Near Southeast makes the front page of the Post on Friday with "The Last Handshake Deal", a long feature on colorful real estate investor Marty Chernoff and other men who bought land in the area years back and are now cashing out. (As an example, Chernoff bought the trash transfer station at 70 I Street for $800,000 in 1988, and sold it last year for $35.9 million.) The print version also has a huge fabulous half-page graphic with a map of the neighborhood (centered mainly on the North of M area) with nine stunning and brilliant photos of streetscapes along 1st, K, L, and M streets. (Yes, they're my photos.) The Post's web site has an interactive version of the graphic, which is a nice companion to their interactive map of all of Near Southeast (which has been updated with six months' worth of new information). And if you're visiting here for the first time as a result of the Post story, welcome to Near Southeast, and try not to be too scared by all that this site contains.

From the AP: "Officials from the District and Major League Baseball worked late Thursday hammering out negotiations for a lease on a Nationals baseball stadium. [...] Williams has said he hopes to have something top present to the council Friday. That's the deadline to schedule a vote on Feb. 7. But Williams spokesman Vince Morris says even if there's no deal by then, officials could try for a deal by next Friday and a Feb. 14 vote."

For those wondering if the Capper/Carrollsburg ("Capitol Quarter") townhome development would ever get moving.... Today 143 building permit applications were filed with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for addresses in the eastern half of the Capper land. The applications cover lots for all the areas between 4th and 5th streets where the old Capper buildings have already been demolished, plus the triangular sliver of land along Virginia Avenue. As for when shovels will go in the ground, who knows. And sales aren't expected to begin until summer. I just read somewhere that 100 of these will be market-rate, and 40 will be "workforce housing", but for the life of me I can't find the link. Will keep searching. UPDATE: Duh, it's on the Capitol Quarter page itself. I've got to get new glasses.

From a news release this morning: "The South Capitol Ballpark Coalition -- an ad-hoc coalition of area businesses, community organizations and the Washington Nationals Baseball Club -- began a campaign today to educate District residents on the benefits of a new South Capitol Street baseball stadium and surrounding development projects in anticipation of the upcoming DC City Council vote. The campaign, which includes radio ads and mailings, will urge residents to contact the City Council and ask them to vote "yes" on the new stadium deal." The South Capitol Ballpark Coalition includes: Washington Nationals Baseball Club; District of Columbia Building Industry Association; Monument Realty, Western Development Corporation; DC Convention and Tourism Corporation and The Board of Trade; Forest City Enterprises; the Restaurant Association of Greater Washington.

The AP is reporting: "D-C Mayor Anthony Williams says one way or another on Friday his staff will submit a reworked baseball stadium plan to the D-C Council. He says "in order to have it done, in the time we need it done, we need to have it in by Friday." He says "then we're going to continue to work on the votes." Williams says he believes the various sides have addressed key points cited by some council members. He says he believes they've made progress on such issues as cost, benefit to the community and development rights. Williams says he can't wait to have the stadium matter settled "so we can get it built and produce all the benefits that I think it will." UPDATE, 3:37 pm: An expanded AP story says that the mayor is still working to get the seven votes needed for passage, but that mediation between the District and Major League Baseball has helped clear up key points cited by concerned City Council members, and that the new deal provides cost control on both the stadium and the land.

The Post has posted on its web site "D.C. Could Force Out Property Owners For Stadium", which says: "The District government has asked a Superior Court judge for permission to force property owners to vacate about 14 acres of land near the Anacostia River by Feb. 7 so the city can begin construction of a new baseball stadium, arguing that any delays could set back the project. In a court filing last Friday, city attorneys said construction must begin soon to complete the stadium by March 2008, as required in the agreement with Major League Baseball." The article goes on to explain the eminent domain process, and that the city has done this even though Ye Olde Stadium Lease Agreement still hasn't been approved. UPDATE: The WashTimes's story says many of the same things; it also says: "Meanwhile, the Anacostia Waterfront Corp., which was created by the city to direct waterfront-development efforts, is working with developers on a plan to cap the cost of acquiring the 26 acres of land at the ballpark site. Under the plan, the city would direct any revenue from development on the ballpark site toward [land] cost overruns."

For the first time I've seen a price attached to the townhomes at Capper / Carrollsburg (the development, by EYA, is dubbed "Capitol Quarter")--an ad in Saturday's Post says that the townhomes, coming in Summer 2006, will be priced from the low $400,000s. The web site still says nothing more than "Coming 2006." Hopefully with the final zoning approval of the second-stage PUD not far off, they will begin their marketing and provide much more information on the entire development. UPDATE: And just like that, EYA has launched a redesigned web site--it's much prettier, but it doesn't have any additional info on Capitol Quarter.

Remember a few months back when the biggest question mark about the new baseball stadium was what it was going to look like? (We were so much younger then.) Saturday's Post reveals: "District government officials are modifying the architectural design of a new baseball stadium, relying less heavily on glass as a key exterior feature, to reduce costs and win approval for a lease agreement from the D.C. Council. The changes are intended to save tens of millions of dollars and limit the potential for cost overruns, said sources with knowledge of the discussions." The article also explains that the city is working on a proposed "guaranteed maximum price" contract with the stadium's builders, Clark/Hunt/Smoot A Joint Venture, where "the city would relinquish control of the design and construction of the stadium to construction companies, which in turn would guarantee that the price of the labor and materials for the ballpark would not exceed $300 million." And the clock ticks on, as an agreement must legally be submitted to the council by Jan. 27 in order to get a vote on Feb. 7. So this next week should be fun.

