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909 New Jersey Ave. ('09)
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US DOT HQ ('07)
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Capitol Hill Tower ('06)
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Constituent Services (Loud Music, Dog Stuff)
What follows are e-mails I've received from two readers in the past 24 hours. I'm posting them so that perhaps the Powers that Be might see them and also to give other readers a chance to weigh in.
First, a noise complaint (one that isn't restricted just to the south of the freeway, since I've heard it too):
* "Can you tell me about the parties going on under 395 near Garfield Park this summer? I used to live on the other side of the park, and I remember the 'Friends of Garfield Park' were very strict/vigilant about use and maintenance of the park. This summer, on the Fourth of July and today, there have been big parties with LOUD music that go on for hours. Then, typically, the park is trashed the next day. Is this a new trend that we've got to live with? I'm sitting here in my apartment on the 4th floor of CHT with the windows closed, and it's just too loud to relax. I've placed a call to 311, but to whom else can I complain?" [Note from JD: I'd get in touch with Tommy Wells's office.]
As for this next one, I post this as a cat owner who has, if you'll pardon the pun, absolutely no dog in this fight. So you all duke it out without me:
* "I am a dog owner and have found it more and more difficult to find place for my dog to use the bathroom. The reason behind this you may ask? Is there is a ton of ton of dog poop all over the place now. And it is getting progressively worse. I take the time to clean up after my pet making sure there is now traces of her reliving herself. I recycle my grocery bags ans invest in the special doggie poop bags. The reason I do this is that my mother would smack me for not doing it, it's polite and the right thing to do (nothing worse then stepping in dog poop!) It's made the neighborhood look and smell dirty. It attracts RATS! And DC police can write you a ticket it for it also. My old building put out this huge packet about cleaning up after your pet. [I]n all seriousness it takes 2 second to clean up after your pet. It is one of responsiblties of owning a pet, as is feeding them."
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More posts: What's the Deal?
 

WBJ Shoots Down 100 M Sale Rumor
WBJ's Breaking Ground blog reports tonight that the GlobeSt.com story I posted yesterday about Opus's 100 M office building being under contract to MayfieldGentry is "false information." They quote a "source close to the deal" as saying "The building is not under contract with anyone -- it's in bankruptcy court. There is no offer on it." Who will be right?
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More posts: 100 M, Square 743N
 

100 M Under Contract?; Rent the Ballpark; Monument Half Street Update
* GlobeSt.com says that the 100 M Street office building built by Opus East--and now owned by its bank after Opus went into Chapter 7 liquidation--is under contract to be sold for $80 million to Mayfield Gentry. Gentry has been pursuing the purchase since late last year. GlobeSt: "If events play out as expected, 100 M St., SE will fit nicely into the story line emerging for the District's real estate community: namely, that buildings in the city limits are still holding their value and attracting investor interest--so much so that the growing levels of distressed real estate are not likely to impact the District to any great degree."
And two quick links that I Tweeted on Friday but forgot to post here (oops):
* Want to rent out the ballpark or a portion thereof for a shindig? The NationalsEvents.com web site is now launched, with details on packages, rates, and more. (I needed this when I was trying to put together my high school reunion last year.)
* WBJ's Breaking Ground blog posted on the status of Monument's Half Street project, talking about "the hole" ("'The hole. Yes, the hole,' sighed Russell Hines") and the 55 M office building completed earlier this year which "is still empty but has experienced 'a distinct change in the level of activity' over the past two months, with a few seriously interested tenants." They're looking for ways to find financing to start construction on the residential and hotel portion on the south end of the block, but aren't finding any outlets yet; but because the site is owned outright between the equity partners (Monument, the shell of Lehman Brothers, and MacFarlane Partners), "no construction lender or mortgage holder is going to demand the keys" to the site.
 

Outdoor Space Movies at Canal Park this Fall
The Capitol Riverfront BID has decided that everyone liked the summer outdoor movie series so much, they're launching a four-week fall outdoor movie series, held this time at Second and M, on the future Canal Park site. The lineup is: Star Wars on Sept. 10, Toy Story on Sept. 17, Spaceballs on Sept. 24, and Apollo 13 on Oct. 1. (And the press release on the movie series says that construction on Canal Park will begin in Spring 2010, which is pretty much the same start date that's been on tap for awhile now.)
 

