Showing posts sorted by relevance for query kettler. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query kettler. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Onward, Upward for Mega-development in Pentagon City

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Arlington is set to gain more height as Kettler moves forward on the Acadia, a 19-story residential building in Pentagon City.  Construction on the Acadia has already begun, according to Virginia-based Kettler.   The building, located at 575 12th St. South in Arlington, is the latest project to break ground in Kettler's mixed-use mega-development called Metropolitan Park.

The Acadia, Rendering: Kettler
A LEED Silver-designed building, the 677,154 s.f. Acadia will include 433 residential units, 16,350 s.f. of ground floor retail and three below-grade parking levels.  The granite and limestone skinned building also will have a gym, a cafe, a business center, and other amenities including a pet grooming room and an innfinity edge, saltwater rooftop pool. Dorsky Yue International (DYI) is the project architect.

When completed, the eight-stage, planned unit development (PUD) will include ten buildings, a nearly historic size when added together. Architect Robert A.M. Stern is the master planner for the grandiose project, which developer Kettler describes as a "16-acre urban village in Pentagon City."  Work on the project, which has already delivered the 300-plus residential buildings The Gramercy and The Millennium, marks the continued upward development of this land at the nexus of Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Pentagon Row.  The Acadia will make a triad out of the duo of mega-buildings already on the site, which also includes a park and is bounded by 12th, 15th, Eads, and South Fern Streets.

The Acadia, Image: Kettler website
The Gramercy was completed in 2008 and the Millennium in 2010.  The planned development will be the largest of its kind in the DC area and, step by step, is replacing the parking lots and six warehouses that once occupied the site.  Kettler bought the 11 acres of land for phase 1 through 3 of the project from Vornado in 2007 for $104.4 million.  Vornado is another developer and the firm behind many recent development in Arlington, including what will be the tallest building in Crystal City.

 Kettler this week announced KBR Building Group as the general contractor.

“KBR Building Group’s commitment to providing quality construction services is affirmed as we begin work on the third phase of this important mixed-use development,” a press release quoted Mike Sloan, executive vice president, as saying. “Having collaborated with the project’s developer, Kettler, since the inception of this project, we will continue to manage this project to the utmost standards as KBR Building Group progresses towards completion of Metropolitan Park.”

Arlington VA, real estate development news

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Flats at Atlas, Phase 2

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The second phase of the Flats at Atlas, the new apartment community in the Carver / Langston neighborhood of northeast DC, has now moved to exterior work, with completion slated for early 2021.  The project, perched on a hill with direct views down Maryland Avenue, offers vistas that end at the Capitol dome for some of the 325 rental units.  The project sits directly across the street from the Hechinger Mall, a parking-dominated strip that is also slated for redevelopment.
Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development

The first phase of the Flats, a 257-unit apartment building initially titled Arboretum Place for its close proximity to the national gardens, was built by Clark Realty Capital in a two-year construction project that broke ground in 2010.  In 2016, Clark sold the project, including the completed Flats of Phase 1 and adjacent lot, to a JV between Kettler and Westbrook Partners for $95m.


Project:  Flats at Atlas, Phase 2

Developer: Kettler, Westbrook Partners

Architect:  Dwell Design Studio

Construction:  CBG Construction

Use:  325 apartments

Expected Completion:  Early 2021

Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development
click on image for photo gallery
Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development

Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development

Hechinger Mall, Washington DC real estate development

Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development

Kettler apartments, CBG Building, Dwell Design, Westbrook Partners, Washington DC real estate development

Washington DC new construction, Maryland Avenue, NE

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Crystal City Goes Metropolitan

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Dorsky Parish Hodgson Yue, Kettler, Metropolitan Park, Pentagon City, Vornado, Arlington, HOKWhile DC developers boast of the number of cranes in their neighborhood, Arlington residents are becoming more Metropolitan by far. At least in name, anyway, as Kettler moves into the next phase of its mega real estate project that borders Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Pentagon Row. The behemoth project has already delivered two 300-plus unit residential buildings, The Metropolitan at Pentagon City and The Metropolitan at Pentagon Row, in 2002 and 2005, a feat that would have earned satisfaction enough for many serious developers. But now Kettler continues to work on the remaining eight phases - 10 buildings - on 19.6 acres of real estate within eyesight of the District. The whole site is bounded by 12th, 15th, Eads, and South Fern Streets. The next of the remaining eight phases, The Millennium at Metropolitan Park, will include 300 rental apartments and 8,100 s.f. of retail, potentially with a restaurant. 

