Happy Halloween

Rents at the V Apartments

Yesterday on the MVSNA blog, MaryP provided a link to rental rates and floorplans, as listed by Kettler, for the V apartments at the City Vista (website).

I couldn't capture all the rates into a single screen print, so in the right inset I included only the Studio and 1BR rates (follow the link for 2BR).

Kettler's site also points out the property will welcome pets, allow AMEX payments, and have Zipcar.

rendering for one bedroom 1G floorplan

Fire house facade at 400 Mass - part 2

My personal opinion is that the firehouse could have been integrated better. See below.



My edited photo is a little sloppy - but you get the drift. Agree? Disagree?

Fire house facade at 400 Mass

Below is a snapshot of the Firehouse facade preserved at 400 Mass.


Do you think the outcome was well done and/or a positive for the streetscape? Will the eventual retail tenant be forced to keep those red firehouse doors or could they be replaced at some point with glass doors allowing for more light to shine in and pedestrians to see inside?

Historic carport?

Last week we had two postings debating preservation of three Victorian rowhouses at the MRP realty 6th & K Street NW site. To my knowledge those rowhouses are not inside the historic district nor are they designated historic structures.

Yet, during the Mount Vernon Triangle WalkingTownDC tour, I learned that the roof of a small building diagonally across the street from the 6th & K Automart is protected. I forget the entirety of the backstory - but the roof at one point was a carport of past structures including a gas station.


While this terracotta roof represent a more rare feature than other old buildings inside our neighborhood possess I'm not particularly impressed. It wouldn't be anywhere near the top of my personal list to save. What are your thoughts?

Demolition on 3rd Street completed

The demolition on the 900 block of 3rd Street NW is complete.


The properties demolished were 908-914 3rd Street NW. The land is part of the Mount Vernon Place master planned development. The 300 K Street NW office building is supposedly the next piece of Mount Vernon Place to be built.

I have inquired what this demolition might signify. Word is that the buildings were demolished predominantly for safety reasons. The vacant buildings were attracting prostitution activities in and around them. The flickr photostream I compiled does not include a pre-demolition snapshot of the buildings as everytime I happened to walk over with my camera someone was sleeping or hanging out in front of the properties.

Homicide Reported in the 400 block of NY Ave NW

From an email just sent out by Commander Kamperin on the MPD-1D listserv:

( Washington , DC ) — The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a homicide which occurred in the 400 block of New York Avenue, N.W.

At approximately 5:20 a.m., on Sunday, October 26, 2008, officers from the First District responded to Jimmy’s Auto located in the 400 block of New York Avenue, N.W., to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.

The decedent in this case has been identified as 38-year-old David Thomas of the 1700 block of North Pulaski Street , in Baltimore , Maryland ,

This case remains under investigation by detectives from the department’s Homicide and Sexual Offenses Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-CRIM[E] . Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia .

MPD-1D also reported four shooting victims not too far from the Triangle (NY Ave at N Capitol St NW) at 3:21AM this morning.

Citypaper: D.C. Brunch Culture Sucks

Washington City Paper rants against brunch options in the district. Complaints range from too expensive, mimosas are gross, to the writer despising that people get dressed up for what she believes should be a casual meal.

Since when did brunch become a stressor? Are we that Type A? I hope someone takes her to that new Jim Carey movie when it comes out. She might also want to try brunch at Busboys. I have and really enjoyed it. French Toast & Hot Chocolate. Mmmmm.

Busboys and Poets new signs

Busboys and Poets has new signs at their 5th & K Streets NW location.

The signs light up at night and look pretty sharp - but my after dark photo came out blurry.

There are two events this week at the 5th & K location.

Politics:

Tuesday, October 28 @ 7pm
Amnesty International Local Volunteer Group 536 (Adams Morgan) presents The State of Human Rights in the United States.
Do Americans enjoy the full spectrum of human rights? Does our foreign policy promote or degrade human rights around the world? Join local members of Amnesty International and a panel of experts for a thought-provoking discussion on human rights in the U.S. Pose your own questions, enjoy complementary desserts, and meet folks passionate about human rights, both here and abroad! Featuring: Jumana Musa, Policy Director, Rights Working Group Folabi Olagbaju, Director, AI-USA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

Film:

Saturday, November 1 @11 PM
Focus In! Cinema for a conscious community. Screening of Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas..
From Venezuela's Communal Councils, to Brazil's Participatory Budgeting, from Constitutional Assemblies to grassroots movements, recuperated factories to cooperatives across the hemisphere. Beyond Elections is a journey, which takes us across the Americas, to attempt to answer one of the most important questions of our time: What is Democracy?.

