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Near Southeast DC Past News Items
In the Pipeline
25 M
Yards/Parcel I
Chiller Site Condos
Yards/Parcel A
1333 M St.
More Capper Apts.
Yards/DC Water site
New Marine Barracks
Nat'l Community Church
Factory 202/Yards
SC1100
Completed
Thompson Hotel ('20)
West Half ('19)
Novel South Capitol ('19)
Yards/Guild Apts. ('19)
Capper/The Harlow ('19)
New DC Water HQ ('19)
Yards/Bower Condos ('19)
Virginia Ave. Tunnel ('19)
99 M ('18)
Agora ('18)
1221 Van ('18)
District Winery ('17)
Insignia on M ('17)
F1rst/Residence Inn ('17)
One Hill South ('17)
Homewood Suites ('16)
ORE 82 ('16)
The Bixby ('16)
Dock 79 ('16)
Community Center ('16)
The Brig ('16)
Park Chelsea ('16)
Yards/Arris ('16)
Hampton Inn ('15)
Southeast Blvd. ('15)
11th St. Bridges ('15)
Parc Riverside ('14)
Twelve12/Yards ('14)
Lumber Shed ('13)
Boilermaker Shops ('13)
Camden South Cap. ('13)
Canal Park ('12)
Capitol Quarter ('12)
225 Virginia/200 I ('12)
Foundry Lofts ('12)
1015 Half Street ('10)
Yards Park ('10)
Velocity Condos ('09)
Teague Park ('09)
909 New Jersey Ave. ('09)
55 M ('09)
100 M ('08)
Onyx ('08)
70/100 I ('08)
Nationals Park ('08)
Seniors Bldg Demo ('07)
400 M ('07)
Douglass Bridge Fix ('07)
US DOT HQ ('07)
20 M ('07)
Capper Seniors 1 ('06)
Capitol Hill Tower ('06)
Courtyard/Marriott ('06)
Marine Barracks ('04)
 
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433 Blog Posts Since 2003
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Capper Demolition Update
Speaking of demolition, work at Capper/Carrollsburg has moved to the block bounded by 3rd, 4th, Virginia, and I. (They've been doing what appears to be a lot of interior demolition for some time now in the next block [south of I Street], where there are four-story buildings to contend with, but haven't started bringing those buildings down yet.) If you're keeping track at home, there are still five Capper blocks not yet completely cleared (the two I just mentioned, the two blocks between 2nd and 3rd and L and I, and the batch of Capper buildings just behind 300 M Street)....
More posts: Capper, Capitol Quarter
 

Stadium Construction Update
The latest stadium demolition news: The big white trash transfer garage at 1st and N is being demolished today, and Ziegfield's at Half and O is now pretty much gone. I added some new shots to the stadium construction gallery, nothing terribly exciting (although I guess the pics of the gaping hole in the middle of the trash transfer building are kind of impressive). I also shot new versions of the overview shots as well, although the differences from last week to this week aren't that astounding.
 

South Capitol Street Exxon Closed
The Exxon at South Capitol and I streets has apparently shut down--a correspondent reports that the building is boarded up, and their phone number has been disconnected. Their page on exxonstations.com says "Temp. Closed", but it would seem odd that a temporary closing would result in a disconnected phone number. I've heard nothing about a sale of that property, but certainly it could be considered a somewhat prime location (although that's a ghastly intersection). Will pass along more as I find out.
UPDATE: From another very on-the-ball correspondent, a link to a DOJ press release from January detailing that the Exxon's owner pleaded guilty "to fraudulently double-billing government contractors more than $120,000. [Mahmud] Rashid, 46, of Raleigh Lane, Stafford, Virginia, entered a plea of guilty yesterday in United States District Court to one count of wire fraud. According to the terms of the plea agreement, Rashid could be sentenced to between 12 to 18 months of incarceration when he is sentenced before the Honorable Richard J. Leon on June 2, 2006." As my correspondent noted, "this might help shut down your gas station."
 

Near Southeast Crime Report - Watch for Traffic Accidents!
From the Post: "D.C. Councilmember Marion S. Barry (D-Ward 8) pulled his car out of a parking space into the path of an oncoming vehicle shortly after midnight this morning, police said, in a stretch of Southeast Washington dominated by fast-food restaurants and nightclubs. [..] A camera crew from WRC-TV (Channel 4) arrived at the accident scene, in the 1000 block of 1st Street SE, in time to interview Barry, 70, who said he was coming from meeting a friend. His car was parked about 50 feet south of where 1st Street intersects with K Street, police said. The area is just north of the industrial zone where construction has begun on a new baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals." I would also add that the 1000 block of 1st Street is a block south of the Nexus Gold Club, just as a point of reference....
 

