District Selects Tensquare-Chapman Proposal for Redevelopment of Parcel 42

Parcel 42
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The District's Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development has selected the development team of Tensquare Group and Chapman Development for the redevelopment of Parcel 42, according to an email from ANC Commissioner Kevin Chapple. 

Details on Parcel 42 and the development proposal are after the jump.

District Releases Concept Plan for Improvements to Outdoor Play Areas of Kennedy Recreation Center

The District's Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has released its plan for improvements to the outdoor play areas of the Kennedy Recreation Center at 1401 7th Street, NW, as part of its Play DC program.

The Kennedy play areas currently include a baseball field, basketball courts, tennis court, and play equipment.

Agenda Announced for April 3, 2013, Meeting of ANC6E; Includes Sunday Parking and New Jersey Avenue Improvement Project

The agenda has been announced for the Wednesday, April 3, 2013, meeting of ANC 6E. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the RH Terrell Recreation Center at 155 L Street, NW, in the multipurpose room.

Agenda items for the meeting include a request for relief from Sunday parking restrictions in certain "No Parking" areas and a presentation by the District Department of Transportation on the New Jersey Avenue improvement project from H Street, NW, to N Street, NW (which includes converting New Jersey Avenue to two-way traffic below New York Avenue).

The full agenda is after the jump.

Carter G. Woodson Park Plan Moving Forward; Public Meeting to Be Held on March 26, 2013

It looks like Carter G. Woodson Park, planned for the triangle park at the corner of 9th and Q Streets, NW, may soon — finally — be becoming a reality.

The project is a tribute to the founder of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson,  whose historic home is less than a block from the park. The park has been in some stage of planning since at least 2005, when the National Trust for Historic Preservation issued a call for artists seeking a sculptor to create the sculpture of Woodson that will be the park's centerpiece.  There have been no improvements to the park since that time.

Special ANC 6E Meeting to Be Held on March 25; Agenda Includes ANC 6E06 Special Election, 5th and I Project, and Small Area Plan

A special meeting of ANC 6E has been announced for Monday, March 25, 2013. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church at 474 Ridge Street, NW. (Note the changes from the usual time and location.)

Agenda items for the meeting include an announcement of a special election for the ANC 6E06 seat; a discussion of recommendations by the Commission on the 5th and I Streets, NW, project [see Washington Post article "D.C. drops Donohoe as developer of Mount Vernon Triangle hotel"]; and a presentation by the District Office of Planning on the Mid-City East Small Area Plan.

The full agenda is after the jump.

NewsBite: Developers to Purchase Scripture Cathedral at Eighth and O Streets, NW, for Expected Mixed-Use Project

The Washington Business Journal (WBJ) reports today that a "partnership of Four Points LLC and The Warrenton Group has the 16,000-square-foot Scripture Cathedral Church at 810 O St. NW under contract."  The WBJ article states that the church site "would likely be part of a mixed-use development, assuming the developers can acquire a handful of adjacent parcels, including a D.C.-owned vacant lot at Eighth and O streets."  View the Washington Business Journal article here.

Agenda Announced for March 6, 2013, Meeting of ANC 6E

The agenda has been announced for the Wednesday, March 6, 2013, meeting of ANC 6E. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Shaw Library, 1630 7th Street, NW.

Agenda items for the meeting include a request for relief from Sunday parking restrictions in certain "No Parking" areas; a presentation by the District Department of Transportation on the New Jersey Avenue improvement project from H Street, NW, to N Street, NW (which includes converting New Jersey Avenue to two-way traffic below New York Avenue); and a presentation by the District Office of Planning on the Mid-City East Small Area Plan.

The full agenda is after the jump.

District Issues Short List of Potential Developers for Parcel 42; States Final Developer Selection Will be Made by the End of April

Parcel 42
[click image to enlarge]

The District's Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced today that it has requested Best and Final Offer (BAFO) proposals from three development teams that had submitted proposals for the redevelopment of Parcel 42.  DMPED stated that the teams "were selected due to the quality of their proposals, adherence to the RFEI criteria, and community support."

The three development teams are:

• Baywood Hotels and Dantes Partners
• Neighborhood Development Corporation
• Tensquare Group and Chapman Development 

New Townhouses Coming to the 1300 Block of 6th Street, NW

Two new townhouses are under construction on the 1300 block of 6th Street, NW, and will replace three now-demolished rowhouses that were located at 1341-45 6th Street, NW.

The two new buildings will be identical three-story structures.  Each will have a one-bedroom apartment on the ground floor and a three-bedroom apartment on the top two floors.  In addition, there will be an outdoor patio and parking for both units in the rear.

The former buildings have been demolished, and construction is expected to be complete at the end of June or early July.  A rendering of the new building is after the jump, along with a photograph of the buildings that are being replaced.

The buildings are owned by the United House of Prayer and were designed by Suzane Reatig Architecture.

Agenda Announced for ANC6E Meeting on February 6, 2013

The agenda has been announced for the Wednesday, February 6, 2013, meeting of ANC 6E. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Shaw Library, 1630 7th Street, NW.

Agenda items for the meeting include two requests for relief from Sunday parking restrictions (including a request to allow parking in certain "No Parking" areas); a request for support of a public space plan for the planned condominium project at 460 New York Avenue, NW; and discussion of a proposed moratorium on the issuance of new liquor licenses within 1,800 feet of 1211 U Street, NW (generally spanning two to three blocks north and south of U Street from 15th Street to 6th Street).

The full agenda is after the jump.

Lincoln Westmoreland II to Exit Section 8 Program in May

The Lincoln Westmoreland II (LW-II) apartment complex will end its participation in the project-based Section 8 program starting on May 1, 2013, according to a representative of the complex's owner. 

Under the Section 8 program, all of the LW-II apartment units were set aside for low-income households (generally those earning 50% or less of the area median income).  After May 1, the income restriction will end and units can be leased out at the market rate.

2013 Groundbreaking Planned for Lincoln-Westmoreland Expansion

Plans for the expansion of the Lincoln-Westmoreland remain on track and groundbreaking is planned for later this year, according to a representative of the building's owner.

The Lincoln-Westmoreland is a 108-unit, ten-story apartment building at 1730 7th Street, NW, near the corner of R Street. The owner of the building plans to use a parcel of land to the south of the existing building — currently a single-story concrete parking shelter — to construct a new, 8-story apartment building with 56 residential units.  The building will have 3,100 square feet of ground-floor retail and approximately 35 underground parking spots.

Interactive Map of Historic Properties in Central Shaw

The Shaw neighborhood is home to a number of historic properties — the central portion of Shaw alone has over 20.  To provide more information on them, I put together a map of those properties in central Shaw that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It's Time to Redevelop the Shaw Junior High School Site

Freeing the Shaw Junior High School site for redevelopment would eliminate a large neighborhood eyesore, bring greater vitality to the 9th and 7th Street corridors, and help improve the adjacent recreation areas and dog park

As has been widely reported, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has proposed the closure and realignment of 20 schools throughout the District.

In the Shaw area, DCPS has proposed closing Garrison Elementary School (1200 S Street, NW) and transferring the current Garrison students to Seaton Elementary School (900 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NW).  DCPS has also proposed closing Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson (10th and U Streets, NW) and establishing a Shaw Middle School at Cardozo High School (1200 Clifton Street, NW).  Cardozo is is currently undergoing a full renovation, and it would house both a high school and a middle school after the renovation is complete.

This plan has one major flaw: the already-closed Shaw Junior High School building at 925 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, would remain mothballed, rather than being freed for redevelopment.