We have been known to periodically mention government planing programs throughout the area that have caught our eye or are a nice benefit to our fine city. These programs often create lasting and substantial change.
However unfortunately for every urban planning project that has had success, there is at least one in the past that has failed.
This town really is turning into scaffolding city! Starting today you may start to notice the Capitol Dome being covered over in scaffolding to facilitate the addition of a fresh new coat of paint! The Architect of the Captiol says that is will take over 500 gallons of the originally named “dome white” color and should take about six months.
That sure is one long paint job!
[Photo: Last Stand Photography]
With all the Federal Building renovations going on all over town, temporary swing space to house employees while the work is done has become the new way to fill up many of the areas unoccupied class A office buildings. The Department of Veterans Affairs just added their name to the list and announced they will be utilizing 425 Eye Street (pictured) while a massive $105 million renovation is done on their historic headquarters building downtown.
While it is good to see some of these larger new buildings occupied, it really is only a temporary solution, and as the Federal agencies like VA, DHS and others move on to their new buildings, they will need to start leasing all over again. Could this be a lagging menace to the commercial office inventory?
Score one up for the DC Council this week… the Examiner is reporting that the District’s CFO is now officially taking financial control of the city’s embattled Housing Authority. This was a long time coming considering all the controversy over how contracts have been awarded in the past.
Hopefully CFO Natwar Gandhi will be able to whip them into shape (We just love this picture by the way!). [Photo: Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times]
Vacant Property Taxes Back? - A DC Council committee is recommending that the District reinstate an assessed value real estate tax on vacant properties (which didn’t go so well last time). [WBJ]
We reported way back in 2008 that the DC Housing Authority received a $20 million Hope VI grant to bring redevelopment to SE and now finally the money is being put to use with the ground breaking on phase 1 of the 344-unit Sheridan Station. The project is a mix of low income and public housing and will be some much needed space in the Districts housing inventory, it should be ready by 2011.
We are happy to report that work is finally under way on the sea wall protecting the Jefferson memorial after funding was approved last year. Over the years, the sea wall along the base of the memorial has sunk up to a foot in some places and it was only a matter of time before the advancing waters started causing some real damage, so this work couldn’t come soon enough.
[Photo: Ryan Janek Wolowski]
Many people are aware that the original layout of the city of Washington was designed in 1791 by Major Charles L’Enfant and subsequently reestablished in 1901 by the McMillian Commision. For the most part (at least in National Mall area) the vision was realized. However we are really sad the some of the design for the southern half of the mall as pictured, and all those gardens were never realized.
The “Congress house” and the “President’s palace,” as L’enfant termed them, were the cardinal features of L’Enfant’s plan; and these edifices he connected “by a grand avenue four hundred feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered by gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side.”
However the “southern pavilion” (shown in the lower right of the drawing) was never built. Currently all you find is the rental facilities for the tital basin paddle boats. Maybe congress will convene a second McMillan Commission 2.0 to re-re-establish the original plans? We can dream right? Then maybe they will build the South Capitol Street Mall toward the new stadium too.
So what part of the old plans would you keep and what should have gone?
We have been big proponents of improving our cities streetscape on this site, so we were happy to see the recent press release from the DC Commission on the Arts to bring more art to Columbia Heights. The release got us thinking about what other areas around town are in need of more public art and streetscape improvements…
We think just about every neighborhood could use more benches and bike racks, but big pieces of installation art need to be more targeted and specific to the site. There have been some great new pieces installed recently, some (pictured) better than others, but we would like to see even more in other neighborhoods.
What do you think?
[Photo: Sean Smith via Fourth and Eye]
Perhaps the most iconic pieces of architecture in our city are the monuments honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They serve as touchpoints and central landmarks to our city and are corner stones of our unique skyline.
Interestingly according to the federal government, the holiday observed on the third Monday in February is officially Washington’s Birthday, but we’re going to celebrate Lincoln too given the proximity of birthdays and how far our country has come. Happy Presidents Day everyone!
[Photo: Dyoshida]
The plans to develop the old Gales School have now officially been delayed thanks to a petition by the ACLU. The issue at hand was that apparently the way the solicitation was written to turn the empty building into a homeless shelter was geared towards a Christian provider, specifically the Central Union Mission who has repeatedly expressed interest.
With the deadline now extended to mid March, hopefully there will be a little more competition, though it is difficult to expect many enterprising developers would want to incur the the cost of the refurbishment of a historic building into a homeless shelter, but we will keep you posted.
[Photo: Ronnie R]
After years of planning (and a ceremonial ground breaking back in 2006) the real work has fittingly now begun on the MLK Jr Memorial down by the tidal basin. Over the last two weeks, the real demo and cleaning of the site has been done and we should start to see the heavy machinery in February.
The design of the Memorial (pictured) was awarded to ROMA Design Group after a huge competition with over 800 entries. The interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects and planners is based in San Francisco and has done numerous memorials around the country.
Christmas lights aren’t the only things hanging off of the Eisenhower Old Executive Office building this holidays season, scaffolding has also been a fixture lately on the historic and ornate French Second Empire style building right next to the White House.
Originally built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888 the building is getting both an interior update and an exterior restoration of the granite, slate and cast iron details. The buildings style has had a lot of detractors over the years, but it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 ensuring its preservation.
Exterior work started earlier this year and while the Christmas lights will certainly come down before the scaffolding, the work should be finished up in 2010 before next Christmas.
[Photo: M.V. Jantzen]
Big news out of the DC Council on new Green Building Standards… revisions are apparently in the works for the Green Building Act which was originally passed back in 2006. The WBJ is reporting that the major changes include updates for the new LEED v3.0 standards for energy usage as well as fixing some of the real confusion over the requirements the surround performance bonds.
The biggest impact would mean that that starting Jan. 1, 2012, all new construction projects in D.C. will be required to report energy usage to the U.S. Green Building Council to ensure LEED certification. That’s a big deal!
[Photo: Eridony]
It’s time once again to take a look into the DCMetrocentric Mailbag! We received this heart breaking plea from a new home owner that has been having some major issues with DC housing bureaucracy.
Reader Charles writes in with a story of the saga he and his wife have been through over their new house and the neglected property that adjoins them.
“In March of 2008 we bought a house… in an excellent neighborhood, Mount Pleasant. We were aware of a run-down residence right next door, connected to our home, but our inspector said that nothing was affecting our soon-to-be “dream home.” Upon moving-in, we started smelling marijuana coming through the walls/floors of our house—seeping through from [the house next door]. Secondly, we noticed that [the house] was beginning to accumulate garbage in the backyard. Third, after looking closer… we noticed significant structural issues. We called the police and they refused to file a report. We then wrote/called DCRA and they promised to deal with the issue next-door. DCRA failed to truly enforce the laws;
Over the last 15 months we have written and conversed with DCRA representatives, all the way up-to the Director, Linda Argo. The only saving-grace in this fight is a guy named Jim Graham and his staff. Councilmember Graham has been working with us to get the attention of DCRA. Unfortunately, even with promises made by Nicholas Majett, Deputy Director, DCRA who represents Linda Argo the Director, neither Councilmember Graham nor myself have made any movement with DCRA. “
These issues have become so frustrating that the couple has even created a website to document their trials and tribulations. Unfortunately this seems to be an all to common story throughout the District. Does anyone have any advice for these new homeowners in how to deal with the unfortunate situation they find themselves in?
