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Thompson Hotel ('20)
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New DC Water HQ ('19)
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99 M ('18)
Agora ('18)
1221 Van ('18)
District Winery ('17)
Insignia on M ('17)
F1rst/Residence Inn ('17)
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ORE 82 ('16)
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Southeast Blvd. ('15)
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Camden South Cap. ('13)
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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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Two Killed on Nats Game Bus (Updated)
On Friday night one passenger was killed and another seriously injured when the open-top double-decker bus they were riding in went under an overpass while the two were apparently standing up. The news reports of the accident are all over the map--they were going to the game, they were heading back to RFK from the game, they were on the Southeast Freeway, they were on I Street near 9th, it was the 11th Street overpass. Here's the Post story, Channel 9's story, and last night's Fox 5 story, before it was confirmed that one passenger had died. On the Ballpark Guys thread discussing the accident, fans report seeing the westbound freeway closed during the accident investigation, which would seem to indicate that the bus was going to the game.
UPDATE: The Post reports late on Saturday that the second victim has died as well.
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Nationals Withholding Ballpark Rent from City
From the Post: "More than midway through the baseball season, the Washington Nationals' owners have failed to pay $3.5 million in rent for the District's new ballpark, contending that the state-of-the-art stadium is still incomplete. Besides withholding rent, the team is demanding damages of $100,000 a day, dating from March 1. The team and the city are also at odds over the timing of sales tax payments on tickets, with the Nationals paying game-by-game and the city wanting tax revenue from pre-sold ticket packages upfront." The dispute will be going to arbitration.
UPDATE: Here's some additional details from Tim Lemke's blog at the WashTimes, including how Mayor Fenty reacted in it'll-all-work-out fashion today on WTOP. Ditto from the Post's DC Wire.
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NCPC National Capital Framework Plan
I'm out of pocket for a bit, so I'll just quickly mention that the National Capital Planning Commission's National Capital Framework Plan was unveiled today, with all sorts of visions about reworking and improving various areas of the city. Here's the section of the report dealing with South Capitol Street (I must admit to wishing they'd update their drawing to one that has a realistic depiction of Nationals Park). Much of this section is really just a restatement of the goals announced in their 2005 report on South Capitol Street. Here's the Post's article on the new framework plan. (UPDATED to fix broken link.)
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Norton Pushing Feds to Move to Near Southeast
This is kind of old, but I only heard about it after the fact--on July 1, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton held a "Capitol Riverfront BID briefing" at the US DOT HQ as part of her continuing efforts to encourage federal agencies to move to "developing" areas of DC. We heard last week that the Department of Agriculture is looking around down here, and perhaps the FBI as well. Here's Norton's press release on the briefing--I'm interested in the paragraph near the bottom listing the area's coming amenities, where it says "two first class supermarkets are planned." We know that there's space for one in the ground floor of the proposed office building at 401 M Street at The Yards, which isn't scheduled to be completed until 2011--I don't know about any firm plans for another one.
 

City Settles Miller Ballpark Garages Lawsuit
According to the Post's DC Wire blog, the final chapter of the Garages Wrapped With Development Goodness saga has now been written: "Developer Herbert Miller has settled his $40 million lawsuit against the District government over the failed plan to build two 13-story condominium towers just outside Nationals Park. Under the settlement, the city will pay Miller's Western Development $2 million and the company will drop its legal grievances, according to Miller's son Ben, who is now the company's president." Above is the design for the condo/garages, and here's my various entries on the Miller plan. While you look at those links, think about the current four-story parking lots in the outfield and imagine them with another eight stories on top. And no centerfield plaza, either.
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More posts: parking, Nationals Park
 