The goal of the project was to contribute to the "vertical communities" in the area, a response to the demand for luxury apartment housing in transit-friendly areas and a contribution to the towering architecture of Crystal and Pentagon City residential developments - a Virginia-style Co-Op City. Kettler had been leasing the land from Vornado, and purchased the first eleven acres in Pentagon City in May 2007 for $104.4 million. Kettler will eventually pay $220.4 million for the entire soon-to-be shadow-casting site. Currently on the lot is The Gramercy (Phase I), six warehouses for demolition, and a lot of empty space.Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue, Kettler, Metropolitan Park, Pentagon City, Vornado, Arlington, HOK "With the projected job growth in Arlington, there is current and future demand for housing in communities with high-end finishes and amenities as well as existing neighborhood-serving retail projects,” said Cassie Cataline, Vice President of Communications for Kettler. The nineteen-story "luxury" building referred to as a "signature project" for the developer was designed by HOK architects and Cleveland-based Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue and will deliver in winter 2009, bringing with it the majority of a 2.5 acre park the eight buildings will eventually surround. The 300 foot long Millennium building will face the park and have a three-story glass lobby to allow those on the other side of the building to glimpse the park. "The goal for the second phase was to make it compatible, but distinct and more contemporary. It has a unique position because it faces the park directly rather than being perpendicular to it like the other buildings," said Sandy Silverman, Partner for the project at Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue. "Met Two fits in in the sense that it has similar masonry materials and color pallet, but it's cleaner, simpler. The development is like the Battery Park City complex, it's a community but it has a large-scale guideline to bring it together," Silverman said. The name of phase three has yet to be determined - long shot, but we're guessing it will be "The Metropolitan" - it will also reach nineteen stories with rental apartments and retail, this time 410 units and 16,000 s.f., respectively. Also designed by Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue, delivery is scheduled for spring 2011. 

Phases four through eight will bring an additional 1,000-2,000 residential units, but because their delivery is so far in the future, the developers will let the market determine the unit types, whether they be apartments, condominiums, or hotels. Design on phase four will begin next year and it will be another ten to fifteen years before we see the final phase. What's with the repetitive names? "It’s about branding and marketing and building a strong identity for our high-end urban apartment series," Cataline said. The Gramercy at Metropolitan Park, part one of the eight, is a retail and residential eighteen- story building that opened in October 2007. The building included 399 rental apartments as well as 11,000 s.f. of retail space. “This location is served by two metro stations (Crystal City and Pentagon City), VRE and National airport as well as potential ferry service; it is at the convergence of virtually every major commuter route into Washington, DC.,” said Cataline.

Arlington Virginia commercial real estate news

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Pentagon City Phase III

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For the past five decades, Pentagon City has been primarily known for...well, not much other than its namesake. McLean-based developer Kettler, however, has been aiming to change that with their ambitious 8-phase, 10-building Metropolitan Park development – a project set to rank a solid second behind the world's largest office building in terms of size and scope. The first of those phases, the 399-unit Gramercy, opened its doors in 2006; the second, the 300-unit Millennium, is now under construction and on track to deliver in 2010. Now, wheels are turning on the project's third entry, which will head back before the Arlington County Planning Commission and County Board on February 9th for final site plan approval. Conveniently, they’re among the few plans in Pentagon City that aren’t top secret.
Designed by architects Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue, the untitled Phase III development will include 411 rental residential units, along with 16,350 square feet of ground floor retail – making it Metropolitan Park’s biggest entry so far. The 18-story edifice will stand on a 2-acre parcel at the southeastern corner of South Fern Street and 12th Street South, just steps from the Pentagon City Metro. The site currently houses two warehouses servicing DHL Express and Danker Furniture.
Amenities planned for the residential high-rise include a fitness center, plus a rooftop pool on the building’s sixth story wing. Per the green-centric tone of Northern Virginia development these days, Metropolitan Park III will also shoot for a LEED certification and three green roof areas, ranging in size from 1,740 to 2,000 square feet.

Pentagon City's infrastructure is also due for an upgrade as the project nears completion. Kettler intends to divide their “superblock” of development up with extensions of 12th, Elm and South Fair Streets, and a pedestrian passageway linking South Fern and South Fair Streets. A 1/3 acre public park is also planned, featuring the works of landscape architects Lewis Scully Gionet and possibly a public arts component.

At present, Kettler projects little or no difficulty in getting their third installment Metropolitan Park through next month's site plan hearing. "We had an original master plan penned by Robert AM Sterns for the entire development. There were guidelines within that and we've followed them closely," said Jamie Gorski, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Kettler. "Our internal meetings [regarding the project's future] have gone very well." According to Gorksi, construction is currently slated to begin in 2010, with completion following in late 2012.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Pentagon City Project Gets Restacked

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Pentagon City's mega mixed-use project will get a mix-up to help it move forward. The Arlington County Board has approved a reallocation of density between two parcels in Pentagon City for stages 4-8 of the 8-phase Metropolitan Park. Originally slotted for 300 hotel units and 930 residential units (for Parcels 3 and 1D, respectively), the Board reallocation means the developers will have flexibility in determining where to build the 930 residential units and 300 hotel rooms. VNO Pentagon Plaza LLC previously received approval from the Arlington County Planning Commission in June. After the Board's July 11th approval, the process of drafting a site plan begins.

The two parcels in question are held by Vornado, which would sell the remaining portion of Parcel 3 to Kettler for the realization of Metropolitan Park's next stages. Vornado previously sold the part of Parcel 3, where phases 1-3, stand to Kettler. When Metropolitan Park's design guidelines were set in 2004, it called for 3,212 residential units on Parcel 3. The Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan shortchanged Kettler, allotting 2,282 residential units and 300 hotel units. Through a little bit of density reallocation magic, Kettler can now have it's 3,212 residential units (2,282 + 930 = 3,212). That leaves Vornado with 300 hotel rooms to use, or not, on Parcel 1D, assuming the Metropolitan uses all 930 allocated residential units remaining.