Blue Castle Rumors - Not True
UPDATE: Whole Foods is *not* coming to the Blue Castle--I've confirmed this with Preferred Real Estate Investments, Inc., the owner of the Blue Castle.
Original entry: In this week's The Hill, Duncan Spencer reports (scroll down a bit) that it's "confirmed" that a Whole Foods grocery store is coming to the Blue Castle at 8th and M. There's no mention of it on the web site of the castle's owners (Preferred Real Estate Investments, Inc.), but we all know that SOME web sites are better at updating with new information than OTHERS! Back when the sale was announced, the owners said they'd be trying to get Whole Foods and a national bookstore chain. Am trying to track down some confirmation. Meanwhile, Spencer's column also mentions two other Near Southeast items, one being the Anacostia Riverwalk and the issues with it running along the Navy Yard's waterfront (i.e., right now no one can get to it without going through the Navy Yard gates and showing ID). The article also says that the Southeast Federal Center financing has not been settled between GSA and Forest City Washington, although I thought it indeed had been back in June of 2005 when the development agreement was signed. Spencer also says that no SFC construction is expected for at least a year and a half--but the recent article from Shopping Center Business magazine quotes a Forest City representative as saying that "bulldozers will be moving by the end of the year at Southeast Federal Center." So make of all of that what you will.
 

Lerners Good for Stadium-Area Development?
Monday's Post article "Next Up: The Baseball Stadium" gives a quick overview to the impact that there might be in having a longtime developer having a stake as team owner in the ballpark neighborhood. No news in the article--was hoping it would tell us when the master plan for the Ballpark District will be unveiled, but alas....
 

Lots of New Ballpark Construction Photos
The transformation of the stadium site from gritty industrial tableau to demolished construction site is proceeding at a blistering pace. (Especially when compared to how it's taken 5 weeks to clear not-even-one-full-block of abandoned buildings at Capper/Carrollsburg.) I've posted a bunch of new photos with "before" photos for comparison, on a new tab on the stadium page called "Construction Photos." And I imagine I'll have a whole new batch next week, as I'm guessing that many of the remaining buildings north of O Street will bite the dust over the next few days. No Time to Lose!
More posts: Nationals Park
 

Renderings of 70/100 I
I've now posted renderings of the 70/100 I Street residential project by JPI, grabbed from the public documents filed with the BZA adjustment application for the site. The renderings show two very tall buildings, attached to each other. Certainly will change the look and feel of I Street just a bit! The site continues to be cleared in preparation for construction, which will likely start late in 2006.

More posts: 70/100 I, jpi
 

Canal Park Slowly Moving Forward?
Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd., the landscape architecture firm picked to design the planned Washington Canal Park along 2nd Street, has finally added it to their project list on their web site. The only new tidbit is that their info page says "Completion Date: December 2006." Now, whether that's a real date or a fingers-crossed date, I don't know, but at least it's something....
UPDATE, 5/5: Apparently the "Completion Date: December 2006" on the GGN Canal Park project page was a typo, and has been removed. But hopefully there's going to be some movement before too long.

More posts: Canal Park
 

250 M Zoning Application Filed
The new office building planned for 250 M Street ("Federal Gateway II") is, from a zoning standpoint, actually part of the Capper / Carrollsburg planned unit development (PUD), and last week an application was filed with the Zoning Commission for approval of the 250 M second-stage PUD. The application describes the project as a 110-ft-high, 9-story building with ground-floor retail and 194 spaces of underground parking. A hearing date has not yet been added to the DCOZ calendar. William C. Smith, the project's developer, is touting delivery of the building in late 2008.

 

Streets in Stadium Footprint Officially Closed
This only would have made news if the legislation had failed, but as part of my goal to bring you every stinking piece of information about Near Southeast, no matter how trivial, I will report that at Tuesday's city council meeting there was a final reading and final vote on B16-0628, "Closing of Public Alleys in Square 702, 703, 704, 705 and 706 Act of 2006", to officially close parts of Half, O, and P streets within the stadium footprint, and it passed by voice vote. So for most of us peons, there will be no more access to the interior of the stadium footprint (the fences have now ringed the entire site). I rejiggered the "Inside the Footprint" section of my stadium page, to make sure that I included photos of all of the buildings and landscapes that will soon be gone.
More posts: Nationals Park
 

Stadium Design Still Under Debate
The Post's Friday story, "Stadium Dig Begins, But Design Still Up in the Air," pulls the curtain back on the stadium planning, showing that despite a groundbreaking and the beginnings of demolition and digging, the stadium design as unveiled a few weeks back is still not 100% written in stone (or concrete, or limestone).
In March, managers of the project unveiled designs for a modern-looking complex featuring massive glass panels, steel and concrete. But they are still debating virtually all the finishing details, including the layout of the concourses and clubhouses and what carpeting and upholstery to use in luxury suites, according to baseball and city officials. Even the exterior might be refined. In drawings, a distinctive knife-edge building, made mostly of concrete, juts out from the rear of the stadium bowl. But architects have developed new renderings that would recast the tip of the building in glass, allowing it to light up in different colors. [...] Significant questions remain unanswered, however. Designs call for two boxy parking structures to be built above ground just north of the ballpark, but city and baseball officials would like to move them underground to clear more room for retail and office space. That would cost an additional $20 million, money the city is seeking.
It sounds like Stan Kasten, the new team president, had a lot of input into the design of the Braves' stadium in Atlanta, and would probably want to do the same here. So, we shall see!
More posts: Nationals Park
 

Groundbreaking Photos
Here's a slapped-together page of photos I took at the groundbreaking. And washingtonpost.com has posted an extended video report of the ceremony, along with the Post's story in Friday's paper. And here's the Blade's coverage--I'm not sure how many attendees knew that the black building across the street was Ziegfield's.
 

