Buried deep on page 75 of the September Hill Rag (but not as yet announced on the AWC web site, grrrr) is notice of a Washington Canal Park Community Stakeholders Meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at 222 8th Street NE (St. James Church Rectory). The ad says "Everyone is invited. Come see the new schematic designs and share your thoughts and ideas." (hat tip to reader John for passing this along) UPDATE, 9/13: Here is the press release from the AWC announcing the meeting.

Hat tip to reader Erik, who reports in this morning that demolition has begun at the 100 M Street/1100 First Street site. These two projects are by different developers but being constructed concurrently (it's always so nice to see kids sharing on the playground!). 100 M, by Opus East, will be a 240,000-sq-ft office building with about 13,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail, and 1100 First, by Faison, will be a 266-unit residential building. Delivery is expected in late 2008. Another big big change to M Street and the North of M area begins.... UPDATE: As of Wednesday evening, the old Zohery Bus garage is now a pile of rubble. Will get pictures posted within a day or two (I may not be able to wait for a sunny day, as is my usual preference). UPDATE II: On Friday, the On Luck cafeteria met the wrecking ball. And I'm still hoping the sun may be seen once again.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society has announced its next Preservation Café, "Barracks Row Below the Freeway," which will highlight the renovations and new ventures that have ocurred since the blocks were incorporated into the historic district five years ago as well as discuss the history and historic resources of the area. It's scheduled for Sept. 20, at the Trattoria Alberto restaurant top floor, 506 8th St., SE, from 6:30 - 7:15 pm.

Public comment has now closed on the 11th Street Bridges Draft Environmental Impact Statement; the Sierra Club has posted it's comments submitted to DDOT about the project (hat tip to Richard Layman). And the September Hill Rag has an article about the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association's attempt to save the boathouse buildings nestled between the two bridge spans. (See also my August 10 entry on this issue.)

Congratulations to Tommy Wells, who has won the Democratic primary for the Ward 6 council seat being vacated by Sharon Ambrose. Ward 6 includes Near Southeast, so Tommy's actions will no doubt be a big part of this blog in the future.

With the latest news about Florida Rock's design modifications, Monument Realty's bid for the WMATA land at Half and M, the still-in-limbo Stadium Garages Wrapped With Development Goodness, and the apparent moving forward by the Cohen, Camalier/Davis, and Welch families to develop their land along First Street, it appears that the Ballpark District is moving forward, despite the AWC's still never having released it's "Development Strategy" for the area. So, fresh off my success with my North of M map, I've created a Ballpark District map to better help keep track of what's happening. Be aware that the boundaries I drew for the new public plaza at the foot of 1st Street are not really based on anything other than trying to remember how it looked in Florida Rock's exhibits to the ANC. And no final design for the traffic roundabout at South Capitol and Potomac has been released yet, either. UPDATE: And, for the heck of it, I just added a page with both maps fused together, creating a pretty nice Stadium Corridor Development Guide. But be prepared to scroll :-).

In advance of the Sept. 18 Zoning Hearing, representatives on behalf of the development project at Florida Rock made a presentation to last night's ANC 6D meeting on some changes that they've made to their design after consulting with the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation as the AWC works to create a Ballpark District around the stadium. One big change is a 52,000-sq-ft increase in the amount of retail planned for the site, now pegged at 92,000 sq ft. Much of it will be along Potomac Avenue, facing the stadium, but also in the first three stories of the office building planned for the eastern part of the site, at First Street--it's in this location where the AWC is now envisioning a 39,000 sq ft public plaza, with some of the WASA waterfront land being used for this park (Florida Rock has offered to contribute $3.5 million to the design, development, and initial maintenance of the plaza). It would serve to far better connect the stadium to the Anacostia River, and with the retail there as well, it's hoped it could be a destination that would draw many people down to the southern side of the stadium. Florida Rock has also been able to tweak the design of the western side of their land (which for now is under the old Frederick Douglass Bridge), and will now be able to build a large pedestrian pier sticking out into the Anacostia in that area. They've also been able to "twist" the upper floors of a the buildings to allow for much more open views. Building heights, density, and the 75-ft-deep esplanade along the riverfront all remain the same. In a stunning display of unanimity (for them), the ANC passed a resolution in support of the changes 6-0. I hope to have updated renderings and site maps of the new design within the next few weeks.