Dept. of Agriculture Looking at Near Southeast
From today's Washington Business Journal print edition (subscribers only): "The Department of Agriculture, in search of 330,000 square feet, has been poking around the ballpark district. Michael Stevens, executive director of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District, says the government has heard proposals from Opus East LLC, planning 411,000 square feet of offices at 1015 Half St. SE, and the mixed-use project planned for First and M streets SE by Potomac-based Willco Cos., which will have 350,000 square feet of offices. The agency is looking to relocate 1,255 employees from seven other locations, at a max rate of $47 per square foot." The Willco space is the current location of Nats parking lot F, on the southwest corner of First and M; and of course Opus isn't *planning* office space at 1015 Half, they're already digging the hole. The blurb also says that the FBI is looking for 180,000 square feet of new space, and that Akridge pitched their as-yet-untapped three-block space on Second Street SW in Buzzard Point.
Also in the WBJ, a story on two small investors who spent 18 years amassing a batch of 23 small properties in Southwest, who are finding that the new ballpark still hasn't brought anyone calling to meet their $12 million asking price for the lots, which are encircled by the Syphax Gardens and James Creek public housing developments. They apparently are hoping that the city would decide to redo the two projects (a la Capper), but the DC Housing Authority says that they don't currently have the funding, and that the residents would have to be really supportive of any redevelopment plans as well.
 

Pre-Holiday Wrap Up
Not that there's probably anybody left in town (*tap* *tap* -- is this thing on?), but just in case, here's a few items before I downshift into low-posting holiday mode over the weekend and into next week:
* My Ballpark and Beyond column in today's Post covers some of the latest news on retail (i.e., banks) I've posted here over the past few weeks (Wachovia at 20 M, SunTrust at 100 M, plans for 900 M). There's also a blurb on the month-old news of the zoning approvals for the Waterfront Park at the Yards. The column normally appears in just the District Extra, but If you live in Prince George's County, you got a crack at it this week as they snuck it in on page 11 of the P.G. Extra, too. But note that we're scaling way back on how often the column will appear (probably just monthly from now on) since the news isn't flowing as fast and furious-ly as it was last year.
* No one's invited me to the roof of any of the sparkly new Near Southeast buildings to watch the fireworks. I'll say it: I'm miffed. I do and I do and I do for you people, and this is the thanks I get.... [/sarcastic martyr mode off]
* I've tinkered again with the big homepage map, trying to have it make a little more sense. I've added checkmarks for the completed projects, and turned the list of projects down the left side (marked on the map with boxes) into only ones that are under construction or ones which the developers have done an especially good job of making me believe they'll start soon. The rest of the map is a whole lot of stars marking proposed projects. And they're all color-coded to differentiate between office, residential, and recreational/retail.
My real desire is to completely redesign the homepage, but I haven't had any inspirations come to me yet. Although, in the meantime, I've added another three random before-and-after photo pairings down on the bottom right of the homepage (after you do a lot of scrolling), just to fill some space. I also expanded my Neighborhood Blogs list of links.
Happy 4th, everyone!
 

Velocity Phase II Looks to be a Hotel?
Rumors of this first came my way over the weekend, and now WBJ has the somewhat official word, in this article about the closing of a $60 million construction loan to allow the completion of the 200-unit Velocity condo building at First and L streets: "Rockville-based Cohen Cos. is currently negotiating a deal with a first-class hotel operator for Phase II and is in negotiations for a full building user for the 280,000 square-foot, Class A office building in Phase III." Phase II, on the north side of the block, facing K Street, was originally planned to be a twin of the building currently under construction; the three levels of underground parking are already built, which presumably would speed up any sort of construction timetable for a hotel on that spot. Phase III is the section of the block facing Half Street. The article also says that the condo building is currently 25 percent leased.
 

