From a Nationals press release, via e-mail:

I'm hearing that the Velocity Condos sales center at Half and K is within minutes of opening--there will be a broker/client open house probably over the weekend. More specifics when I get them. Or just wander by and see if the light's on.

From the Post: "Raw sewage is flowing into the Anacostia River from a leak in a major sewer line that carries untreated waste from a pumping station in Southeast Washington, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority officials said last night. [...] The cause of the leak was not immediately known. It was discovered when workers repairing part of the riverbank spotted water churning nearby. Tests showed that sewage probably was flowing out of a buried line somewhere between the O Street pumping station and the riverbank." They'll first try to bypass the pipe (seven feet below water), which could be done today, and then work on repairing it. As for any health concerns: "Dunn said that the leak near the O Street station does not pose a threat to public health, noting that more untreated sewage flows into the river on rainy days, when runoff overwhelms the city's sewer system and treatment capacity." Lovely. City Paper has excerpts from the WASA media advisory on the leak. And yes, this is the WASA operation just across First Street from the ballpark.

I've confirmed that demolition is scheduled to begin on Monday (Oct. 29) on the northwest corner of South Capitol and O, where Camden Development is preparing to build the 276-unit 1345 South Capitol Street apartment building. Construction of the building itself will probably start in latelatelate2007 or 2008. (h/t to DCMud) And note that it has indeed changed its address to 1345 from 1325, because the city wouldn't give them 1325.

For months now, I've been dreading this part of 2007, when so many projects would be underway--and it turns out I was right to be worried. Goodness gracious, tons and tons of photos were needed to keep to my perfectionist mandate, but at last I've gotten them up on the site, even though it's pretty much taken a week to get every shot I wanted. For your perusing pleasure:

This morning the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District held a kick-off celebration on the 10th floor of 20 M Street, the latest stop on the 2007 Traveling Road Show of Near Southeast groundbreakings. Mayor Fenty, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Council Member Tommy Wells, and others saluted the changes happening in Near Southeast--and fans of Canal Park will be happy to know that Wells took time to stress the importance of getting the park built, not just from a greenspace standpoint but also because of its stormwater management operations. Renderings of the projects underway were displayed on easels throughout the room, most of which are available as well here at JDLand. There were also diplomas presented to the first graduates of the "Clean Team" program, the blue-jumpsuited workers now starting to be visible around the neighborhood as they work to keep the streets and sidewalks clean, no mean feat when the entire area is basically one big construction zone. For more about the BID, visit their web site. I took some pictures of the proceedings, a few of which I've tossed up on a page (opting for speed rather than depth of coverage). And I also took the opportunity to get some updated overhead shots of the neighborhood from the 20 M vantage point, which I'll be posting along with the rest of the photos I took this weekend as soon as I can finally get through all of them.

Word has arrived that the Market Deli at First and L, the cab company at New Jersey and L, and the small empty lot between them have gone on the market as a joint sale, with an asking price of $11 million for the 9,000-plus square feet of land. It's one of the last spots in Near Southeast west of Eighth Street where the land is still owned by individuals and not developers, and anyone watching the corner shouldn't be surprised that this is finally happening--and given that behemoth Akridge owns most of the rest of that block's land along First Street, maybe they might be watching this offering with interest. The deal is being spearheaded by the Resnick family, which over the past few years has sold family land on both sides of the 1100 block of New Jersey, and on L Street where Onyx is now going up. (And their father once operated a 5&10 where the Courtyard by Marriott now stands.) In the meantime, they're talking with restaurants about perhaps renting some of the existing space to sell "quick food" for ballpark goers.

I've posted a new batch of photos from inside the stadium, where the main item of interest is the dirt being spread out on the field in preparation for the planting of the grass, which is not far off ("Turf or Treat!"). Check back tomorrow for additional photos from along South Capitol Street and other locations that need updating...

After being vacant since the beginning of the year, the old Capper Seniors building at 601 L Street is in its final days, with demolition scheduled to begin the first week in November. Once the hazmat cleanup that's been going on is finished, the building, which opened in the late 1950s, will be brought down floor-by-floor (no Vegas-style implosion). I was inside the fences yesterday and between the raindrops got a few pictures of this building, though I hope to get some more before the final curtain.

On Monday (Oct. 22), there's going to be a "signing ceremony" to officially enact the law creating the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (Near Southeast and Buzzards Point). Mayor Fenty will wield the pen, and the Usual Suspects are expected to be in attendance (Eleanor Holmes Norton, Tommy Wells, other council members, developers, nosy bloggers, etc.). It's at 20 M Street at 10 am.

The Post's Dr. Gridlock has a blog entry today about the work that continues on the Douglass Bridge: "Out of sight below the deck, in a big box-like area of pale gray steel, workers are riveting new bolts into place while either refurbishing or replacing aging parts of the structure across the Anacostia River. Aside from making the whole thing look better as a southern gateway to central Washington, the work will extend the life of the bridge until it can be replaced by a new structure the city plans to build right nearby." DDOT hopes to wrap up the work on the bridge, and on the streetscape improvements to South Capitol, Potomac, First, and I, by February.

It's a slow Friday afternoon, so I'll sneak across South Capitol Street for this tidbit from the Post: "D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer won a court order yesterday requiring the owners of a property near the new baseball stadium to clear it of abandoned cars and trucks, construction debris and hazardous materials. Singer filed suit last week in D.C. Superior Court against John Henry Davis and John Reginald Davis, who she claimed have been using a vacant lot as an illegal dumping ground. The court order calls for the site, at 1800 Half Street SW, to be cleared within 21 days. The lawsuit was filed after citations calling for a cleanup were ignored, D.C. officials said. 'The area surrounding the stadium and the nearby neighborhood is expected to be a new and exciting entertainment destination, not a junkyard,' Singer said in a statement." If it's really 1800 Half Street, they must be talking about the cars and junk on the north end of the site, judging by this Google Maps satellite view (though it's from 2005).