Gales School RFP's Semi-Announcement

The Fenty administration has reportedly awarded the Gales School RFP to the Central Union Mission. The District has made no official pronouncement on the subject, and would not return repeated calls, but on Friday, Clarence Carter, the Director of the DC Department of Human Services, told Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) that the Department awarded the contract to the Mission.The Department of...

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Vacant Properties on the Chopping Block Wednesday

Tomorrow, DC's Department of Housing and Community Development will shed itself of 18 vacant, government-owned properties at a public auction. The single-family townhouses, multi-family buildings and vacant lots cover neighborhoods in almost every Ward, but take note: not everyone is welcome to bid. Buyers can include only prospective home owners that will occupy the property, non-profits and Certified...

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Douglas Buys Time for Waffles

Last night, Douglas Development's plans for the former Waffle Shop at 1000 F Street received a time extension, saving his "Up Against the Wall, LLC" from an expired zoning approval. Along with architect Shalom Baranes, Douglas received approval in April 2008 to relocate the historic eatery now just two blocks from Metro Center, and in its place construct a large office building. Since that time...

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A Neighborhood Runs Through It: The Hilton Washington

By Beth HermanFrank Lloyd Wright was right. The story goes that in the 1940s, the iconoclast architect stood on the site of the future Hilton Washington, next to a once grand but derelict Victorian mansion known as "The Heights," declaring it a prime location for a hotel. Two decades later, Conrad Hilton shared that vision and on March 28, 1965, built in the signature 1960s and '70s Brutalism style...

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GW Site Wrapping Up

Thanks to a recent topping out, Square 54 now dominates the corner of Washington Circle nearest the Foggy Bottom Metro. A little more than two years after breaking ground, Boston Properties and general contractor Clark Construction are well underway building and filling the new mixed-use campus. Gossip about tenants includes a Whole Foods filling a large portion of the retail, though the only...

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Buying Time for Utopia

This week the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) granted a two-year extension to Georgetown Strategic Capital LLC (GSC) for the planned Utopia development at 14th and U, painting a hazy picture for the future of the site. In April, Robert Moore of GSC hinted that his firm might make an announcement "hopefully in the next couple weeks" about financing and a timeline. To date, no announcement has...

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CityCenter: On Track for Early 2011 Groundbreaking

As the financial downturn slowly releases its chokehold from DC development, increasingly large projects are beginning to set timelines, even without tenants. Underscoring that point is Archstone and Hines Interests’ redevelopment of the old Convention Center site, a plan has been mired in delays, with one groundbreaking schedule after another falling to the wayside. Developers are now claiming...

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NYU's Student Housing Still On Track Downtown

New York University's College of Arts and Sciences is moving forward with plans for 75,000 square foot, LEED gold-certified "multipurpose center" at 1307 L Street, NW. This week the University received updated Board of Zoning Adjustment approval for the downtown site, which it purchased in 2008 for $7.3 million. The NYU-DC Center, the educational/dormitory facility will house some 150 students...

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Demolition on East Capitol

Hill East has fewer abandoned buildings and more rubble after the recent demolition of the vacant, 80-unit apartment building (pictured) on East Capitol Street, SE, between 17th and 18th Streets. The 42,629-s.f. site is near RFK Stadium just across from Eastern Senior High School, which itself has gotten a bit of a makeover lately. The demolition makes way for Kennedy Place, a 141-unit condo building...

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Pennsylvania Bike Lane Opens for Business

Today the long-awaited- or oft-dreaded, depending on who you talk to, bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue officially opened for public use. Bike enthusiasts hailed the lanes as a sign of the coming of equality for alternative forms of transportation. Car enthusiasts bemoaned the loss of auto lanes in favor of the lines of zippy bikers getting their exercise as they commute to and from work. The District...

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Mt. Pleasant's Effect on the Solar System

What's green, likes the sun, and never stops producing energy? Answer: Mt. Pleasant. Or maybe the answer is Anya Schoolman, the energetic head of the Mt. Pleasant Solar Coop. The latter (the coop) is an organization dedicated to helping residents of Mt. Pleasant bring solar energy to their townhouses one at a time; the former (Schoolman) is its lead sun-worshiper that has found religion in bringing...

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