Jul 2, 2008 9:44 PM
Updated Performance Parking Rules, from DDOT
A letter arrived in the mail at JDLand HQ today (how old school!) from DDOT director Emeka Moneme, saying that DDOT "has heard your concerns regarding the hours of enforcement for the enhanced Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program in your neighborhood. I am pleased to announce that as a result of the success of our campaign to encourage transit use and based upon community feedback, DDOT has decided to modify the hours of enforcement for all residential streets within the following boundaries[,]" which is basically all residential streets east of South Capitol, west of 9th St., SE, and south of Pennsylvania Avenue. Beginning June 23, the hours on these residential streets in Near Southeast and Capitol Hill were changed to Monday through Saturday from 7 am to 9:30 pm, with no enforcement on Sundays. West of South Capitol Street, in Southwest, RPP rules remain the same (7 am to midnight seven days a week), except for ending these restrictions on M Street SW.
Also, according to the updated Multispace Meters Rates and Hours of Operation sheet from DDOT, parking at the green multispace kiosks in Near Southeast is no longer off-limits during stadium events. It now costs $2 for the first hour, $8 for the second hour, $8 for the third, and $2 for the fourth. This equals the cost of most of the cash lots operating near the ballpark. (See that sheet for the updated rules for Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Barracks Row.) I haven't paid close enough attention over the past few weeks to see if this meter change has been in effect since before June 23--but clearly the ample parking and well-flowing traffic near the ballpark has lessened the original fears that allowing on-street parking north of the ballpark would bring a crunch of drivers circling looking for spaces. ($4 gas might be helping that, too.)
I've posted on my Stadium Parking page the updated map from DDOT showing these changes and the explanations of the parking restrictions around the ballpark as they now stand, after these alterations. I suppose I should get off the sofa and go see if the street signs here on my Capitol Hill residential block have been updated to show these new hours, but I'm lazy tonight. Still worn out from last night's fast-forwarding extravaganza, I guess.
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More posts: parking, Nationals Park
 

