Business

Gwendolyn Shearman • April 11, 2016

Washington, D.C., has seen its share of ups and downs, but after a lull in construction, the cranes are out in the city, indicating that the nation’s capital is on the cusp of even more growth. Along with Walmart coming to the District, there are numerous development projects in the works. Highlighted are a few projects that are planned or underway and are sure to change the face of their D.C. neighborhoods.

Walmarts under Construction

Georgia & Missouri Ave. NW – traditional one level project, scheduled to open by the end of the year.
99 H St. NW – part of mixed-use building with 300+ apartments

Other Planned Walmarts
New York Avenue & Bladensburg Road NE
Good Hope Rd. and Alabama Ave. SE
East Capitol Street & 58th St.
Riggs Road NE & South Dakota Ave. NE

CityCenter Boundaries: New York Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, H Street NW, and 11th Street NW

• The 10-acre mixed development, currently in Phase I, plans to use the 4.5 blocks between New York Avenue, 9th Street, and H & 11th Streets NW to include a seven building spread.

• The structures will house a total 270,000 square feet of retail space, 520,000 square feet of office space, 458 rental apartment units, 216 condominiums, a 370 room luxury hotel, a public park, and pedestrian-oriented streets and alleyways.

• The tenants for the office spaces have started filling up in anticipation of the completion of the project, including CoStar, American Hospital Association, which recently announced they will lease 42,000 square feet of office space.

• CityCenter announced March 5 that there is more than 51 percent occupancy at the 925 H Street location, which is still under construction. The price of homes in CityCenter range from $500,000 to $3.5 million.

• William B. Alsup, III, senior managing director at Hines, the developer of CityCenter DC, said in a statement, “The achievement is a testament to the superior quality and attention to detail of not only the residences, but also the design and delivery of the entire CityCenterDC development, which will serve as the signature destination for business, culture, and community.”

• The retail spaces in CityCenter will house 60 stores and restaurants. No leases have been announced.

H Street NE
Capitol Place, 701 2nd Street NE
Station Place, F Street & 2nd Street NE

• Capitol Place will hold 375 residential units, including studios to two bedrooms, 309 parking spaces in an underground garage, and upwards of 20,000 square feet of retail space, according to Fisher Brothers Real Estate, the space’s developers. Amenities will include a rooftop pool and courtyard.

• Across the street and attached to Union Station, Station Place, is planned to be a multi-building workspace with 1.5 million square feet on a 5.5-acre site. Property group, Louis Dreyfus, has leased two building with 1,070,000 square feet to the Securities and Exchange Commission Building. A third building has a total of 505,000 square feet of office space available.

• Louis Dreyfus Property Group has leased building 1 and 2 with a rentable areas of 1,070,000 square feet to the Securities and Exchange Commission Building

• The Department of Small and Local Business Development estimates that the H Street Great Street and Streetcar Project will invest $65 million into the area’s streetlights, curbs, sidewalks, as well as trees and landscaping over the next few years.

• Also coming to H Street, the first segment of the new D.C. Streetcar system, which is in its last 20 percent of roadway construction. The 2.4-mile streetcar line will run from Union Station to Benning Road/Oklahoma Ave. The District Department of Transportation Service plans to extend the line to include a 37-mile system that will span all eight wards.

St. Elizabeth’s East
1100 Alabama Ave. SE

• One of the last large-scale redevelopment locations left in D.C., St. Elizabeth’s East was originally part of the mental health hospital complex established by Congress in the 1850s and was in use until 1987.

• Now, led by executive director Catherine Buell, the 183-acre campus will bring together community, commerce, universities and federal partners and will cohabit to bring innovation and invigorate the growing local economy in the transit-oriented location.

• Beginning in 2012, 16 of the historic buildings began to undergo restoration in order to prepare them for their new life as part of the revitalized St. Elizabeth’s East.

• Among the new tenants, the Department of Homeland Security will be consolidating their headquarters currently spread across the D.C. area, to the East campus.

• According to the Executive Office of the Mayor, a partnership of international firms, KADCON, Davis Brody Bond, and Robert Silman Associates, have been contracted for the first stage of renovation on the Gateway Pavilion, which is slated to open by the end of 2013.

• Looking into the future, a decision on the construction of Phase 1 of the development will be selected in April.

The Wharf
690 Water Street SW

• Utilizing three-quarters of a mile of continuous waterfront and marina space, the project looks to bring affordable housing, hotels, amenities, and retail in combination with local business and open public space to the Southwest Waterfront.

