along 8th & V Streets
JBG has an email address for those interested in the artist studio spaces: APArtistStudios[AT]jbg.com.