NCPC Staff Recommends Favorable Comment on 11th Street Bridges Design (Except for the Streetcar Part)
The final agenda is now out for Thursday's meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, and contained in it is a long document setting out the commission staff's recommendations for a vote on the design of the 11th Street Bridges.
For anyone interested in the bridges as a driver, bicyclist, pedestrian, water recreationist, neighbor, or construction enthusiast, it's a worthwhile read (even at 26 pages). To cut to the chase, the staff is recommending that the commission "comment favorably" on the designs for the bridges, even though the designs are still in the very early stages, and there's very little new in this document that we didn't see in the EIS or other releases. There's even mention of how the city's Comprehensive Plan envisions the eventual dismantling of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, but that the new bridges are needed until the time comes that I-395 comes down (i.e., far past the date I shuffle off this mortal coil).
However, they are not at all happy with DDOT's decision to choose a streetcar system with overhead wires, and the document goes into detail on how this works against federal interests, as well as listing what non-overhead-wire streetcar options exist out there (none in the US so far). Their conclusions (page 22):
"Recommends that DDOT not include streetcar system components for overhead wires as part of the 11th Street Bridge project and that DDOT prepare an environmental impact statement for its proposed District wide streetcar system that examines potential impacts on the L'Enfant City and Georgetown and that includes an analysis of propulsion systems that do not require the use of overhead wires.
"Advises DDOT that the Commission does not support a streetcar system with overhead wires because it supports the unobstructed views to important landmarks along the city's streets and avenues that are integral to the District's unique character and result from the long-standing federal statutory prohibition against using overhead wires in Washington City (the L'Enfant City) and Georgetown.
"Encourages DDOT to pursue alternative propulsion technologies for the proposed streetcar system that do not require overhead wires in accordance with its January 24, 2008 commitment to include dual vehicle propulsion requirements in a solicitation package for the development and implementation of the broader streetcar system beyond the Anacostia and H Street/Benning Road corridors."
The commission meeting when this recommendation will be voted on is Thursday (Sept. 3) at 12:30 pm.
 

The Beeping! The Infernal Beeping!
A few people wrote in over the weekend about this, including one with actual video--apparently a beep of some sort has been emanating from the DPW/Trash Transfer building at New Jersey and K (or somewhere else close by) for at least a week now. I've passed the word to Tommy Wells's office (though I imagine I'm not the first).
 

Aug 28, 2009 11:38 AM
Potomac Riverboat Company Offering Water Taxi Service for Nats Games, Starting Sept. 8
From WTOP: "Nationals fans will have a new way to get to the ballpark starting next month! That's when a water taxi will begin taking fans from the Alexandria waterfront to a dock right next to the the ballpark. It's about a 40 minute trip.
"The Potomac Riverboat Company will begin offering tickets for sale starting at noon today. 'I think it's a great price, $12 one way and $20 round trip. That includes tax,' company Vice President Charlotte Hall tells WTOP.
"Fans who live in Maryland can park at National Harbor, and take a separate water taxi across the river to catch the "baseball boat" in Alexandria. Those who want to do that will have to purchase a separate ticket for $8 one way or $16 round trip.
"Company vice president Charlotte Hall says they're offering water taxi rides to and from seven Nationals home games in September, beginning with a game against Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 8. You can also buy water taxi tickets to home games on September 9, 10, 25, 28, 29, and 30. Hall says they hope to expand service in time for next baseball season."
The dock is at Diamond Teague Park--if you missed my photos yesterday of the park and piers, here they are.
UPDATE: Potomac Riverboat's online ticketing ordering now has ballpark trips as an option.
 

Aug 27, 2009 4:30 PM
Photos from Diamond Teague Park and Piers
Thanks to the folks from the Gangplank, I was able to get a quick tour today of the piers and boardwalks at Diamond Teague Park, the new city-built spot on the Anacostia where water taxis and other vessels are now able to dock to bring folks to and from Nationals Park. Although construction and planting isn't quite finished, I think the batch of photos I took give a pretty good idea of the lay of the land. (I'll add them into my Teague page when I've got some more time.)
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More posts: Teague Park
 

