There are a number of DC development and transportation blogs that are fairly popular, the message board community has never been thriving amongst Washingtonians at SSC.

maybe because most of Washingtonians are not from Washington and do not have much attachment to the city?

maybe because most of Washingtonians are not from Washington and do not have much attachment to the city?

I once had a geography professor who would quote some study that said that the DC area doesn't have the same kind of regional identity that other metro areas have for that exact reason. A lot of people in the DC/PG/Moco/Fairfax area are transplanted from other parts of the country (either to work in the federal government or to work at many of the large corporate headquarters)... plus, our local news is often national news (what congress is doing, whether there are any protests downtown, things like that)

maybe because most of Washingtonians are not from Washington and do not have much attachment to the city?

I've always considered something of a misconception.

The city's black majority generally is from there.

I've always had a problem with people acting like they don't exist when stereotyping the city.

I think it's a misconception too. There are certainly a lot of transplants but there's also a lot of natives in this area as well, black, white, asian, etc.

Look in the Chicago subforum and a good number of the people there are suburbanites who take pride in Chicago. The Chicagoan getting upset at the suburbanite claiming they're from Chicago exists, but it seems like people get more upset about that in the DC area.

Virginia has certainly alienated itself to an extent, but it's also been alienated by the rest of a region for a long time. DC has had a stigma for the crime and dysfunction, but it's not the only city that's had some crime and dysfunction.

I think the multiple jurisdictions along with the transplant population along with lack of skyscrapers and less of an emphasis on civic pride in general contribute to the lack of a following.

There's also a level of insecurity that the some loyal people seem to have on this site. Cities that are more insular and parochial seem to have a loyal base of followers. Having a lot of transplants helps counteract the insular attitude that having all this political nonsense going on 24/7 creates.

www.greatergreaterwashington.org
www.beyonddc.com
www.dcmetrocentric.com
www.dcmud.blogspot.com
www.dcist.com
http://imaginedc.blogspot.com/
http://www.alexblock.net/blog/

These are a few sites that talk about development and transportation. I honestly don't feel compelled at all to keep posting comments in the SSC subforum if the news is already laid out pretty nicely at other websites.

I'll also agree that having local news w/ national implications a lot of the time does have a unique impact on the regional identity.

in which way did Virginia alienate itself? just curious.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/30/AR2010013002020.html

Read this article.

This is a left-of-center area, Virginia is more conservative. It's southern. The "old money" of DC lives in NW Washington and MoCo like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. There are some in Great Falls in McLean, but less of them. The views of the elite types does have some influence on image and whatnot. Virginia has been seen as less sophisticated. Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William weren't as developed a long time ago compared to Maryland. Virginia is separated by a river.

I guess Virginia has alienated itself somewhat by doing what a lot of suburbs do, distancing themselves from the inner city during the inner city's rough years and extracting people from those areas in the process. The more conservative state gov't is not as concerned with the issues of Northern Virginia and the DC area.

But I think overall, as a DC native living in Arlington, that VA probably gets hated on by the rest of the region more than it "hates" the rest of the region. I have a co-worker who was born and raised in Rockville tell me that she "was raised to hate Virginia". And it didn't sound like it was in jest. There are Virginians who love their state or don't like other areas in the region, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone express it that way. And that sentiment doesn't seem too rare given what I hear and read unfortunately. I know people who wouldn't consider VA to live b/c of stigmas rather than actual reasons. People should take pride in their town if they want, but why it's often at the expense of other places, I don't know.

It was touched on earlier, but there are a lot of transplants in the area. One of my pet peeves are the transplants who come here and do nothing but bitch about the city and the area. I don't mind criticism but when it's expressed while also praising where they're from or wish to be, it's annoying. I think it's tougher for a region to have pride when natives are going after each other and not uniting and taking pride in the city and allowing cynics and transplants to add little to civic pride.

I don't care if there are a lot of posters from the DC area, but in general, it seems like other cities have more civic pride and I wish DC had more.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/30/AR2010013002020.html

Read this article.

This is a left-of-center area, Virginia is more conservative. It's southern. The "old money" of DC lives in NW Washington and MoCo like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. There are some in Great Falls in McLean, but less of them. The views of the elite types does have some influence on image and whatnot. Virginia has been seen as less sophisticated. Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William weren't as developed a long time ago compared to Maryland. Virginia is separated by a river.

I guess Virginia has alienated itself somewhat by doing what a lot of suburbs do, distancing themselves from the inner city during the inner city's rough years and extracting people from those areas in the process. The more conservative state gov't is not as concerned with the issues of Northern Virginia and the DC area.

But I think overall, as a DC native living in Arlington, that VA probably gets hated on by the rest of the region more than it "hates" the rest of the region. I have a co-worker who was born and raised in Rockville tell me that she "was raised to hate Virginia". And it didn't sound like it was in jest. There are Virginians who love their state or don't like other areas in the region, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone express it that way. And that sentiment doesn't seem too rare given what I hear and read unfortunately. I know people who wouldn't consider VA to live b/c of stigmas rather than actual reasons. People should take pride in their town if they want, but why it's often at the expense of other places, I don't know.

It was touched on earlier, but there are a lot of transplants in the area. One of my pet peeves are the transplants who come here and do nothing but bitch about the city and the area. I don't mind criticism but when it's expressed while also praising where they're from or wish to be, it's annoying. I think it's tougher for a region to have pride when natives are going after each other and not uniting and taking pride in the city and allowing cynics and transplants to add little to civic pride.

I don't care if there are a lot of posters from the DC area, but in general, it seems like other cities have more civic pride and I wish DC had more.


I agree. It seems as though everyone segregated themselves and some not so much by choice. In other areas, you have more of a mixture of people who are all proud of where they live. Here, there are a lot of jurisdictional angst. If we all work together, this could be the area to visit and live in the entire world. We could surpass NY and L.A. But we act like crabs in a barrel when it comes to things that should benefit the region as a whole.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/30/AR2010013002020.html

Read this article.

This is a left-of-center area, Virginia is more conservative. It's southern. The "old money" of DC lives in NW Washington and MoCo like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. There are some in Great Falls in McLean, but less of them. The views of the elite types does have some influence on image and whatnot. Virginia has been seen as less sophisticated. Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William weren't as developed a long time ago compared to Maryland. Virginia is separated by a river.

I guess Virginia has alienated itself somewhat by doing what a lot of suburbs do, distancing themselves from the inner city during the inner city's rough years and extracting people from those areas in the process. The more conservative state gov't is not as concerned with the issues of Northern Virginia and the DC area.

But I think overall, as a DC native living in Arlington, that VA probably gets hated on by the rest of the region more than it "hates" the rest of the region. I have a co-worker who was born and raised in Rockville tell me that she "was raised to hate Virginia". And it didn't sound like it was in jest. There are Virginians who love their state or don't like other areas in the region, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone express it that way. And that sentiment doesn't seem too rare given what I hear and read unfortunately. I know people who wouldn't consider VA to live b/c of stigmas rather than actual reasons. People should take pride in their town if they want, but why it's often at the expense of other places, I don't know.

It was touched on earlier, but there are a lot of transplants in the area. One of my pet peeves are the transplants who come here and do nothing but bitch about the city and the area. I don't mind criticism but when it's expressed while also praising where they're from or wish to be, it's annoying. I think it's tougher for a region to have pride when natives are going after each other and not uniting and taking pride in the city and allowing cynics and transplants to add little to civic pride.

I don't care if there are a lot of posters from the DC area, but in general, it seems like other cities have more civic pride and I wish DC had more.

Thats a part of it.

But there's more to it than that and frankly a very complex set of reasons on why DC doesn't take as much pride in itself.

Far too many reasons and too complex to begin posting on here.

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It was touched on earlier, but there are a lot of transplants in the area. One of my pet peeves are the transplants who come here and do nothing but bitch about the city and the area. I don't mind criticism but when it's expressed while also praising where they're from or wish to be, it's annoying. I think it's tougher for a region to have pride when natives are going after each other and not uniting and taking pride in the city and allowing cynics and transplants to add little to civic pride.



Yup.

My blood boils at the blog whyihatedc.

Started by transplants and carried on by transplants who don't realize its dispicable to move into a city that is home to other people and maintain a blog that just bashes someone else's home.

I have made it a point not to bash another city because that blog made me realize every city is somebody's home and should be respected as such. Plus chances are, a basher doesn't know a given city as well as he thinks he does.

I think it is very complex. DC was/is lame in certain aspects, but it's not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. There are a lot of reasons, going back into the past further. We have no real industry, not a ton of history amongst Washingtonians compared to some other big cities, big gov't isn't popular and neither is our growth. Not a lot of music/fashion/popular, etc. culture. A lot of the educated types that are attracted to the District are inherently bitchy as opposed to working class types who are numerous, but not the most outspoken in this area. A lot will improve by becoming a better city and cleaning things up. I see things improving going forward, if we can get the leadership to do a better job as well as more regional cooperation, that'll be even better.

Yup.

My blood boils at the blog whyihatedc.

Started by transplants and carried on by transplants who don't realize its dispicable to move into a city that is home to other people and maintain a blog that just bashes someone else's home.

I have made it a point not to bash another city because that blog made me realize every city is somebody's home and should be respected as such. Plus chances are, a basher doesn't know a given city as well as he thinks he does.

And a few of them don't even live in the District and/or come from places way, waaaaay more boring and uneventful. I don't make it a habit other places either, it's boring and it looks more insecure than anything else.

Part of the problem is a culture of bashing in DC. If there were a stronger counter to that, things wouldn't be as bad. Chicagoans and Bostonians and New Yorkers can complain about what's wrong w/ their city, but there's a counter to that as well.

I think it is very complex. DC was/is lame in certain aspects, but it's not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. There are a lot of reasons, going back into the past further. We have no real industry, not a ton of history amongst Washingtonians compared to some other big cities, big gov't isn't popular and neither is our growth. Not a lot of music/fashion/popular, etc. culture. A lot of the educated types that are attracted to the District are inherently bitchy as opposed to working class types who are numerous, but not the most outspoken in this area. A lot will improve by becoming a better city and cleaning things up. I see things improving going forward, if we can get the leadership to do a better job as well as more regional cooperation, that'll be even better.:yes::applause:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/30/AR2010013002020.html

Read this article.

This is a left-of-center area, Virginia is more conservative. It's southern. The "old money" of DC lives in NW Washington and MoCo like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. There are some in Great Falls in McLean, but less of them. The views of the elite types does have some influence on image and whatnot. Virginia has been seen as less sophisticated. Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William weren't as developed a long time ago compared to Maryland. Virginia is separated by a river.

I guess Virginia has alienated itself somewhat by doing what a lot of suburbs do, distancing themselves from the inner city during the inner city's rough years and extracting people from those areas in the process. The more conservative state gov't is not as concerned with the issues of Northern Virginia and the DC area.

But I think overall, as a DC native living in Arlington, that VA probably gets hated on by the rest of the region more than it "hates" the rest of the region. I have a co-worker who was born and raised in Rockville tell me that she "was raised to hate Virginia". And it didn't sound like it was in jest. There are Virginians who love their state or don't like other areas in the region, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone express it that way. And that sentiment doesn't seem too rare given what I hear and read unfortunately. I know people who wouldn't consider VA to live b/c of stigmas rather than actual reasons. People should take pride in their town if they want, but why it's often at the expense of other places, I don't know.

It was touched on earlier, but there are a lot of transplants in the area. One of my pet peeves are the transplants who come here and do nothing but bitch about the city and the area. I don't mind criticism but when it's expressed while also praising where they're from or wish to be, it's annoying. I think it's tougher for a region to have pride when natives are going after each other and not uniting and taking pride in the city and allowing cynics and transplants to add little to civic pride.

I don't care if there are a lot of posters from the DC area, but in general, it seems like other cities have more civic pride and I wish DC had more.

could it be also related to gay rights? cause I know DC passed gay marriage bill which will become validated sometime in March, and Maryland prohibits sexual orientation discrimination, while Virginia has a very strongly-worded anti-gay marriage amendment and had sodomy law on books till it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002.

No, I highly doubt it has much to do with gay rights. It goes back a lot further than that. If DC and Maryland become friendlier to gays and stay that way for decades w/ VA doing nothing, than maybe there could be a more negative impact on the relationship.

Virginia's ballot initiative w/ respect to gay marriage is pretty much in line with everywhere else it's been put up to a straight vote, save a few places. And banning discrimination due to sexual orientation is a nice symbolic gesture, but there's not enough teeth to something like that. You need complete equality w/ respect to marriage, children and everything else. It helps, but doesn't go far enough IMO.

Virginia is all in all more conservative than Maryland and especially DC on social issues so gay marriage is just another issue, albeit a highly divisive and prominent one. But Northern Virginia is purple these days, it has some of the highest incomes and educational attainment levels of anywhere in the country and has attracted a good amount of business, so relatively speaking, the stigma that it gets around here is outdated.

Sorry moved to the Washington State thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=52054611#post52054611)

NoVaWolverine - I completely agree with the article you posted. The biggest issue with DC is the lack of pride in the city. I think it is mostly due to all of the transplants (like Charlotte and Atlanta). One thing that always strikes as a negative is the Post. If you look at the Chicago Tribune, the front page stories will be about CHICAGO! If you look at the Post you have to dig through it to find local news. Even if you go to the local news section, it is puny. I wish DC had a civic pride like Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, etc... but right now it seems to follow the model of the sunbelt cities. It's like people are only there for the jobs.

Kinda shocking...

Census estimate: D.C. black population still shrinking
The District has continued to lose African American residents, according to new census estimates released Thursday, while the number of whites and every other census-tracked minority has risen.

The city remains a majority African American city, though the numbers and percentage slipped in every year between 2000 and 2008. About 54 percent of the city is African American and 40 percent is white, the census figures show. At the beginning of the decade, the city was 61 percent black and 34 percent white.