Halloween costume roll call

What are you planning to be for Halloween?

Further discussion on 6th & K

Earlier in the week we commented on MRP's rendering for 6th and K St NW and how it would lead to demolition of 3 seemingly well preserved Victorian row houses.

Most readers chimed in that the rowhouses should ideally be saved. One did offer this:

OK folks - to play devil's advocate here, not EVERY historic building is worth saving or should be saved. The idea of historic preservation is to save representative examples of architecture styles from different periods for posterity so we can have an idea of what buildings once looked like. The idea is not to save EVERY building. These buildings, while nice, are represented in many other places in the city, and therefore they don't have historic preservation status. Our neigbhorhood is not where historians are going to go for an architectural history lesson. That said, I'm glad there are SOME preserved buildings in the Triangle, and I'm much more interested in preserving the historic garages and stables than the victorian houses. Unfortunately, most of those were destroyed in the aftermath of the race riots.

What's reader reaction to this comment? I appreciate the commenter's willingness to play the devil's advocate here. The part I would readily disagree with is the blanket rule that if there are other similar buildings elsewhere in the city then the buildings in your neighborhood do not need to be saved. That's a useful test when debating whether a brutalist eyesore needs to be preserved. The brutalist buildings aren't very old and almost everyone bleeds from the eyes when staring directly at them. On the flipside Victorians row houses are a celebrated style of architecture still popular among current residents after a hundred years. Preserving enclaves of them, such as the 500 block of I Street NW (just south of the Triangle), is worthwhile. It tells a story that "hey, downtown used to be like this" and it creates a more diverse urban fabric downtown.

I'm not a fan of blanket criteria when it comes to preservation but I understand why the criteria are structured that way. It's an attempt to be objective rather than subjective and therefore more legally defensible. However, when it comes to the court of public opinion I think you can reject that blanket criteria without it meaning you want to "save EVERY building".

Kojo Nnamdi show on building height limits inside the district

Washington Post columnist and architect Roger K. Lewis joined Kojo Nnamdi (WAMU 88.5) to dispel common misconceptions about Washington's height rules and discuss how it's shaped the city and it's surrounding areas.

Among the topics discussed: how height limits are linked to width of streets, the myth that limits are tied to the height of the U.S. Capitol Dome, The Cairo Apartment Building, impact on the commerical market, and the effect on the environment. Lewis advocates keeping downtown DC limits sacrosanct but relaxing the height limits in selected areas outside the L'Enfant portion of the city. The UMD professor reiterated many times that relaxing limits is more about picking specific strategic locations in the city to increase height limits by 25-30 feet and not about doubling or tripling limits to allow skyscrapers.

SE corner of 6th and K NW

In yesterday's post about the MVT CID newsletters their was a highlight on the 6th and K Auto Market. In the comments Si pointed us to a rendering from MRP that represents their plans for the parcel that includes the Auto Market.

Screen capture of a rendering on box.net

The Auto Market lot is just asphalt, a trailer and a sign that is an icon among D.C. photographers. South of a Auto Market lot, bridging to the Hampton Inn, are three 3 story Victorian row houses.


MRP's rendering does not incorporate the Victorians and these building are slightly outside the Historic District. These 3 buildings seem more distinguished and better maintained than several of the properties in the historic district like the old Fun Fair Video location. Does anyone know what was leveled to build the Hampton Inn and 555 Mass?

It's unfortunate that the old buildings possibly worth preserving are so scattered throughout the Triangle. Had there been a nice continuous cluster of interesting old buildings rather than disjointed scattered sites then preservation might yield a better outcome both aesthetically and financially.

MVTCID Newsletters

The MVT CID has all the past issues of their newsletters online.

Screen capture of an article from the Summer '08 newsletter

MVSNA meeting on Tuesday

UPDATE (10/22/2008 11:30AM): MVSNA has posted their meeting minutes.

The V at City Vista Grand Opening

Lowe Enterprises is now leasing 244 luxury residences in the The V Apartments at CityVista. The V is the final phase of Lowe Enterprises’ 843,000 square foot mixed-use development in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood.

The "V" was designed by Michael Marshall Architecture in collaboration with CityVista master planner Torti Gallas and Partners. Some 30 apartment designs include oversized windows, balconies, terraces in select residences and Whirlpool appliances, including washers and dryers.