Aug 26, 2009 1:56 PM
Photos from Today's Ribbon Cutting at Capitol Quarter; Updated Before-and-Afters
More than five years after the first demolitions at the old Capper/Carrollsburg public housing complex, city officials, developers, and residents gathered at Fourth and L today for a ribbon cutting at what is now known as Capitol Quarter, the mixed-income townhouse development that's been under construction since last year. (Residents actually started moving in this spring, but let's not spoil the party.)
As most readers know by now, the old 707-unit Capper complex is being replaced with what will eventually include 1,500 residential units (with a one-to-one replacement of all 700 public housing units), 700,000 square feet of office space, and 50,000 square feet of retail. Two apartment buildings with 300 units for low-income seniors and moderate income residents--Capper Seniors #1 and 400 M--opened in late 2006 and 2007; four more mixed-income buildings will eventually be built on lots by Canal Park.
My photos of the festivities are posted--and enjoy them, because there aren't many ribbon cuttings in Near Southeast's near future!
I also finally updated my photos along Fifth Street this morning, and at Fourth and I and Fourth and K yesterday and today, making for a pretty striking batch of before-and-afters, especially since these are the first photos I've taken since the framing really took off on the north side of K. Also, digging is now getting started on the final block of phase 1 (Square 797, between Third, Fourth, Virginia, and I), and framing should begin in October or November, with those final first phase homes expected to be finished next spring. When will phase 2 start sales and pre-construction? As soon as they get some money, and everyone knows how easy that is right now....
I will be adding some new mid-block photos to my Capitol Quarter Phase I page, and freshening it up a bit, later today.
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More posts: Capper, Capitol Quarter
 

Aug 25, 2009 1:16 PM
Capitol Quarter Ribbon Cutting Tomorrow; A Few Late-Summer Not-Really-News Links
* A reminder that tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10 am the DC Housing Authority is holding an official ribbon cutting and grand opening at Capitol Quarter, Fourth and L, with the mayor expected to be in attendance. If the sun is out, I may use this as the motivation to finally get some updated photos of the construction, with the framing in block three (north of K between Fourth and Fifth) now well underway.
* The Post reports on how the many new apartment buildings in the area are aggressively competing for tenants, with the new buildings in Near Southeast apparently leading the way: "The ones around Nationals Park, for instance, collectively have offered the deepest concessions since Delta started tracking rents 18 years ago. Some of those projects gave away the equivalent of four months' rent in concessions, which helps explain why effective rents in the District plunged 7.8 percent in June compared with a year ago. Without the ballpark area, rents fell 4 percent."
* From the BID's newsletter last week: "Mark your calendars for September 19th for the FRONT Door Home Tour & Canal Park Picnic from 10 am - 2 pm. The FRONT Door Tour will feature a variety of unique residents' homes and highlight the Capitol Riverfront as a new residential neighborhood in DC. The event will include a community picnic at the future site of Canal Park (located at intersection of M St., SE and 2nd St., SE) with food, music, and lawn games. The FRONT Door Tour will be free and open to the public. More information to come soon."
And, two items about off-topic projects by Near Southeast developers:
* Monument Realty announced yesterday that its long-planned renovation of Potomac Place Tower on Fourth Street in SW is now going to move forward. From their press release: "Monument Realty acquired the Potomac Place project in 2001 and in 2005 completed construction of a new, 302-unit condominium adjacent to the existing Potomac Place Tower, which was built in 1959. In 2003, Potomac Place Tower was designated a historic landmark by the District of Columbia and in 2005 the residents of Potomac Place Tower elected to convert the property to a condominium. Monument Realty's longstanding history and commitment to the project gave the new lender the confidence to retain its services for the completion of Potomac Place Tower."
* Forest City Washington has been selected by the government of Puerto Rico as the program manager for the redevelopment of a 100-acre portion of San Juan's waterfront district. Residential, hotel, office, retail, public parks, and a marina--sound familiar? (I don't think I mentioned that a few weeks ago the District selected Forest City as an advisor for the redevelopment of Poplar Point.)
 

Aug 20, 2009 12:45 PM
List of Operators Serving Diamond Teague Piers
With thanks to the deputy mayor's office and Gangplank Marina, I now have the list of the companies and vessels that are on the "Operator Master List" for docking at the new piers at Diamond Teague Park (right across the street from Nationals Park):
* Entertainment Cruises, which runs the well-known Odyssey and the Spirit of Washington cruises from the Southwest Waterfront, is signed up to allow their Seadog speedboat and Capital Elite yacht to dock at Teague;
* Potomac Riverboat Cruises is approved to run the Miss Mallory, the Matthew Hayes, and the Miss Christin, all of which are docked at Alexandria;
* Capitol River Cruises's two boats (the Nightingale and Nightingale II) are docked in Georgetown;
* Ft. Washington and Potomac River Cruises's the Pelican, docked at National Harbor;
* The Miss Ann, docked at the Southwest Waterfront;
* The Sequoia Presidential Yacht, docked at the Southwest Waterfront; and
* Capital Yacht Charters, which operates out of the Southwest Waterfront, can dock four ships: the Finished Business, Celebrity, Running Mate, and Margaritaville.
It looks like that for the rest of this year it will probably only be charter service docking at Teague, with scheduled water taxi service for games not starting up until next spring. But maybe some outfit will surprise. The Earth Conservation Corps will be working with Coastal Properties (aka the folks at the Gangplank) to manage the piers, and apparently there will be an official web site for the Teague park and piers up soon. They're also still working on the landscaping, which should be finished next month.
 