In raw numbers, the District lost about 27,000 black residents and gained about 40,000 whites. Asians now are 4 percent of the population, up from 3 percent in 2000, while Hispanics have risen from about 8 percent to 9 percent. There also were increases in the number of Native Americans and Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, through the actual numbers and the percentage increases were both very small.

If the trend continues, some demographers have predicted that the District could cease being a majority African American city by 2020. Its current population is now estimated to be about 600,000, a number that increased in almost every year of the past decade. Washington now has its highest population since 1991.

The population estimates are based on a number of government records, including income tax returns, Medicare, military service, deaths and births. A more precise figure will be available this year with the 2010 Census.

By Carol A. Morello | January 7, 2010; 1:47 PM ET

Very interesting indeed. But even if the black population drops below 50%, it will still be the largest ethnic group for years to come. Perhaps it is appropriate that there should be no single majority group over 50% in the Capital of the U.S., which claims to celebrate diversity? I wonder what the trend is in the greater region- can't wait to look at the new census info!

Kinda shocking...

Gentrification. D.C. is getting quite expensive to live in.

NoVaWolverine - I completely agree with the article you posted. The biggest issue with DC is the lack of pride in the city. I think it is mostly due to all of the transplants (like Charlotte and Atlanta). One thing that always strikes as a negative is the Post. If you look at the Chicago Tribune, the front page stories will be about CHICAGO! If you look at the Post you have to dig through it to find local news. Even if you go to the local news section, it is puny. I wish DC had a civic pride like Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, etc... but right now it seems to follow the model of the sunbelt cities. It's like people are only there for the jobs.

I agree, but think about it from a business perspective. If they focused on the local news, they'd be reducing their market to the local region (since people in San Francisco, for example, wouldn't really care about things like the local mayoral race or something)... But the Federal Government is housed in DC. Whenever a congressman makes a dirty deal, whenever the President sneezes, whenever a business exec or a lobbyist does something wrong, it's national news. And something like 230,000 local workers are employed by the Federal government, so whenever a policy changes that impacts the way one of the many agencies runs, a lot of locals are interested too, since they work for those agencies.

I think there's a lot of local pride, but I think it's hard for a lot of that to be forefront like it is in cities like Chicago, NY or Baltimore. It's hard because the area's largest power player is the Federal government, which runs the entire nation. DC is unlike Chicago, NY or almost every other city in the world because it was founded as a seat for the nation's government. That was its purpose, and for much of the city's history, the majority of the people living in DC were only there because they worked for the government.

I think it would be interesting to draw up comparisons to other cities like DC, such as Brasilia or Canberra...

http://www.weta.org/tv/local/wetaneighborhoods

WETA has great online videos about DC. They even have two documentaries about DC in the 60s and the 70s.

There is an electronic billboard some 40' tall proposed near the Verizon Center.
Some of the NIMBY's have said they don't want a "Times Square" style sign put there.

So this is actually a few months old, but what are people's thoughts on the "McMillan Two" plan that architect Nir Buras is working on? Link to images and description here (http://tsarchitect.nsflanagan.net/?p=1087).

Its basically a plan to redevelop the Anacostia waterfront and return that part of the city to a layout style similar to that originally set out by L'Enfant in the 1790s and the McMillan commission in 1901/1902. Basically, get rid of 295 and the SE Freeway (I can already hear uptn's protests) and replace them with boulevards (a la Pennsylvania Ave style) and use up the land in the Anacostia waterfront parks to create grid-based developments. Also, they'd reduce the width of the Anacostia to allow for more buildable land (presumably by dredging the river and putting the fill on the shore?) and creating an "ile de la cite" (like in Paris) east of RFK stadium (RFK and its surrounding parking lots would also be redeveloped). It's an interesting idea.

So this is actually a few months old, but what are people's thoughts on the "McMillan Two" plan that architect Nir Buras is working on? Link to images and description here (http://tsarchitect.nsflanagan.net/?p=1087).

Its basically a plan to redevelop the Anacostia waterfront and return that part of the city to a layout style similar to that originally set out by L'Enfant in the 1790s and the McMillan commission in 1901/1902. Basically, get rid of 295 and the SE Freeway (I can already hear uptn's protests) and replace them with boulevards (a la Pennsylvania Ave style) and use up the land in the Anacostia waterfront parks to create grid-based developments. Also, they'd reduce the width of the Anacostia to allow for more buildable land (presumably by dredging the river and putting the fill on the shore?) and creating an "ile de la cite" (like in Paris) east of RFK stadium (RFK and its surrounding parking lots would also be redeveloped). It's an interesting idea.

I think it's a wonderful idea.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3783

Here's another link. I think it's a great plan, I wish I were alive to see it happen, though.

Yeah. Unfortunately, it's the type of plan that will take 30+ years to fully happen (more, likely). That is, once it starts... it'll take years and years to go through the approval process because of its large scale.

Yeah. Unfortunately, it's the type of plan that will take 30+ years to fully happen (more, likely). That is, once it starts... it'll take years and years to go through the approval process because of its large scale.

No problem. I'll be 67. lol

So this is actually a few months old, but what are people's thoughts on the "McMillan Two" plan that architect Nir Buras is working on? Link to images and description here (http://tsarchitect.nsflanagan.net/?p=1087).

Its basically a plan to redevelop the Anacostia waterfront and return that part of the city to a layout style similar to that originally set out by L'Enfant in the 1790s and the McMillan commission in 1901/1902. Basically, get rid of 295 and the SE Freeway (I can already hear uptn's protests) and replace them with boulevards (a la Pennsylvania Ave style) and use up the land in the Anacostia waterfront parks to create grid-based developments. Also, they'd reduce the width of the Anacostia to allow for more buildable land (presumably by dredging the river and putting the fill on the shore?) and creating an "ile de la cite" (like in Paris) east of RFK stadium (RFK and its surrounding parking lots would also be redeveloped). It's an interesting idea.

Not gonna happen.......:)

Not gonna happen.......:)

Knew you'd say that, of course. But why are you so opposed to it? Removal of highways has been done many times in the past in urban areas. Sometimes they replace them with nothing (parkland typically), sometimes they replace them with boulevards (as they'd do with this plan).

http://www.livablestreets.com/streetswiki/highway-removal

read that link and the links at the bottom of the page.

Knew you'd say that, of course. But why are you so opposed to it? Removal of highways has been done many times in the past in urban areas. Sometimes they replace them with nothing (parkland typically), sometimes they replace them with boulevards (as they'd do with this plan).

http://www.livablestreets.com/streetswiki/highway-removal

read that link and the links at the bottom of the page.

I am not reading that mess and I am not giving your opinion any good thought...

The only way I see them removing the I-295 Freeway is when they remove ALL US Interstates and Remove ALL Transit Train Lines and Transit Buses........

I am not reading that mess and I am not giving your opinion any good thought...

You're just proving how childish you really are.

There is an electronic billboard some 40' tall proposed near the Verizon Center.
Some of the NIMBY's have said they don't want a "Times Square" style sign put there.

Thanks for posting about this! I like the new proposed billboards on 7th Street. I understand about the concern of the residents that live in the building, but the possibility of new signs being erected was clearly stated in the condominium documents and were made available to all residents before they purchased their units. The city also passed regulations at the time the building was built in 2004 that exempted the Gallery Place project from the rules governing signs elsewhere in the city.

Looking at the proposal, the two measly billboards being considered for the 7th Street facade of the building are hardly anything like the huge ones in Times Square. I think the negative reaction to this proposal is overblown.

Here's a link to Gallery Place Media's website:
http://www.galleryplacesignagefacts.org/

You can download the most current proposal on the above website. It has a wealth of information about the DC Sign Code, community benefits, and links to media coverage on the proposal.

You're just proving how childish you really are.

Whats childish is making statements like tearing down Highways without caring about people that wish to get from one region on the South or West side to another region on the North or East side at a easier rate of time instead of using surface roads saturated with traffic lights and stop signs...

Not everyone wishes to utilize Mass Transit and there is NO WAY in the world you can Force them into using it just like no one can't Force you to go into a Car Dealership and buy an SUV.

Being childish is using scare tactics to trick people into not supporting New Highway Projects, MASS Office Tower Density, Multi-Level Upscale Indoor Mega Malls, and Multiple Large Scale Development Projects that are not near Transit Hubs.....

Whats childish is making statements like tearing down Highways without caring about people that wish to get from one region on the South or West side to another region on the North or East side at a easier rate of time instead of using surface roads saturated with traffic lights and stop signs...

Not everyone wishes to utilize Mass Transit and there is NO WAY in the world you can Force them into using it just like no one can't Force you to go into a Car Dealership and buy an SUV.

Being childish is using scare tactics to trick people into not supporting New Highway Projects, MASS Office Tower Density, Multi-Level Upscale Indoor Mega Malls, and Multiple Large Scale Development Projects that are not near Transit Hubs.....

No, being childish is you not wanting to watch the documentary on Arlington and reading that website because they present facts that conflict with your opinions. :ohno:

No, being childish is you not wanting to watch the documentary on Arlington and reading that website because they present facts that conflict with your opinions. :ohno:

Whats childish is you changing the subject when you know you are wrong for preaching like a Communist about tearing down Freeways and have no respect for anyone that wishes to get from one point of town to the other side of town in a timely fashion without going through Several Stop Lights and Stop Signs.....:nuts:

Whats childish is you changing the subject when you know you are wrong for preaching like a Communist about tearing down Freeways and have no respect for anyone that wishes to get from one point of town to the other side of town in a timely fashion without going through Several Stop Lights and Stop Signs.....:nuts:

Um, who's changing the subject? It's not my problem that you won't further your own knowledge by looking into other information sources simply because they counter what you think is right. And how is tearing down a couple highways in any way related to communism? Do you know what a communist is?

As for traffic lights being so much longer.... ask ANYBODY who travels on 495/295/395 to go from one side of the city to the other for work if they think that their commutes happen in a "timely" fashion.

Um, who's changing the subject? It's not my problem that you won't further your own knowledge by looking into other information sources simply because they counter what you think is right. And how is tearing down a couple highways in any way related to communism? Do you know what a communist is?

Controlling the majority of the population's minds, attitudes, and decision making based on one or a few people's extremist opinions...

As for traffic lights being so much longer.... ask ANYBODY who travels on 495/295/395 to go from one side of the city to the other for work if they think that their commutes happen in a "timely" fashion.

Removing I-295 won't make it any easier and I was referring to non-rush hour such as Mid-Day, Late Nights, and Weekends.........

Just because you are Discriminant against Limited access Highways(Maryland and DC) and Mass Development(Office Density and Upscale Retail) in the Maryland Suburbs(that is not near "Mass Transit" Hubs) don't mean that everyone in the Metro DC/MD/VA Region should be forced to share your opinions....

If you don't like freeways then move to the rural sticks of Alabama and stop trying to control the minds of people that live in heavy populated cities/metro regions because truth be told you and the other anti-Growth Groups will not ever turn DC, Suburban Maryland, Baltimore, and the Baltimore area back into the Rural Swampy Environment that it once was back in the early 1800's.....

Sorry...........

Controlling the majority of the population's minds, attitudes, and decision making based on one or a few people's extremist opinions...
lol That's not what communism is. Of course, by that definition, you'd be a communist too.

Removing I-295 won't make it any easier and I was referring to non-rush hour such as Mid-Day, Late Nights, and Weekends.........

During mid day, late nights and weekends, people going from one end of the city to the other can very easily use the Beltway - that's what it was built for. It only takes about 20 minutes to go from Greenbelt (at the 495/295 interchange) to National Harbor (the 295 terminus at 495) during off-peak hours. So your point doesn't really matter.

Just because you are Discriminant against Limited access Highways(Maryland and DC) and Mass Development(Office Density and Upscale Retail) in the Maryland Suburbs(that is not near "Mass Transit" Hubs) don't mean that everyone in the Metro DC/MD/VA Region should be forced to share your opinions....
Judging by the number of people that are concerned about highway widening (even in Fairfax) and massive projects (such as Gaithersburg West) I'd say you're in the minority. And also I'd say that the majority of people here support smart growth tactics too.

If you don't like freeways then move to the rural sticks of Alabama and stop trying to control the minds of people that live in heavy populated cities/metro regions because truth be told you and the other anti-Growth Groups will not ever turn DC, Suburban Maryland, Baltimore, and the Baltimore area back into the Rural Swampy Environment that it once was back in the early 1800's.....

Sorry...........
Again this just shows your complete misunderstanding (or complete unwillingness to understand) the concepts of high density development and focusing development around where people already are, not in rural areas where they aren't. You continually like to say that smart growth is about removing development and making environments rural again, yet after all these debates I know you know that's not true. It's about putting development in the right place. This DC plan to replace 295 with a wide boulevard would add a *ton* of high-density development to downtown DC. If you'd look at those links, you'd see that. Here's (http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/08/04/7-urban-freeways-to-tear-down-today-and-what-tomorrow-might-look-like-if-we-do/) some pretty pictures and examples of what could be done. I know you won't click on that link to look though.

lol That's not what communism is. Of course, by that definition, you'd be a communist too.

Then Adolf Hitler is not a Communist by your definition........


During mid day, late nights and weekends, people going from one end of the city to the other can very easily use the Beltway - that's what it was built for. It only takes about 20 minutes to go from Greenbelt (at the 495/295 interchange) to National Harbor (the 295 terminus at 495) during off-peak hours. So your point doesn't really matter.

The Beltway does not enter the DC/MD Boarders..

Why would any sane person use the Beltway to get from Eastover to Ivy City or Anacostia to Bladensburg....

Judging by the number of people that are concerned about highway widening (even in Fairfax) and massive projects (such as Gaithersburg West) I'd say you're in the minority. And also I'd say that the majority of people here support smart growth tactics too.

You and your anti-Progressive Groups can go ahead and believe that.

But Me and the Mass Majority of Tax Paying Marylanders support MASS Development Projects near transit centers, and open areas of Suburban Maryland that is not near Transit Hubs, and Support Highway Building and Widening Projects....

