Washington D.C. Development News

[JAB323]

National Harbor is currently the project I'm following the most. Here is an article from the Examiner on PG's development.

PG Moving On Up

Moving on up
Prince George's County striking it rich
By Karl B. Hille
Examiner Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, January 22, 2006 11:28 PM EST
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A sold sign indicates that someone has already staked their claim to one of the high-end single-family homes at Fairwood in Glenn Dale, where developers have acquired pristine land with meadows and rolling hills from the Fairwood Turf Farm, located just minutes from the Beltway, off Route 50. Greg Whitesell/Examiner
Long neglected by the money-movers and decision-makers of the business world, Prince George's County is becoming the darling of developers throughout the region.

With a fast-growing population and more open land than almost any other jurisdiction in the Washington region, county government and business leaders are finally getting their due.

"It's just a huge amount of development that's going to go through," County Executive Jack Johnson told The Examiner. "Three years ago, we were the fifth-richest county in the state. Now we are No. 2. We've surpassed Anne Arundel and Baltimore as well as Howard County."


In part because developers overlooked the county for so long, it has become a more enticing place for businesses as other jurisdictions run out of large, empty parcels of land, said Arthur Turner, economic development chair for the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce.

"I think we are getting more of our fair share now," Turner said. "We still are looking for more commercial office development, particularly on property that abuts our Metro stations."


Construction on the National Harbor project is slowly beginning to take shape after 10 years of delays and lawsuits. The project is located in Oxon Hill, on the banks of the Potomac River at the base of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Photo by Greg Whitesell/Examiner
Until now, commercial development meant shopping centers such as Bowie Town Center and Boulevard at the Capital Centre, he said. Metro station developments have tended to focus on large, self-enclosed federal complexes such as the Internal Revenue Service facility in Landover and the Census Bureau in Suitland.

Serious commercial office developments "without wrought-iron fences" tend to bring more money to the local economy, he said.

The tide is turning.



With National Harbor - the "granddaddy of all our efforts" - already under construction, Johnson said more business interests are seriously considering the county as a place to locate.

When he took office in 2002, Johnson made it a priority to help such projects get moving. For a decade, National Harbor had been mired in lawsuits filed by neighboring civic groups unsure how the giant moving in next door would affect them.

In other situations, he found the decision-makers just didn't see Prince George's County as a place to spend money. They were too busy looking west - to Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington.

"People spend money where they live. The people with the money tend to live west of 16th Street," Johnson said. "I think in the last five or six years, you saw a shift.

"It's a matter of opportunities and timing and a lot of other things. We have a lot of resources and land," he said.

The county's higher-than-average unemployment rate - 4.5 percent compared with the state's 4.1 percent average - actually helps, said Aris Melissaratos, Maryland's secretary of business and economic development. There are more people available to accommodate the growth in jobs, he said.

"Given its location and given the economic success that's all around it, I think Prince George's is poised to be the next growth engine among counties," Melissaratos said.

The numbers appear to bear out his assessment. In 2004, Prince George's County outstripped both Fairfax and Montgomery counties in commercial development space.

In another coup, Johnson lobbied the International Council of Shopping Centers on the merits of Prince George's County. He addressed audiences at the group's annual conferences in New York City and Las Vegas, and this year brought them home to visit: On Feb. 2, the council will hold an Alliance Program at the University of Maryland's College Park conference center.

Kwasi Holman, president of the Economic Development Corporation, said Johnson's efforts are changing the county's image among national retail institutions that are influenced by the shopping center group.

The Feb. 2 conference "is a way for the local community, local developers and the retailers to take a look at the progress that's being made in the county," Holman said.