Stadium Submitted to Zoning Commission
With the bonds financing the stadium having been sold yesterday, the city wasted no time in submitting its application to the DC Zoning Commission for approval of the ballpark design. (While the Zoning Commission approved the amending of the Capitol Gateway Overlay to allow for a stadium last year, the stadium itself still needs zoning approval.) An interesting sentence within the application that I can't shed any light on at this moment, but which apparently means there are slightly different design options being considered: "The Applicant has requested approval for three different options for construction of the Ballpark, identified as a Base Plan, Option One, and Option Two. The Base Plan, Option One and Option Two differ primarily with regard to the presence and location of preferred uses along the First Street, SE façade of the Ballpark." The hearing has been scheduled for June 26 at 6:30 pm.

More posts: Nationals Park, zoning
 

Stadium Groundbreaking
The riff-raff-o-meter at the gate of the stadium groundbreaking was apparently malfunctioning, allowing me to get in and witness this morning's festivities. I'll post some photos later today--in the meantime, here's some washingtonpost.com video of the event.
UPDATE: Pictures probably won't come before late tonight. Here's the Post story, and the WTOP/AP story.

More posts: Nationals Park
 

Lerner Group Picked as Nats Owners
Everyone's now reporting that the ownership group led by DC-area developer Theodore Lerner has officially been picked as the owners of the Nationals. I will be very interested to see if this man--who already has two office building projects in Near Southeast (20 M and 1000 South Capitol)--moves quickly to make any changes to the plans for the new stadium or gets involved in the plans for the surrounding Ballpark District development. As for what it means for the team on the field, that's for other folks to digest :-).
UPDATE: The WashTimes seems to throw a bit of cold water on the notion that the Lerners will come in and start tossing around money to help with the stadium: "But the new owners said they do not anticipate contributing additional money toward the ballpark. 'We have to get in there and figure out what is in and what is out, but we believe the project can be done for the budget that is set,' Mark Lerner said in an interview. 'It's part of the building business. We do it all the time.' "
More posts: Nationals Park
 

Near SE/SW 'Action Roundtable'
Sorry for the late notice (RSVP deadline was yesterday, but I was out of town and am only now seeing this), but according to the Voice of the Hill: "On Saturday, May 6 there will be an Action Roundtable about Development to discuss the Near Southeast and Southwest communities' needs during the stadium development and other redevelopment projects. [...] A free lunch will be provided to attendees. Interested persons must RSVP by May 1. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Southeastern University, 501 I St., SW, multi-purpose room. For information, call (202) 777-2242 or e-mail sreines@sfcg.org."
More posts: Nationals Park
 

Capitol Hill Tower Update
The first people will be moving into Capitol Hill Tower on May 22, according to various sources. I'm posting this mainly so that people will stop bombarding me with e-mails telling me their move-in dates--please note for the future that I will not be following all-but-completed residential projects with the amount of detail that some people seem to be expecting. I don't intend to keep the site updated with the number of units sold, exact move-in dates, changes in prices, etc. etc. So I appreciate the updates that people are sending me (and sending me, and sending me, and sending me) but no need to continue. When there's news that's of interest to the entire neighborhood--like when more retail establishments sign on--I'll of course let folks know, but if you want exact details about Capitol Hill Tower or other projects that will be coming down the pike, you'll need to contact the sales offices. Sorry, but as you can see from the site these days, I've got a lot to cover, and this is one area that just doesn't need my laser-like attention.
More posts: Capitol Hill Tower
 

Stadium Groundbreaking Announced
An article in Friday's WashPost about when (oh, when) a new owner for the Nats will be named says that the city expects "Major League Baseball to name a new owner of the Washington Nationals in time for Thursday's groundbreaking for a $611 million stadium project" (emphasis mine). That would be Thursday, May 4 for those of you counting along. No mention of a time or anything, I'll keep digging. It also says (and this makes sense) that the groundbreaking is the day after the financing bonds are to be sold on Wall Street. UPDATE: I hear through the grapevine that this will be at 10 am.

More posts: Nationals Park
 

250 M Street Coming Soon
Another long-planned development project is now moving forward--a correspondent tipped me to a newly posted sign announcing that 250 M Street will be arriving in 2008. This is a 212,500-sq-ft office building by the William C. Smith company, to be built right across the street from the DOT HQ (currently there's a parking lot on that site). It will take up all of the M Street frontage on that block, but won't cover the entire block--there will be an apartment building associated with Capper/Carrollsburg on the rear of the lot, facing L. See the Jones Lang LaSalle database for more information, and check out my tossed-together new page for the project.
 
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