Again this just shows your complete misunderstanding (or complete unwillingness to understand) the concepts of high density development and focusing development around where people already are, not in rural areas where they aren't.

And what you FAIL to understand is that your Smart Growth theory is Flawed due to the track records of Stalled Projects in PG County and Eastern Montgomery County due to NIMBY Communities, Extremely High Property Taxes, Broken Promises from Land Owners, and Mountains of Layers of Red Tap Approval Processing that causes the price of the development project to increase which results to the developers to back out of the project/delaying the project if they ever complete it.

You continually like to say that smart growth is about removing development and making environments rural again, yet after all these debates I know you know that's not true.

It sure as hell didn't make Prince Georges County more Competitive against Fairfax County and Loudon County when it comes to Office Density of High Paying Professional Tech Jobs and Attracting more Upscale Retail Shopping Malls.

It's about putting development in the right place.

Yeah making Northern Virginia more Business Friendly than Suburban Maryland........

This DC plan to replace 295 with a wide boulevard would add a *ton* of high-density development to downtown DC.

1000% Grade A BS because Pennsylvania Avenue and East Capital Street is anywhere between 4 to 8 Lanes and they can add more "High Density Development" along both Corridors making it the Dual Gateway Boulevards to the Capital from Prince Georges County without removing the ONLY North-South Freeway in DC.

If you'd look at those links, you'd see that. Here's (http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/08/04/7-urban-freeways-to-tear-down-today-and-what-tomorrow-might-look-like-if-we-do/) some pretty pictures and examples of what could be done. I know you won't click on that link to look though.

If the person who created the story had any ounce of Sanity Intelligence they would recommend either burying the Freeway ala Big Dig Style or Cut Open a Depress Level of I-295 while the the Boulevard is Above Level ala the Cross Bronx Expressway, and Van Wick Expressway.

Either way whether you like it or not I-295 will remain as a North-South Freeway through DC and to further Comment to the Permanent Process is the NOW Ground Breaking of the 11th Street Bridge and I-295 Interchange Project that will link Northbound I-395 into I-295 Northbound.......

Sorry but nice try...........:cheers:

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/other/11bridges-proposed-overhead-all-200912-1.jpg

Then Adolf Hitler is not a Communist by your definition........
LOL He wasn't, he was a fascist. Duh. Don't you know anything about european history? The Nazis were at war with the communists.

The Beltway does not enter the DC/MD Boarders..

Why would any sane person use the Beltway to get from Eastover to Ivy City or Anacostia to Bladensburg....
Nice try. You said before we were talking about "people that wish to get from one region on the South or West side to another region on the North or East side" thus we're talking about people who want to go from one end of the region to the opposite end, which is the very purpose of the Beltway. Now you're talking about people that want to go from inside the city to outside the city? That's a different issue entirely. And really, you have no basis to argue there either... DC's richest quarter, the NW, has no interstate passing through it, just a bunch of boulevards and avenues with traffic lights - Connecticut Ave, Wisconsin Ave, Georgia Ave, Mass Ave, and yet you have absolutely zero people arguing to put an interstate in there. That model can be duplicated in SE DC easily. Or are you against it because it'd benefit a minority area that is physically segregated from the rest of the city by 295?

You and your anti-Progressive Groups can go ahead and believe that.

But Me and the Mass Majority of Tax Paying Marylanders support MASS Development Projects near transit centers, and open areas of Suburban Maryland that is not near Transit Hubs, and Support Highway Building and Widening Projects....
That's all the majority of Maryland taxpayers support. They do not support mass development in far flung areas away from transit centers. Otherwise, there'd be no opposition to Gaithersburg West... Sorry, you're totally wrong yet again :ohno:

And what you FAIL to understand is that your Smart Growth theory is Flawed due to the track records of Stalled Projects in PG County and Eastern Montgomery County due to NIMBY Communities, Extremely High Property Taxes, Broken Promises from Land Owners, and Mountains of Layers of Red Tap Approval Processing that causes the price of the development project to increase which results to the developers to back out of the project/delaying the project if they ever complete it.
Are you serious??? Smart growth was totally successful in Arlington, and it has thus far been extremely successful in Montgomery County. Don't you know anything about Wedges and Corridors? That's MoCo's growth plan that they started back in the early 60s, and it's seen as one of the nation's first true smart growth plans (if not THE first) because it concentrated the county's growth in transit corridors (270/355, Georgia Ave and 29) while leaving open space between them (Rock Creek, NW Branch, etc, and the Ag Reserve in the North)... Yet again, your whole argument fails if you'd just open a history book instead of trying to write your own history :ohno:

It sure as hell didn't make Prince Georges County more Competitive against Fairfax County and Loudon County when it comes to Office Density of High Paying Professional Tech Jobs and Attracting more Upscale Retail Shopping Malls.
Again you're trying to write your own history book. PG County hasn't HAD any smart growth. So PG's failures are not about smart growth at all. :ohno:

Yeah making Northern Virginia more Business Friendly than Suburban Maryland........
That has to do with tax policies, not development policies.

1000% Grade A BS because Pennsylvania Avenue and East Capital Street is anywhere between 4 to 8 Lanes and they can add more "High Density Development" along both Corridors making it the Dual Gateway Boulevards to the Capital from Prince Georges County without removing the ONLY North-South Freeway in DC.
They can do that in addition to the 295/Anacostia project.

If the person who created the story had any ounce of Sanity Intelligence they would recommend either burying the Freeway ala Big Dig Style or Cut Open a Depress Level of I-295 while the the Boulevard is Above Level ala the Cross Bronx Expressway, and Van Wick Expressway.

Either way whether you like it or not I-295 will remain as a North-South Freeway through DC and to further Comment to the Permanent Process is the NOW Ground Breaking of the 11th Street Bridge and I-295 Interchange Project that will link Northbound I-395 into I-295 Northbound.......

Sorry but nice try...........:cheers:

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/other/11bridges-proposed-overhead-all-200912-1.jpg

Nobody ever said that this was a project that would happen - in all reality, it probably WONT happen. All we're doing (everyone on the boards thus far that has commented on it except for you) is saying that it'd be a fantastic idea. And burying the highway below grade like in the Big Dig would be a fantastic idea as it would allow for that connection to remain and allow for high quality development along the Anacostia waterfront. You really need to learn to think out of the box and present good ideas like that more often, instead of accusing people of being a "communist" when they don't agree with you.

Is the new I.M. Pei Chinese Embassy finished?

Instead of getting completely rid of 295 they should consider a Big Dig type project of putting it underground with land for air rights above (of course not in this kind of financial atmosphere) for the future. I think it is definitely an extremely important connector highway for the region to be razed and nothing replace it. I'm all for opening up waterfront, but don't forget about accessibility and capacity that would have to be spigoted someplace else.

Instead of getting completely rid of 295 they should consider a Big Dig type project of putting it underground with land for air rights above (of course not in this kind of financial atmosphere) for the future. I think it is definitely an extremely important connector highway for the region to be razed and nothing replace it. I'm all for opening up waterfront, but don't forget about accessibility and capacity that would have to be spigoted someplace else.

Yeah. They'd have to do studies that would look and see where traffic on 295 comes from and where it goes to. The majority of through-traffic that just use it to cut through the city can probably easily be diverted to the beltway in PG, as unlike the north and western portions of the Beltway, it has excess capacity (it doesn't tend to have traffic congestion like the other areas). The plan would also involve building another 10-12 bridge crossings, so traffic would be spread over many more entry points into the city.

Yeah. They'd have to do studies that would look and see where traffic on 295 comes from and where it goes to. The majority of through-traffic that just use it to cut through the city can probably easily be diverted to the beltway in PG, as unlike the north and western portions of the Beltway, it has excess capacity (it doesn't tend to have traffic congestion like the other areas). The plan would also involve building another 10-12 bridge crossings, so traffic would be spread over many more entry points into the city.

I assume traffic on 295 is "local" while traffic on 495 consists of travelers going to/from Baltimore/NY and to/from Richmond/NC. Since 295 would mostly be local traffic, perhaps mass-transit would be a better alternative.

LOL He wasn't, he was a fascist. Duh. Don't you know anything about european history? The Nazis were at war with the communists.


Nice try. You said before we were talking about "people that wish to get from one region on the South or West side to another region on the North or East side" thus we're talking about people who want to go from one end of the region to the opposite end, which is the very purpose of the Beltway. Now you're talking about people that want to go from inside the city to outside the city? That's a different issue entirely. And really, you have no basis to argue there either... DC's richest quarter, the NW, has no interstate passing through it, just a bunch of boulevards and avenues with traffic lights - Connecticut Ave, Wisconsin Ave, Georgia Ave, Mass Ave, and yet you have absolutely zero people arguing to put an interstate in there. That model can be duplicated in SE DC easily. Or are you against it because it'd benefit a minority area that is physically segregated from the rest of the city by 295?


That's all the majority of Maryland taxpayers support. They do not support mass development in far flung areas away from transit centers. Otherwise, there'd be no opposition to Gaithersburg West... Sorry, you're totally wrong yet again :ohno:


Are you serious??? Smart growth was totally successful in Arlington, and it has thus far been extremely successful in Montgomery County. Don't you know anything about Wedges and Corridors? That's MoCo's growth plan that they started back in the early 60s, and it's seen as one of the nation's first true smart growth plans (if not THE first) because it concentrated the county's growth in transit corridors (270/355, Georgia Ave and 29) while leaving open space between them (Rock Creek, NW Branch, etc, and the Ag Reserve in the North)... Yet again, your whole argument fails if you'd just open a history book instead of trying to write your own history :ohno:


Again you're trying to write your own history book. PG County hasn't HAD any smart growth. So PG's failures are not about smart growth at all. :ohno:


That has to do with tax policies, not development policies.


They can do that in addition to the 295/Anacostia project.



Nobody ever said that this was a project that would happen - in all reality, it probably WONT happen. All we're doing (everyone on the boards thus far that has commented on it except for you) is saying that it'd be a fantastic idea. And burying the highway below grade like in the Big Dig would be a fantastic idea as it would allow for that connection to remain and allow for high quality development along the Anacostia waterfront. You really need to learn to think out of the box and present good ideas like that more often, instead of accusing people of being a "communist" when they don't agree with you.

Thank You!:cheers:

I assume traffic on 295 is "local" while traffic on 495 consists of travelers going to/from Baltimore/NY and to/from Richmond/NC. Since 295 would mostly be local traffic, perhaps mass-transit would be a better alternative.

Perhaps that is NOT the Better Alternative....

You can not Force people to use Mass Transit if they don't want to...

Just because you HATE Limited Access Highways for Maryland and DC does not mean that the existing Highways should get Demolish and Never build another New Highway ever...

Tell ya what the Day they Demolish the Springfield Interchange, I-66, and I-395 and other US Major Highways that run through Cities like Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, LA, Philly, and NY, then it may make since by that time to remove I-295 from DC but until then, Forget About It..........:cheers:

Perhaps that is NOT the Better Alternative....

You can not Force people to use Mass Transit if they don't want to...

Just because you HATE Limited Access Highways for Maryland and DC does not mean that the existing Highways should get Demolish and Never build another New Highway ever...



Wow. Dude, calm down. First of all, you don't know me. So, stop attributing words or beliefs to me that aren't true. Second, 295 parallels 495. No one would be FORCED to do anything when there's always another viable alternative. Sheesh. Get a grip.

Thank You!:cheers:

So I take it that you're unable to discount any of what I said.

Wow. Dude, calm down. First of all, you don't know me. So, stop attributing words or beliefs to me that aren't true. Second, 295 parallels 495. No one would be FORCED to do anything when there's always another viable alternative. Sheesh. Get a grip.

No it does not parallel especially since 295 is in DC and 495 is in Maryland...

I'll say again if the day they demolish 295 will be the day they will demolish the Springfield Mixing Bowl, I-395(from Springfield to DC), and I-66(from Fairfax to DC)..........:)

So I take it that you're unable to discount any of what I said.

What......

:nuts:

What......

:nuts:

I'll take that as an affirmative.

I'll take that as an affirmative.

what.....

:nuts:

Kennilworth Avenue can be expanded and extended as a Commercial Service Road along I-295 looking like the Van Wyck Expressway I-678 in South Queens, but more upscale:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Interstate_678.jpg/800px-Interstate_678.jpg

Kennilworth Avenue can be expanded and extended as a Commercial Service Road along I-295 looking like the Van Wyck Expressway I-678 in South Queens, but more upscale:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Interstate_678.jpg/800px-Interstate_678.jpg
Um, there's a reason why that looks so horribly ghetto and run down. It's because dense upscale housing/retail/office doesn't want to build adjacent to 12 lanes of noisy highway with zero pedestrian access (see the barriers separating the lanes of traffic?) and zero buffers. Instead, they should model SE development after a model that is shown to work very well, like the boulevards of NW DC such as Connecticut Ave (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Connecticut_Avenue%2C_Washington_DC.jpg). They should excavate the area of Anacostia Park right next to 295 (cut and cover style) and put the new 295 there (which is what you suggested before) to visibly hide the highway and on top of it build an attractive 6 lane boulevard for local traffic.

Yes, the best alternative would be to put 295 in a tunnel and run a wide boulevard where the highway once was... BUT, to be honest i don't see a project that expensive gaining approval or breaking ground any time soon, not to say that it isn't a great idea, which i do believe it is.

Yes, the best alternative would be to put 295 in a tunnel and run a wide boulevard where the highway once was... BUT, to be honest i don't see a project that expensive gaining approval or breaking ground any time soon, not to say that it isn't a great idea, which i do believe it is.

Certainly. It would likely be tremendously expensive and would require a great deal of investment from both public and private sectors, which frankly isn't something that is likely to happen for a while. Though in an interview, the guy who came up with the idea also had an interesting way of paying for it. They pay for it the same way they did the Capitol and other public buildings when Washington was originally laid out. They'd essentially sell the lots in advance to finance the project. I doubt it'd pay for the whole (or even half) of it, but it's a start.