Jul 2, 2008 12:53 PM
Council Approves Southwest Waterfront Financing
Since I know you all want to know this.... From a Tommy Wells press release: "On Tuesday, July 1, Council voted to approve the 'Southwest Waterfront Financing Act of 2008.' The legislation provides $198 million in a combination of tax increment financing (TIF) and payment in-lieu of taxes (PILOT) financing for the long awaited Southwest Waterfront project. [...] The legislation provides the necessary financing for the public infrastructure on the Waterfront; just part of the overall $1.5 billion project. The public investment enables the project to move forward with the neighborhood's vision for a waterfront that will rival the excitement of other major metropolitan areas and will deliver investment, jobs, affordable housing and community services to the residents who have driven this public process for almost 15 years. [...] The legislation will come before Council for a final vote on July 15, 2008. A companion piece of legislation to address land disposition issues is awaiting a public hearing by the Committees on Economic Development and Workforce Development and Government Operations."
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Jul 1, 2008 9:46 PM
Council Adds Vending Slots to Half, N, First Streets
At the end of a long day of legislating, the City Council this evening passed an emergency bill to expand the number of spots for vendors on the streets near Nationals Park. I haven't seen a copy of the bill, but apparently it specifically mandates 14 new vending slots, seven of them on Half Street between M and N, and other specific slots on N Street and on First between N and N Place. This was done because of what council member Graham referred to as the "cruel joke" of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs placing the original 28 vending slots in locations that can't charitably be called "near" the stadium. (See the map to judge for yourself.) As mentioned in this morning's entry, the Nationals are not in favor of vending south of M Street, considering it competition.
Council members Cheh and Wells opposed the measure, saying that the council should not insert its own judgment if DCRA and DDOT consider these locations to be a "threat to public safety" because of the construction in the area and the movement problems that there could be in case of a mass egress from the ballpark (like if Zimmerman busts the Capitol dome again). Wells tried to say that the council perhaps doesn't know better than DCRA how to apportion space for vendors; council member Barry explained how he walked the area around the ballpark with vendors and police officers, measuring out locations, sidewalk sizes, etc. Originally council member Catania said he would not support the bill because of the "haphazard" way that the new slots would be awarded to vendors (Barry took offense to "haphazard," but I think he was misunderstanding what Catania was referring to, which was the lottery system and not the identifying of new slots).
Barry asked for the vote to be deferred, and at 7:50 pm, it returned to the agenda, with some tweaked wording--the mayor has until June 21 to add these 14 new positions and hold a lottery for them that will allow the winners to have the spaces until the end of the year. (The lottery for the original 28 spaces will be handled as before, with new drawings held every month for the spaces.) Council sources tell me that the original version of the bill required that 14 new slots go to RFK vendors only--the amended version allows any qualified applicant to enter the lottery for these spots. This gave Catania what he needed to support the bill; Cheh and Wells renewed their objections. In the end there were enough votes to pass the bill on an emergency basis.
Catania was strongly in favor of preferences for District residents, but those have proven problematic when attempted in other areas. However, Barry said that he and Catania and Graham will work on ways to get a residential preference, perhaps by leasing the slots, which would then allow the city to use Local, Small, Disadvantaged Business (LSDBE) rules. More to come, I'm sure.
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Jul 1, 2008 9:29 AM
City Council Today - South Cap/N Alley Closing, Tax Pay-Out Bill, Tingey Street (Updated with Results)
Today is the city council's monthly legislative meeting, and since they don't have one in August, this one--like all July ones--has an agenda a mile long, with a few items related to Near Southeast:
There's an emergency bill to correct a problem with the 2005 bill that transferred Tingey Street to the city--a drafting error apparently drew the road through part of the Pattern Shop Lofts.
And the "Taxation Without Representation Federal Tax Pay-Out Message Board Installation Act of 2007" (Bill 17-0028) is finally getting a vote--this is the bill that would put electronic tote boards on the Wilson Building and the ballpark showing the federal taxes that District residents pay while still having no votiing representation in Congress. You can read more about it here and here--I don't know if the bill being voted on today has the same language as the original one introduced in 2007, since the council was told pretty clearly by the Sports and Entertainment Commission that the stadium's lease agreement states that the Nationals control the signage on the stadium's interior, exterior, and perimeter, and the DCSEC's outside counsel feels that this tote-board bill "could conflict" with the lease.
But first up, on the consent agenda, is the bill to close the alley between South Capitol and Van just north of the old BP Amoco station on N Street across from the ballpark. This request is coming from Monument Realty, so they can combine the Amoco lot with the parking lot to the north of the alley and develop the site as a residential building with somewhere between 180 and 210 rental units, with 15 or 16 of them being affordable units priced at between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income. There would also be about 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
I failed my fiduciary duty to ever post a summary of the hearing on this bill held back in May, but most of what was said at the council hearing wasn't too different from the presentation about the closing to ANC 6D in January. Monument's representatives told the council that they would expect to start the project approximately 18 months after receiving the alley closing (depending on market conditions, of course), meaning it wouldn't deliver before 2011. Monument is not so far committing to any sort of LEED certification for the building (though I imagine that changes if they don't build it before the city's new green building laws go into effect). The project would also need a Capitol Gateway Overlay Review by the Zoning Commission.
The hearing starts at 10 am, and can be seen on DC Cable 13 or via streaming video. I'll update this entry later today with the various outcomes.
UPDATE: I haven't started watching the proceedings yet (I'll be spending my evening fast-forwarding through them), but the Post's DC Wire blog has an entry on another bill of interest being brought up today, to improve upon the locations carved out for street vendors near the ballpark (here's the map). Some council members want the vendors much closer (presumably, along Half and N streets), which the Nationals and MLB are not much in favor of. Other council members say that bringing the vendors closer should wait until the construction near the ballpark is completed. We'll see what happens with the bill today.
FAST-FORWARDING UPDATE: What more could I want to do with my evening than to sit here speeding through 8-plus hours of city council proceedings? Here's what I'm finding:
* The Square 700 alley closing passed its first reading on the consent agenda.
* The Tax Pay-Out Message Board bill passed its first reading--Chairman Gray said that the second message board would be built "on public space near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium," which gets around the problems I described above with the original bill. Apparently Chairman Gray had discussions with the Nationals earlier this year about putting the sign at the ballpark, and the Nationals did not indicate any sort of desire to have the sign, so the compromise was hatched to put it on public land near the ballpark (I'm trying to find out where). Marion Barry pronounced himself "appalled" at the Nationals' refusal to put up the sign at the city-funded ballpark, calling the team "not good citizens." The sign at the Wilson Building is to be erected in time for the 2009 presidential inauguration, so that the entire parade can march right past it.
* The "Tingey Street, SE Right of Way Amendment Emergency Act of 2008" passed its first reading, so the street will no longer run through Building 160. Whew!
* I'm going to address the vending expansion bill in a new entry. Check back later for that.
 

Jun 30, 2008 10:16 PM
Wendy's Not Dead Yet - Now End of July?
The fine folks working the Wendy's drive-through window this evening at South Capitol and I tell me that their closing date is now the end of July. At this point (this is the third date I've now heard, starting with end-of-May, then end-of-June), I'm just going to not say anything more about it until I see locks on the doors. The property is part of the footprint for JPI's fourth Capitol Yards apartment building, 23 I at Capitol Yards, which JPI has said would be starting constuction this fall. We shall see....
 

