Development-palooza: It's 2007 All Over Again at 14th and U

The pace of development activity along 14th and U Streets has picked up immensely over the last few months, harkening back to the "boom years" between 2003-2008. And with several new projects coming online soon, the scale of development will only continue to increase.

Last year, we wrote about what looked to be a busy summer of development in the Shaw neighborhood, with many anticipated projects set to come online. Some, such as Progression Place at the Shaw Metro Station and the Howard Theater restoration project, did get off the ground (if a bit late). Others, notably Roadside Development's CityMarket at O project, remain little more than a set of blueprints.

This summer, the development focus shifts back west, as a number of high-profile projects either are or are set to get underway along the U Street and 14th Street corridors. The photos you see below are ones I took yesterday (Saturday) so as to give visual representation of where each project stands--sometimes words don't tell the full story.



Starting in the north, Level 2 Development UDR has started work (above) on the Nehemiah Center project, with site clearing and preparation for construction of the project. When completed, the nine story development will feature over 250 apartments ranging in size from 500 sf to 1,600 sf, along with over 18,000 sf of retail space, which the developer hopes to lease to neighborhood-serving retailers such as a grocery store, dry cleaners or bank. No timetable for a completion date has been shared that I am aware of.



Farther south at 2241 14th Street, local developer tycoon Douglas Jemal is planning a groundbreaking this summer for a 30 unit apartment building with ground-level retail at the corner space formerly occupied by the Latino Auto Sales dealership. There's no development activity yet at the space (above), which only recently completed the planning and approval process. Interestingly, the building will house only 10 parking spaces--a seeming indication of both the city's and developer's transition away from parking-oriented developments. With a Metro station only a few blocks away, several bus lines (including a Circulator line), and many destinations within short walking distance, this makes tremendous sense.





Things are much farther along a block south at Perseus Realty's 14W development (above), where a construction crew has been hard at work on the construction of the mixed-use project. The development, which currently has an (optimistic) delivery projection of mid-2012, will include 231 residential units, a new YMCA, and over 12,000 sf of retail. A small number of the units in the building will be "affordable" units for individuals making 60% or less of the AMI (Area Median Income).



Across the street, a two story restaurant (tenant currently unknown) will fill the currently vacant space at 2208 14th Street. As DC Mud notes, the building has an interesting and varied history, serving previously as the home of the New School of Afro American Thought, as well as a base of operations for Stokeley Carmichael and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the 1968 riots.



At the intersection of 14th and U Streets, Georgetown Strategic Capital is on track to begin construction of the long-awaited Utopia Development, set to consume most of the block on 14th between Wallach Place and U Street. When the project kicks off this fall, the buildings currently housing Taco Bell/KFC and ChiDogs will be demolished, while the buildings housing El Paraiso, Ace Check Cashing andf McDonalds will remain intact due to their historic designation. When complete, the 90 foot building (monstrous by DC standards) will feature over 230 rental units and 20,000 sf of retail (large enough for another furniture store, one hopes). Currently, the plans call for a one year construction timeframe, with delivery of the project in fall 2012. And yes, this is where we add our standard disclaimer that such projections appear optimistic.



Also on tap at the corner of 14th and U streets is the imminent opening of Cafe Society, the latest venture from Local 16 owner Ayman Ayoubi. And considering that the signs are now up and talk of soft openings is rampant, we're inclined to believe them this time. The ground floor of the building will house a Dunkin Donuts and a Subway. No word on whether the "Subway smell" might infiltrate the Cafe Society space...



A block east, plans have apparently been ressurected for JBG's on-again off-again hotel project. When we last heard of this project a couple of years ago, nearby residents were flipping out at the prospects of a 10 story building blocking their views of The Ellington, and the financial market crash was putting a serious dent in JBG's plans to construct U Street's first boutique hotel in generations. However, according to DC Mud, JBG has indicated that the project is "actively in the design phase"--which implies that the project may in fact not be dead after all. Having knocked a story off of the structure, JBG now plans to offer a LEED-silver certified four star hotel replete with over 250 rooms, 23,000 sf of retail and 4,000 sf of conference space. Under the most optimistic of timelines, groundbreaking might commence as early as late 2012--but don't hold your breath.



While we're on the subject of 13th Street, the renovation of the building at the northeast corner of 13th and U streets, which seemingly has been undergoing renovation since the dawn of time, recently completed and tenants are starting to move in. First among them is Boundless Yoga, which opened this weekend on the U Street-facing side of the building. Also announced as tenants of the building: a frozen yogurt spot, and dry cleaners Georgetown Valet.