The first stage of the massive development is bounded by 12th, 15th, Eads, and South Fern Streets. The Gramercy, pictured above, is a luxury rental high-rise building from Phase 1.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Grammercy at Metropolitan Park Apartments

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Grammercy at Metropolitan Park, 550 14th Rd., Arlington VA
A Kettler property, the Grammercy at Metropolitan Park is an 18-story, 399 unit apartment building in the Pentagon City section of Arlington. A funky (but in a good way) lobby sets the tone for the building's common areas. Interior designs include mission-style cabinets, granite countertops, stainless appliances, cultured marble vanities. One of numerous "Metropolitan" projects by Kettler, the building has a rooftop pool, computer center, conference room, fitness center, billiards room, in-unit washer/dryer and theater room. Architecturally different from nearby Crystal City, the building was designed by WDG Architecture of DC with master planning by Robert A. M. Stern. Parking is available to rent, but the building is only a (long) block from the Pentagon City Metro station. Part of what is easily the largest development project in the DC area, Kettler demolished numerous warehouses and filled in empty parking lots for an 8-phase project (the Grammercy was Phase 2) that is bringing Pentagon City from desolate to high-density with as many as 3200 residential units when fully built. Construction began in 2005 and completed in late 2007; Kettler purchased the land from Vornado.

Post your comments at the Metropolitan below:

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Kettler Ends Midtown Springfield Project

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In a letter sent to the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning, McLean-based Kettler Services, Inc. withdrew their requested rezoning for their 9-acre, $500 million Midtown Springfield project which would have included 800 residential units, 100,000 s.f. retail, 40,000 s.f. office space, and a hotel. The company had previously requested a deferral of the rezoning to gain time to work with the community and County and, according to the July 27th letter sent by the developer’s attorney, Gregory Riegle of McGuire Woods, LLP, to “respond to, among other things, unanticipated and unprecedented changes in construction costs.”

The letter also said, “Rather than pursuing a diluted plan that does not respect community expectations, there is no practical alternative than to withdraw the rezoning.”

Cassie Cataline, Vice President of Marketing and Communication for Kettler, said the company is taking the “wait and see” approach. She said the project’s future depends on the improvement of the real estate market, therefore, no alternative plans have been announced.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Alexandria's Monarch Condopartments

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President Bush's dream of an owner- ship society took another blow this week. Okay, it probably won't make the State of the Union, but the Monarch Condominiums in Old Town Alexandria are now the Monarch Apartments. Apparently Diamond Properties was struggling to keep the project in the black, selling a frustrating 16% of the 169 units since McWilliams Ballard began sales in July, 2005. Diamond is now adding Kettler to the mix.

This week's conversion continues the unremitting process of developers retooling projects that won't sell, into apartments, which generally do better in a market of skeptical buyers and skeptical lenders. Because they originally organized Monarch as a condominium project, Diamond has the legal ability to hawk individual condos at a later date, but buyers looking for homes in Old Town, Alexandria now have one less option - the supply is reduced to the Prescott, Cromley Lofts, Abingdon Row, and the Royalton. This trend mirrors the greater DC area, which has witnessed a large drop in condo supply due slowing construction and an influx of conversions from condos to rentals. Within the last 18 months, the DC (proper) condo pipeline has shrunk from an estimated projection of 18,000 units over the next two years, to a more modest 5,400 units, many of which are conversions of dated apartments and therefore fail to increase the housing supply.

Little is known about what will happen to the 28-or-so condo-owners that have purchased. A representative from Kettler indicated that a condo board is in place, and current owners would continue to occupy their units. Whomever they are, they can't be ecstatic about owning a home in an apartment building. Maybe the 17,000 s.f. of ground floor retail makes up for the loss, or perhaps the convenience of living four blocks from the Braddock Metro, or even the rooftop garden deck and in-house cinema room.

Kettler, who seems to be running the leasing side, will try to make up for lost time; a one bedroom, 700-s.f. apartment starts at $1885.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Plans Announced for The Village at Leesburg Project

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On November 16, Kettler and Cypress Equities officially announced their joint venture’s development plans for The Village at Leesburg, a major mixed-use project to be located along Route 7. According to plans, Kettler will handle the residential side of the project, providing 350 condos and building a 300-home adult residential community. Meanwhile, Cypress will develop 464,000 sf of retail, including a Wegmans grocery store and restaurants, and 200,000 sf of office space. Kettler may also oversee construction of additional office space and a hotel. A major selling point with the town and Loudoun County is the developers’ commitment to build a new highway interchange and overpass at the intersection of Route 7 and River Creek Parkway. Construction is expected to start in Spring 2007.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Foggy Bottom’s Square 54 Project Receives Final Approval