Meanwhile, Saturday's WashTimes goes with: "Council meets with mediator": "Members of the D.C. Council met yesterday with the mediator selected to help end a dispute over the lease for the Washington Nationals' new ballpark in Southeast, and council chairman Linda Cropp followed by providing Mayor Anthony Williams a revised proposal that she said will ensure a positive council vote." What does the letter say? "Cropp outlined 12 provisions requested by council members, who said they will not vote in favor of the stadium lease until the changes are made. The new proposal is similar to one presented last week, in that it calls for a cap on how much the city will contribute to the ballpark. The new letter clarifies that the city should pay no more than the $535 million being borrowed for the project, plus a $20 million contribution from Major League Baseball, $37 million raised from baseball activities in 2005 and $39 million in interest and bond premium. The new letter requests more community benefits, including a new baseball academy in the District, and more appearances by players. It also calls for assurances that the Nationals cannot terminate the lease simply by refusing to pay rent." The story also has some back-and-forth about whether the council should have been included in the lease negotiations from the beginning.

The Washington Blade reports in "Gay groups debate future of O Street gay night clubs" on responses within the gay community to a bill introduced by Jim Graham that "amends the Alcohol Beverage Control Board's licensing regulations to allow nude-dancing permit holders in the stadium's wake a one-time zoning transfer to any commercial zone. Current zoning laws allow the permit-holders only to move to the central business district." The bill will be the subject of a council roundtable on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

NBC4 reports that Linda Cropp is still worried about cost overruns on the stadium, and is sending another letter to Mayor Williams about what it will take to secure a majority vote for the stadium lease agreement. The article also outlines a few dates that need to be met if the council is going to vote on the lease at its next session, on Feb. 7.  UPDATE: I missed this Thursday WashTimes article, "Stadium concessions, consensus elusive", discussing how it appears that Carol Schwartz is the only council member who has said there's any room to negotiate. And also from the Thursday WashTimes, "Mayor hit for playing on the road", about how some council members are slamming Mayor Williams for being out of town during negotiations.

The city and MLB have picked former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer to act as mediator to help get the lease agreement back on track, reports the Washington Business Journal. UPDATE: Here is the Washington Post's piece on Archer, "Williams Political Ally is Stadium Mediator," and the WashTimes weighs in with "District Turns to Stadium Mediator."

The 11th Street Bridges Environmental Impact Statement project has released its January 2006 newsletter, with a summary of the issues raised during the December public meetings. Another public meeting is expected in spring, with the EIS scheduled to be delivered in summer 2006.

The National Capital Planning Commission has posted the preliminary agenda for its February meeting, with two agenda items pertaining to Near Southeast: a request for approval of comments to city council on the proposed closing of public alleys in Square 743N; and a request approval of a report to the Zoning Commission on the modifications to the first-stage PUD and the second-stage PUD for the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg redevelopment.

It's a been a nice respite from stadium news over the past few days, but we're back in the groove now with "Official Promises To Deliver Stadium" from Tuesday's Post, focusing on DC Sports and Entertainment Commission head Mark Tuohey. But, believe it or not, some council members are quoted as criticizing the stadium deal. Tuohey says they'll deliver a deal this week; we shall we....  UPDATE: Backtracking a few days, Jack Evans sounded a whole lot less optimistic on Friday, as quoted in the WashTimes's "Evans: MLB Won't Pay", indicating that they are still two votes short of the seven needed to pass the lease agreement.

I have so very many photos of Near Southeast that I've never posted, but as a block or corner begins to get developed I look through them a lot to see if there's any angle that maybe I'd now like to show. I've been doing this lately as 20 M Street's construction continues, and as I've browsed through my pictures of Half and M lately, something started to jump out at me from the edges of some of the shots, something that it now appears I've been unintentionally tracking for the past three years. So, I bring to you: Gas Prices at Half and M. No pressure, Sunoco!

Marriott's web site now has a page for the "Courtyard by Marriott Washington Capitol Hill/Navy Yard", and the page says "Opening in March 2006." You can't reserve a room yet, but at least it's there now. See my Capitol Hill Tower page for photos, detail, etc.

Couldn't help myself, had to go take more pictures in the Hood, so check out my Capitol Hill Tower, New Jersey Avenue, and especially my DOT HQ pages for new images--I ventured out after construction was finished for the day, but they hadn't closed the gates to DOT at New Jersey and M, and now that there's a nice concrete road bed, I took my first walk from M to N on the "new New Jersey." And didn't even get arrested! I also added a photo or two to my Capper Seniors page, mainly to document that they have sped along with the bricking the southern exterior of Capper #1.

In zoning news this week... On Monday night the Zoning Commission approved the Capper/Carrollsburg 2nd Stage PUD--PUDs leave me bewildered, so I'm not 100% sure if this means that all systems are go for work to begin at Capper, or if there's still some other post-approval approval that still needs to happen (like with the DC Council). In easier-to-digest news, JPI has a second case ready to go in front of the Board of Zoning Adjustment, this time for the 900 block of New Jersey Avenue, where the Nexus Gold Club is. The application requests "a variance from the residential recreation space requirements under section 773, and a special exception for multiple roof structures with walls of uneven height pursuant to sections 411 and 770.6, to allow the development of a multi-family residential building ... at premises 900 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. " (I hate to tell them that this is going to have to be called 90*1* New Jersey, because it's on the west side of the block!) The lots they list seem to indicate that they plan on developing the entire block except for one lot, on the northeast corner of 1st and K. The hearing will be on May 16--JPI's other variance hearing for 100 I Street is scheduled for March 14. You can see pictures of both sites on my new North of M page.