2003-04 Commercial development in square feet

- Frederick County: 1.28 million

- Montgomery County: 2.97 million

- Prince George's County: 4.82 million

- Fairfax County: 4.8 million

- Loudoun County: 2.65 million

- Prince William County: 3.04 million

- Washington: 5.99 million

Source: Council of Governments

Estimated average household income

2004: $68,488

2009: $76,561

Source: Prince George's Economic Development Corporation

Population growth

The county's population is growing by an average of 1.33 percent each year.

n 2000: 801,515

n 2004: 850,384

n 2009 (projected): 908,563

Source: Prince George's Economic Development Corporation

Commercial centers under construction this year

National Harbor in Oxon Hill

- 4 million square feet of enclosed space

- 1,500 hotel rooms

- 275,000-square-foot convention center on the Potomac

Steeplechase 95 International Business Park in Forestville

- 1 million square feet of industrial development on 110 acres

- Restaurant and retail center

- Foreign Trade Zone designation pending

U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland

- 1.5 million square feet of office with parking incorporated, across from

- Suitland Metro Station

Woodmore Towne Centre in Landover

- 245 acre mixed-use development

- Shopping, residential, hotel and office space

Karington in Upper Marlboro

- 382 acres of housing, from apartments to single-family homes

- 300,000 square feet of shopping

- 700,000 square feet of office space

- 2 luxury hotels and a conference center

Konterra in Laurel

- 2,200 acres of mixed-use development

- Town center, regional mall, business campus and housing

[JAB323]

Kwame Jackson, one-time Apprentice star, has (with his company Legacy Holdings) been attempting to jump start Rosewood City, a mixed use, new "fake" city. It would be centered around 8 million square feet of office, and tons of retail.

Legacy Holdings Press Release

I can't find many renderings, though.

[NovaWolverine]

I'm so happy that PG county has some good projects, that's what I try to explain to ppl, all people know about PG is crime, but it's a divided county in aspects and it's positives people don't really know. The CP-Hyattsville-Greenbelt area is really going to take off, they've got some nice projects too.

The natl. harbor will be fantastic, I wish it were closer to the city though, but who knows how it'll be when it is complete which is a good ways away.


They've also got some nice ideas about using the potomac more. Like the whitehurst freeway possibly coming down and revitalizing the g'town waterfront, along with water taxis and ferrys.

Also, they want to do more with east potomac park, maybe integrating it better with the mall, and possibly some bridges in the future.

Silver Spring also just had a 145ft tower approved.

[JAB323]

Great Project, just approved back in '05.

Greenbelt Station

Greenbelt Station

Greenbelt Station

[pepperjack]

The Stadium vote is this week, is it not?

[NovaWolverine]

Greenbelt Station is a fantastic project that also has decent access to the metro. Anytime people bash PG County, eventhough we know it's not doing so hot, it still has large projects coming there like this one and the natl. harbor and other countless housing developments. It's surely a very divided, somewhat misunderstood county. Greenbelt/Hyattsville/College Park is a corridor that is going to do well in the next ten yrs or so.

I believe the vote is this week, I mean as much as I know something will eventually work out, I've grown so god damn tired of the bullshit, I mean while the DC gov't in the past has been pretty shitty, this time they do take some blame, but then again a city that has other social issues to deal with, they weren't getting that great a deal. Something will work out.

[StevenW]

Lots going on, indeed!

[Aaron W]

Washington city council rejects new stadium lease

I really hope DC is able to hang on to the team. What a disappointment it would be to see them leave. What would happen to the plans for a rebirth of the Anacostia region if there is no stadium there to spur redevelopment?

[Eerik]

The Anacostia waterfront will be developed with, or without the baseball stadium. Well over $1.7 billion has been invested in SW development in the last decade alone. More is yet to come. This isn't merely proposed, it's happening now. If you get the chance, check-out JDland.com. There, you will find some great pics of the waterfront area under development, along with what's to come, and what has already been built:

Before

Two years later:


Florida Rock/100 Potomac Avenue


Hull Street within the Navy Yard


Department of Transportation under construction:


Looking North along New Jersey Avenue:

Only 20 months later looking North along New Jersey Avenue:


More of what's yet to come:


As you can see, the stadium represents a small portion of the development that's been going on here...

[NovaWolverine]

Yeah, but whatever, I'm so fucking pissed at what has happened with the stadium issue, this is, in a nutshell, what is, and has been wrong with the dc gov't for a long time. They need to get some of these relics and career politician types out of office. I'm confident that something positive will ultimately come out of this, but the dc council hasn't listened to the public, and has mislead the public and it's a shame to see those that have put so much effort and time in this stadium deal be put to waste. But yeah, other than that, there is a lot of development to be proud of in the city.