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Foggy Bottom Retail served by Boston Properties real estate development in Washington DC
Last week, the DC Zoning Commission unanimously approved the revised Planned Unit Development (PUD) application submitted by George Washington University and developers Boston Properties and Kettler to redevelop the 2.6-acre, former GW Hospital site bounded by 22nd and 23rd Streets, and Pennsylvania Avenue and I Street NW (the southeast corner of Washington Circle), into Square 54, a mixed-use "town center" with office, residential, and retail space. The Commission had asked GWU in March to rGWU, Boston Properties, Kettler to develop Square 54 at Washington Circle, designed by Pelli Clarke Pellievise the height and density of the proposed buildings, so the school took 18,000 sf off the office portion and 15,000 sf from the residential. In April, the National Capital Planning Commission recommended that the Commission approve the new proposal. The $250 million Square 54 project will feature approximately 336 "luxury" residential units (non-university housing), with over 80,000 sf of retail space (including a 27,000-sf supermarket and outdoor café space) and 440,000 sf of office space overlooking Washington Circle. There will also be over 1,000 underground parking spaces. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, LLP and Sasaki & Associates, the project will also include an open space courtyard with pedestrian walkway, and landscaped plaza for outside dining that will have gates at I and 23rd Streets. Completion is expected in 2011.

Previously: GWU Squaring Away Old Hospital Site

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Friday, April 03, 2009

The Millennium Arrives in Pentagon City

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General contractors BE&K Building Group will top out construction today on Kettler’s 21-story Millennium at Metropolitan Park project – the second installment of what is planned to be an ambitious 8-phase, 10-building development in Pentagon City. The project’s first component, the 399-unit Gramercy, opened in 2006.

Once completed in April 2010, the Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue-designed building will feature 300 rental apartments with high-end amenities including “a rooftop pool, spa, fitness center and party room,” in addition to a first floor library and business center. More than 7,500 square feet of ground floor retail space will round the initial construction. Work on a “central park planned to serve residents of the entire Metropolitan Park complex” will begin in the project’s next phase – which Kettler’s Jamie Gorski told DCmud in February is currently scheduled to go to ground later on in 2010 with a late 2012 delivery.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Mount Vernon Triangle's Critical Mass

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Mount Vernon Triangle may soon be a bit crowded. The small neighborhood, tightly encircled by L'Enfant's avenues, has been struggling for years to develop a critical mass of development, a moment that may now be at hand.

If all the projects currently in the pipeline for the neighborhood are built, Mount Vernon Triangle will more than double its square footage of office space, add 1,570 apartments/condos and 380 hotel rooms, and increase retail offerings by 157,500 s.f. Despite its shortcomings - no Metro stop, convention center, or arena within its borders, it can claim close proximity to each, a fact that continues to fuel development.

Case in point: two new projects by The Wilkes Company and Quadrangle, with preliminary designs by Hartman-Cox, and targeting a 2012 start date for construction: 400 K (300,000 s.f. office space, 12,500 s.f. retail) and 300 K (500,000 s.f. office space, 25,000 s.f. retail - pictured at left). Both are part of the larger Mount Vernon Place development that started with a pair of condominiums. Two additional buildings by Wilkes and Quadrangle are also in the works for the area: 440 K (planned as a 234-unit apartment with ground-floor retail, but that could turn into office space) and 255 H Street, a 400-unit apartment building.

Numerous other large developers have projects on the boards - Steuart, MRP Realty, Bozzuto, The Donohoe Companies, Kettler, and Equity Residential - but few have pulled the trigger just yet, and Bill McLeod, executive director of the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District said those who don't take action soon, "will end up missing out." McLeod, who has been with the MVTCID - created by Mayoral Order in 2004 - for the past five years, added that investors have been paying attention to the area of late.

Equity also hopes to start construction next year on the 170-unit apartment and historic restoration project "Eye Street Lofts", originally a vision of local Walnut Street Development that was iced in 2007. Equity - the largest publicly traded owner and operator of multifamily apartment complexes in the U.S. - bought the land fully entitled a few months ago. Equity will go before the Board of Zoning Adjustment on December 13th. With the area designated as a historic district in 2001, the project received HPRB approval in 2006 (as pictured below) to restore two circa 1880, 3-story townhomes, a 2-story garage/ warehouse, and a small former blacksmith shop in the alley. The building currently leased by BicycleSPACE will be razed.

Nearly a decade after Mount Vernon Triangle was first targeted for redevelopment by the Office of Planning and ten major property owners in the area in 2002, existing apartments are 96-percent leased, condos are sold out, 230,000 s.f. of office space is leased at 455 Massachusetts Avenue and, notes McLeod, only the top floor of the 392,000-s.f. office at 425 Eye Street needs a tenant.

The Meridian, at 425 L Street, a 390-unit apartment developed by Steuart Investments and Paradigm, is now under construction. The topping out of the 14th (and final) story occurred this past September, the project will begin leasing soon and should complete by next June. Phase II of the project will be a 300-unit apartment located next door at 400 New York Avenue.

Next in the queue in Mount Vernon Triangle is Kettler's $80 million, 13-story, 233-unit apartment with 7,000 s.f. of street level retail at 450 K Street (pictured right), under construction next spring and delivering in 2014.