Jun 29, 2008 11:13 AM
Updated Photos from Inside 70 I (and Up Top, Too)
The "Jefferson at Capitol Yards Block Party" was held Saturday afternoon, and I used it as an opportunity to get inside of this now-opened apartment building at 70 I Street to update the not-quite-finished-yet interior photos I originally posted back in May. You can see the new batch here, which includes lots of photos of the resident pub, the other amenities, two of the models, and of course the views from the roof. For now, the first three floors are available for leasing; the rest will open in phases over the next few months, with the building expected to be completed this fall.
I also added a few of the roof views to my Overhead Photos Archive, which you can compare with the ones I took at 70 I a month ago to see the progress in four weeks at 909 New Jersey, Velocity, and even the hole in the ground that will become 1015 Half Street.
Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to do the same thing for sibling 100 I when they open its public spaces and models.
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Jun 27, 2008 2:50 PM
Speaking of the Yards - Twilight Renderings
I've been coveting electronic versions of the newer twilight-styled renderings of upcoming Yards projects, which have been taunting me from the fence drapings along Tingey and Fourth streets; and now I've gotten my mitts on them. Above is an overhead shot of the Waterfront Park, showing not only the various landmarks planned for this stretch along the Anacostia, but also perhaps a first peek or two at designs for some of the later-phase buildings to the north of the 5.8-acre park. I've also now got dusk-time renderings for the brown-and-white Pattern Shop Lofts apartment building and the retail-to-be Boilermaker Shop. All three of these projects should open in 2009 (though the park's piers and retail pavilions will be happening in future phases).
 

Jun 27, 2008 11:28 AM
That Tent Thingy at First and N - Yards Pavilion
If you've been wondering what this white tent-like structure is at the First and N entrance to The Yards (across from the ballpark), the nice folks at Forest City have told me it will be "The Yards Pavilion," which they describe as a "sort of marketing gallery for the project that will be open and staffed on home game dates for the Nationals for the remainder of the summer months. It will contain exhibit panels dealing with the proud industrial history of The Yards site as well as info and images of the development components to come. There will also be a fun 'Yards Personality Quiz' and helpful folks on hand to answer questions." It will also become home to the "Yards Street Team" that has been roaming the area during Nats weekend home games handing out Yards marketing material. The pavilion will make its official debut during the July 8 Nats home stand.
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Jun 26, 2008 1:56 PM
WMATA Authorizes Settlement with Monument; Akridge Gets Garage, Monument Gets Parking Lot
I know nothing more than this right now, but the WMATA board just within the past minute voted unanimously to approve the settlement of the lawsuit brought against them by Monument Realty over the sale of the Southeastern Bus Garage at Half and M. The discussion was all held in executive session, and the audio feed of the vote contained no details of the settlement, but I imagine the media will be picking it up soon. More as I get it, so keep checking back. Read yesterday's preview entry for background on the story.
UPDATE, seconds later: With the darn WBJ RSS feed not working, I missed this from about 40 minutes ago: ""Monument Realty and Akridge will split a key Metro-owned property near Nationals Park under a proposed legal settlement. [...] Monument will pay $22.6 million for a parcel on Van Street SE, while Akridge will pay $46.5 million for the Metro bus garage on the site, said Candace Smith, a WMATA spokeswoman." The Van Street site is the parking lot (Nats lot "M") just south of the Domino's site already owned by Monument. This means that the Public Space Storage building would be the only parcel on the block bounded South Capitol, Van, M and N not owned by Monument. Akridge would not gain control of the entire west side of Half Street with its acquisition of the bus garage: Monument owns the southernmost portion, directly across N Street from the ballpark, up to the alley where the On the Fly vending cart sets up shop.
UPDATE II: Here's the Metro press release.
 