The grand opening on October 18 will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at The V – 460 L Street, NW to unveil studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with living spaces ranging from 637 to nearly 2,000 square feet. Residents will enjoy on-site access to CityVista’s lifestyle Safeway that includes a Starbucks, and Bergmann’s drycleaners. Other retail amenities at CityVista include Results The Gym, 5th Street Ace Hardware, the popular Busboys and Poets restaurant, and soon Chevy Chase Bank.


The V has it's own website (www.thevapartments.com) separate from Mayhood's CityVistaDC.com condo marketing site. This new website for the Apartments consists mostly of links that result in a "Coming Soon" message. Stay tuned for more details.

Potato Valley Cafe

Working only a half day yesterday I visited Potato Valley Cafe at 614 E Street NW for an early dinner. The Cafe is little more than a small counter and seating for 8 people (tops). Visiting this little hole in the wall has been elusive to me since it is geared towards the office worker crowd and does not have weekend hours.

The menu is simple and consists solely of loaded baked potatoes and salads. The potato choices include 10 vegetarian options such as Broccoli Blue Cheese and Cheddar, and a Vegetarian Curry Potato. Those who enjoy a little meat have 7 options including Cuban Chicken, and Caribbean Chicken and Cheddar. It is also possible to further customize your order by adding flavored sour creams or other extras.

Bacon, Chicken and Cheddar Potato

Judging it against other dining options in the same price range (<$10) I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. Lots of creative and appealing choices. The food came out quickly and was very tasty. I'd recommend it to everyone with the exception of Dan Quayle.

Dumont Update - Eye Street Facing - part 2

Last week we provided a photo update on the new outdoor stairs and railings at The DuMont.

This update shows the final paint has been applied. Thank goodness it's black.

DNA meeting recap

Tuesday night's DNA Meeting focused heavily on the Gallery Place issues surrounding teen loitering. The meeting was attended by Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelsohn, Police chief Cathy Lanier, MPD Commander David Kamperin and Chief Fire Marshall Gary Palmer.

Mayor Fenty said the issues of teen induced chaos in Gallery Place was unacceptable and would be addressed with vigilance from MPD immediately. Our mayor suggested that community policing and using regulatory agencies to shutdown businesses that contribute to the nuisance will be the focus. Changing the curfew for teens, which are currently 11pm Mon-Thurs and 12am Fri-Sat, was not part of any plan at the moment. Commander Kamperin explained that a zero tolerance rule is in place. Officers are instructed to make the arrest if there is a open container, curfew or other serious violation. In the past such violations might have been served with a warning such as asking the individual to discard the open container. It was also said that while small pockets of loitering unaccompanied by other law breaking may not be something that can be addressed that MPD will act to disperse large scale loitering that fully blocks sidewalks.

Many Penn Quarter residents spoke out on the issue. While their thoughts comprise an important part of the picture, a representative sample of the comments can already be found at the discussion at PQLiving. I'm going to focus my post on what I learned about Club Bounce because that's information that hasn't been covered from both angles.

Club Bounce currently runs an event every weekend at Platinum Nightclub. The name Bounce comes from having to bounce around from venues like Club Five, Washington Plaza hotel, Carnegie Library, etc before reaching an ongoing relationship with Platinum (which had losts it's ABC license). Events at Bounce run from 6pm to 10:45pm and are run by the promotions company Teen Life Productions (TLP). Traci Allen is a downtown resident, mother of a 14 year old, and director of TLP. From their myspace:

Club Bounce and Teen Life Production's mission is to provide fun and activities through music and dancing in a diverse and safe environment for all teens!

Security:
We do not allow teens to come and go. It is not a lock in, but they cannot leave and then re-enter. We do not allow any loitering in the parking area and all teens must be picked up by midnight to comply with curfew laws of the District of Columbia.

Club Bounce employs professional and experienced security officers to ensure the safety of all teens attending Club Bounce events.

Ages: Teens in Grades 9th through 12th!

All teens are searched and bags will be checked.

Club Rules:
-NO altercations of any kind – verbal or physical
-NO ins and outs
-NO hand signs
-NO loitering outside

Dress Code:
-NO excessively revealing clothing
-NO profanity or offensive logos
-NO gang related apparel

Any breaking of the rules will result in denied entry to the venue or being asked to leave the premises. Club Bounce is an alcohol and drug-free zone and the proper authorities will be notified in the event of possession or being caught under the influence.

We encourage you to contact us at TeenLifePro@aol.com should you have any questions!

-Teen Life Productions

Several teens spoke at the DNA meeting on behalf of Club Bounce. One high school senior, bound for a full ride to Hampton next year, spoke passionately about the club providing an alternative for kids to the unsupervised drinking and partying until the wee hours. Another spoke of how she is involved in designing the props for the Jet Set Saturdays parties which have themes like Hollywood, South Beach, Athens, Milan, and Jamaica. For the responsible teens that don't engage in the shenanigans being seen at Gallery Place the club is a positive thing. Unfortunately you can't slice the pie up that way - the bad is coming with the good.