Of great interest to those invested in the area is the timeline of the K Street Streetscape Improvement, the contract of which is currently being finalized by DDOT. The 18- month infrastructure project should be underway early next year, said McLeod, resulting in a mid-2013 completion date.

The long-anticipated $9m reconstruction of K Street between 7th Street and 3rd Street will bring new paving, sidewalks, streetlights, and plantings. Streetcars are also in K Street's future, though the District's focus is currently on funding other legs first, i.e. the H Street Corridor.

Driving much of the current wave of development regionally is the gradually opening financing spigot and Washington D.C.'s perch on the top of the national real estate market. But Mt. Vernon Triangle has something else more rare in downtown DC: empty space. The Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) notes that only about 5 million s.f. of unbuilt space remains available downtown, 2.5m of that at CityCenter and 2m of that above the Center Leg Freeway. That leaves the equivalent of only a few office buildings that could be built downtown before growth has to expand outward, and Mt. Vernon is the nearest spot.

Yet if all projects currently in the pipeline are realized, Mount Vernon Triangle will max out its 600-room hotel capacity, reach 93-percent of its residential capacity (4,250 units), 87-percent of its office space capacity (3 million s.f.), and 84-percent of its retail space capacity (335,000 s.f.). Of the 380 hotel rooms planned for the area, 350 of them are contained in what was once one of the most talked about projects for the triangle, "The Arts at 5th and I" a mixed-use development on the corner of 5th and Eye Street, still considered a "top tier" priority by Mayor Gray.

Donohoe and Holland Development won the right to develop the site in September of 2008, but couldn’t finance the project (pictured below) in the face of the recession. This fall, Deputy Mayor Victor Hoskins visited the ANC with a scaled-back, 250,000-s.f. building with two side-by-side hotels, one a 150 room boutique hotel and the other a 200 room extended stay offering 350 rooms above 10,000 s.f. of street-level retail.

In April, it was announced that art in the form of the Liberty North Community Market would be coming soon to the site. The market arrived this fall, and with no plans to begin construction within the next year-and-a-half, the market's vendors have the 2012 growing season to get comfortable.

Donohoe has yet to visit the DC Council for approval its plan, which includes a 99-year ground lease from the District, something that may happen in the next "two to three months," said Jad Donohoe, after which 12 to 14 months will be taken to flesh out the design by Shalom Baranes, complete the construction documents, get permits, and secure financing.

Yet another project is less certain. It will require a 30,000-s.f. floorplate over I-395 between K and New York Avenue to build a 10-story, 1.7 million-square-foot Washington Global Trade Center with a sleek, open-clam-shell globe design (to the right), a development that has been proclaimed a long shot.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Ripley Street North: Changing, Slowly

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After changing the project name, project architect and project design, Home Properties' Ripley Street North mixed-use development, which originally received County approval in September 2008 as Kettler's Midtown Silver Spring, will appear before the Montgomery County Planning Board this week. The developers of the modified Silver Spring residential project, designed by Shalom Baranes Architects, have been working with County staff on the design since submitting new plans in January. What had been a single, mixed-use building in the Ripley District will now become two buildings, though the total density rating magically stays the same at 5.0 FAR. The review this week could put the project team on schedule to finalize the design plans, apply for permits and to potentially begin construction within a year's time, though that would be a record turnaround in this climate.

The new plan will increase the number of residential units from 314 to 385, divided between two buildings. The larger building, 1155 Ripley Street, will ascend 200 ft. and have "townhouses and residential flats wrapping a parking garage at the lower level." A respectable 20-story residential tower will rise above, according to a staff report on the project. The smaller 80 ft. building at 1015 Ripley Street will offer a mix of uses, with loft-style residential units over approximately 5,500 s.f. of ground floor retail. The plan replaces the plan for a 19-story tower designed by WDG Architecture that, at least from initial renderings, appears more inspirational than the old design.

The changes also consolidate public space from two areas, one each on the eastern and western sides of the building, to one area on the western edge, reducing the public portion of the lot to 11,000 s.f. County staff seem to think the consolidation does a world of good in making a more active public area, describing the space along Ripley Street as an "urban meadow." A public art piece themed on Rachel Carson has been "repurposed" to the new public space design.

Donald Hague, Senior VP of Rochester NY-based Home Properties and formerly a senior executive of KSI, Inc. (now Kettler), is happy with the changes. Hague claims the design now has more efficiencies and cuts down on some of the logistical headaches created by the previous design. Namely, moving the retail into another building would allow better access for service trucks and trash removal than having retail in the base of the tower. Additionally, the original plan would have had below-grade parking that extended beneath the public right-of-way on Dixon Avenue. Now, the parking is entirely within the confines of the larger tower structure both below and above grade. The above grade parking is "screened from the public" by the townhouse residential units, explained Hague. Planning staff went so far as to describe removing the spaces under Dixon as a public benefit in its own right.