Um, there's a reason why that looks so horribly ghetto and run down. It's because dense upscale housing/retail/office doesn't want to build adjacent to 12 lanes of noisy highway with zero pedestrian access (see the barriers separating the lanes of traffic?) and zero buffers.

:lol:

I take it that you never been to South Queens or the Bronx...

Anyway if you pay attention to the photo you would see that I-678 is 6 Lanes and the Access Road is 6 Lanes with access to All of the Local Streets.

Instead, they should model SE development after a model that is shown to work very well, like the boulevards of NW DC such as Connecticut Ave (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Connecticut_Avenue%2C_Washington_DC.jpg). They should excavate the area of Anacostia Park right next to 295 (cut and cover style) and put the new 295 there (which is what you suggested before) to visibly hide the highway and on top of it build an attractive 6 lane boulevard for local traffic.

Either way they are not getting rid of I-295....:cheers:

Certainly. It would likely be tremendously expensive and would require a great deal of investment from both public and private sectors, which frankly isn't something that is likely to happen for a while. Though in an interview, the guy who came up with the idea also had an interesting way of paying for it. They pay for it the same way they did the Capitol and other public buildings when Washington was originally laid out. They'd essentially sell the lots in advance to finance the project. I doubt it'd pay for the whole (or even half) of it, but it's a start.

Or build a toll bridge on any or all of the Anacostia Crossings which could help pay for the projects........

:lol:

I take it that you never been to South Queens or the Bronx...

Anyway if you pay attention to the photo you would see that I-678 is 6 Lanes and the Access Road is 6 Lanes with access to All of the Local Streets.

Either way they are not getting rid of I-295....:cheers:

Exactly, as I said, it's 12 noisy lanes with very limited pedestrian accesibility. That picture was taken from the rail overpass just north of Atlantic Ave looking north. If there's a nice restaurant you want to go to across the street, you have to walk several hundred (or a thousand, depending on where you are) feet to get to a cross street bridge, then cross the highways, then go several hundred feet back down. If highscale classy development likes that type of setting, then how come they haven't put up shop on 678?
And if you'd pay attention, we're saying they should bury the highway in a tunnel and build over it.

Or build a toll bridge on any or all of the Anacostia Crossings which could help pay for the projects........
That could help, but I don't know how effective it'd be. It's too easy to just cross into DC from New York Ave/Bladensburg/Rhode Island Ave so many people would probably just take those routes instead of paying the tolls.

Exactly, as I said, it's 12 noisy lanes with very limited pedestrian accesibility. That picture was taken from the rail overpass just north of Atlantic Ave looking north. If there's a nice restaurant you want to go to across the street, you have to walk several hundred (or a thousand, depending on where you are) feet to get to a cross street bridge, then cross the highways, then go several hundred feet back down. If highscale classy development likes that type of setting, then how come they haven't put up shop on 678?
And if you'd pay attention, we're saying they should bury the highway in a tunnel and build over it.

Or elevate the highway over a 6-8 lane Surface Road.....


That could help, but I don't know how effective it'd be. It's too easy to just cross into DC from New York Ave/Bladensburg/Rhode Island Ave so many people would probably just take those routes instead of paying the tolls.

It'll be effective because many people live in SE and SE PG County and they are not going to waste gas going North then South just to avoid a few dollars to pay a toll....

Most of the bridges that go over the East River like the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens Bridge don't have tolls but the Queens-Midtown and Tri-Boro Bridges have $6-$8 tolls in both directions and from my experience it is the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Tri-Boro Bridges receive the most Traffice than the non-Toll East River bridges..........

Or elevate the highway over a 6-8 lane Surface Road.....
That would be almost as bad as having the service lanes. Rich upscale development doesn't want to set up shop in an area where they look out their window and the view is obstructed by a gigantic elevated highway. You can't put a fancy boulevard with rows of street trees in an area that is covered by a highway that blocks all the light, generates a ton of noise and drips motor oil and grease when it rains. Elevated highways are a blight in a downtown landscape. It's why many elevated highways throughout the country have been removed.
Before and after of the Embarcadero Freeway in San Fransisco (top is 1992 bottom is 2003)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/228932719_9e53805652.jpg

And another great example is the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle. It's going to be replaced with a tunnel, and construction should begin next year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_replacement_of_the_Alaskan_Way_Viaduct


It'll be effective because many people live in SE and SE PG County and they are not going to waste gas going North then South just to avoid a few dollars to pay a toll....

Most of the bridges that go over the East River like the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens Bridge don't have tolls but the Queens-Midtown and Tri-Boro Bridges have $6-$8 tolls in both directions and from my experience it is the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Tri-Boro Bridges receive the most Traffice than the non-Toll East River bridges..........
It won't work that way. In NYC the bridges are several miles apart so if you want to take a non-toll road, you have to go way out of your way to get there. The Anacostia plan calls for many bridges (about 20) that are only a few hundred to about a thousand feet apart (like in Paris). It'd be very easy to just go from one bridge to another. The only way a toll would work is if you toll all the crossings, and that won't work politically. Anacostia is almost totally populated by blacks. The NAACP would be on the scene instantly saying that the DDOT is taxing blacks' access into the city, or they're trying to prevent them from getting into the city, or whatever.

I actually meant to say the Southeast Freeway/I-395 should be "cut and covered" with air rights. Anacostioa Freeway/I-295 would be exorbitantly in the stratosphere expensive......possible....but not even halfway feasible in this 1st half of the 21st century.

But Southeast Freeway IMHO is the perfect length and route to be re-constructed underground and as was said earlier, boulevard-ed over. There was a WashingtonPost article about this around 2003 or 2004, I can't find it.

That would be almost as bad as having the service lanes. Rich upscale development doesn't want to set up shop in an area where they look out their window and the view is obstructed by a gigantic elevated highway. You can't put a fancy boulevard with rows of street trees in an area that is covered by a highway that blocks all the light, generates a ton of noise and drips motor oil and grease when it rains. Elevated highways are a blight in a downtown landscape. It's why many elevated highways throughout the country have been removed.
Before and after of the Embarcadero Freeway in San Fransisco (top is 1992 bottom is 2003)

And another great example is the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle. It's going to be replaced with a tunnel, and construction should begin next year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_replacement_of_the_Alaskan_Way_Viaduct



It won't work that way. In NYC the bridges are several miles apart so if you want to take a non-toll road, you have to go way out of your way to get there. The Anacostia plan calls for many bridges (about 20) that are only a few hundred to about a thousand feet apart (like in Paris). It'd be very easy to just go from one bridge to another. The only way a toll would work is if you toll all the crossings, and that won't work politically. Anacostia is almost totally populated by blacks. The NAACP would be on the scene instantly saying that the DDOT is taxing blacks' access into the city, or they're trying to prevent them from getting into the city, or whatever.

I am sorry but after reading it a few time I still don't understand how this has to do with the Fact that they will not do anything to remove I-295 in DC and to do so would mean that they will have to remove I-395 and I-66 from Virginia to DC, and remove the Freeway Circle(VA 110 and 27) around the Pentagon.......

I am sorry but after reading it a few time I still don't understand how this has to do with the Fact that they will not do anything to remove I-295 in DC and to do so would mean that they will have to remove I-395 and I-66 from Virginia to DC, and remove the Freeway Circle(VA 110 and 27) around the Pentagon.......

I don't get why you think removal of 295 would require removal of 66 or the highways around the Pentagon...

I don't get why you think removal of 295 would require removal of 66 or the highways around the Pentagon...

If they remove I-295(which you have no problem with) then why will it be an issue with you if the same being done with Virginia Highways connecting to DC like I-66, I-395, and the Freeways around the Pentagon??????

If you hate Highways in Maryland and DC shouldn't you hate Highways in Virginia too??????????

If they remove I-295(which you have no problem with) then why will it be an issue with you if the same being done with Virginia Highways connecting to DC like I-66, I-395, and the Freeways around the Pentagon??????

If you hate Highways in Maryland and DC shouldn't you hate Highways in Virginia too??????????

You = :nuts:

The idea is conceal freeways inside of the city as much as possible. They do serve an important purpose, but sometimes, depending on where they are and how they're implemented that can do great damage that would ideally be limited to a minimum. A valuable area like that between the capitol and navy yard and the whitehurst are obviously going to be more of a target of removal or whatnot than some place that's less valuable and already FUBAR w/ highways.

If they remove I-295(which you have no problem with) then why will it be an issue with you if the same being done with Virginia Highways connecting to DC like I-66, I-395, and the Freeways around the Pentagon??????

If you hate Highways in Maryland and DC shouldn't you hate Highways in Virginia too?????????? You = :nuts:

So that means that you are a true Maryland hater because every anti-Highway and Large Suburban Development that you HATE is towards Maryland and you Never have nothing Critical too say about the Highways and MASS Suburban Sprawl in Virginia........

The only reason why people support removing I-295 in DC because it benefits Maryland Commuters or else they would also recommend removing I-395 and I-66 inside the Beltway.........

The idea is conceal freeways inside of the city as much as possible. They do serve an important purpose, but sometimes, depending on where they are and how they're implemented that can do great damage that would ideally be limited to a minimum.

Like how it would benefit Maryland Commuters vs. Virginia Commuters.......


A valuable area like that between the capitol and navy yard and the whitehurst are obviously going to be more of a target of removal or whatnot than some place that's less valuable and already FUBAR w/ highways.

Right because removing the highways there would further damage the Commute between Maryland and Downtown DC but yet they don't support removing I-66, I-395, and the Pentagon Freeways because Virginians benefit from it.

When they shut down ALL of the Freeways connecting to DC from Virginia last year for a few hours there were a lot of pissed off Virginians making Civil War References and talking about Maryland Favoritism which makes me believe that Virginia may have played a Large Part in Preventing any Major Highways from being Built between DC and Maryland........

So that means that you are a true Maryland hater because every anti-Highway and Large Suburban Development that you HATE is towards Maryland and you Never have nothing Critical too say about the Highways and MASS Suburban Sprawl in Virginia........

The only reason why people support removing I-295 in DC because it benefits Maryland Commuters or else they would also recommend removing I-395 and I-66 inside the Beltway.........

Are you serious?? LOL Don't you remember months ago when you first started going on about "MASS Development" in northern Virginia and how I criticized Fairfax and Loudon's growth patterns as sprawl and detrimental to the region for increasing our reliance on cars (and thus expensive highways), while you constantly applaud it? You're the kind of person who rewrites history in his (or her) head so that you can feel better about yourself when you know you're wrong.

i think we should nickname uptn "Le Corbusier"

Are you serious?? LOL Don't you remember months ago when you first started going on about "MASS Development" in northern Virginia and how I criticized Fairfax and Loudon's growth patterns as sprawl and detrimental to the region for increasing our reliance on cars (and thus expensive highways), while you constantly applaud it? You're the kind of person who rewrites history in his (or her) head so that you can feel better about yourself when you know you're wrong.

All I am saying is that they will not remove I-295 unless they are ready to remove I-66, I-395, and Pentagon Freeways too.........:)

All I am saying is that they will not remove I-295 unless they are ready to remove I-66, I-395, and Pentagon Freeways too.........:)

First off, removal of one highway does not result in removal of all highways.

Second, if you were paying attention, you'd have noticed that the ideas we were floating around involved tunneling 295 to free up the land, not eliminating it as a route entirely.

All I am saying is that they will not remove I-295 unless they are ready to remove I-66, I-395, and Pentagon Freeways too.........:)

Who is "they"?

First off, removal of one highway does not result in removal of all highways.

Second, if you were paying attention, you'd have noticed that the ideas we were floating around involved tunneling 295 to free up the land, not eliminating it as a route entirely.

Tunneling it like the Big Dig or 3rd Street Tunnel or Double Deck it shall be the options but Removing the Interstate Highway is Totally out of question and further more part of it should be widen(8 Lanes) from SE DC to Laurel..........

Like how it would benefit Maryland Commuters vs. Virginia Commuters.......

You're very ignorant if you think getting rid of the southwest freeway is not detrimental to Virginians.

Right because removing the highways there would further damage the Commute between Maryland and Downtown DC but yet they don't support removing I-66, I-395, and the Pentagon Freeways because Virginians benefit from it.

Who is "they"? You keep saying they, I don't know what that means. The southwest freeway is used by a lot of people. Burying it or converting it into a boulevard would benefit District residents, which is what the District cares most about. It's not going to happen anyway, so there's almost no point in talking about it.

DC is better off for having 395 terminate at NY Ave. and it has nothing to do at all w/ Virginia vs. Maryland, you're a fucking idiot for framing every discussion this way.

When they shut down ALL of the Freeways connecting to DC from Virginia last year for a few hours there were a lot of pissed off Virginians making Civil War References and talking about Maryland Favoritism which makes me believe that Virginia may have played a Large Part in Preventing any Major Highways from being Built between DC and Maryland........

Again, you're a moron. VA is linked to DC only w/ bridges and the tunnel under the Potomac. Cutting most of this off SEVERELY limits anyone from south of the city from trying to get in, whether they be from Virginia or points south and west.

There were far more Civil War references coming from insecure DC and Maryland residents saying how they wish that it were permanent. DC and Maryland, w/ their own identity crises are just as obsessed w/ these stupid Civil War references as anyone.

It had nothing to do w/ favoritism, more to do w/ safety, but it's just the circumstances that made things the way they were. Unfortunately, there are too many people like yourself who lack logic and reason and come to ridiculous conclusions w/o any evidence.

You are a very insecure person, seriously. I think Virginians reading what you write should be more flattered than anything else by your paranoid tone.

Who is "they"?

Who is they in reference to removing I-295 because to my understanding they(Department of Transportation) are working on Interchange Upgrades to I-295.......

Soo basically its not worth wishing or speculating that they will remove I-295 or any other limited access Highway inside the Beltways.......