• The water-focused development, lead by developer Hoffman-Madison Marquette, received approval to begin construction in January of this year. Monty Hoffman, managing member of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront said this January, “After more than six years of planning and substantial investment, we are preparing to launch one of the highest profile redevelopments in the country. We are ready to put shovels in the ground for this $2 billion redevelopment of the Southwest.”

• The redevelopment looks to bring sustainable design, including being the first LEED-Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) mixed use project in the District.

• Modeled after other famous wharves in Baltimore and San Francisco, the project plans to house 560 residential units, a 600-room hotel, 840,000 square feet of office space, 335,000 square feet of retail space, 2,500 underground parking spaces, as well as a possible musical hall or museum focused on maritime education.
[gallery ids="101237,145526,145499,145521,145515,145505,145510" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The General Services Administration concluded its online auction for the West Heating Plant on 29th Street March 6 with a win for “Bidder # 2,” it indicated, at $19.5 million.

For days, real estate and business watchers wondered who won the auction. The winner was revealed March 12, when Richard Levy told the Washington Business Journal that his firm, the Fours Season and the New York-based Georgetown Group had gotten the property.

Levy told the journal the team plans to spend more than $100 million on the reconstruction project.
After the auction began on Jan. 18, the first bid at $500,001 came on Feb. 14 with a few bidders going back and forth for days. Each 24 hours required a new bid to keep the auction going; March 5 saw the final bid.

Here’s what the Georgetowner reported about the Levy Group plan in November 2011:

The Levy Group, a longtime and well-known owner of Georgetown commercial real estate, and the Georgetown Company of New York City, which is working with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc., are proposing a project to build a Four Seasons Private Residences and create an adjacent park on the site of the West Heating Plant. According to the group, “the proposal, which has been developed over the past year and a half, is being made public following the GSA’s recent announcement that it plans to dispose of the underutilized and inaccessible property that sits at the confluence of the C&O Canal and Rock Creek Park at the foot of Georgetown.”

“We and the Georgetown Company have joined forces with the Four Seasons to bring life to a cordoned-off section of Georgetown,” said the Levy Group’s managing principal Richard Levy. “Our priorities are clear: transform the West Heating Plant into an attractive and contributing building that complements and respects the neighborhood and create a new park that links the the C&O Canal and Rock Creek Park with the Georgetown Waterfront Park. … The proposed renovated building will include approximately 80 Four Seasons Private Residences … A significant part of the property south of the West Heating Plant will be dedicated to parkland …”

Robert Devaney •

Coming to the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and S Street, NW, in the former Miller & Arney Antiques, is Sweet Frog, a frozen yogurt franchise, founded in 2009 in Richmond by Derek Cha and his wife Annah Kim. So reports the Georgetown Metropolitan blog. The frozen yogurt business had more than 100 stores in 15 states and one in South Korea. The company states: “SweetFrog was founded on the principles of Christianity and our belief in bringing happiness and a positive attitude into the lives of our consumers. At sweetFrog, F.R.O.G stands for Fully Rely On God – and we hope to be an example of that in every community!”

Robert Devaney •

MRP Realty and investment partner, Rock- point Group LLC, will put Washington Harbour, the Georgetown retail, office and residential landmark on K Street and the Potomac River up for sale in March or April, as first reported by Washington Business Journal.

“The Potomac River property could fetch well in excess of $250 million,” according to the Business Journal. “MRP and Rockpoint teamed up in June 2010 to buy the two-building center for $244.5 million, or about $459 per square foot. One real estate expert familiar with the property estimated it could go for as much as $400 million.”

“When we purchased the asset three years ago we saw some phenomenal opportunity at the Harbour. It is an irreplaceable landmark as- set,” Bob Murphy, managing principal of MRP Realty, told the Journal. “We really love the project. We really have put our heart and soul into it, and we’re excited when we see value created.”

Along with $50 million in renovation and getting past the April 2011 flood, Washington Harbour premiered the ice skating rink at its center fountain last November. The ice rink and renovated restaurants made the riverside complex a year-round destination.

Nico Dodd •

For the new Bonobos Guideshop in Georgetown, it’s all about the fit. On Jan. 29, the Bonobos Guideshop opened at 3321 Cady’s Alley, NW. The Guideshop concept is one that is specific to Bonobos e-commerce busi- ness model. Instead of buy- ing clothes from the brick and mortar store, customers try on different sizes to find the right fit and can then order garments online in the store or at home.