Aug 20, 2009 12:18 AM
Free Sandwich Getting Presented Friday
Last week, neighborhood resident Jamie D. was the first to report that Cornercopia had opened for business, and so won the free sandwich I had been touting for months as a way to get JDLand readers to do my surveillance work for me. We've set up a time for this honor to be bestowed (and thanks to Albert at Cornercopia for indulging all of this), so if any folks are around and feel like stopping by Cornercopia to meet some fellow residents and point and make fun of Jamie while he eats his sandwich, come wander by the corner of Third and K, SE, on Friday (Aug. 21) at 6 pm. (This gives Nats fans enough time to sprint to the stadium to use their $1 tickets.) It'd be great to meet some of the commenters and correspondents who make this place so lively, especially since there's a number of new faces around here these days.
Though, please note that I'm only footing the bill for *one* sandwich. I don't have the funds to buy off everyone! (Dang advertising market collapse!)
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More posts: cornercopia
 

Aug 19, 2009 7:47 PM
Water Taxi Service 'Now Available' (But...)
Late this afternoon the mayor's office sent out this press release, which confirms these posts from last week: "Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Wednesday announced water taxi service is now available to Nationals Park by way of a District-built public pier at the new $8 million Diamond Teague Park on the Anacostia River. [...] Six local charter companies will operate about a dozen different vessels to the pier from locations including Maryland's National Harbor and Old Town, Alexandria. Service will be available for home games at the park and other special events. The boat operators will use a new 250-foot commercial pier built for boats carrying up to 149 passengers."
Alas, the release doesn't name the six companies or give any details on their services, though WTOP reported last week that the "Potomac Riverboat Company plans to begin operations as soon as next month, for at least some remaining home games." I just checked their web site, and there's nothing on it about service to the ballpark as of right now.
 

Aug 18, 2009 12:40 PM
Upcoming Events (11th Street Bridges, Last Movie, Capitol Quarter Ribbon Cutting)
A slew of upcoming events to pass along:
* On Wednesday (Aug. 19), there's going to be an 11th Street Bridges Open House, billed as an update for Ward 8 residents about the status of the bridge replacement project. (But I'm guessing people from other wards can come, too.) It's from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Union Temple Baptist Church at 1225 W St., SE.
* Thursday (Aug. 20) is the last night of the BID's 80's Outdoor Movies series, with "Ghostbusters" on the bill (rescheduled from a rainout earlier this year). Apparently the BID is planning a four-week fall movie series starting in September; I'll pass more along on that when I get it.
* Next Wednesday (Aug. 26) the DC Housing Authority is holding an official ribbon cutting and grand opening at Capitol Quarter, from 10 am to noon at Fourth and L, with the mayor expected to be in attendance. This is just a little over two years after the ceremonial groundbreaking, held on a sweltering day in June 2007.
* If you're desperate for something to do Wednesday morning but a ribbon cutting isn't your thing, the U.S. Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard will host "Pirate or Privateer? War of 1812 Day," a series of demonstrations and lectures on the War of 1812. The program, which runs from 10 am to 2 pm, includes Gun Drills in the replica of the USS Constitution and Sea Chanteys. The event is free and open to the public, though note that there's no parking available inside the gates for visitors.
* The National Capital Planning Commission again has the design of the 11th Street Bridges on their tentative agenda, for their Sept. 3 meeting. It had also been on the tentative agenda for the July meeting, but didn't make the final cut; hopefully that won't happen again, because NCPC always puts together such great reports on the projects it votes on (and posts them on their web site), so it's a good place to get details that have been hard to find elsewhere.
* This is still a few weeks away, but residents might want to mark their calendars that the next ANC 6D meeting, on Sept. 14 will be held in Southeast, at the Courtyard by Marriott at New Jersey and L. I've been attending ANC meetings off and on for six years, and this is the first one I remember that will be crossing South Capitol Street.
* The next day, Sept. 15, Urban Land Institute Washington is holding its third Urban Marketplace Conference and Expo, which brings together "the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to explore redevelopment opportunities and best practices in emerging neighborhoods and corridors across the Washington metropolitan region." One of the day's discussions, from 3 pm to 4 pm will focus on the ballpark district (and I'm one of the panelists).
All of these are of course on my Upcoming Events Calendar.
 