Despite how a small group of people may Discriminate against Highways in Maryland/DC there is still a good possibility that I-66, I-95, and I-270 will be built through DC through Tunneling or Double Decking may it be within a few years to a few Decades from now..........

You're very ignorant if you think getting rid of the southwest freeway is not detrimental to Virginians.



Who is "they"? You keep saying they, I don't know what that means. The southwest freeway is used by a lot of people. Burying it or converting it into a boulevard would benefit District residents, which is what the District cares most about. It's not going to happen anyway, so there's almost no point in talking about it.

DC is better off for having 395 terminate at NY Ave. and it has nothing to do at all w/ Virginia vs. Maryland, you're a fucking idiot for framing every discussion this way.



Again, you're a moron. VA is linked to DC only w/ bridges and the tunnel under the Potomac. Cutting most of this off SEVERELY limits anyone from south of the city from trying to get in, whether they be from Virginia or points south and west.

There were far more Civil War references coming from insecure DC and Maryland residents saying how they wish that it were permanent. DC and Maryland, w/ their own identity crises are just as obsessed w/ these stupid Civil War references as anyone.

It had nothing to do w/ favoritism, more to do w/ safety, but it's just the circumstances that made things the way they were. Unfortunately, there are too many people like yourself who lack logic and reason and come to ridiculous conclusions w/o any evidence.

You are a very insecure person, seriously. I think Virginians reading what you write should be more flattered than anything else by your paranoid tone.

Your name calling and off base rants about Maryland making civil war references means that I struck a nerve with my observations......

Virginia has 3 Major Subway Rail Services linking DC and Virginia. Virginia has two VRE Commuter Rail Lines linking DC and Virginia. There are SEVERAL Commuter Bus Routes linking DC/Pentagon and Virginia. Arlington Memorial Bridge, Key Bridge, and Chain Bridge links DC and Virginia which is more than the two Bridges(American Legion and Wilson Bridge) linking Suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. Virginia would survive without I-66 and I-395 just like Maryland survived(at least thats what the so-call anti-Growth Environmentalist and so-called politicians keep brain washing Maryland tax payers) without I-270 and I-95 going into DC from Maryland because of "METRO".

I never said remove the Historic Arlington Memorial Bridge, GW Parkway, Key Bridge, and Chain Bridge. I said if they remove I-295 they may as well remove I-395 and I-66 too. And you go on a Looong Rant about Virginia being Inconvenienced if I-395 and I-66 didn't exist. So if you Really Believe that then any argument for supporting the Failures to build I-270 and I-95 through DC from Maryland is Complete BS and proves that the only reason that I-270 and I-95 does not connect into DC is due to Jealousy from non-Marylanders because of the Fact that Maryland and DC is more Connected with Side Streets and Boulevards and building Multiple Freeways to connect DC and Maryland will make Maryland/DC more Urban Connected(like the Bronx and West Chester County or Queens and Nassau County) than DC/Virginia. Also building Mass Transit and no Highways does not equate to Urbanism because if that were true then it would be pointless for The VA I-495 Beltway getting HOT Lanes through Urban Conversion Tysons Corner, I-95 Widening through Springfield, I-66 Widening through "Urbanist" Falls Church/Arlington since the Orange Line Runs right in the middle the Highway, and I-95/495 Beltway Widening through Downtown Alexandria.....

All of what you just posted makes no sense. Just FYI.

All of what you just posted makes no sense. Just FYI.

OK, Whats new...........:ohno:

And on 4/20 with Capitol Hemp opening their second store in Chinatown

D.C. Council approves medical marijuana


The D.C. Council unanimously approved a bill Tuesday to allow chronically ill patients to receive a doctor's prescription to use marijuana and buy it from a city-sanctioned distribution center.

Under the bill, which passed without debate, a patient who suffers from HIV, glaucoma, cancer or a "chronic and lasting disease" may receive a doctor's recommendation to possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana in a 30-day period.

The patient would not be allowed to grow their own marijuana, but between five and eight pot distribution centers would be established in the city.

Those distribution centers would receive marijuana from privately run cultivation centers, where up to 95 marijuana plants could be grown at a given time. The distribution and cultivation centers, which could not be located within 300 feet of a school or preschool, would be operated by private or nonprofit organizations and businesses that would be licensed by the city.

The council will have to vote on it a second time next month. But it will likely be at least several months before the city's medical marijuana program gets off the ground.

When you guys get a chance, go over to greatergreaterwashington.org (http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=5619#comments) and read some of uptn1bx2hrlm5blyn's, aka "Tim" and other aliases, rants.

He says "re... I detect alot of hate towards Maryland in that paragraph so I will not address it......" in response to a post saying that there's sprawl in Maryland as well in Virginia, but all this fool does is hate on Virginia non-stop w/ conspiracy-filled, spittle-laden rants. He doesn't like to take what he's constantly dishing out.

When you guys get a chance, go over to greatergreaterwashington.org (http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=5619#comments) and read some of uptn1bx2hrlm5blyn's, aka "Tim" and other aliases, rants.

He says "re... I detect alot of hate towards Maryland in that paragraph so I will not address it......" in response to a post saying that there's sprawl in Maryland as well in Virginia, but all this fool does is hate on Virginia non-stop w/ conspiracy-filled, spittle-laden rants. He doesn't like to take what he's constantly dishing out.

Oh indeed, he posts under a million different names, but it's easy to tell which is him since his syntax is rather... unique.

I actually don't see his posts (most of them here, anyways) as hating on Virginia (though I do sense that he feels that Virginians are in some way "stealing" development that Maryland is "entitled" to, and his posts on that blog are usually anti-Virginia). I think he falsely equates quality of life with the number of "Tall Glass Office Buildings" and "Upscale Retail Centers" an area has, without taking into account other things that make a community a unique entity (don't forget that not everyone is rich enough to shop in such upscale retail areas, or educated enough to work in such tall glass office towers... he doesn't take into account the lower middle or working class people of the region).

Love it or hate it, Washington’s Height Act has been instrumental in shaping an unmistakable skyline recognized around the world. But can it coexist with the contemporary architecture, density, and sustainable policies of modern times? Join the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on May 18 when Larry Beasley, former Vancouver planning director and self-described evangelist for urban density, challenges our basic assumptions about density and the form of the city in the 21st century. FREE.

When: Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Naval Heritage Center at the U.S. Navy Memorial | 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

RSVP: speakerseries@ncpc.gov or 202-482-7200. Walk-ins welcome

Wouldn't it be cool if DC got a huge observation/tv tower somewhere? Where should it go? I'm thinking something like the space needle or CN Tower. The list of cities with such towers includes Toronto, Moscow, Tehran, Kiev, Tashkent, Berlin, Almaty, Las Vegas, Frankfurt, Talinn, Sydney, Munich, San Antonio, Buenos Aires, Seattle, Prague and Calgary among many others, including a slew of Chinese cities.

1000 Connecticut has office interest, too (http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/breaking_ground/2010/05/1000_connecticut_has_office_interest_too.html)

http://assets.bizjournals.com/cms_media/washington/blog/breaking_ground/2010/05/211509-0-0-5.jpg?site=bizjournals.com

Our story from Friday's paper outlines the high interest from potential retail tenants at 1000 Connecticut Ave. NW (subscribers only), but there's also been clear demand for the available office portion.

Even though its fall 2012 delivery date is far away, potential tenants willing to pay up to sit at a prominent downtown corner are already pursuing the 120,000 square feet of available office space.

“The usual suspects are interested,” said Audrey Cramer of Cushman & Wakefield, which is marketing the available office portion located at the top of the building.

Arent Fox LLP signed a lease in May 2008 to occupy 254,475 square feet -- or 70 percent -- of the 369,725-square-foot trophy building rising at Connecticut and K streets NW.

The interested "suspects" Cramer references include other law firms, associations and government affairs offices, she said.

Wouldn't it be cool if DC got a huge observation/tv tower somewhere? Where should it go? I'm thinking something like the space needle or CN Tower. The list of cities with such towers includes Toronto, Moscow, Tehran, Kiev, Tashkent, Berlin, Almaty, Las Vegas, Frankfurt, Talinn, Sydney, Munich, San Antonio, Buenos Aires, Seattle, Prague and Calgary among many others, including a slew of Chinese cities.

Well, the Washington Monument is a tall observation tower :tongue3:
Though if somebody wanted to build a new one... hmm... I have no idea where they'd put it.

Washington ranks 2nd in quality of life survey (http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/morning_call/2010/05/washington_ranks_2nd_in_quality_of_life_survey.html?surround=lfn)

According to that survey, DC is only behind Raleigh. Also, Baltimore ranks 15.

:lurker:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/02/AR2010060203968.html?sid=ST2010060204105

Bus to the beach: DC2NY starts service from Washington to Rehoboth and Dewey

Greater Washington tops U.S., worldwide lists in business, employment (http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2010/06/greater_washington_area_tops_us_worldwide_lists_in_business_and_employment.html?surround=lfn)

well come to vietnam http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1204299

Hello friends to the south. I recently landed a job in DC working for the House. I am looking to move into the city with my girlfriend however know little about the neighborhoods. Ideally I would like to find a two bedroom place between 1600-1800. Not sure how realistic this is, however first wanted to get your take on some neighborhoods.

My girlfriend seems to like Glover Park neighborhood. How walkable is the area? Are there restaurants, bars, grocery stores, main street, within walking distance. Sounds like I would either need to bike, take a bus to my job on 3rd street, or a bus to the metro. Do you guys have any idea of how long this should take. Googlemaps says Glover Park 4.4 miles away from my job. I currently live in Federal Hill in Baltimore? I know Du Pont and Adams Morgan are probably most similar to federal hill. Do you guys have any other suggestions. Thanks any help is much appreciated.

I think Capitol Hill could be an option, a bit east of there is a bit cheaper, but still has charm and potential with metro nearby as well. A negative, or positive, is that it's sort of isolated from NW DC where most of the action is. That's similar to Glover Park since there's no metro. But there is great bus service that could make you almost forget about metro. There are restaurants and bars, groceries, convenience stores, all within walking distance and it's close to G'town. There isn't as much to do as in Dupont, but there is still enough to get by and the neighborhood is nice. Cabs are easy to get as well. You have a girlfriend, but I was also going to say that there are some good looking women in Glover Park as well. I think you could find a deal in Glover Park within your budget as well.

I've gone back and forth about moving to DC, when/if I get a job in DC, I'll definitely move back in, but convenience to my job and a newer place is why I currently live off of the orange line in Arlington. Glover Park is probably in my top 3.

If I lived in Glover Park and needed to get to the Hill, I'd probably take a bus, of which there are plenty, to Farragut West and continue on the blue or orange line to Capitol South which dumps you basically on the House side of the Capitol. If you worked at the Senate, this would still do or you could take the Red Line at Farragut North to Union Station. There's also bus service from Glover Park that takes you through Dupont and Downtown while bypassing M St. traffic. Farragut is sort of a crossroads for transit, especially for those going to Upper NW.

I recommend Mount Pleasant. It is safe but still relatively affordable. You could take a bus down 16th street and then catch the metro or a circulator to get to work, and it's quite a bit closer than Glover Park. It's also close to the new retail stores at columbia heights and an easy walk to adams morgan bars/restaurants.

Also be sure to look at the capitol hill neighborhood itself, perhaps near eastern market, as it is pretty peaceful and would be a lot easier commute-wise.

Article talking about DC United's search for a stadium in the District. Apparently, there are four sites under consideration but Buzzard Point is probably the favorite.

Some pictures I took today (5 Feb) from Navy Yard, which seems to be forgotten in all the development talk.

Navy Yard Metro entrance at M and New Jersey:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5419957652_495908df93_b.jpg

USDOT headquarters and Foundry Lofts (the latter currently under construction)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5419351557_d2ae31ac76_b.jpg

The Yards Park:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5419952846_7e0ba0e047_b.jpg

The Watergate Complex Hotel remains vacant after it closed for a planned renovation in 2007.

The L'Enfant Plaza is currently undergoing renovations and adding two new buildings (one to the south of the hotel structure and the other on its central plaza). Seriously, the purpose of the renovations is to was to try to make space for new buildings? Looks like there shouldn't be any space for new buildings in L'Enfant Plaza. The plan was proposed by JBG Properties. Heyman Properties is opposed to the plan and they claim that the public plaza will be disrupted. Why can't they go ahead with the renovations and not construct the new buildings at all? I would rather convert the East building into full hotel use instead of just a few floors rather than construct the new buildings. This is an example of needless air rights and, therefore, the new buildings at L'Enfant Plaza need to be thrown out.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/files/2010/11/image015_014-1.jpg

http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Programs+and+Initiatives/Neighborhood+Revitalization/Ward+Seven/Benning+Road+and+Minnesota+Avenue,+NE+Site+Phase+Two

Barry Farm and Parkchester redevelopment in Anacostia:
http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Projects/Development+Projects/Barry+Farm

Matthews Memorial Terrace in Anacostia:
http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Programs+and+Initiatives/Neighborhood+Revitalization/Ward+Eight/Matthews+Memorial+Terrace

Sheridan Station in Anacostia:
http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Projects/Anacostia+Waterfront+Initiative/Anacostia+Waterfront+Neighborhood+Projects/Sheridan+Station

UNCF Headquarters Project:
http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Programs+and+Initiatives/Neighborhood+Revitalization/Ward+One/UNCF+Headquarters+Project

Park Morton New Community in Park View:
http://dmped.dc.gov/DC/DMPED/Programs+and+Initiatives/Neighborhood+Revitalization/Ward+One/Park+Morton+New+Community

NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/realestate/commercial/washingtons-citycenterdc-project-is-finally-under-way.html?ref=realestate)



Square Feet
Blocks From the President, Developers Plan Big
By TERRY PRISTIN
Published: June 21, 2011

http://www.architecturelist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1_credit_neoscape-520x340.jpg


WASHINGTON — Since the late 1990s, the once-desolate section of downtown Washington east of the White House has undergone a striking transformation. About $10.6 billion has been invested in more than 150 real estate projects. Some 56,000 people now live downtown, up from 38,000 in 2000.

