News & Politics

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.
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Gary Tischler •

Love her or hate her—and there were plenty of people to be found on either—if not both—side of the spectrum—it was impossible to deny that Margaret Thatcher was a formidable presence, an original very much in in the vein of Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle.

Both men believed in the glory of their nations, the uniqueness that came out greatness. Thatcher, who served three terms as Great Britain’s prime minister, rising to power in a somewhat unlikely fashion, was a great leader herself and believed in her own greatness. You might add President Ronald Reagan to that list—you didn’t have to agree with Reagan to know that his presidency had consequence. Thatcher’s 11-year-rule had consequence also. News of her death at the age of 87 from a stroke came today.

She came to office at 10 Downing Street in 1979, 20 months before Reagan came to the presidency. In each other, they found allies, friends and large-sized personalities. Nancy Reagan called the two “soul mates,” which did not prevent Thatcher from going her own way by going to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands crisis, a war Reagan had sent Secretary of State Alexander Haig to prevent. No such thing: Thatcher had an almost messianic belief in herself, and more often than not she was proved right.

She was a grocer’s daughter but rose to power among Great Britain’s Tory or conservative party and then marched literally into office over the dying body of the Laborites, under whom Great Britain had stagnated into an almost second-rate country.

Although educated in Oxford, Thatcher presented herself as a solidly middle class woman in style and manner, disguised as a great leader, who had little truck with feminism, even though she became the first (and so far ever) female Prime Minister of Great Britain. She fought what she saw as a socialist state tooth and nail, and every bit as stubbornly as Argentina’s junta. She took on labor unions, privatized state institutions and cut programs for the poor.

She called Reagan “Ronny,” and during the turbulent 1980s they were a matched set on the world stage. Astutely, she saw the coming of Mikhail Gorbachev as a potential for rapprochement, seeing him a Soviet leader more amenable and hungry for changes, although perhaps not as much change that resulted from his policies.

The Irish Republican Army tried to assassinate her, but she survived the attempt. She did not survive what may have been her own overconfidence. After winning a third term, she instituted a flat tax that affected not only those who could pay it, but those, like the unemployed, who could not. The backlash was huge—thousands went into the streets and demonstrated against her and the tax. The riots and the tax did her in—ousted as party leader by the Tories, a shocking turn of events that stunned her, England and the world.

In her later years, she wrote her memoirs. She had been suffering from dementia. She attended Ronald Reagan’s state funeral in Washington in 2004 as did Mikhail Gorbachev. Thatcher sat behind the Reagan family. Gorbachev sat alone. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for playing Thatcher in the film, “The Iron Lady” two years ago.

A book of condolences for Margaret Thatcher will be opened at the British Embassy, 3100 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 9 and 10.

Nico Dodd •

Georgetown residents and others who use Rose Park in Georgetown have been invited to participate in a charette discussing the playground’s renovation.

As first reported by Georgetown Patch, the first meeting about the renovation will be 7 p.m., this Thursday at the Rose Park Recreation Center, 2600 O St. NW. The design charette wil be May 4 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Fellowship of Jerusalem Baptist Church, 2600 P St., NW.

Rose Park has not been devoid of improvements. Last October, Rose Park inaugurated a new brick walkway, fence and benches, along with new trees and bushes, all of which were community donations.

Robert Devaney •

When you get a free beer from the Mayor of Washington, D.C., you know it is a good night.
Georgetown landmark, Martin’s Tavern, celebrated its 80th anniversary April 3 with a standing-room-only party that seemed to attract half of the town, including Mayor Vincent Gray.

Gray presented Billy Martin, fourth Martin in line of the tavern’s owners, with a proclamation that named the day “Martin’s Tavern Day” in the District.

Martin said he was proud of his family’s long-standing Georgetown business and knew some were looking down from heaven in approval. After the speeches, as if Martin needed to encourage anyone, the crowd continued the party. And the mayor was invited to be a Martin’s Tavern guest bartender.

Every president since Harry Truman has dined at Martin’s, except Barack Obama, who has a few more years to come and belly up to the bar.

The following is a history of the Martin family, according to the tavern’s website:

In the late 1890s, William S. Martin traveled from Galway, Ireland, to America. Forty years later, he and his son, William G. Martin, opened Martin’s Tavern on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and N Street, NW.

It was 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression and the beginning of the repeal of Prohibition. William G. Martin, a recent graduate of Georgetown University, was beginning a prodigious career in professional baseball, football and basketball. Successful in business and sports, he earned a seat as a Hall-of-Famer.