Mayor Fenty did unequivocally state that MPD and the fire marshall have told him this club is contributing a negative influence to the community. Hundreds of kids loitering on the streets after Bounce creates problems that have manifested themselves into very ugly incidents. If Bounce wants to survive they'll need to do more to ensure the kids behave not only inside their club but also outside in the community between close and curfew. Can that be accomplished at these volumes (1000 kids)? Maybe. Maybe not.

UPDATE (10/15/2008 10AM): It's worth noting that a similar teen club at AVENUE has recently opened and is also contributing to the issues.

Demolition on 3rd Street

Demolition has begun on a 3 story building on the 900 block of 3rd Street NW. A chain link fence was erected to surround the perimeter of the addresses 908 to 914 during the last week or so. The permit to raze the building was obtained earlier this month.


This parcel of land, across the street from Mount Carmel Baptist Church, is part of the Mount Vernon Place development.

DNA Meeting tonight

From DNA president Mile Groves:

Dear Neighbors,

Please mark your calendars for tomorrow night, Tuesday October 14th for our monthly Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting. We start at 6:30PM with food provided by our new Downtown Urban Safeway followed by discussion and questions with several leaders. These include Mayor Fenty, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Wells, and an officer representing MPD First District PSA 101W. We are meeting at Calvary Baptist Church with its entrance on 8th Street NW between G and H Streets, NW in the Chapel. The meeting ends at 8:00PM.

Mayor Fenty's First Visit
This month is our second anniversary as a neighborhood association serving our emerging neighborhood. This will be Mayor Fenty's first visit with us. We expect to hear about his vision for our neighborhood and to lead an open to discussion on topics like homeless and housing, public safety, neighborhood amenities, and other questions that he has time to address. This is an especially important meeting given the leaders we will have, so please make a special effort to attend.

Teen Crowding
As most are aware, our neighborhood has become one of the "places to be" for teens. There are far more teens coming into our neighborhood than we can safely accommodate. This is a complicated community issue and not everyone agrees on the magnitude of the problem - even among those living on F Street or 7th Street.

The Mayor's office has taken the lead on this issue, along with MPD, DCRA, and DCFD. DNA was represented at a stakeholders meeting last week that was called under the leadership of First District Commander Kamperin. This meeting included DNA, Downtown BID, Regal Theater, Akridge, and Western Development. We expect these meetings to continue, and to include, other developers with interests in the Chinatown section of 7th Street and F Street were we have several entertainment venues. We've seen increased presence of MPD and Metro officers, security officers, and the publication of rules for Regal Theater Patrons. And, DNA published several suggestions that were the outcome of a community meeting we had earlier this month that have been provided to our Mayor and our Ward 2 and Ward 6 councilmembers.

There will be an update on this tomorrow night.

RSVP
If you have not RSVP'd yet, please do so we can have the Chapel properly set-up to accommodate our group.

See you tomorrow night.

Miles E. Groves
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Email: miles@dcdna.org
Web: www.dcdna.org

Assorted real estate misery index links

DOJ Developer in NoMA unable to secure financing: Despite having a government anchor tenant, StonebridgeCarras has been turned away by two banks for their Constitution Square project in NoMA. This project includes a Harris Teeter that would be a 5 minute bike ride from the Triangle.

Oversupply of luxury rentals: WBJ's Mara Lee talks to real estate insiders who suggest that for at least the next three years, and possibly longer, there will be more supply than demand for high-end apartments in the Washington area.

The Stock Market tank will slow down Luxury housing sales: FranklyRealty asks who is going to unload their stocks down 25-45% to buy a house? Answer - damn few.

Good, not Great Stuff

Finally the right lazy Saturday came along for me to visit the recent entry into DC's Burger Wars from former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn. I've read atleast a half dozen reviews of Good Stuff Eatery on blogs in the city and was fearful my blogger card might be taken away if I didn't also comply =)

From reading reviews from others I had an idea what to expect. Lines out the door are said to be typical. Wanting to avoid that fate I aimed for a very late lunch (2:30pm). I biked it so I wouldn't have to hunt for parking. I don't yet own a helmet and my front wheel brakes are busted but I rode anyway (never said I was smart). I biked at leisurely pace, used sidewalks on main boulevards and switched to side streets whenever possible and completed trip to 303 Pennsylvania Ave SE without incident.

photos from flickr user The Stew Blog

Upon arriving I saw the outdoor seating was completely full. Inside a dozen customers standing around waiting for orders but the register had no line for new orders. Success! Scanning the menu I saw the 5 sections: Hand Crafted Burgers, Sides, Wedge Salads, Beverages (incl beer) and Ice Cream related goodies. Eleven burgers were on the menu with some sticking to the basics and others venturing into non-traditional burger toppings like pickled daikon, carrots or sour cream.