Heading south long 14th Street, work is underway at JBG's District Condos project at 14th and S (note photo above, taken mere seconds before a torrent of hail rained down). We've written about this project quite a bit here, but to quickly rehash the details: 125 residential units, 18,000 sf of retail, summer 2012 delivery date.



A block farther south, according to Borderstan work is finally set to get underway on the mixed-use project at the southwest corner of 14th and R streets. The 31 unit condo building, which was designed by Bonstra and Haresign architects, will also feature ground level retail. The project has been a veeeeery long time coming, as the ANC first reviewed the project back in 2004. Project delivery is anticipated at some point in mid-2012 (aren't they all?).

And finally, down the street a couple of blocks, developer Giorgio Furioso continues to work on the develpment and construction of an office building to fill the vacant space between the Posto restaurant building and the Great Wall Chinese restaurant. No groundbreaking has yet been announced for the 55,000 sf project.

Holiday Round-Up: Myths, Condos, and Sandwiches at a Gas Station?

As we head into the Christmas break, 14thandyou will be taking a little hiatus as well, mainly to catch up on sleep and sanity. In the meantime, here's a little reading material to get you through the cold (and snow filled?) days ahead:

U Street Girl writes about Fast Gourmet, a new sandwich shop (!) located at the gas station at 14th and W. All of y'all who've been clamoring for a decent sandwich shop in the area, head over there and let us know what you think. U Street Girl seems sold on the Chivito.

WeLoveDC has some fun busting some common DC-related myths. Did people in Georgetown really rise up to keep the underclass out of their neighborhood by scuttling plans for a Metro station there? Did Pierre L'Enfant and other early DC planners have it in for John Jay? Do we have more speakers of foreign tongues than comparable cities? Head over to WeLoveDC and find out.

Remember the Nehemiah Center--the strip mall along 14th Street between Belmont and Chapin that was bulldozed in 2008 to make way for a new mixed-use development? And has been nothing more than a vacant, rock-strewn lot ever since? Well, DCMud is reporting that they're pushing dirt around over there now. While stressing that this does not mean that construction is imminent, it is undoubtedly a positive sign for a long-stalled project.

DCMud also has another hot tip: construction equipment has finally arrived at the 7th and S site of Progression Place (formerly Broadcast Center One).

Further on the development front, DC Metrocentric takes a look at a potential new design for Cardozo High School.

The always-contentious issue of DC's height limit (a great topic for some mythbusting if ever there was one) gets some attention from the City Paper's Lydia DePillis. 30 story office towers in Chevy Chase? Frank Winstead would have a coronary.

Contradicting the notion that it's all doom-and-gloom for the 14th Street arts community, Borderstan profiles Loft Gallery, the latest addition to the neighborhood arts community. (Oh, and don't forget the lighting of the community holiday tree.)

On that note, here's hoping for a white Christmas for everyone (even though I'm hearing that's increasingly less likely).

Couple of 14th Street Projects Stalled

To some, the pace of development along 14th Street shows no signs of slowing: Room and Board continues to plug away at their building at 14th and T, the Copperstone Building near 14th and N is prepared to host tenants in its rehabbed structure, and new restarants and other businesses continue to pop up all along the corridor.




















However, a few large scale projects are currently stalled, with no immediate plans for moving forward. Recently, we wrote about the problems being faced by the Central Union Mission and its efforts to find a new home in order to clear the way for a redevelopment of the massive 14th and R space. North of U Street, two additional projects are mired in the lack-of-financing quicksand, and show no signs of getting off the ground anytime soon.

Up at 14th and W, the long-awaited "14W" project remains little more than a pile of gravel surrounded by a chain link fence. The project officially broke ground in September 2008--which, for those keeping score, was right around the time the economy took a nosedive. As reported on DCMud, Brian DuBose, a spokesperson for Ward 1 councilmember Jim Graham indicated that "nothing is happening" with the project, since financing has not been obtained. The 236,000 sf apartment project was also slated to have in excess of 12,000 sf of retail space, along with a new YMCA.

While the plans for the building remain in place, it's looking increasingly unlikely that anything will move forward prior to the end of the year.

Almost across the street, the same fate has befallen the large, vacant space that once was the blighted Nehemiah Shopping Center. The Center--one of the most egregious examples of ill-advised urban development--was torn down in order to make way for the massive apartment project, which was to include over 250 units along with 17,000 sf of retail space. Unfortunately, financing problems here have also crept up and put an indefinite hold on the project.

You may recall that the lot was originally purchased by DC-based Level2 Development, the same team that is currently putting the finishing touches on View 14 at 14th and Florida. However, in 2009 they sold the development rights to Texas-based UDR in order to focus on the View 14 project.