Hague excitedly described the new, smaller building as having a "very cool" design, meant to look "like an old industrial building" with its "long and narrow" loft-style units. Each of the units in the four floors of lofts will have 11 or 12 ft. ceilings, and offer a "unique product" in the Silver Spring Market, added Hague. All residential units will be rentals, a minimum of 12.5% of units will be set aside for low-income housing. As for the retail space, Hague admitted there is no shortage of space in Silver Spring, but he hopes "when we finally get around" to building the project, the market may have improved. Here's hoping.

The larger building at 1155 will be required to reach LEED Silver certification, while the smaller structure need only meet basic LEED certification, though staff indicated the developers must make a "good faith effort" to go for Silver.

In March of last year, Hague told DCMud, "the goal would be to get the project ready to start when we think market conditions are right, but we’re not exactly sure when that’s going to be." It's safe to say "the time" was neither then, nor is it now. But maybe next year. Until then, the site will continue to be home to a vacant lot and several one- and two-story structures abutting the CSX train line in Silver Spring.


Silver Spring real estate development news

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Market Terminal - Signal House Tops Off

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Signal House, the 10-story office building at Union Market, has topped off and is in the process of adding a skyline to the warehouse district.  The speculative office project is part of Market Terminal, an ambitious 1.25m s.f., 4-building project converting a series of warehouses and parking lots into a mixed-use project.  Kettler kicked off development by receiving zoning approval for the overall project, and in early 2018 Carr Properties acquired the office portion from Kettler, as well as another lot purchased from Douglas Development, undertaking the sole office building surrounded by numerous residential projects, both completed and underway.

Like most large projects in DC, Market Terminal was appealed and delayed by local appealer and delayer Chris Otten.  With that process having been resolved, Carr has now reached full height on the 225,000 s.f. tower 2 blocks from Union Market and less than a 5 minute walk from the Noma Metro station.  Designed by Gensler, an international architectural firm, with interior design by Streetsense / Edit Lab, the building will feature double-height ceilings in sections as well as "some of the tallest ceiling heights and widest column spacing in the city," intended to reflect its industrial surroundings with a "truly unique" metal, glass and terracotta exterior.  Carr has not yet announced any tenants for the building that will complete in early 2021, but is implementing a suite of tenant and building health measures, including seeking LEED Gold certification, fully outfitted bike room, Fitwel Star rating, rooftop solar array, and, heck, even a karaoke room on the roof.  12,340 s.f. of retail will round out the ground floor. 



Washington DC real estate development
click on photo for picture gallery


Project:  Signal House

Developer: Carr Properties 

Architect:  Gensler

Interior Design:  Streetsense / Edit Lab


Use: 12,340 s.f. of retail

Expected Completion:  February 2021


Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Signal House, Carr Properties, Streetsense, Union Market, Gensler, Washington DC

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Washington D.C. real estate development news

apartments for rent Washington DC

Union Market development, Washington District of Columbia

Union Market development, Washington District of Columbia


Union Market development, Washington District of Columbia











Wednesday, December 30, 2009

DCMud's 2009 Year in Review

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DCMud looks back on 2009 by presenting the real estate year in review. In what might go down as "The year nothing got built," officials and builders at least found time set up the pins for 2010. And while 2009 is a year most real estate professionals would like to pretend never happened, it did.  Here's the best and the worst: 

Howard Theater Plans Approved (Jan 1) - The District approved plans to turn historic but dilapidated Howard Theater into an arts venue. Ellis Development expected work to begin by summer, but financing obstacles have left the building unmolested. 

Hilton Gets OK'd (Jan 2) - Lowe Enterprises received approval by the HPRB to renovate the "Hinkley" Hilton hotel and add a large residential tower on the site of its outdoor pool.  Renovation work got underway in the spring, closing the pool, but the condo tower appears far off. 

Work Begins on East-West Apartment Project (Jan 6) Post Properties began work on their 364 apartments in Hyattsville, MD. 

DC's Southwest Fish Market Loses Shacks (Jan 8) Several fish shacks on the waterfront were ordered razed as part of the plans for PN Hoffman to build its massive mixed-use waterfront community nearby, but the project remains a long way off. 

Ft. Totten Promises Development (Jan 14) Mayor Fenty joined Lowe Enterprises to announce the sale of 9 acres at Ft. Totten that will house nearly 900 new apartments, but work is not anticipated in the near future. 

Eckington Convent Gets Moving (Jan 15) In a literal push for affordable housing, Northstar Development tugged a historic convent to a new site to make way for a large, low-income housing project. Neighbors were less than thrilled about yet more affordable housing in the area. 

Montgomery County Votes to Endorse Purple Line (Jan 21) Amid copious argument, county planners said yes to adding a light rail line to the bike trail, enabling construction of the Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton. 

Developers Propose Razing Meads Row (Jan 21) Owners of historic rowhouses on the 1300 block of H Street proposed knocking down the old beauty queens to replace them with a parking lot. Neighbors did not love the idea.

McMillan Sand Filtration Plans Get First Details (Jan 24) Developers chosen to build the crumbling McMillan site showed the public initial designs and ideas they hope will turn the vacant patch into a thriving town center.

