Archive for the ‘ Planning + Urban Design ’ Category

Union Station expansion project’s massive garage draws criticism from Akridge, D.C. officials 

The amount of parking spaces included in the massive redevelopment of Union Station has become a flashpoint in the debate over the long-planned project, with D.C. officials and neighbors alike arguing for a substantial reduction in parking on the property.

Plans call for 1,575 spaces in a new, 10-story garage replacing the station’s existing parking structure, which sits on First Street NE. The Federal Rail Administration and the Union Station Redevelopment Corp., the main groups managing the extensive revitalization effort, say that they’ll need that much parking to accommodate travelers and patrons of the station’s retail offerings. Parking fees are also expected to help fund the costly project.

Source: Union Station expansion project’s massive garage draws criticism from Akridge, D.C. officials – Washington Business Journal

2020
01/14
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Planning + Urban Design
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Amazon HQ2 towers get OK from Arlington County Board

Amazon is set to deliver two new towers to Pentagon City after getting zoning approval Saturday from the Arlington County Board. 

The 2.1-million-square foot project will occupy 6.2 acres in Pentagon City’s Metropolitan Park. The development will replace vacant warehouses and parking lots.

The plans call for two 22-ystory towers along South Eads Street, as well as a new public park. Amazon is also contributing $20 million to the county’s affordable housing fund.

“This project is extraordinary in many respects,” Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said in a statement. “It will bring us significantly closer to fulfilling the community’s vision of Pentagon City as an urban neighborhood with a better balance of office, residential and retail development, more and better public spaces, and more and better access for pedestrians and cyclists.”

2019
12/15
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After 15 years, Downtown Silver Spring is getting a big update

A lot of things happened in the summer and the fall of 2004. What sticks out most is the night in August I stood with three of my closest friends at the entrance of a new parking garage in downtown Silver Spring, yet to open, daring each other to go in.

The concrete was still clean and smooth as we strode up the big ramp, our voices bouncing around seven empty floors as we ascended. At the top of the garage, we walked out onto the sun setting over the then- brand new development called Downtown Silver Spring: a 20-screen movie theatre, a Whole Foods, a hotel, a brightly-colored tile plaza with a fountain.

It felt especially surreal for the 16-year-old me, having lived in little-D downtown Silver Spring, land of boarded-up buildings and empty storefronts, until 5th grade. Now there were signs saying “Silver SprUng” (as in, Silver Spring had “sprung”) and even a TV commercial.

Read more Source: After 15 years, Downtown Silver Spring is getting a big update – Greater Greater Washington

2019
10/13
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Huge new food hall coming to downtown D.C. 

D.C.’s not done with food halls yet, apparently. The latest? A new food hall called Feria is planned for the Anthem Row development at Eighth and K streets NW, across from the Carnegie Library Apple store.

The food hall from an independent food hall operator has a signed lease for 17,000 square feet across two levels in 700 K St. NW. The venue appeared on a leasing flyer for Anthem Row, the new name for the project there.

Meridian Group is in the process of renovating the former TechWorldPlaza development and rebranding it. In addition to rehabbing the office above, Meridian is renovating 60,000 square feet of retail space and has already announced it will be home to a revamped Equinox gym and Truluck’s, a seafood and steak restaurant out of Texas.

Read more: Huge new food hall coming to downtown D.C. – Washington Business Journal

2019
10/01
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Planning + Urban Design
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11 Grocery-Anchored Developments Underway In D.C.

The developments that have the greatest impact on a neighborhood are often those that bring a new grocery store, offering a new option for residents to make their regular food shopping trips.

Building grocery stores as part of low-rise shopping centers with surface parking lots appears to be a thing of the past in the D.C. Metro area, as developers are now building grocery stores into mixed-use developments with hundreds of apartments that bring a consistent stream of demand.

 The D.C. region is lined with new grocery-anchored developments that will bring retailers such as Wegmans, Whole Foods, Aldi and Trader Joe’s to their respective neighborhoods. From Rockville to Shaw to Southeast D.C. to Alexandria, Bisnow found 11 grocery-anchored developments underway in the D.C. area.

Source: 11 Grocery-Anchored Developments Underway In D.C.

2019
08/09
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Architecture
Planning + Urban Design
Residential
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D.C. United picks PN Hoffman for Buzzard Point development site – Washington Business Journal

D.C. United has selected PN Hoffman to remake a pair of sites at the foot of Audi Field in Buzzard Point, setting the stage for additional street-level activity at the foot of the 20,000-seat stadium.

The District’s Major League Soccer franchise has tapped Hoffman to take on the project, final details of which are still being ironed out, according to a source familiar with the situation. Hoffman emerged as the winning bidder from what as said to be a short list including Hines, Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) and Cordish Cos. The District-based developer won out for several reasons including its portfolio of projects, notably its role as co-developer of The Wharf on D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront not far from the soccer stadium.

The site includes the 2-acre Parcel B, which could potentially support up to 600,000 square feet of commercial development or mixed-uses, and a smaller Parcel C, with a land area of about 10,000 square feet. Conceptually, Hoffman’s project is slated to include some sort of entertainment concept, possibly a sports bar with a stage for live music, with residential or maybe a hotel above it.

Source: D.C. United picks PN Hoffman for Buzzard Point development site – Washington Business Journal

2019
05/03
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Will Obama’s Presidential Center Invigorate or Gentrify Chicago’s South Side?

Economic impact is projected at $246 million annually. Neighborhood sentiment is strongly pro-Center. But how to address persistent concerns about an environmental lawsuit, traffic disruptions and the refusal to sign a Community Benefits Agreement

”Don’t call it a “library.”

The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) is the official name of the proposed complex to commemorate the nation’s 44th President, slated for location in Jackson Park, on Chicago’s South Side. None of the actual papers and documents from Barack Obama’s two terms will live there. Instead, existing facilities within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) system will store those documents, with digitized copies of nonclassified documents made available online. However, the Center is projected to include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, while the grounds will feature an incline suitable for sledding in winter, an outdoor track, indoor athletic facilities, community gardens and outdoor food trucks. The Barack Obama Presidential Library website, administered by NARA, is already live, housing whitehouse.gov archives from Obama’s presidency.

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2019
03/18
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Architecture
Planning
Planning + Urban Design
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