Aug 17, 2009 10:43 PM
Sticky Rice Sushi at Cornercopia
The folks at Cornercopia have started up a Twitter account, and a Tweet just came down the pike that will excite a lot of people: "Sticky Rice Sushi expected to be available tomorrow for lunch starting at 10:30am. Supplies are limited each day so get here early." If you're unfamiliar with Stick Rice, here's their web site.
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More posts: cornercopia
 

Aug 17, 2009 10:51 AM
Opera at the Ballpark Again
From the Post: "The Washington National Opera announced Monday that for the second straight year, the company's opening-night performance -- this year, "The Barber of Seville" on Sept. 12 -- will be simulcast live at Nationals Park, free of charge." There were about 15,000 people at last year's simulcast of "La Traviata." It will begin at 7 pm, with the gates opening at 5:30; no reservations are required except for the VIP seating areas. (And it should go without saying that the simulcast will be projected on the ballpark's high-definition scoreboard.) For more information, go to wnosimulcast.org.
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More posts: Nationals Park
 

Aug 13, 2009 3:30 PM
Bureau of Land Management Leases Space at 20 M
I've just received word from Lerner Enterprises that they've signed a 10-year agreement with GSA to lease about 95,000 square feet of space at 20 M Street to the Bureau of Land Management. The space will be on floors two through six of the building, and BLM is expected to begin moving in in early 2010. (Here's the full press release.)
This is the first office tenant in the building, which was completed in spring 2007 and sits on the northwest corner of Half and M streets, across from the west entrance of the Navy Yard Metro station (one block north of Nationals Park); Wachovia Bank occupies one of the ground-floor retail spaces.
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More posts: 20 M
 

Aug 13, 2009 10:37 AM
MSG Looking for Entertainment Venue Space
From WBJ, a few days ago: "Madison Square Garden LP, owner of the famed New York City arena that bears its name, is looking to open a major entertainment venue in the District. The sports, entertainment and media company began contacting the office of Valerie Santos, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, and major landowners in early summer[...] According to sources close to the company, MSG would open a venue of a 6,000 seats or more, requiring up to 100,000 square feet near shopping and public transit." The head of the Washington DC Economic Partnership apparently made presentations to MSG "on sites near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and in the area around Nationals Park."
In this Breaking Ground blog post today, Jonathan O'Connell tries to guess where MSG might be looking, and includes the Yards and Half Street (either the Monument or Akridge sides) as possibilities. And this NewsChannel 8 report interviews Michael Stevens from the BID about it all.
 

Aug 11, 2009 1:24 PM
Cornercopia Open; We Have a Sandwich Winner
After weeks of watchful waiting, the reports are coming in that Cornercopia, the little market and sandwich stop at the corner of Third and K streets, SE, has opened for business today, and reader Jamie has his receipt time-stamped at 12:07 pm to not only prove that it was open, but to win the free sandwich I promised to the first reader to report that the store was operating. In the comments on another thread, Carey says that right now they're only accepting cash until they get some credit-card-transaction kinks worked out; they're also giving away "green" reuseable Cornercopia bags.
To make this new arrival in the neighborhood even more of a neighborhood event, I'd like to invite anyone who has a few minutes of free time to join Jamie and me for the ceremonial Purchasing of the Sandwich. Check back soon for the date and time (haven't been able to get it coordinated just yet, but didn't want to delay this post any longer...)
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More posts: cornercopia
 

Aug 8, 2009 8:08 PM
Water Taxis for Nats Games Maybe Starting Soon?
From WTOP, news that water taxi service to Diamond Teague Park may be underway fairly soon: "The Potomac Riverboat Company plans to begin operations as soon as next month, for at least some remaining home games. 'We would offer service on the game nights only,' says company Vice President Charlotte Hall, 'from Alexandria, Va., National Harbor and Gaylord National Hotel.'" And: "Prices for the Nationals Park water taxi service have not been set yet, but the company currently charges $8 one way, or $16 round trip for its water taxi connecting Alexandria Harbor, National Harbor and Gaylord National. Hall says all of its existing service will stay the same, and no schedules or routes will be cut to accommodate added trips to Nationals Park."
 
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