And after years of planning, the most ambitious of the downtown projects is finally under way. Construction began in March on CityCenterDC, a $700 million complex envisioned as a modern-day Rockefeller Center, with 2.5 million square feet of office, residential and retail space as well as a public plaza and park. Completion of the bulk of the project is expected in late 2013, according to the two real estate companies, Hines Interests of Houston and Archstone of Englewood, Colo., that won development rights in 2003.

One of the largest downtown projects in the nation, CityCenterDC will fill 10 acres, all city-owned except for the land beneath two condo buildings. Bounded by New York Avenue and 9th, H and 11th Streets NW, the site was once occupied by a convention center that was demolished in 2004 (a year after the larger Walter E. Washington Convention Center was built nearby), leaving a giant parking lot in one of the city’s most desirable locations, only two blocks from two of the busiest Metrorail stations.

“This really is the hole in the doughnut,” said William M. Collins, a senior managing director of Cassidy Turley, a national brokerage, which is not involved in CityCenterDC.

CityCenterDC is one of several major projects around the country that were stalled by the recession. But while construction has yet to begin developments like Grand Avenue in Los Angeles and Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn (except for the Nets basketball arena, where work is under way), CityCenterDC was able to move forward because of a recent $620 million equity investment by the real estate arm of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. The Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company is now the project’s principal owner.

The complex will be made up of six buildings, 10 and 11 stories in height in keeping with the District of Columbia’s 130-foot height restriction. At their base will be 185,000 square feet of retail stores facing the street. An additional 110,000 square feet of retail space is planned for the project’s second phase, which will also include a luxury hotel.

To integrate the site with its surroundings, the sections of I and 10th Streets that were cut off to make way for the old convention center will be restored. Alleyways, largely restricted to pedestrians, will run between buildings and provide space for smaller stores.

The two office buildings, with a total of 520,000 square feet, and two condominium buildings, with 216 units, were designed by the prominent London architect Norman Foster’s firm, Foster & Partners, whose other projects have included the reconstruction of the Reichstag in Berlin. The two rental apartment buildings, with 458 units, were designed by Shalom Baranes, a local firm that worked on the redevelopment of the Homer building in downtown Washington at 13th and F Streets NW.

Even though nearly 7,000 new rental units are scheduled to be completed in Washington in the next few years, prospects are good for the apartments because of their central location, said Gregory H. Leisch, the chief executive of Delta Associates, a real estate consulting firm that advises Hines and Archstone. Condo prices in the city center have risen 1.8 percent in the past year, to an average of $710 a square foot.

The demand for office space from law firms and other private tenants — the space will be too costly for government tenants, said Bill Alsup, a senior vice president of Hines — is improving, according to Cassidy Turley. But Hines suffered a setback last July, when the national law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom renewed its lease at 1440 New York Avenue NW, rather than fulfilling an earlier plan to lease 350,000 square feet at CityCenterDC. “It would have been very nice to have had a major tenant commitment prior to the start of construction, but it wasn’t critical,” said Mr. Alsup.

Tom Fulcher, an executive vice president at Studley, a brokerage that represents tenants, said most large Washington law firms with leases expiring in 2015 and 2016 had made their real estate decisions because large blocks of space can be scarce in a city without skyscrapers. One exception pursued by the developers is Arnold & Porter, which is searching for about 335,000 square feet. But the project’s biggest challenge, said Jason Jacobson, a group vice president at Archstone, will be getting the retail mix right. Downtown has a lot of “fast fashion, geared toward younger people,” he said. “Our goal is to bring it up a notch.”

Gerry Widdicombe, the director of economic development for the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, a group that helps to market the neighborhood, estimated that Washington residents spent as much as $1 billion a year in suburban shopping centers because of a dearth of stores within the District of Columbia.

The developers are seeking a mix of stores, including apparel, home furnishings and electronic goods, said Mr. Alsup, whose company developed and manages Galleria malls in Houston and Dallas. About one-third of the space will be limited to stores new to downtown, he said. Mr. Jacobson said some space along the alleys would be made available to local fledgling retailers.

Not surprisingly, the developers are trying to persuade the retailer highest on everyone’s list — Apple, which has one store within the District of Columbia, on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown — to open a much bigger store of 15,000 square feet or more.

John Asadoorian, a regional retail broker, said CityCenterDC’s leasing goals demonstrated how downtown had matured. “Ten years ago, you probably could not have talked about the type of retail they are trying to attract,” he said.

Even before the Qatari investors became involved, Hines and Archstone determined that leasing to banks would not help them create lively shopping streets, Mr. Alsup said. But as it happened, their hesitancy on bank branches meshed with the policies of their financial partners, who adhere to the restrictions of Shariah, or Islamic law, including the ban on collecting interest. Restaurants will be able to serve liquor, but retailers whose primary business involves selling alcohol will not be allowed, Mr. Alsup said.

In their marketing materials, Hines and Archstone say they intend to provide “an authentic place for urban residents to socialize outside their homes.”

[...]

More CityCenterDC renders:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/files/2009/12/city-center-dc_aerial_landscape_02.jpg

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/files/2011/04/Picture-21.png

http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/04/foster-and-partners-washington-convention-center-537x405.jpg

http://www.neoscape.com/images/portfolio/illustrations/03_CityCenter_Courtyard_web.jpg

Hello Washington! I am new to the board and eager to participate in the exciting discussions that await.

I find it shameful that the Washington DC board is as inactive as it currently stands. Get it together folks. Some of us Baltimoreans are interested with what goes on 45 miles to the south. I hope you guys are interested in what goes on 45 miles north. Hopefully we can create a relationships between our two great cities that is symbolic of the combined statistical area that has Baltimore and Washington joined to create one the most powerful regions in the country.

Hello Washington! I am new to the board and eager to participate in the exciting discussions that await.

I find it shameful that the Washington DC board is as inactive as it currently stands. Get it together folks. Some of us Baltimoreans are interested with what goes on 45 miles to the south. I hope you guys are interested in what goes on 45 miles north. Hopefully we can create a relationships between our two great cities that is symbolic of the combined statistical area that has Baltimore and Washington joined to create one the most powerful regions in the country.

I think your region needs to focus on attracting people to the Urban areas and stop the suburban movement.

The Old Post Office Pavilion costs the government $6.5 million to maintain. The General Services Administration, who manages the building, is currently seeking offers for the building's redevelopment. Several hotel operators have expressed interest. The Old post Office Pavilion may probably be converted into an “ultra-luxury” hotel with nearly 300 rooms, a large ballroom or conference room, a spa, and a museum gallery dedicated to the building’s history leading into the building’s clock tower. The plans retain the building’s exterior facade as well as its original doors, hallways, and interior features.

Oh that would be cool! I used to live just barely down the street from that lovely old post office!

Can anyone in DC please update me (Hopefully with pictures) on the progress at CityCenterDC? When I moved away they were shoring up the foundation walls. I'm really interested in this project specifically.

The Old Post Office Pavilion is situated on the Federal Triangle and wouldn't it be odd to have a hotel on the Federal Triangle? The ultra-luxury hotel should be more along the lines of the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Savoy Hotel in London, or the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

There are hotels just a block away...

According to the Washington Business Journal, Hilton Worldwide is proposing a Waldorf Astoria hotel for the Old Post Office Pavilion.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/11/07/waldorf-astoria-eyes-old-post-office.html

Can anyone in DC please update me (Hopefully with pictures) on the progress at CityCenterDC? When I moved away they were shoring up the foundation walls. I'm really interested in this project specifically.

It is a series of big holes with about 4 to 5 tower cranes rising out of the holes.

Curbed (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/archstone-noma-gets-a-new-name-and-starts-to-spill-details.php)


Archstone NoMa Gets A New Name And Starts To Spill Details

Thursday, November 10, 2011, by Amy Rose Dobson

http://multifamilyexecutive.com/Images/Archstone%201st%20and%20M-highres_tcm23-821123.jpg

The building going up at 1st and M Streets in Northeast is now officially called Archstone First + M, perhaps so it doesn't get confused with the other Archstone building going up in NoMa over on K Street. We got word on some more specifics about this 469-unit project that is expected to deliver in July 2012 and the perks are en fuego. The breakdown of the units is: one bedrooms (192), two bedrooms (206), and three bedrooms (71). But the amenities are what every hipster wants to hear. Not only is there bike storage, but also a bike maintenance facility, professional-grade pet washing stations, and two soundproof rooms for music practice or meditation (not simultaneously).

[...]

Monroe Street Market Breaks Ground (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/monroe-street-market-to-break-ground-tomorrow.php)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ksFKjNYk8A/Trr5mXV_bOI/AAAAAAAAAEk/pQaXs7MguhM/s400/edit_Monroe_Market_111.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdDSi1h6de0/TrmCVYgfacI/AAAAAAAABOA/dTJLY220T2k/s1600/CUA%2Brendering-2%2Blow-res.jpg


The Monroe Street Market project will consist of a progressive mix of uses: approximately 720 residential units, 45 townhomes, 83,000 square feet of street-level retail, 15,000 square feet of artist studio space, a 3,000 square-foot community arts center, and 850 parking spaces


The first phase, consisting of 562 residential units, is scheduled for completion in summer 2013.

http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/releases/2011/groundbreaking-post-event.cfm


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zbPJ3b_0no0/TrmCQvOjQjI/AAAAAAAABN0/WGlU8HCAnNM/s1600/CUA%2Brendering-3.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RAeUdOA71MM/Trq5P579oII/AAAAAAAABPg/i1ndS40vHc0/s1600/pic_monroestreet_siteplan_th.jpg

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/11/college-town-for-catholic-university-in.html

DCMud (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/11/southwest-wharf-developers-move-onto.html)


Southwest Wharf Developers Move onto Design Phase
Posted by Kelly on 11/04/2011

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_FXRB89iVc/TrQbzi1LE8I/AAAAAAAABIE/hIG-9RXHMNw/s1600/wharf.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oSOebc_eMCw/TrQiyEkNnyI/AAAAAAAABIQ/XeyC5QSL30g/s1600/wharf%2Bparcels.jpg

With Zoning Commission approval of the First Stage zoning application secured last week, PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette - joint developers of the $2-billion Wharf in Southwest - now turn to the completion of the Second Stage PUD, in order for submittal early next year.

The Hoffman-Madison team has been gaining momentum in filling its 3.2 million s.f. development along the northern shore of the Washington Channel and aims to begin construction on the first phase (of three) in the first quarter of 2013. The first phase of construction, expected to take four years, will build out 40 percent of the entire development with parcels 2 thru 5.

Site designs, in order from north to south, will include: two apartment towers above a 100,000-s.f. multi-purpose theater (parcel 2); a four-star, 268-room hotel by Carr Hospitality and InterContinental Hotels Group, which purchased the site in early October, and office space with signed tenant the Graduate School USA (parcel 3); an apartment and condominium building (parcel 4), and two JBG Companies-operated hotels, a limited service and an extended stay (parcel 5). All of the parcels will include ground floor retail, with the combined total approximately 300,000 s.f.

[...]

DCMud (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/11/14th-street-project-altered-moves.html)


14th Street Project Altered, Moves Forward, After ANC Review
Posted by Kelly on 11/08/2011

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edHgV7_mSSo/Trf_hFIKiwI/AAAAAAAABMU/UMfsnfdE1LE/s1600/The%2Birwin%2Bcurrent.jpg

14th Street's newest residences have made it through community input, now a bit smaller, and with a new look. "The Irwin," a 6-story, mixed use building designed by Torti Gallas and Partners, will take the place of a 1960s-era warehouse at 1326-1328 14th Street, now with a new slightly shrunken design and new facade since it was first conceptualized six months ago, as a result of ANC, HPO and neighborhood input.

[...]

360 H Street Is Moving Along... (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/360-h-street-is-a-full-circle-moment-for-the-atlas-district.php)

http://dc.curbed.com/uploads/H%20Street%20360-thumb.jpg

This one won't be finished until 2013, but the excitement is already building, perhaps because the ground floor will have a 42K square foot Giant plus other yet-to-be-determined retail. When complete the building will have two hundred and fifteen units. They only broke ground this past summer, so things are moving fast.

http://dc.urbanturf.com/images/blog/2011/10/360_degrees_h_street.jpg

Meridian At Mount Vernon Triangle Progressing... (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/425-l.php)

http://dc.curbed.com/uploads/425L-thumb.jpg

Here's another webcam shot, this time of a building on L Street, which everyone seems to be calling 425 L (but we hear its official title is Meridian At Mount Vernon Triangle). The 390-unit building is a few months away from being finished, but they plan to start leasing units in the first quarter of 2012. It will have fourteen stories above ground and three levels of underground parking, including four spaces for charging electric vehicles.

http://pipeline.urbanturf.com/images/projects/9/originals/o-1303480865-04222011-880x600.jpg

Can anyone in DC please update me (Hopefully with pictures) on the progress at CityCenterDC? When I moved away they were shoring up the foundation walls. I'm really interested in this project specifically.

Here's some of the most recent ones I've taken (on 10/25/11):

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6097/6345336157_365e11414b_b.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6346086380_c6c9302b59_b.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6228/6346085328_3803ab0a55_b.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6113/6346085462_866baf43bf_b.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6213/6345337941_17d7e85684_b.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6346086564_a131763588_b.jpg


Some other cranes in the area.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6346086766_0107a6dba1_b.jpg

^^

Nice!!