In addition to the menu choices Good Stuff also offered burgers honoring Obama and McCain and was keeping a scorecard tally of whose burger sold more. The Obama burger featured bleu cheese, horseradish mayo, onion marmalade and bacon. McCain's patty sported chipotle mayo, corn roasted red pepper salsa and jack cheese. Seeing that Obama already had an insurmountable sales lead of roughly 320 to 130 I didn't feel guilty about bucking my card carrying dem status to order the McCain. I added Spike's Village Fries seasoned with Thyme, Rosemary and Cracked Pepper plus a Black & White handspun shake. Unfortunately the regular size fries are crossed off the menu leaving the large spuds for sale at a $3.59. Too much coin for fries IMO but I decided to splurge just to try 'em once. The tally came out at about $16 and the cashier gave me a buzzer.

The standing and waiting began. I took solace in the fact that Good Stuff shares my appreciation for the marriage of burgers and classic rock. It brings me back to childhood when backyard family barbeques ment horseshoes, burgers and classic rock. Just as I could have began to get restless with the waiting the uptempo hard rock portion (5:34 onward) of Led Zeppelin anthem Stairway to Heaven kicked into full gear. Jimmy Page's minute plus long virtuoso solo (greatest ever?) tempted me to air guitar but I remembered I'm at a fast food restaurant not a Dewey Beach bar and restrained myself to mere toe tapping. Robert Plant joined in with the final verse belting out the vocals forcefully with soul:

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll. [resisted urge to lip sync this line]

And shes buying a stairway to heaven.

Elton John's Rocket Man came over the speakers next. Another classic but I turned my attention to Spike. He's clearly ready to get off his shift (owners have shifts too i guess). He puts on his jacket, takes it off, puts it back on all in span of 45 seconds. He's fidgety and wandering the store looking for someone specific that is supposed to give him a ride home. This harkened me back to my teenage years working at the local grocery and watching a 15 year old bagger restlessly waiting for their cashier friend with car to count their drawer so they can hitch a ride home. Spike left and my buzzer finally lit up about 15 minutes after I ordered. I picked up food from the counter, dispensed myself some chipotle mayo dipping sauce, grabbed some napkins, then packed up my stuff and biked it two blocks to a park bench in Seward Square.

Tell us about the food dummy! Ah yes, the burger meat seemed on par with Five Guys in size and quality. I wish they offered cooking options rather than just serving well done beef. For the hype and cost more was expected but it's still good and the toppings are more exotic than anything you'll ever find at 5G. The fries were decent but had diminishing returns as they got cold quickly and the rosemary is only good in small doses. The Shakes were great and worth the trip. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. But for me the 10oz prime beef cooked to order Ray's Hell Burgers still win the D.C. Burger wars.

Residential Permit Parking in MVT

555 Mass residents have begun to receive Zone 6 Residential Parking Permits this year after being denied in the past for "not being in the system". However the permits themselves aren't useful without the appropriate signage along the curbs.

Using a downloadable KMZ file from the DC GIS Data website I have acquired the data to map Residential Permit Parking Blocks. The dataset was sourced by DDOT and contains "polylines" and the metadata states the last update was 2/5/2008. I imported the KMZ file into Google Earth, made the polylines thicker and red, then saved the JPG image you see below.


There is a disconnect between what residents have emailed me regarding blocks they believe to be intended for parking and what this map represents. For instance I've been told the 200 thru 500 blocks of K Street should be RPP blocks.

As the Mount Vernon Triangle transforms from a sea of surface parking lots to a residential community more RPP designated blocks may be in order. While I haven't studied the issue in great depth my initial gut feeling is that K Street is not the right street for RPP expansion. With the retail on K Street you need short term parking not residential permit parking. Thoughts?

WBJ: Neil Albert keeps the RFPs coming, but can he deliver?

The Washington Business Journal has been keeping tabs on how the banking crisis is influencing construction inside the district. Most recently they put the focus on the RFPs that Neil Albert, the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development, has awarded.

Neil Albert keeps the RFPs coming, but can he deliver?