Jun 26, 2008 10:37 AM
More New Photos (and New Old Photos): Velocity
Another project for which I've posted a bunch of new photos in the past few days is the Velocity condo building at First and L streets. It's now topped out at 13 (gasp!) floors, and the exterior facings are starting to be hung on the western and southern sides of the building. When completed next year, it will have 200 units, along with some ground-floor retail. Eventually a twin 200-unit building will be built on the northern side of the block; the garage has already been dug, and is/will be covered with a plaza area until construction is ready to start. Phase 3 of the block, along Half Street, could be office or hotel space, depending on market conditions.
This block, which the Cohen Companies purchased in 2005 for $55 million, was home to a lot of small businesses, including the nightclubs Wet, Edge, and Club 55. At the bottom of my Velocity project page, past the photos of the sales center/model, you can see additional photos of how the block used to look, including some new ones from 2003 and 2004 that I've just added. And, if all of this isn't enough and you want to see still more images of Velocity's impact on the skyline, browse its Expanded Project Archive.
 

Jun 25, 2008 4:56 PM
Monument/WMATA Bus Garage Settlement Coming?
From WBJ (h/t to reader W), hints that a settlement may be close at hand between Monument Realty and Metro over the lawsuit Monument filed in October after WMATA awarded the sale of the Southeastern Bus Garage at Half and M to Akridge. This is the third Metro monthly board meeting in a row that has "Monument Legal Issues" on the agenda for an executive session, but maybe this time something will actually come out of it.
Back in February a judge granted an injunction to prevent WMATA from continuing with the planned $69.5 million sale of the garage to Akridge, saying that Monument "demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim that they were substantially prejudiced when WMATA considered Akridge's nonresponsive bid and participated in improper ex parte discussions with Akridge."
 

Jun 25, 2008 2:55 PM
DOT HQ Accessibility Issues, Baseball Academy News, and A Downtown Ballpark in the Era of $4 Gas
Three items for your perusal this afternoon:
* The Post's Al Kamen reports on the accessibility problems at the US DOT HQ: "Agency officials say the building -- the first entirely designed and constructed for a federal agency since 9/11 -- was built with guidance from disability experts and help from the U.S. Access Board and the General Services Administration. But dozens of employees with disabilities began to have problems -- some caused by security precautions -- as soon as the 6,000 workers moved in last summer. There were several safety issues, such as fire alarms without blinking lights for the hearing-impaired, and there were doors that required too much strength to open. Employees were especially frustrated by cafeteria tray slides that are so high that employees who use wheelchairs cannot reach their food, a violation of standards and a constant annoyance." DOT issued some "guidelines" that didn't exactly soothe the ruffled feathers.
* Yesterday the Nationals Dream Foundation unveiled the renderings for their planned baseball academy at Fort Dupont Park in Ward 7. As described by MLB.com, "Slated as a 16,000 square foot facility with three fields on 10 acres, the academy will be a year-round youth development program committed to helping youth with the skills necessary to succeed in life, and to become responsible, productive citizens in their community." The Nationals have put up $3.5 million, and the city has committed $3 million, and so the foundation is looking for corporate sponsorships to fund the rest of the $10 million price tag for the project, which is looking to emulate the Harlem RBI academy in New York. I was interested to hear in the presentation that the academy would not only groom baseball players, but teach groundskeeping, broadcasting, scouting, coaching, and other parts of the whole baseball experience. On hand for yesterday's announcement were Nats Dimitri Young, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, and Willie Harris, who you can see in this embarrassingly poor-quality photo.
* This passage from a New York Times piece on how the cost of fuel is changing the way America thinks about its "exurbs" is one that caught my eye: "Coors Field, the intimate, brick-fronted baseball stadium for the Colorado Rockies, has transformed the surrounding area from a desolate skid row into fashionable Lower Downtown, a neighborhood of restaurants and microbreweries in restored warehouses. Along the Platte River, new condos set on a park strip offer an arresting tableau of glass, steel, and futuristic geometry, attracting throngs of buyers at rising prices. 'This is a city where it's fun to be in the center,' said Tim Burleigh, 56, who sold his house in the suburbs and now walks to Rockies games from his downtown condo. To Denver's mayor, John W. Hickenlooper, $4 gasoline offers a useful incentive for such plans. 'It can be an accelerator,' he said[....] 'It's not going to be the dagger in the heart of suburban sprawl, but there's a certain inclination, a certain momentum back toward downtown.' "
 
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