CityPaper (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/11/16/the-districts-fifth-and-sixth-walmarts-will-at-least-get-urban-design-right/)


D.C.’s 5th and 6th Walmarts Will At Least Get Urban Design Right

Posted by Lydia DePillis on Nov. 16, 2011 at 6:37 am

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/406211/thumbs/r-WALMART-FORT-TOTTEN-SQUARE-large570.jpg
What Fort Totten Square will look like. (Walmart)

You may have heard by now about Walmart's plans to open two more stores in D.C.: One at JBG's Fort Totten Square at South Dakota and Riggs Road NE and another in Ward 7's Skyland Town Center. You might feel overwhelmed by that many Walmarts coming to our little city, frustrated that there's still no city-wide community benefits agreement, or delighted that it's all happening. But one thing you should know about these latest additions: From an urbanism standpoint, they're a lot better than they could be.

[...]

Curbed DC (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/chancellors-row-certified-leed-jbg-changes-approved.php)


Chancellor's Row Certified LEED; JBG Changes Approved

Friday, November 18, 2011, by Amy Rose Dobson

http://dc.curbed.com/uploads/NEW+15th+and+V.jpg

BROOKLAND—The Chancellor's Row development by EYA has just been granted LEED-ND status by the U.S. Green Building Council. [EYA]

15th & V—The apartment building planned for this busy plot near the U Street corridor has been approved by the Historical Preservation Review Board. It will be a nine-story apartment building with 95 apartments. [DCMud]

---

Gentrification finally reaches Anacostia -mildly surprised this article wasn't posted months ago:

‘Gentrification’ covers black and white middle-class home buyers in the District
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/gentrification-covers-black-and-white-middle-class-home-buyers-in-the-district/2011/07/28/gIQATZ7yfI_story.html)
By Emily Wax, Published: July 28

(snip) Gentrification is always a delicate topic, especially in a city where it usually has meant well-to-do whites buying up affordable houses in predominantly black neighborhoods. The trend is reflected in recent census figures that show that the District is no longer a majority-black city and by ever-whiter neighborhoods such as Shaw and H Street Northeast.

But black gentrification is increasingly redefining the G-word and changing the economics of places like Anacostia.

Many older, middle-class black residents say they are proud that successful and wealthy black professionals are increasingly choosing to live in black communities. They feel confident that they won’t be standoffish to black neighbors, especially in a city with a bitter history of racial discrimination and segregation in housing.

Thanks a lot Ex-Ithican. Any updates since Oct 25th? Should be some considerable progress, right?

Curbed (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/12/could-microsoft-help-turn-southeast-around.php)


Could Microsoft Help Turn Southeast Around?

Tuesday, December 13, 2011, by Amy Rose Dobson

http://www.msarchitectsllc.com/portfolio/images/large/StE_02.jpg

Mayor Gray and his team are pushing for the east campus of St. Elizabeth's to become an innovation hub and they want Microsoft to lead the way. Nothing is set in stone, but Microsoft officials have made several site visits to the campus and are 'very interested' in developing both corporate offices and something called a Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC), which is aimed at helping local software companies grow.

[...]

WaPo (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/the-yards-leading-resurgence-of-ballpark-area-construction/2011/12/08/gIQAD2XanO_story.html)


Navy Yard development projects getting new life after languishing in downturn

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/12/09/CapitalBusiness/Images/Boilermaker%20Eastern%20facade.JPG

By Jonathan O'Connell, Published: December 11

When the housing market collapsed and took the economy with it, the area around the Nationals Park became Example A of how the fallout had affected Washington real estate.

Developers with the land near the ballpark had been promoting their planned condominiums, restaurants and bars with large, flashy banners for baseball fans to ogle as they walked to the game. But few of the projects started, and many of those that did struggled.

Now many of those developers in the area, having held on through the depths of the recession, are dusting off their plans and lining up investors. Their fate could well be a harbinger for how well the region’s real estate community fares in 2012.

A remake of former Navy Yard land by Forest City Washington is leading the resurgence. Called the Yards, the $2 billion project long has promised a mix of retail, housing and offices that would put the area on the map for something other than baseball.

Initial work resumed in August 2010 on Foundry Lofts, a high-end, 170-unit apartment building overlooking the project’s waterfront park. The first residents began moving in during the last week of November, according to Gary McManus, a spokesman for Forest City Washington. He said the apartments are about 50 percent leased, and that the company hopes the building will be fully leased by the spring. A Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Kruba Thai & Sushi restaurant have signed leases and expect to open in the first quarter.

Whether Forest City succeeds in renting out the Foundry Lofts likely will factor into the decision-making process of other developers planning to build apartments in the area. William C. Smith & Co., Akridge and Monument Realty are plotting apartments nearby, but none have begun construction. This could be the year for all three.

[...]

901 Monroe Squeaks Through Civic Association Vote (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/12/901-monroe-squeaks-through-civic-association-vote.php)

http://static.flickr.com/4085/5223779255_88ba3c092f_z.jpg

Marriott Maruis progress: (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/01/today-in-pictures-marriott-marquis.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h-z4juWQd3g/TKT7kL_D_kI/AAAAAAAADwY/A9ZfKvU0IgA/s1600/Convention+Center+hotel.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WnAEvokjaTU/TwIKvwgoQNI/AAAAAAAAGLg/O5Hb6aAsz54/s1600/Marriot%25252520Marquis-1.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mPTFHV4z2OI/TwIKwozd1EI/AAAAAAAAGMI/TWfYoGJq6QY/s1600/Marriot%25252520Marquis-4.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O7xda141OAY/TwINgOwXAvI/AAAAAAAAGMk/SVHjkd05nSU/s1600/Marriot%25252520Marquis-7.jpg

DC Mud reviews the year 2011 (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-year-in-review.html)

Great read! :cheers:

Thanks a lot Ex-Ithican. Any updates since Oct 25th? Should be some considerable progress, right?

Here's a few pics I took on January 12th:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6738198947_2578e5a9ba_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6738199287_9a24396004_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6738199569_80aeb348a4_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6738199827_229e0f5036_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6738200137_ffeb482059_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6738200627_d477d03b1d_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6738201039_065c31872c_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6738201369_e68ef4d01e_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6738201797_fd20629262_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6738202089_c16b65ace7_b.jpg

:)

Question; I was looking at D.C. on Bing just then, and I saw the D.C. convention center from a Birdseye view and it looked liked it was in a terrible location. Is it nice in reality or is it really bad?

I was also looking at Washington D.C. unification with Maryland (only for voters purposers for the most part), here are a few questions about the unification?

1.) Would it be a independent city?
2) If it it does become a independent city, would the name be just "Washington"?
3.) Would D.C. still exist? Or would D.C. be considered the area where the Capitol, White House, and etc are? I'm sure the entire city couldn't join with Maryland because the Capitol still needs its own district.

The Convention Center is basically on the fringe of downtown in what used to be a bad neighborhood. Even today, there are some who may feel a bit unsafe if they were to walk around there at night. But, it's close to the metro and near the Gallery Place neighborhood, so I wouldn't call it a terrible location. There has been a lot of development in that area (like the hotel under construction) and there is a lot of potential in the 7th St. corridor.

Question; I was looking at D.C. on Bing just then, and I saw the D.C. convention center from a Birdseye view and it looked liked it was in a terrible location. Is it nice in reality or is it really bad?

I was also looking at Washington D.C. unification with Maryland (only for voters purposers for the most part), here are a few questions about the unification?

1.) Would it be a independent city?
2) If it it does become a independent city, would the name be just "Washington"?
3.) Would D.C. still exist? Or would D.C. be considered the area where the Capitol, White House, and etc are? I'm sure the entire city couldn't join with Maryland because the Capitol still needs its own district.

My guess it would be renamed just 'Washington' on par with Baltimore (with similar governing structure), with the District of Columbia being reserved for the federal core within the city.

Question; I was looking at D.C. on Bing just then, and I saw the D.C. convention center from a Birdseye view and it looked liked it was in a terrible location. Is it nice in reality or is it really bad?

I was also looking at Washington D.C. unification with Maryland (only for voters purposers for the most part), here are a few questions about the unification?

1.) Would it be a independent city?
2) If it it does become a independent city, would the name be just "Washington"?
3.) Would D.C. still exist? Or would D.C. be considered the area where the Capitol, White House, and etc are? I'm sure the entire city couldn't join with Maryland because the Capitol still needs its own district.

I personally think the DC Convention Center is an amazing asset. Interior I find it to be quite nice. Part of the reason for its current location was to help turn the area neighborhood into a thriving and safe destination. The areas to the southwest of the Convention Center has and is seeing a revival with new construction.

Oh ok, I've never seen the convention center with my own eyes but I just saw it on Google Streetview and it didn't look as if it was in a good location but Streetview can portray neighborhoods having a bad appeal. So thank you for clearing that up.

And good I wouldn't want it to join with MoCO, or PG, being independent like Baltimore would be genius.

@ Infoman, the convention center is only a couple of blocks from my building. In this pic it's just to the right of the smaller brown building with the white window surrounds:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6114/6345958886_40ed085370_b.jpg

And as noted by shakman, the area is booming right now.

NEVERMIND ! You def. changed my opinion of the area, it looks as if it's on the come up to being a hot spot.

NY Post (
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/trump_closer_to_house_Zu8FDrFf4uIvToblHHqxfK?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)[/b]



Trump’s closer to W. House

By KATE SHEEHY
Posted: 1:38 AM, February 8, 2012

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/nj1015.com/files/2012/02/OldPostOffice.jpg

It’s not 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but it’s close enough for The Donald for now.

Former president wannabe Donald Trump has landed a deal to develop Washington’s historic Old Post Office at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. — just three blocks from the White House — into a luxury hotel.

Trump, who will personally oversee the $200 million project, yesterday was pure politician when asked about his inching toward that other piece of prime Washington real estate. He chuckled and refused to say anything more than, “Now, I’ll be able to stop in Washington on the way to Florida,’’ where he has a home.

The new development will be called the Trump International Hotel. “We will make it one of the finest hotels anywhere in the world,’’ Trump said. “It’s going to be . . . magnificent . . . with a restaurant that will be top of the line. “We will bring back the great beauty and grandeur of the building.”

But aside from politics, President Obama might still have one bone to pick with Trump over the deal. The Donald, who last week endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential candidate, described the site at the corner of 12th Street as having an “unrivaled location on Pennsylvania Avenue.’’

The aging building currently houses the National Endowment for the Arts, among other groups.

---
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/trump_closer_to_house_Zu8FDrFf4uIvToblHHqxfK#ixzz1loVtsNFe

Question; I was looking at D.C. on Bing just then, and I saw the D.C. convention center from a Birdseye view and it looked liked it was in a terrible location.

I was also looking at Washington D.C. unification with Maryland (only for voters purposers for the most part), here are a few questions about the unification?


The convention center is one of the better ones out there. It's only a block wide, although it's a few blocks long. It sits along the 8th St axis, which is already interrupted by several ceremonial buildings like the Portrait Gallery, the Old Old Post Office/Hotel Monaco, and the Carnegie library/Historical Society. The big meeting spaces are mostly above or below street level, and the loading docks are mostly below grade. This opens space for liner retail on both of its long sides. Somehow, though, DC always manages to rent these spaces to businesses who don't seem all that interested in, um, being open for business; the Reeves Center has the same problem.

There are no serious proposals to retrocede the District to Maryland, so your specific questions can't be answered. One proposal I read about would have retroceded all but the Monumental Core, though (Capitol, White House, Mall, Federal Triangle), and created a Washington City, Maryland, to distinguish it from Washington County, Maryland.

if the Old Post Office Pavilion is converted into a luxury hotel, won't this mean the National Endowment of the Arts and various other tenants will have to relocate?

I was at GW this evening and noticed a 50 foot hole in the along G Street. I have been trying to find out what is being built there but with no success.

Does anyone know what is being built there?

(This site is not the new Science and Engineering Building.)

Here's some pics of the Center City Dc project I took about a month ago:


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6816572348_09e84f500d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572348/)
CCDC 107 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572348/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6816572096_2afd1d06eb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572096/)
CCDC 109 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572096/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/6816572226_936f459b9c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572226/)
CCDC 108 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572226/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6962691141_973888cc6f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6962691141/)
CCDC 106 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6962691141/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6816572596_cf94aa0e14_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572596/)
CCDC 105 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572596/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6962691377_1275a7ae06_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6962691377/)
CCDC 104 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6962691377/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6816572976_69f1a48e9b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572976/)
CCDC 102 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816572976/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6816573138_5ec81f70c7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816573138/)
CCDC 101 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/6816573138/) by exithacan (http://www.flickr.com/people/22001166@N00/), on Flickr

:)

^^

Great shots! :cheers:


Curbed (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/the-sw-waterfront-is-getting-two-luxury-apartment-buildings.php)


The Tallest Buildings In Southwest To House Luxe Apartments
Monday, March 12, 2012, by Amy Rose Dobson

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/4f5e1e2e85216d08030782ac/SkyHouse_Rendering_4thStreet_LowRes.jpg


Earlier this morning DC's well-practiced ribbon cutters were on hand to announce a project for the SW Waterfront called Sky House. Currently there are two commercial buildings that will be adapted into luxury apartment buildings with a total of 530 units and they will be the tallest buildings in the Southwest quadrant. Sky House, at the corner of 4th and M Streets SW, is a joint venture between Urban Atlantic and JBG and is planned for delivery the fall of 2013.

----

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/cities-with-the-most-new-construction.html

Cities with the most new construction

4. Washington D.C.-$8.1 Billion 2011

Over 12,000 Rental Units Coming To DC Region This Year (http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/could-dc-area-soon-become-a-renters-market-yes-and-no/2012/03/16/gIQAXku0QS_story.html)


The D.C. area market has historically been strong in good and bad economic times because of the number of people who come here for short-term government work, many of whom choose to rent rather than buy because of their lifestyle.

“It’s not like [renters are] saving $300 because rents dropped that much,” Montgomery said. “It’s more of a slowing to a halt and maybe slightly declining. We historically don’t have large rent declines in this area because of the strength of this market.”

Delta predicts that 12,472 units will come on the market in 2012, followed by 10,887 units in 2013. Although not all of those apartments may be delivered, it will be a significant influx of supply compared with the 5,800 units added to the market in an average year.