There article does mention the 5th and Eye RFP:

James “Jad” Donohoe, development director of Donohoe Development Co., expects the earliest he goes into the ground for his hotel-residential project at Fifth and Eye streets NW in Mount Vernon Triangle will be a year after the council approves it. The approval itself not expected for at least a year.

The project will be financed by a sovereign wealth fund, he said. “We’re talking to people we wouldn’t have been using a few years ago. We’re casting the net a little bit wider.”

Potential for NPR site? Look to 901 New York Ave

Earlier today I mentioned the purchase of NPR's Headquarters building by Boston Properties and the arrangement the two parties have.

While any redevelopment of the site is way off (post-2012) it's still interesting to speculate on the potential for the NPR site. There is a roadmap of sorts as Boston Properties developed 901 New York Avenue NW which is just one block away occupying a near identical lot of land.

PURPLE=901 New York Ave; RED=NPR Site

The Madison Retail Group states the building has 27,365 square feet of ground floor retail and lists as retail tenants as Chevy Chase Bank, Lawsons Grille, Starbucks, Bright Horizons Daycare and Acadiana Restaurant. The primary office space tenant is the law firm Goodwin Procter LLP.

901 New York Avenue NW photo by flickr user M.V. Jantzen

Architectural firm Davis Carter Scott describes the property the following way :

901 New York Avenue presented Davis Carter Scott with a unique and rare opportunity to place its signature design on an entire city block in the District of Columbia. 140 foot towers incase glass curtain walls and cast stone to create a classic building with modern undertones. The large structure is broken up by an expansive three story lobby that features a polished stone floor, wood accent walls and a vaulted ceiling with metal arch-shaped trusses. A crystal clear glass finish on the ground floor provides street views through the building to both New York Ave and K street. Creating a unique, panoramic-like view of the expansive city block in this up-and-coming area of the district.

The design of 901 New York Avenue lends itself to both large corporate and public sector uses. The building contains a total of 547,000 SF on eleven floors with 4 levels of underground parking. The ground floor provides prime retail spaces and white cloth restaurants, while the expansive 49,000 SF floorplate, 40’ x 20’ column spacing and 9 foot high finished ceilings for corporate use. Because the building occupies an entire city block, tenants will have prominent city views for up to 80 perimeter offices. Two separate elevator and mechanical cores allow flexibility for tenants with full or partial floor requirements.

This signature building offered some unique challenges as well. Situated between K Street and New York Avenue on a massive site, 901 New York Avenue presented non-typical design challenges. Each corner of the site differed in elevation by as much as 8 feet, which made it difficult to design entry points and retail access on the ground floor. Breaking up such an expansive space, and creating an attractive and inviting streetscape, was made possible though the use of innovative materials and design. Davis Carter Scott overcame the challenges to provide a new Class – A building in the heart of Washington D.C.

Boston Properties purchases NPR HQ

Last week the Washington Business Journal reported that Boston Properties completed a deal to purchase the National Public Radio building at 635 Massachusetts Ave NW. NPR is targeted to relocate to NoMA by 2012.

Photo from flickr user NCinDC

NPR's arrangement with Boston Properties covers both their current location and the construction of their new headquarters at 1111 North Capitol Street. The new headquarters development will involve an adaptation of the 78,600 s.f. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company building into 400,000 s.f. of office space. In the interim Boston Properties will lease the Mass Ave office space back to NPR until the new facility is completed.

Long term plans for the current NPR site call for a 450,000 s.f. Class A office building to deliver in 2014 or 2015.

7th and Hell?

The DC Examiner has a piece today entitled "Gallery Place residents fed up with rowdy weekend crowds".

Excerpt:

The area around the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station has seen such an overwhelming swarm of rowdy teenagers on recent Saturday nights that station employees have dubbed it “7th and Hell” and local residents are asking for help.

“On Friday and Saturday nights in particular we’ve seen a pretty drastic increase in crowds in the couple of months, particularly of juveniles,” Metro Transit Police Deputy Chief Jeff Delinski said of the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station entrance at 7th and H streets.

“We attribute it to the movie theaters and the nightlife in the area,” Delinski said. “There are under-21 clubs opening up.”

This reminds me of our "If you build it who will come" posting last week.

UPDATED (10/7/2008 4PM) - The Downtown Neigborhood Association has drafted their recommendations.

Dumont Update - Eye Street Facing

In August we discussed the "trenches" along the perimeter of the Dumont. The terraces and steps have now been installed.




Came out better than I envisioned except for the color of the stairs (maybe they still plan to paint them). I still can't imagine the quasi-basement units along the trench being very desirable until nearly all other 1BR inventory is worked off.