Before the shop in Georgetown opened, Bonobos had a tempo- rary location in Bethesda. Based on the success of the Bethesda location, the company “looking for a more permanent space” there as well, said Bonobos cofounder Andy Dunn. Erin Ersinkal, head of retail for Bonobos, said that the search process for a space in Georgetown only took one weekend. Guideshops are usually located in “high foot traffic areas” but are not necessar- ily “on the busiest corner,” since the customer experience is geared towards service and experi- ence as opposed to moving pants out the door. Bonobos Guideshops are also located in New York’s Flatiron district, Boston, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Chicago.

Speaking to an opening night crowd Jan. 28, Dunn said Bonobos’s e-commerce model is “the biggest revolution in retail since the auto- mobile.” [gallery ids="102580,119825" nav="thumbs"]

Lisa Gillespie •

Gus Elfving is not your typical business owner. If a client calls him at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday in a crisis, he’ll come a-runnin’.

His client base of around 750 pet owners, including dogs, cats, birds, hermit crabs, spiders and once, a hedge hog, sometimes demand a level of care that extends beyond normal business hours. “She was freaking out and certain that her dog had a tick infestation,” Elfving said. “I ran over to her house. I was so concerned, and I was relieved to tell my client that her infestation of ticks was actually an infestation of nipples. She hadn’t noticed the dog had nipples.”

The story seems to be one of his favorites, as he ended it with a big, hearty laugh.

Elfving has dedicated his career to taking care of people’s pets, which makes the name of his company, “Pet Peeps,” even more fitting.

Started in 2006, Elfving originally worked in retail, but found he didn’t have his heart in it. A friend offered to get him a job walking dogs, and six years later, he manages over 30 pet sitters and is expanding the Pet Peeps into Baltimore later this year.

“Most of our clients are people who are not fresh out of college, usually they’re post graduates, people who have to work 80 hours or plus a week, and they want the comfort of a pet in their life but they’re not able to take care of it themselves. And when you’re billing $250 an hour, $20 an hour to pay someone to walk your dog so you can work an extra hour is minimal,” he said in a recent interview in Logan Circle, where his office is located.

His approach to care for pets hasn’t changed since the beginning: individualized care with standardized service, which he says, gets harder to accomplish as the company gets bigger.

“People want both, and it’s pretty challenging,” Elfving said. “Whether they realize it or not, it does take a lot of work on our end.”

The boom in neighborhood gentrification also hasn’t done a disservice to his business.

“Our client base follows population of city,” he said. “Wherever there is a dense population, and typically a gentrified neighborhood, we’re there. We don’t have as many clients in Anacostia or upper Northeast, but we do have clients there.”

Whatever the neighborhood, dog walkers are trained to keep dogs out of busy parks and never off the leash because of the potential danger. And dogs are only ever walked one at a time, or with the permission of the owner, two or three at a time.

“Incidents are minimal, but we don’t like to expose our clients to that. Becoming a dog walker you learn to look for grassy spots that aren’t overly used by other dog walkers,” he said. “From the beginning I saw the importance of doing an individual service, because in the city it’s not safe to do multiple dogs. If two dogs get into it, or if a dog gets off the leash, what are you doing to do if you have five dogs tethered to you?”

Elfving’s ultimate hope is to become a regional service with an office in Philadelphia. It’s a long way from where he was just a few years ago, sticking up business cards on bulletin boards and getting clients through word- of-mouth. He also developed his own pricing structure and how pet sits would be designated.

“We’ve reached the preliminary goals for the city. At one time, I had the goal of having an employee, then of becoming incorporated, and then having ‘x’ dollars, and now we’re starting to expand service to outside of the city like Maryland. We follow the path of the burgeoning areas.”

And with a dedication to clients that runs 24/7, there may be nowhere to go but up.

Learn more about Pet Peeps at petpeeps.biz [gallery ids="100903,128323,128317" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • April 6, 2016

OUT

Local restaurant Garrett’s Restaurant and Railroad Tavern closed its doors at 3003 M St. NW for the last time Monday, May 30. A popular hangout since 1979, the restaurant’s closure is likely tied to rising rent and bigger businesses emerging in the Georgetown area. Well-known not only for its menu and dining options but also its weekly game nights and holiday events, Garrett’s will be missed by neighborhood locals as well their loyal employees.

IN

Nectar Skin Bar, located at 1633 Wisconsin Avenue NW, hopes to be a unique addition to the local beauty scene with a fresh, upscale boutique. Nectar specializes in unique beauty treatment products and services such as LashDip, Softsense wax from Italy and Intraceuticals Oxygen Infusion Facials. The boutique also offers traditional services ranging from manicures and pedicures to airbrush tanning and makeup and eyebrow applications. Prices for each service or product range from $30- $50. To make an appointment call (202) 333-4332.