The SE waterfront is a goldmine and can really be made into something great, with the addition of retail, food, and residential units, it's gonna be great. There are also talks of putting an old ship like in b'more and a museum there too. But this stadium would have been something else.

And like it has been said, it's not directly taxpayer money, this is money that wouldn't have been there unless the stadium was built.

[Eerik]

Originally Posted by NovaWolverine

Yeah, but whatever, I'm so fucking pissed at what has happened with the stadium issue, this is, in a nutshell, what is, and has been wrong with the dc gov't for a long time. They need to get some of these relics and career politician types out of office. I'm confident that something positive will ultimately come out of this, but the dc council hasn't listened to the public, and has mislead the public and it's a shame to see those that have put so much effort and time in this stadium deal be put to waste. But yeah, other than that, there is a lot of development to be proud of in the city.

The SE waterfront is a goldmine and can really be made into something great, with the addition of retail, food, and residential units, it's gonna be great. There are also talks of putting an old ship like in b'more and a museum there too. But this stadium would have been something else.

And like it has been said, it's not directly taxpayer money, this is money that wouldn't have been there unless the stadium was built.

I think the council is playing bluff with MLB; the DC metro area is too large and wealthy for MLB to leave.

[StevenW]

"Stadium lease for Nats gets OK"

Council reverses itself after agreeing on capping costs
By Jeff Barker
Sun Reporter
Originally published February 8, 2006
WASHINGTON // The D.C. Council last night rejected a stadium lease agreement that the mayor had negotiated with Major League Baseball, but then reversed its action in a marathon session in which it reached a consensus on capping costs.
After initially rejecting a lease in which the city would rent a stadium to the Washington Nationals, the council reversed course. It first approved a stadium cost cap and then endorsed a lease agreement in a 9-4 vote.




The final vote came after the council could not initially agree on a stadium cost cap that could have salvaged the lease by addressing many members' chief concern: cost overruns.


But then, at the urging of baseball proponents, the council took up the issue again. It debated past midnight before voting to approve a new measure that would cap costs.

The sponsors said that the new language would cap stadium costs at about $610 million.


Some members who had voted against the lease at first supported the new legislation. Among them was former mayor Marion Barry who said, "We have made a bad deal just a little bet better."


It remains to be seen whether baseball will approve the new cap.

"We'll see what it looks like and how it impacts our contract with them, and we'll comment on it tomorrow [today]," said Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. "I cannot comment until I see it and see what impact if any it has on the contract they approved a year ago December. They have amended it repeatedly tonight so I am not really sure what it says."

Council member Jack Evans, a leading baseball advocate, said before the earlier lease rejection that baseball might have walked away if the council didn't approve the deal.


The former Montreal Expos began playing at timeworn RFK Stadium last year but planned to move in several years when a new stadium was constructed on the Anacostia River waterfront.

In a statement after the first vote, DuPuy said baseball would have proceeded with arbitration on the stadium deal.


Baseball had earlier suggested that arbitration could mean a worse deal for the District in terms of stadium costs - a scenario that could further splinter the relationship between the city and MLB.

Mayor Anthony A. Williams said after the initial vote: "The majority of the council took a shortsighted view in denying this lease."

The first vote came after Williams had submitted a spending cap in an effort to win council backing for the lease.

The mayor's proposal contained a maximum price to be paid to the firms that will construct the stadium. Council opponents said their consultant told them the mayor's plan didn't account for all contingencies, and that the city could still be liable for cost overruns. The council last year approved $535 million for the stadium and related expenses, but cost estimates have been increasing.

The mayor said yesterday that the council-hired consultant had a "shocking conflict of interest."

In a prepared statement, Williams said the consultant, Louis Cohen, had previously worked for the organization that led the effort to relocate the Expos to Virginia instead of the District of Columbia.

"How can the residents of the District of Columbia trust the advice of a lawyer when his previous work was on behalf of Northern Virginia?" Williams said.