Northern Virginia will see most of the new stock this year, with 5,895 units expected to come on the market. The flood of units should help push rent prices down, according to Delta, but demand will remain strong in highly sought areas, including the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

In suburban Maryland, 3,662 units are expected to join the market this year. Delta analysts also predict downward pressure on rental prices there as new apartments will likely outpace demand.

In the District, 2,915 units are expected to open this year. Real estate in the city varies greatly. The Northwest quadrant has low vacancy rates and high rents; other parts of the city have more inventory and competitive prices.

But with all of these apartments, there may be fewer people looking to rent.

Delta’s data also show that the surge in renters after the economic downturn has begun to ebb. As a result, the new buildings that come on the market will have to find tenants as people come to Washington for work or as young people leave their parents’ basements.

“Going forward, absorption of units is going to depend on strength of job growth in the region,” Montgomery said. “Our projection is that, at least over the next couple of years, we’re going to have below-average job growth in the region” as government spending slows.

^that is a lot of units especially just for this year!

^that is a lot of units especially just for this year!

I have noticed a lot of multi-family and single unit construction in Loundon County, especially between Dulles and Leesburg.

:)

The "deep hole" I was referring to on G Street NW (GW Universtiy) now has a tower crane pad. I am still unable to determine what is being built there.

As previously stated, the hole appears to be 50 feet deep and is along G St NW between 20th and 21st Streets NW.

Flats 130 closes in on its opening:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6981300866_892f4d76b0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6981300866/)
Flats 130 Residential in NoMa - Washington, DC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6981300866/) by otavio_dc (http://www.flickr.com/people/otavio_dc/), on Flickr

Jefferson 14W under construction in MidCity:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/6936693240_e9bd1fec74_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6936693240/)
Jefferson 14W Under Construction in MidCity DC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6936693240/) by otavio_dc (http://www.flickr.com/people/otavio_dc/), on Flickr

"The Griffin" in Petworth is complete:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6625400163_de8d616d63_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6625400163/)
New residential building "The Griffin" in Petworth - Washington, DC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/otavio_dc/6625400163/) by otavio_dc (http://www.flickr.com/people/otavio_dc/), on Flickr

So know one has any insight on what is being built on G St. NW in the vicinity of GW?

The 50-foot hole I have been referencing now has a tower crane erected along the G St side of the hole.

So know one has any insight on what is being built on G St. NW in the vicinity of GW?

The 50-foot hole I have been referencing now has a tower crane erected along the G St side of the hole.

Does this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/gwu-explosions-construction_n_1460196.html) answer the question?

We now have our National Mall Redesign winners!

Mall design contest winners named to redo D.C. sites (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/mall-design-contest-winners-named/2012/05/02/gIQAAHIdxT_story.html?hpid=z4)

By J. Michael Welton, Published: May 2

The votes are in.

The Trust for the National Mall has named the winning teams in its competition to redesign three long-neglected landscapes between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial.

Rogers Marvel Architects & Peter Walker and Partners will redesign Constitution Gardens east of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, while OLIN & Weiss/Manfredi will bring new life to the Sylvan Theater, southeast of the Washington Monument. The winning design for Union Square near the Capitol, by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol & Davis Brody Bond, will be forwarded to the Architect of the Capitol.

Each entry offers cutting-edge landscape solutions that connect monuments visually, while giving the Mall’s 25 million annual visitors opportunities for entertainment and respite.

Those visitors have proved to be an unrelenting source of wear and tear over the years. Four decades of use and $400 million in deferred maintenance have taken their toll also. Walls are crumbling. Fish in Constitution Gardens’ lake are dying. And Caroline Cunningham, president of the Trust for the National Mall, says it’s too late for triage.

Does this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/gwu-explosions-construction_n_1460196.html) answer the question?

Thanks for the link. The Science and Engineering Hall is located a few blocks away from this hole. Though the link you provided had a GW Neighborhood link where I finally found out what is being built in the hole.

http://www.neighborhood.gwu.edu/campusdev/square103.cfm

Now I can sleep well.

Curbed (http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/12/could-microsoft-help-turn-southeast-around.php)

No turnaround of any consequence will happen in Anacostia and the rest of the Southeast until Marion Barry is dead and gone.

DC Mud (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/05/capitol-square-phase-one-hotel-to-break.html)


NoMa's Capitol Square Hotel to Break Ground This Summer

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n6LeTkkZXOw/T6FJ1gHt0qI/AAAAAAAABHM/UlnGwACKezk/s1600/capsquarefirst.JPG

May 3, 2012

"The first phase of our Capitol Square project, a 200-room Hyatt Place hotel, is scheduled to start construction this summer and be complete by the end of 2013," said a source at JBG. "The office, residential, and retail will follow in future phases.

Capitol Square will go up on the triangular wedge of land bounded by New York Avenue, First Street, and North Capitol Street, currently the site of the defunct New York Avenue Car Wash, nightclub Mirrors, a Covenant House youth shelter, and an older office building, also named Capitol Square (a name so catchy they had to use it twice). Phase one, represented by the aforementioned hotel, will be located on the west end of the site, adjacent to where Covenant House is currently located. The massive new office-residential-hotel-retail project will eventually bring over 2 million square feet of leasable space to NoMa, including 85,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. Capitol Square is one of four properties in the District being developed under the umbrella of JBG Urban, a multibillion-dollar joint venture between JBG and real estate investment management firm MacFarlane Partners.

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[...]

CityCenterDC progressing: (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/today-in-pictures-city-center.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4-KhZGGgvkM/T5mLOjJbDPI/AAAAAAAACWg/I1ijgIMq4ec/s1600/City+Center+2-003.jpg
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/today-in-pictures-city-center.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4krMK9AEyfY/T5mLPSeeioI/AAAAAAAACWo/Luu7lza7fUM/s1600/City+Center+2-007-2.jpg
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/today-in-pictures-city-center.html

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1AxtrPFBk4/T5mLP5mSmHI/AAAAAAAACWw/tZ7DnWDAlos/s1600/City+Center+2-011.jpg
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/today-in-pictures-city-center.html

First+M Opening in June (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/much-to-celebrate-in-noma-bid.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OiDTCTF5Iso/T5AmXc9bucI/AAAAAAAAAJE/jrAghSch47Y/s1600/Archstone+First+++M.jpg



More residents soon will call NoMa home as Archstone's First + M apartments prepare to welcome tenants. The leasing office opened this week, and Jasper said the first residents are expected in June.

With all of those new residents, the neighborhood will need parks. Jasper said a "public realm vision" will be unveiled at the annual meeting. Without giving away all the secrets, she did say that the vision considers how people use parks to create the most useful spaces.

2400 14th St nearing the finish line:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7102465901_6c5b7a2ecb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7102465901/)
2400 14th St under construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7102465901/) by jim_malone (http://www.flickr.com/people/jim_malone/), on Flickr

Gehry Agrees To Eisenhower Memorial Design Changes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/gehry-change-design-eisenhower_n_1517237.html)

http://washingtonexaminer.com/files/styles/article-main-image/public/galleries/Eisen3ower%20Memorial_Rich.jpg


WASHINGTON -- Architect Frank Gehry and his design team proposed changes Tuesday to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial planned for a site near the National Mall after hearing complaints from Ike's family for months.

The family had said the design focuses too much on Eisenhower's humble Kansas roots, rather than his accomplishments.

Members of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission held a public meeting to review changes and said they were nearing a resolution to seek final approval of Gehry's concept.

Gehry has proposed a memorial park that would be framed with large metal tapestries showing a Kansas landscape to evoke Eisenhower's boyhood home in Abilene, Kan. At the center of the park, Gehry is replacing large images in stone reliefs with statues standing about 9 feet tall, showing Ike as a World War II hero and as president.

In a letter to the commission Tuesday, Gehry explained the changes. He couldn't attend because his firm designed the set for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's production of "Don Giovanni," opening Friday.

"How do you represent a man of such towering achievement whose modesty was one of his core values?" Gehry wrote. "I have refined the design to incorporate this feedback, which I believe helps tell the story of Eisenhower with more dignity and more power."

The statues would depict Gen. Eisenhower with the 101st Airborne Division of soldiers before the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, in World War II.

Eisenhower as president would be depicted with his hand on a globe, inspired by a Yousuf Karsh photograph titled "The Elder Statesman."

MV Triangle ([http://www.mvtriangleblog.com/?p=3946)


440 K Street Apartments

http://www.mvtriangleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/440K_rendering.jpg

So I dropped the ball and didn’t pick up on this earlier as I initially assumed 440 K Street was just Kettler changing the address on their upcoming 450 K Street apartments. But it’s an entirely different new project and is part of a modified plan for Mount Vernon Place. Yay for double the residential and retail development on the block.

From the MVT CID Spring newsletter:

"440 K will be the next apartment building to break ground in the Mount Vernon Triangle. With 234 apartments, 440 K will feature two rooftop terraces, a pool, private club room for social occassions, private balconies, and a fitness center. There will also be 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

440 K Street will be the fourth building completed in Mount Vernon Place, the two million square foot, mixed-use development of The Wilkes Company and Quadrangle Development Corporation. Designed by Davis Carter Scott, the building is anticipated to be complete by the autumn of 2013."

Over 12,000 Rental Units Coming To DC Region This Year (http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/could-dc-area-soon-become-a-renters-market-yes-and-no/2012/03/16/gIQAXku0QS_story.html)


^that is a lot of units especially just for this year!yes!! big accomplishment indeed! keep up the great work, d.c.!!!!:okay:

yes!! big accomplishment indeed! keep up the great work, d.c.!!!!:okay:

Indeed. I wonder how this will impact Baltimore, will more units be needed in Baltimore as well?

Equity Residential's Mt. Vernon Triangle Project Set to Break Ground (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/05/equity-residentials-mt-vernon-triangle.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIsmgT77m4I/T7nt-Ye9XxI/AAAAAAAABLY/Wded_73dNMY/s1600/455-Eye-2.jpg


Equity Residential's mixed-use redevelopment encompassing several historic properties at 443-459 Eye Street NW is set to begin construction this summer.

"We're looking at an August groundbreaking," said Greg White, Vice President of Development at Chicago-based megadeveloper Equity Residential. "We're working with Clark Construction, and finalizing construction documents now. We hope to deliver first units in a little less than two years; the summer of 2014."



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fi_L64dUoUg/T7nubNNjANI/AAAAAAAABLw/VxdOXgvOzvI/s1600/4553.JPG
http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/05/equity-residentials-mt-vernon-triangle.html

MRP’s Penn Quarter “Trophy” Office Loses Investment Partner, Gains Investment Partner (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/05/mrps-penn-quarter-trophy-office-loses.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vTPSp53Zmyc/T7_pq3N2C0I/AAAAAAAAABw/uKQNfoXbNaU/s1600/Overall_Building_Dusk_NEW+small.jpg


MidAtlantic Realty Partners, LLC (or MRP) announced it has a new joint-venture partner in ASB Real Estate Investments to build its previously announced Class A “trophy” office building planned at the southwest corner of Ninth and G Streets in Penn Quarter and intends to begin construction this summer. The former investment partner was Rockpoint Group LLC.

Regardless of the change in ownership, it doesn’t appear that anything else will be different - MRP is still going to the dance, just with a new date on its arm.

Construction on the former National Capital Area YWCA site is set to commence this summer, and it’s still planned as a nine-story, 112,000 s.f., LEED Gold building with a glass curtain wall. It’s also still being designed by San Francisco-based Gensler.

Robert A.M. Stern Screwed On 16th Street! (http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2012/05/hprb-votes-new-mixed-use-third-church.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ANs2d4VORA/T7-0A54sjYI/AAAAAAAAABQ/ytymSGUruAU/s1600/3rd+Chuch+2.jpg
What could have been.


During a concept review hearing yesterday, the Historic Preservation Review Board voted 5 to 2 against granting The Third Church of Christ, Scientist and ICG 16th Street Associates, LLC an exception that would allow them to build a mixed-use church and office building more than 90 feet high at 910 16th Street (between K and I), where the church currently stands. This would have broken a restriction placed on the historic district of 16th street, which leads to the White House and is where The Third Church of Christ now stands. The review did not include discussion of the highly contested demolition and rebuilding of the church.

Historic Preservation Office staff members David Maloney and Steve Callcott presented a 16-page report urging the Board to deny an exception for a number of reasons, including incompatibility “with the character of the street as a whole” and a fear of creating a precedent of breaking the height rule on 16th Street.

According to the report, "The proposed structure would exceed the 90-foot height limit in several respects. The street facades would extend above the limit to 93.7 feet, calculated from the allowable measuring point on I Street. An extra ninth floor would rise to 107.7 feet, with a 30-foot setback from 16th Street and a 15-foot setback from I Street. The top of the mechanical penthouse would be at 123.7 feet.”

Originally, the project was proposed as an 11-story building with a copper façade. Following comments from the HPO, ICG and architect Robert A.M. Stern Architects partner Graham Wyatt scaled it down to a 9-story building with a stone façade for it to blend better with neighboring buildings.



http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P9Yous340GM/T7-0B5ZBR3I/AAAAAAAAABY/bbiyNdif_sM/s1600/3rd+church.jpg
What will be...foever!

CityCenterDC rising, May 24:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7264998192_a6420c90d2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264998192/)
CityCenter DC construction - pedestrian allée taking shape (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264998192/) by jim_malone (http://www.flickr.com/people/jim_malone/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/7264997652_10fd87ae95_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264997652/)
CityCenter DC construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264997652/) by jim_malone (http://www.flickr.com/people/jim_malone/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7264998700_63097c4752_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264998700/)
CityCenter DC construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264998700/) by jim_malone (http://www.flickr.com/people/jim_malone/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7264996368_789381b380_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264996368/)
CityCenter DC construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/7264996368/) by jim_malone (http://www.flickr.com/people/jim_malone/), on Flickr