on a nice day...

...this office building looks pretty great!



and while I don't think 2100 MLK is the most awesome building around, it is nice having a kept up property that actually supports office and retail tenants.



and get ready for some changes to this view (in a couple years) when the Anacostia Professional Buildings straight ahead in the photo are torn down, V Street is extended, and much taller buildings are built in their place.

I hope the big buildings step back a bit from the street so that what's left of the historic streetscape isn't totally overshadowed... then again Anacostia does need a big boost in density for it to really be sustainable long-term.

photos by DG-rad

Next Hot Spot: Anacostia

The Washington Business Journal is pretty great about covering Anacostia - at least with a usually more well-rounded approach than do the Post and other local news outlets.

Click to Enlarge


An article titled "The Hunt for the Next Hot Spots" (OnSite, Fall 2008) highlights Anacostia as one neighborhood destined for the kind of rebirth that Dupont Circle, Clarendon, and Logan Circle have seen, and cites certain ingredients (above), that give it a solid upper-hand.

Although I can't reprint the entire article here, the author did a great job articulating the desire of Generation X and Y to live in places with potential for a greater work/life balance: where getting in the car isn't the solution for every errand and density is seen generally as a positive.



Most of the section about Anacostia focused on Four Points LLC's plans for the new downtown, where developer Stan Voudrie and team are expecting to build 1.6 million square feet of mixed-use development along Shannon Place and MLK Ave. Although no ground has been broken and plans are still not set, Voudrie extols the benefits of the kind of development he will bring to the neighborhood: easy access to Metro, easy access to thousands of drivers on neighboring highways, views of the monumental core at discounted rates, and a crime rate significantly lower than, say, Adams Morgan.



Although the information isn't new, it is a great reinforcement to the not-so-crazy notion that Anacostia really has a lot going for it, and its rebirth as not so far-fetched an idea as many are accustomed to believe.

For full article, Click Here

clippings courtesy of the WBJ: OnSite Fall 2008

the new downtown

if you aren't prepared to see the big bold plans for what is coming to those massive parking lots and warehouses along and behind MLK Avenue, you might want to click the Back button now. What you are about to see is will completely transform the look, feel, and life of downtown Anacostia as we know it.

these plans (Click Here for description) by Four Points LLC and the Curtis Companies are from their PUD application, which is available for public viewing at the department of zoning. The developers are seeking approval for approximately 855,000 square feet of offices, 500 residential units, 165,000 square feet of retail, an eight- to 10-screen movie theater, and a grocery store.

Click on images to view larger

aerial of site, Now:


aerial of site, Future:

notice the realligned V Street!

general building uses:


ground-floor retail:



At present, the development is planned to happen in two phases. The first phase includes everything south of W Street, and the second phase will involve everything north of W, including the demolition of the existing Anacostia Professional Buildings.

phase 1:


The Buildings

Note: architectural drawings are conceptual, and the final designs for each building will likely be shopped out to separate architects after zoning approval.

corner of MLK and Chicago Street:


and in its place, residential over retail:


just south of MLK & W now:


and in a few years, offices over retail:


the same location, but looking south from W Street:


future:


between Shannon Place and Railroad Ave, from W:


and in the future, offices over retail:

this building is the proposed location of a grocery store, which would likely be on two levels

same location, but from Railroad Ave looking east:

unfortunately it is physically impossible to stand far enough back for some of these shots to be completely accurate

after:


corner of Railroad Ave and public alley just before Chicago Street:


planned for residential over parking and retail:


current view from Shannon Place, looking east:


future, all-residential building:


this warehouse, now home of the MPD's Evidence Warehouse:




redeveloped into office space:


from Chicago Street looking north:


new townhouses will be located on an alley just behind those houses:



And some interesting perspective renderings...

looking down MLK from intersection with Pleasant St:


after:


and looking down W Street from MLK:


the same view, Future:

notice the relocated Big Chair

The project has been submitted to zoning, where the general concept is awaiting approval. Clearly this is a huge undertaking, and I will stay on top of any and all public meetings or opportunities for comment as this moves forward.

Anacostia on the Rise

(get excited)



From the Washington Business Journal:

George Curtis III, whose family's furniture company built the 19-foot high chair at V Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, is teaming with D.C.'s Four Points LLC on a planned 1.5 million square feet of new development in the heart of Anacostia's blighted business district.

The project envisions development of 9.5 acres -- nearly eight city blocks -- on the west side of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue around the big chair, a neighborhood landmark since it was installed in 1959 and whose survival over the decades has made it a symbol of the area's resilience.

The plans include 855,000 square feet of offices, 500 residential units, 165,000 square feet of retail, an eight- to 10-screen movie theater and a grocery store.

More on this ridiculously exciting news later today...

images courtesy of the Washington Business Journal