Save the Date: Community walk with Tommy Wells

UPDATED (10/07/2008 10:20AM): Date for the Tommy Wells Community walk through has been changed to Thursday, November 6th.

---

D.C. Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells will join Mount Vernon Triangle residents for a Community Walk through at 6pm on Wednesday October 22nd 6pm on Thursday November 6th. The walk starts at the 555 Mass condominium. This is a followup to last year's walk which is recapped on Tommy's blog.

Picture taken from Tommy Wells blog

Following last year's walk Wells made repeated requests to the National Park Service to improve lighting at the pocket park at 5th Street and Massachusetts Ave NW. With the federal agency not responding, Tommy asked DDOT to step in.

Last year's event was coordinated by Thais Austin of 555 Mass.

Fire at Museum Square

There are at least 5 fire and rescue vehicles at Museum Square Apartments (401 K St NW) right now (2pm Sunday).


Click on the image to enlarge. On the far left you will see a ladder going to a fourth story window. A fire hose is routed through the main entrance of the building and the 1000 block of 4th Street appears to be closed down.

WBJ: A city of cranes waits and wonders

In the midst of the news about the Wall Street bailout the Washington Business Journal investigated how the further tightening of the credit market may influence construction inside the district.

A city of cranes waits and wonders: Will we be able to get financing?

Photo from flickr user afagen

Excerpt:

“[Securing financing is] a significant problem,” said John Sikaitis, vice president of research for the D.C. office of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. “For any speculative project, both inside and outside the city — even in core locations downtown — it’s basically impossible.”

Further into the article Donohoe Development, recently awarded Triangle's 5th and Eye RFP, provides comments:

James “Jad” Donohoe IV, whose company plans a 200,000-square-foot office building at 1111 New Jersey Ave. SE, said he has no choice but to broaden his financing net to include nontraditional sources of funding, such as syndication arrangements with multiple banks, sovereign wealth funds and equity from hotels that will be part of the development.

“We’re still in the early stages now, but we’ve already been searching those things out for this and for other projects we have out there,” he said.

The Arts at 5th and I is suggested to be 18 months from breaking ground. Hopefully the commitment from the future tenants such as the Me by Melia hotel aids prospects for financing.

Press releases for Results Gym

Tuesday night we had a quick shout out that Results Gym would open the next morning. The official press releases are now available and I wanted to take a moment to share those:

Excerpt from MVT CID press release:

Results Gym at CityVista features a co-ed whirlpool spa, dry and steam saunas, multiple group fitness studios, internet access stations, state-of-the-art video and Bose audio systems, and an On The Fly Smart Kafé. In addition, the new facility will include the amenities Results’ members have become accustomed to, including the newest circuit training and cardiovascular equipment by Lifefitness, Hammerstrength, Hoist, Precor and Cybex; free weight equipment by York and Intek; towel service and locker-room conveniences that include shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, hair spray, and hair dryers. Licensed massage therapists and nutritionists will be on staff, and the personal training program, the foundation on which Results Gym started, will be a featured service at this new location.

Excerpt from Results Gym press release:

Locally owned and operated, Results Gym has been recognized for its commitment to the community and its ability to work into the fabric of a neighborhood. The first Results, on U Street near Dupont Circle, opened in 1996 in the former Chrysler dealership and restaurant supply warehouse. Its second location, on Capitol Hill, opened in 2001 in an old D.C. public school that dates back to 1888. The 65,000-square-foot Capitol Hill facility includes a climbing wall, full court basketball, volleyball and an On The Fly Smart café. Results-Downtown, its third location, opened in December 2007. The 25,000 sq ft of space, adjacent to the Farragut North Metro, once housed a fast food court. The irony of renovating it into a fitness club is lost on few. Results Gym services over 10,000 members and was named the 2008 “Best Gym in DC” by the Washington City Paper readers poll.

As another reader pointed out this is a soft opening of sorts with the grand opening scheduled for December.

We hope to have pictures of the gym and it's facilities in the near future. Their representative has agreed to send some soon (I'm a member but do not feel it's my place to take pictures while people are working out).

New Poll: City Vista Restaurant?

I've added a new poll to a sidebar as a followup to our City Vista retail discussion. It's impossible to represent all choices - so I ask readers to select the item that most closely represents what you would endorse. While this poll is just for fun please weigh factors beyond the cravings of your taste buds to items such as likelihood for the business to succeed, synergy with the goals of City Vista as retail destination, and whether the business could be a good neighbor to the residences above.