If you live in DC or Maryland (or anywhere else that's having primaries today), don't forget to vote. You don't get to complain about "them politicians" if you do nothing to be part of the election process!

Appearing on the north side of the Nation building at Half and K within the past few days, a sign saying "Coming Soon", 440,000 sq ft of office space, with a phone number for Cushman & Wakefield. So it appears that Potomac Investment Properties (owner of the site) is continuing to move forward on the long-planned 1015 Half Street office building in this spot. But will they wait for a tenant before beginning construction?

As projects begin to move with a dizzying pace in the blocks bounded by South Capitol, New Jersey, M, and the SE Freeway, it's tough to keep track of what's going where. So I updated my North of M overview map to make it easier to read.

Busy day of photo taking (though I wish it hadn't been so dang hazy), and so look to the following pages for new photos: 20 M, the ballpark, Capper/Carrollsburg (where the 3rd/4th/I/K block is now almost demolished) and Capper Seniors #2. If, as I suspect, 70 I and 1100 1st/100 M are about to start, I'm just going to have to start sleeping in my car, camera in hand :-).

Within the last few days a bunch of "No Parking" signs have appeared along the north side of I Street between 1st and Half, which is the location of JPI's 70/100 I Street condo project, two buildings totalling more than 600 residential units. The signs give a date range of (get ready) Sept. 11, 2006 until March 27, 2009. I hope they're just being cautious with a time frame--could erecting those two buildings at the same time take really that long? 70 I's building permit has been approved, 100 I's is still in process. Anyway, let's see if they start the digging in the near future. UPDATE: About 30 minutes after I posted this, I found an article in today's Commercial Property News about 70/100 I: "Ground will break on the first apartment community, Jefferson at 70 Eye Street [...] this month, paving the way for the creation of a building with 448 units, a three-level underground parking facility, a fitness center, community movie theater and conference room. The project carries a price tag of $130 million. The second apartment property will cost approximately $80 million to develop. Located [at] 100 Eye St., the second development will yield 246 residences and is scheduled for an October groundbreaking." The article says that 70 I is on target to deliver in June 2008. (And you won't ever catch me using that stupid "Eye" construct.) As for calling it the Jefferson at 70 I, I thought that the other JPI project, on the Nexus site, was supposed to be called the Jefferson, but JPI holds it's cards close, so it's hard to know what's going on. With this and 100 M office/1100 First Street residential projects about to start (and perhaps the Cohen/Square 699N project too), 1st Street is going to be a zoo for the next couple of years. UPDATE II: It looks like "Jefferson at" is actually JPI's preferred nomenclature for their DC condo projects.

The little red building at the corner of 2nd and L, the old Star Market, has been a favorite of mine since January 2003, when it was one of my first pictures taken in Near Southeast (a photo that landed on A1 of the Post back in August 2005, accompanying a story that includes the tale of how owner refused to sell to Valhal Corp. when they were putting together the plans for the Capitol Hill Tower project, so the little building remained in place while 14 stories of hotel and coop sprang up around it. The most recent owner even tried earlier this year to sell it on Craigslist for $950k (after buying it 8 months earlier for $580k). And now? Someone ("Wine Cellar Spirits") has applied for a liquor license to open a liquor store there, according to a sign posted on the building's wall today. The store would be open from 9 am to 10 pm Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday. The hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8. So you can't get groceries in Near Southeast just yet, but all your liquor needs may soon be met.... (hat tip to the CHT blog for beating me to the keyboard. Damn dinner date!)

From the Washington Times, "Ballpark Project Progressing Well": "Officials from the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission said yesterday they are pleased how quickly construction of the Washington Nationals' ballpark along South Capitol Street is progressing. With about 19 months left to complete the $611 million stadium in time for its official unveiling in April 2008, the ballpark construction team is nearly done placing several thousand pilings that will provide support for the stadium. In addition, much of the main concourse at the southeast section of the stadium is near completion. [...] Clark Construction has said the ballpark likely will be completed on time as long as the steel framework is in place by October. The project is on target for that goal, officials said." The article also mentions that the new DC United stadium across the river at Poplar Point will probably not be ready before 2009. (It's not in Near Southeast, but I know there's a lot of interest in it.)