In 1949, William G. Martin’s son, William A. Martin, joined the tavern after serving in the Navy during World War II. William A. Martin attended Georgetown University Medical School and excelled as a Golden-Gloves boxer and Pro-Am golfer. His stories of “The Dugout,” recalling countless meetings with Speaker Sam Rayburn, Senator Lyndon Johnson and other monumental Capitol Hill leaders, were passed on to his son, current owner Billy Martin.
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Didi Cutler •

The S&R Foundation and its co-founder Sachiko Kuno hosted a magical few hours March 30 on the beautiful grounds of Evermay Estate in Georgetown — for a perfect launch of Evermay’s First Annual Easter Weekend Egg Hunt. Activities included an egg hunt, an egg decorating contest and a piano concert by Japanese pianist Kentarou Isuko. In the garden, an artist tied up balloons into various animal shapes for the children. The day which finally felt like spring enhanced the enjoyment of the search for eggs with children dashing all over the sprawling gardens as they spotted the hidden eggs. There was also great anticipation as to which child would win the egg decorating contest.

Headquartered at Evermay on 28th Street, the S&R Foundation — which gives support to talented individuals with high aspirations and great potential in the sciences and in the arts — also hosts musical programs there and at other venues, such as the Kennedy Center. [gallery ids="101223,145184,145179,145141,145173,145167,145147,145154,145161" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

A Washington Business Journal blog, Biz Beat, got people buzzing today about a Georgetown institution: Blues Alley, founded in 1965. It is such an landmark that the alley it is located along is named Blues Alley, NW.

The report headlined Blue Alley’s being the “subject of tax break bill,” according to the Journal. It also set off concern that the jazz club might be moving from its 1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW, location.

The Georgetowner contacted Blues Alley executive director Harry Schnipper April 1 about the Journal item. “He is making a mountain out of a mole hill,” Schnipper said. As for the “tax break bill,” Schnipper said that he “talked to Jack Evans several year ago,” but that’s about it. Schnipper also said that he had not read the Journal story.

“There’s so much that could happen with Georgetown’s Blues Alley — perhaps an expansion, perhaps a relocation, perhaps a new venue,” wrote Michael Neibauer in the Journal. “I spoke on Monday with club owner Harry Schnipper about his plans, and here’s what I learned, in a nutshell: Schnipper has spoken with Hines Interests LP about going to CityCenterDC, with PN Hoffman & Associates, Inc., about moving to the southwest Waterfront and with Hyattsville and Alexandria officials. He is on the shortlist to operate the D.C.-owned Lincoln Theatre. . . . But Schnipper offered no additional details. I can’t say whether the discussions keyed on a relocation of Blues Alley or an expansion.”

“Right now,” Schnipper told the Journal, “I’m focused on the Lincoln Theatre.”

According to the Journal, “Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans introduced a bill in January to provide ‘historic music cultural institutions’ with a 10-year property tax abatement, along with deed recordation and transfer tax abatements, for newly leased or purchased property in the District. The legislation would apply only to corporations that have operated a commercial venue for a minimum of 45 years and hosted a minimum of 100 live musical performances in each of the last five years.”

“It’s geared toward trying to help, to keep them [Blues Alley] in Georgetown, to keep them in that location,” Evans told the Journal. “Blues Alley is a landmark.”

There was one more thing that Schnipper did mention to the Georgetowner, when it questioned him about the Journal report: “We don’t own that building.”

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Business Association will host candidates for the at-large District Council special election in a panel-style forum at Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., April 1.

Candidates Anita Bonds (interim at-large councilmember), Michael Brown, Matthew Frumin, Patrick Mara, Perry Redd, Elissa Silverman and Paul Zukerberg plan to attend; candidate John Settles will not attend. The special election — to fill an at-large seat vacated by the elevation of District Council Chair Phil Mendelson — will be held April 23.

Co-sponsored by the Citizen’s Association of Georgetown, the forum will be moderated by Davis Kennedy, publisher of the Current Newspapers. It will include questions submitted by D.C. voters, by those attending the forum as well as by the forums’s local media sponsors, the Georgetowner, the Georgetown Patch, the Georgetown Current and the Georgetown Dish. Tony and Joe’s Restaurant is located at 3000 K St., NW., at Washington Harbour.

= Anita Bonds is the interim at-large councilmember and Democratic Party chair.

= Michael Brown is a former councilmember looking to reclaim a seat he once held on the District Council.

= Matthew Frumin is a Ward 3 advisory neighborhood commissioner.

= Patrick Mara is a political strategist and school board member in the District.

= Perry Redd is a social activist and executive director of Sincere Seven, an advocate of social change.

= Elissa Silverman is a budget analyst and former Washington Post and City Paper reporter.

= Paul Zukerberg is an attorney specializing in marijuana and other substance possession cases.

RSVPs for the April 1 forum should be send to admin@otimwilliams.com for confirmed seating.

Robert Devaney •

Talking business developments, cherry blossoms, baseball and the sluggish start of springtime, members and guests of the Georgetown Business Association met for lively conversations and ample refreshments at TD Bank on Wisconsin Avenue. Longtime members spoke with new prospects about the association’s involvement in Georgetown and its District connections during the networking evening. [gallery ids="101220,145136,145113,145131,145119,145125" 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!”