Photo of Lauriol Plaza by flickr user MD Route 5

Below I've linked to a few restaurants of each type. That is just a general quick point of reference of places readers may be familiar with and by no means suggesting these businesses represent the best of the choices.

Which option most closely resembles a restaurant choice you would endorse for City Vista?

• Fine Dining [Steak/Seafood] - Think Acadiana or Ray's the Steaks
  
• Upscale Pizza - Think Piola, Pizza Paradiso or 2 Amys
  
• Thai or Sushi - Think Kanlaya or Cafe Asia
  
• Mexican / Latin - Think Cactus Cantina, La Loma, Anitas or El Rinconcito
  
• Diner / Comfort Food - Think Luna Grill, The Diner or Open City
  
• Fast Food - Think Five Guys, Fat Burger, Baja Fresh, Panera, etc..
  
• Wine Bar - Think Proof, Bardeo or Sonoma
  
• Lounge - Think Firefly, Vegas Lounge, etc
  
• Sports Bar / Pub - A wide net from A to Z including places like Atomic Billiards to Zoo Bar Cafe

UPDATE (10/3/2008 9:13 AM): I had to reset the poll to add one more option - sorry to the one reader who's vote was lost.
UPDATE (10/3/2008 1:00 PM): Added photo, all text posts are so drab!

If you build it who will come?

This week's focus has been strategy for the available commercial space at City Vista.

A reader sent me an email of a more provocative tilt. I'll paraphrase since I didn't have a chance to ask his permission to print. The basic message was that businesses should be selected carefully so that they don't attract an undesirable crowd. You often hear this argument related to nightclubs patrons but it's a little less PC to be anti-youths. Specifically his biggest concern was that the teenager loitering at Gallery Place (700 block 7th St NW) does not migrate to City Vista. He went on to outline his reasons including the fights, noise(shouting), trash, and a general hostile environment.

At PSA 101 West forums I have heard the first hand discussions from residents about the juvenile loitering and crime. It's an ongoing issue that many residents find to be a nuisance. The police can break up the fights but otherwise have little to enforce as congregating in public space is not against the law.

Is there much risk for a teenage loitering migration to City Vista? My impression is that the biggest draws for the teenagers to Gallery Place are the movie theatre, fast food and the visibility of the area make it a "place to be seen". Seems to be an entirely different ball of wax. This would come more into play when considering an entertainment anchor for Jemal's future development.

However make no mistake that the retail choices draw certain clientele. Signing on a fast food tenant like Mickey D's will draw in a different clientele than a wine bar or Thai place. I know in my high school days we regularly made late night runs to the Taco Bell drive thru although I'll never be able to relate to just hanging out in front of a fast food place for hours like it's some kind of party. =)

Retail Strategy for City Vista

Yesterday's posting laid out details of retail space available for lease at City Vista. Word is that interest has really ramped up on these spaces since Safeway and Busboys and Poets arrived.

What types of tenants should be considered for the spaces? In the long term when the Triangle is closer to build out it should be able to support a variety of businesses that serve a variety of needs. In the short term, since new construction ground breakings have been MIA of late, City Vista's retail (and 455 Mass) is all the Triangle will likely have now through 2010 or possibly 2011.

My belief is that selecting businesses that will increase foot traffic and eyes on the streets between 8pm and midnight should be a primary goal. It's the only way the neighborhood is going to get safer. A florist or salon that closes at 7pm will not contribute the desired effect. We need businesses that will add more critical mass to the evening traffic Busboys, Results and Safeway will spawn.

Restaurants are the best candidate to foster late evening activity. Even the restaurant choice is cause for careful consideration. The plans should call for the inclusion of an anchor restaurant that will sustain business late into the evening rather than several tiny places that may stay open until 9 or 10 but turn dead after 8pm. With residences above it's important not to choose restaurants that will turn into a quasi-night club after sunset. There may not yet be enough office density, and thereby lunch crowd, within the Triangle to support a small burger establishment like Good Stuff Eatery. These types of establishments have business models that depend heavily on both lunch and dinner traffic. A restaurant that closely replicates what one can already find in Chinatown/Penn Quarter isn't a smart choice either as a more unique offering (like Busboys represents) is needed to pull downtown residents north of Mass.

Where does that leave us? Perhaps a mix of one anchor restaurant (~3000 sf), one small restaurant/cafe then after leasing is arranged for those it would be possible to infill with other types of businesses. Realistically the business models for the restaurants would be ones that can survive making most of their money after 4pm and on weekends but we also don't want an establishment residents above will find to be a nuisance.

Do people agree with the rationale for restaurants? What restaurants would you propose that fit the criteria?