A new gallery has opened its doors in Georgetown. Heiner Contemporary, located at 1675 Wisconsin Avenue NW, features emerging and mid-career contemporary artists that work within a range of media. The current solo exhibition of New York artist, Elizabeth Huey features new paintings, installation and video. “Elizabeth Huey: Polychromatic Projection” will be on display until July 2, 2011. Make sure to stop by the gallery for artist’s talk on Saturday, June 18th at 5pm.

Current Wisconsin Avenue resident, O Salon, is moving to 3212 O Street due to the rising rent at their current location. With additional square footage and a rear patio courtyard, the owners hope to attract more customers, and perhaps a new stylist. The salon plans to move over the weekend of June 12 and reopen their doors at the new location on Wednesday, June 15.

Home furnishings retailer, West Elm, is returning to D.C. with a temporary seven-month lease to occupy 3333 M St. NW in Georgetown. After closing their largest location at 1020 G St. NW in March 2010, the San Francisco-based company decided to try another concept in the area, and ended up as a “pop-up store.” This trend caught on during the economic downturn as a way for retailers to avoid the risk of a long-term lease, while still testing the location and generating buzz for their brand or store. The new West Elm will have 6,500 sq. ft., a fraction of their previous store, but it’ll still have the same merchandise. [gallery ids="99985,106147" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Out & In: Ubiq to Occupy Bistro Français Space

Sacré bleu! Thanks, Michael Jordan and sneakerheads. A Ubiq sneaker store will be taking over the space which has held Bistro Français. The premium footwear joint sells fancy sneakers for hundreds of dollars. Look for the line outside.

As for owner Gerard Cabrol and his Bistro Français, they will depart after more than 40 years. One of D.C.’s top chefs, beloved in the neighborhood, Cabrol has been featured in The Georgetowner over the decades, most recently in an October 2015 profile.

In: ‘Church’ Coming to Georgetown Park

Taking a space on Georgetown Park’s canal level, Church will be a coffee shop in the morning, an eatery by day and a cocktail bar with food service by night. It’s set to open in late summer to early fall. Building on the sense of community that churches create, rather than the religions they serve, the Church concept from D.C.-based development group Tin Shop — which also operates Iron Horse, Jackpot, Penn Social and Rocket Bar — will feature communal tables and an ever-changing menu.

“It just seems like Georgetown could really use a hangout space that has a coffee program that wasn’t Starbucks and holds more than 15 people,” said Peter Bayne, a Tin Shop cofounder. In collaboration with Union Kitchen, the local “food incubator” will test menus from the start-ups they work with, changing them out every six months to a year at the 7,000-square-foot Church.

In: Bangkok Joe’s

Mama Rouge is set to turn back into Bangkok Joe’s, dubbed D.C.’s first dumpling bar, April 7. The waterfront Thai spot at 3000 K St. NW changed menus and name in mid-2014 to begin offering Southeast Asian and French food. Owner Mel Oursinsini and chef-owner Aulie Bunyarataphan will now return to more traditional Thai flavors and ingredients.

In: Korean Eatery Zannchi Opens
Zannchi, a new Korean restaurant, opened in Georgetown March 29. Located on Wisconsin Avenue between Volta Place and Q Street, the eatery specializes in Korean dishes like bibimbap, a rice bowl topped with vegetables and often meat or eggs, and tapas-style Korean banchan.

The restaurant was started by two Georgetown MBA students, Eunjung Kim and Brian Yu, both of whom will graduate in May. Kim’s family owns a chain of restaurants in South Korea.

1789, Tombs to Close for Renovations

1789 Restaurant and the Tombs will be closed for about eight weeks this summer, mainly for repair of the roof. The work will most likely begin in early July and finish by the end of August. Additional renovations will take place over the course of the year.
Following a permit process, F. Scott’s, now a restaurant specifically for receptions and private parties, will merge with 1789 to add additional dining and bar space. This will alleviate the loss of some seating as the restaurant adds first-floor restrooms. That project will take place later in the year. (Dates are still tentative as the projects move forward.) The three restaurants are part of Clyde’s Restaurant Group.

CORRECTION: The photo that accompanied a story in the March 23 issue about the new Mykita eyewear shop in Georgetown showed a frame that was not a Mykita frame. The Georgetowner regrets the error. The shop, at 3001 M St. NW, is the first Mykita location in D.C. and only the second in the United States.