Bethesda Post Office To Turn into Mixed-Use Project (Jan 27) The Post Office at 7001 Arlington Road received approval to turn it into a mixed-use development with 105 residences, thanks to Arlington-based Keating Development and KGD Architects, work has not yet begun. 

Eisenhower Ave Towers Approved (Jan 25) Lane Development's 22-story, 4-building complex on Eisenhower Avenue received initial design approval. The county voted June 13th in favor of the project. Much work remains before towers stand alongside the beltway. 

Alexandria Goes Green (Jan 26) - A working group adopted a LEED-certified plan for all buildings in Alexandria requiring special approval. The recommended standards are not binding. 

Auctioning Babe's (Jan 30) - Having kicked out rent-paying tenant Babe's Billiards, Clemens Construction was unable to get support for its years of effort to build a condo, and having paid $7.4m for the site, the wait couldn't last forever. The property was foreclosed, and Douglas Development added the real estate to its portfolio, intending retail, but the space remains vacant. 

Poplar Point Development Abandoned (Jan 31) - The District government and Clark Realty decided developing the 110-acre parcel of prime waterfront space wasn't such a good idea after all, calling the whole thing off.

Institute of Peace Gets Underway on the Mall (Feb 2) The five-story building, now nearly complete, took the place of a parking lot near the Lincoln Memorial. The building was designed by Moshe Safie and Associates, in the hopes of fostering world peace. Meanwhile, world strife continued. 

Kettler Produces Another Crystal City Project (Feb 3) Kettler began the third phase of its 10-building, 8-phase Metropolitan Park Development with a 411-unit apartment building designed by Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue

Fitz Condos in Rockville Auctions Remaining Units (Feb 10) Condo developer Elad ended nearly 5 years of marketing on the Fitz condos and sent the remaining 40 units of the 221-unit building to auction. In October, Elad did the same for the Colonnade, its Gaithersburg condo project. 

Metro station at Potomac Yards (Feb 11) Alexandria formally established a working group to explore the technical and practical viability of a metro station at the Yards, in preparation for further real estate development that does not choke area roads. 

Del Ray Apartments Roll Out (Feb 13) Work began turning vacant storefronts into 141 apartment units in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. 

Mixed-Use in College Park (Feb 24) The Mark Vogel Companies got the go-ahead for the Varsity, a 258-unit mixed-use apartment building in College Park. 

JBG Gets OK for Whitman Walker condos (Feb 25) After getting bashed by grumpy neighbors, the ANC, and HPRB for designs that seemed to please no one, JBG Companies and architect Shalom Baranes tweaked the designs to get the green light to build condos on the site of the Whitman Walker clinic on 14th Street.

JBG Plans 4-Star Hotel for U Street (March 2) JBG began plans to build a 250-bed luxury hotel in place of the Rite Aid, on a strip once known for its destruction in the '68 riots. 

Riverfront's Canal Park Steps Forward (March 25) Canal Park, a 3-block park through southeast's Capitol Riverfront, moved closer to reality when OLIN was named as the landscape architect for the project.

DCMud Chosen as Best Real Estate Blog (March 26) CityPaper selects this real estate journal in its annual "Best of DC."  Thank you, and thank you to our readers for all your feedback. 

Smithsonian Designs New Museum (March 30) The Smithsonian unveiled designs for its museum of African American History at 15th and Constitution on the National Mall. The Institute also said its costs had nearly doubled, to $500m. The following month, the Smithsonian announced that the Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond in association with SmithGroup were chosen to carry out the design. 

Frank Ghery Selected to Design Eisenhower Memorial (April 3) The memorial to the General and President will be built on Independence Avenue, between 4th and 5th Streets. 

District Selects Team to Redevelop SW Site (April 6) DC Selects Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners and Adams Investment Group to build half a million square feet of office and retail, and replace the fire station. 

Towers on the Way for New York Avenue (April 7) Bozzuto said it would soon begin building a 13-story residential building at 460 New York Avenue, and possibly makeover the abandoned warehouse too.

Donohoe Unveils Big Plans for Bethesda (April 16) The developer will build 81,000 s.f. of office, 457 residential units, and retail, on two sites in the Woodmont Triangle of Bethesda. 

Social Safeway Says Goodbye (April 20) The preeminent Georgetown grocer announced it would shut its doors and rebuild from ground up, but will it still be "social"? 

JPI unveils southeast DC apartments (April 22) JPI completed the 421-unit 909 at Capitol Yards, as well as the Axiom and Jefferson, a threesome of large apartment buildings near the new ballpark, bringing life to the "Capitol Riverfront" neighborhood. 

Arlington's First Platinum Residences (April 28) Erkiletion Development wonErkiletion Development, Arlington real estate approval from Arlington for a LEED Gold, 16-story apartment building in Courthouse, a 254-unit apartment designed by the Lessard Group. (see picture at right)

JBG wins approval for Bethesda Row centerpiece (May 5) The Planning Board said yes to Woodmont East, a 250-unit residence and separate office building built around the bike trail. 

High-rise Planned for Downtown Bethesda (May 23) The Clarrett Group announced plans to build an office building on the site of the McDonalds and its parking lot. 