At the meeting, council member David Catania said in reply that the consultant had indeed represented the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority. But, Catania said, "They informed us they don't represent them anymore."

Cohen's colleague, Peter C. B. Bynoe, denied Williams' charges in a written response to The Washington Post.

The mayor's "suggestion that Mr. Cohen, myself or our firm is in a conflict of interest is completely unfounded and untrue," Bynoe wrote.

The club is owned by baseball, which plans to sell it to private investors. But the sale has been postponed by the on-going financing debate.



jeff.barker@baltsun.com
The Associated Press contributed to this article.

------------------------------------

There you go!

[NovaWolverine]

Thank goodness. I knew they were playing around, but after this, how can you still want to play around. I mean, I haven't doubted whether or not dc was getting shafted in the deal in the beginning, in the beginning it was a deal heavily in favor of the mlb, it still is, but for christ sakes, make some progess. I'm glad that this worked out, I want to hurry up and see some of the plans for the stadium. Jack Evans has wanted a red stadium, but supposedly he didn't like the last plans, he said they looked like an office building. Nevertheless, it'll integrate some glass and probably highlight some architecture seen in some dc buildings. I always envisioned like a grand entry and some tall pillars and stuff, like a real monuement, but that's out there.

After reading Boswell's column last night, I couldn't feel any way but disgusted after the situation, but at least it's coming to an end.

[pepperjack]

The guy on Kornheiser yesterday called it. He said it wouldn't have enough votes until it did, and then it would 8 or 9, just because people didn't want to be the ones that were responsible for bringing baseball, and not be responsible for causing baseball to leave town.

Politics as ususal, anyone?

[NovaWolverine]

I'm not an expert on the way the council works, but I wasn't even aware of all these emergency legislation meetings and all this. It is pure politics, we're trying to get a good deal, which is better but still in their favor, but to stretch the process and nerves of people on both sides, I don't know how they do it.

[StevenW]

Hey guys, will there be a metro stop at the new field? Plus if so, will it connect to Baltimore? The reason I'm asking is that I'm dreaming of a "subway" world series between Baltimore and DC. Wouldn't that be wild!?

[StevenW]

BTW, it's good that Baltimore is getting a new tallest and lots of other great things are going up there, because DC is jammin'! I mean, with the Anacostia Waterfront, National Harbor, Greenbelt, etc....Wow! There will be SO MUCH MORE to do in both cities.

[Eerik]

Originally Posted by NovaWolverine

I'm not an expert on the way the council works, but I wasn't even aware of all these emergency legislation meetings and all this. It is pure politics, we're trying to get a good deal, which is better but still in their favor, but to stretch the process and nerves of people on both sides, I don't know how they do it.

It is politics at its worst: look at the cast of characters involved. Barry and his lawyer especially stand out like a sore thumb!

As for the placement of the stadium, I still think the Anacostia waterfront is a bad location. The stadium ought to be constructed elsewhere in the District. I don't understand why DC has this compulsion to think it needs to build the stadium to spur development along the waterfront. While the stadium in San Francisco works well by the Bay, I'm not convinced the DC stadium will work at all "by the river". I just have a feeling DC is squandering a unigue stretch of waterfront for what will end up being a rather ordinary and "blah" structure. Looking at the proposed alignment of South Capitol Street, the bridge over the river, stadium placement...it all looks so convoluted!

[DCKenny]

That's DC politics at it's finest!

[NovaWolverine]

The stadium will have the navy yard stop right there which is being overhauled for increased capacity of the stadium and the m st. corridor's growth of late.

I agree with eerik kinda. I think the location could be great, but I don't want a blah building over there. If it can be turned into half a wriglyville or fenway park area, I'd be extremely happen. Which can happen, they just need to get started converting the warehouses and providing the mixed uses. They use to have underground clubbin and that kind of thing down there, it'd be great if they could have some upscale entertainment along with some nightlife.

Basically, it's a good location, it's got the metro, close to I-95, not all the far from DT, ppl will want to live there, so we need to make it the best neighborhood we can.