From today's Post, word that negotiations between Herb Miller and the city on the Garages Wrapped with Development Goodness have "bogged down because of financing complications," and the city fears that his proposal will fall through and have "begun developing a plan that relies heavily on surface-level parking lots." It says that negotiations are to resume today--interesting timing of this story, then!--and that the main issues are whether the plan violates the $611 million stadium cost cap and who will pay for any overruns. The story says that if the deal falls through, "The sports commission has explored the possibility of paving over the five-acre plot north of the stadium to provide surface level lots for the scheduled opening of the stadium in April 2008. A temporary one-level garage might be included to reach the required number of parking spaces. Under that plan, additional development could be built in the future by Miller or another developer."

Following up on Friday's confirmation that Wet and Edge will be closing on Sept. 23 comes unofficial word from a correspondent with connections to Club 55 that it, too, will be closing that same weekend. And the rumor is that the demolition of the entire block will begin almost immediately thereafter. We'll see if official word trickles out in the next week or so. This will leave the Nexus Gold Club as the only nightclub still operating in Near Southeast, although it will most likely close by the end of the year, joining Ziegfield's, Follies, Secrets, Nation, and all the other nightclubs that have closed in 2006.

Sunday's Washington Times had a big piece ("A Tale of Two Southeasts") comparing the two sections of Southeast DC, in Ward 8 to the east of the Anacostia River and in Ward 6, on the river's west bank and closer to the US Capitol (which of course includes Near Southeast). Lots of discussion of whether the stadium and other development in the western part of Southeast will trickle over to eastern Southeast. There's mention of some Near Southeast projects, alas it would have been nice if they had correctly described the "two new apartment complexes with a total of 298 units" as being for low-income senior citizens.

WMATA has released a Joint Development Solicitation for two sites in Near Southeast--the eastern entrance to the Navy Yard subway station at New Jersey and M, and the chiller plant on the southwest corner of Half and L. The sites would be offered for long-term leases, with the goal being Transit-Oriented Development: "safe, walkable, mixed-use communities that emphasize transit connections and reduce auto dependency." The 4.400-sq-ft New Jersey and M site is interesting because it butts up against Donohoe's planned 1111 New Jersey Avenue office building, and the JDS states: "The Anacostia Waterfront Corporation has indicated a preference for the ground floor area around WMATAs eastern entrance to be an attractive public plaza, complimenting the new development in the area. In this case, development on the parcel would largely occur above the street level." I'm not sure how you create an attractive public plaza that has development above it.... I'm guessing that Donohoe will be quite interested in this land (and their rendering of 1111 NJ does indeed show a very nice plaza). As for the chiller site at Half and L, it's 14,100 square feet, with a 7,700-sq-ft privately owned strip right next to it that combined could allow for a 200,000-sq-ft development (just like 20 M Street just to its south). With two other parcels at the corner of Half and L ready to be developed (the Nation site and the Ron Cohen Square 699N project), I'd imagine this site will garner a fair amount of interest. Proposals are due to WMATA on Nov. 17.

Monument Realty has added to it's web site an "Upcoming Projects" page, listing "Ballpark District - Phase 1." This is the project on the east side of Half Street between M and N we've been hearing about, but it's nice to see it "confirmed" on their web site. It's described as 275,000 sq ft of office space (which would be at M Street, above the Navy Yard Metro station) and 450 condos (down toward N Street and the stadium). The site says "more details to come by Spring Training 2007." No word yet on the outcome of the bidding for the WMATA land.

The Washington Blade reports that Wet and Edge, the nightclubs at Half and L, will be closing on Sept. 23. This is part of the clearing of the tenants on this entire block (Square 699N, bounded by Half, 1st, K, and L), to begin making way for a mixed-use project by Bethesda developer Ron Cohen. It appears all tenants on the block will be out by the end of September (Club 55 is the only other tenant on the block still operating, with rumors a few weeks back that it will be closing Sept. 12). I've been unsuccessful in finding out any more details on what exactly Cohen is planning for the site, beyond what was mentioned when he bought the block for $55 million in Sept. 2005; his company's web site makes no mention of the project (boo!).