Noma Gets its First Hotel (June 3) The Finvarb Companies and Marriott joined for a new hotel, one of many new Marriotts in the DC area, but the first place to sleep in Noma. 

Floridian Goes South (June 9) Sales at Kady Development's condo project, a bit of South Beach on Florida Ave., were stopped by the bank. 

Room and Board Picks 14th St. for DC (June 10) The retailer added to the growing 14th Street retail corridor. The store should open in the 2nd half of 2010. 

Founders Square Begins Demolition Work in Ballston (June 17) Work begins on the WMATA site that Shooshan will turn into two office towers and a sizable residential building. 

W Comes to DC (June 24) After a few changes in ownership, the Starwood Capital Group purchased the fading Hotel Washington, making it hip once again. 

Eastern Market Reopens (June 25) After a fire gutted the beloved market, the city had a new one built, with improvements to boot. 

JBG Gets Approval for Massive Twinbrook Project (June 29) The developer plans for Twinbrook Station, a 2.2 million square foot complex at the Twinbrook Metro. 

Florida Avenue Gets Jazzed (July 7) Banneker Ventures promised it was partnering with Bank of America to get going on the Florida Avenue project it won from WMATA more than a year ago, but which had not gotten underway; work has not yet begun. 

DC Passes Bill for Convention Center Hotel (July 14) Quadrangle Development is to build the 1100 room Marriott, but JBG protests the selection process, and the site remains a parking lot. 

DC Seeks to Finish Off West End (July 15) The District sought a developer for 3 low-density parcels, anomalies in the now-dense neighborhood. 

Curtain Call for Takoma Theater (Aug 1) Owners of the Takoma Theater promised to bring down the house, literally, to make way for an office building, then a theater, but the community is calling for an encore.Hanover apartment building, Washington DC commercial real estate 

Penn Quarter Gets Luxury Apartment Building (Aug 4) Hanover Co. opened its first DC-area project at Judiciary Square (see picture at right), while building another in Falls Church. 

District Cancels Lincoln Theater Development (Aug 6) Quietly, the District government withdrew its plans to redevelop the back lot, a scheme that would have helped fund the struggling theater.

Arbor Place Returns (Aug 7) Scrapping plans to build as many as 3500 market-rate residential units on outer New York Avenue, Abdo shifts in favor of less than half as many subsidized homes. 

DC Mandates Subsidized Housing (Aug 11) After the Executive Branch slowed the process, the Council finally got its way and forced builders to provide the city with cheap housing for the poor. 

Columbia Pike Lurches Ahead (Aug 20) After seceding from Virginia (bureaucratically), the Pike gets 325 new residences underway at Penrose Square. 

Southwest Towers Foreclosed (Aug 21) Fairfield Residential loses its grasp on The View, a refurbished apartment building in southwest DC, in another foreclosure statistic for the real estate market. 

Montgomery County Gets Taller (Aug 21) JBG caps its 24-story residential tower on Rockville Pike, making it the new tallest residence in Montgomery County. 

St. Elizabeths Team Chosen (Aug 28) The GSA selected Clark, WDG, and HOK to build out the new landlocked Coast Guard Headquarters, in what will be one of the largest construction sites in the District of Columbia. Less than a month later, the Feds broke ground on the site. Noma Stonebridge Carras apartment construction

NoMa Caps Largest Mixed-Use Building (Sept 1) Soon residents will outnumber construction workers in Noma, as StonebridgeCarras and SK&I Architects finish 440 apartments and a hotel, possibly in early 2010. (see picture at left)

A Giant Delay (Oct 1) Street-Works vision for a large mixed-use replacement for the forlorn low-rise Giant on Wisconsin seemed to please no one, but developer Bozzuto plows ahead and discussions move forward. 

Park Morton Team Moves Forward? (Oct 7) Washington DC officials picked the team to build the capacious Georgia Avenue project - now with the Central Union Mission site included. Probably. Someday.

Clarendon's Affordable Housing Breaks Ground (Oct 15) The Views at Clarendon starts work on 116 mixed-income units after a long zoning dispute, going up to the Supreme Court, gets resolved. 

Northwest One Team Selected (Oct 27) The massive project that could transform the area close to the Capitol Building is set in motion, but the Mayor's choice of real estate developer raises eyebrows on the Council. 

Silver Spring Designs Downtown Library (Oct 29) The county releases its plans for the urban repository; the new building will straddle the new Purple Line, someday, when further details are worked out. 

Capitol Hill's Big Dig (Nov 15) CSX says it needs to tear up Virginia Avenue to rebuild the train tracks, just when residents of southeast DC thought construction in the neighborhood was nearly complete.

Bethesda's Parking Quagmire (Dec 2) Montgomery County wantsBethesda parking Stonebridge PN Hoffman construction PN Hoffman and Stonebridge to build 1100 parking spaces below Bethesda Row, but the $80,000-per-space sticker gives some locals road rage. (rendering at right)

Street Cars are Here (Dec 16) At long last, H Street's public transport arrives from Europe, but DC officials say that getting them running in Northeast is another matter.
 

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