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Announced yesterday, and written about in today's Post: "Two men riding on the open top tier of a double-decker bus in the District were standing on their seats the night of July 11 when their heads hit a freeway overpass, D.C. police said yesterday, adding that 'alcohol may have been involved' in the fatal accident."
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Tired of seeing baseball at Nationals Park? How about La Traviata? On Sept. 13 at 7 pm the Washington National Opera is offering "Opera in the Outfield," a simulcast from the Kennedy Center of their new production of Verdi's classic opera on the big HD screen, with seating being allowed in the outfield. It's free and open to the public. (Choruses of "Kill the Wabbit" may be discouraged.) UPDATE: Here's the Post piece on the simulcast, which used to be held on the Mall. It will cost the Washington Opera about $300,000.
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On the consent agenda of Thursday's National Capital Planning Commission meeting is a request for "approval of preliminary and final site development plans" for Diamond Teague Park, the new public park to be built by the city on the Anacostia River at the foot of First Street, SE, just across Potomac Avenue from Nationals Park.
As I've written about in the past, plans call for piers to be built around the red brick Capitol Pumphouse that is home to the Earth Conservation Corps, and there will also be floating docks that will allow visitors to see the wetlands along the water's edge (one of the last waterfront segments in the area not to have been bulkheaded, apparently). Benches, granite paths, and a garden will be installed, along with a memorial to Diamond Teague, the ECC volunteer who was murdered in 2003. Eventually this park will be connected via a floating boardwalk to the Waterfront Park at the Yards.
In the Executive Director's recommendation, the NCPC commends the city "for linking this project to planned open space along the waterfront to provide a continuous public open space system along the Anacostia River; for developing a portion of the Anacostia River as a high-quality urban park with a mix of recreational opportunities that emphasizes the river's ecological and scenic qualities and character; and for providing accommodations for a water taxi system to serve the neighborhood and the Washington Nationals' baseball stadium."
Statements over the summer from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (which is stewarding the park) indicated that work will begin on the park this fall, with this first phase completed by spring 2009. (And yes, that includes the water taxi piers. Though there's been no word yet of any deals with taxi companies.)
 

I don't see the release posted on their web site yet (or at Nationals Journal), but the Nationals have just announced: "The Washington Nationals today announced the 2009 prices for season tickets at Nationals Park. The team will continue to provide affordable, fan-friendly entertainment at Nationals Park by decreasing season ticket prices for 7,500 seats at the ballpark - 3,400 of which are located in the lower seating bowl. The team will not increase prices on any of the 41,888 seats for season-ticket holders who renew their season tickets for 2009." Here's a graphic showing the stadium layout and the change in prices from 2008 to 2009.
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Sep 3, 2008 11:34 AM
On the agenda for the Sept. 25 meeting of the city's Public Space Committee: an application by Monument Realty for 1200 Half Street (better known here as 55 M) to install various fixtures in public space around Half Street, described as 23 benches, 9 trash containers, 32 lights, 146 fountains, 8 bollards, and 18 bike racks. (UPDATE: I don't know what the deal is with "146 fountains"--that's what was in the meeting agenda.)
And, on the other side of Half Street, Akridge celebrates its closing on the Southeastern Bus Garage site (mentioned last week) with a press release. According to the Washington Business Journal, construction could begin on the planned 700,000-square-foot mixed-use project in 2010.
 

Sep 2, 2008 9:14 AM
When the headline "Nats Park: A Mistake?" pops up in your feed reader, it's easy to guess that the story will be about low attendance or whatever other ills the author defines and therefore what a boondoggle the stadium has been. But, instead, you get this, from WTOP's transportation reporter Adam Tuss: "Yet with all the trouble filling seats at novel Nats Park, this much is certain: The stadium is paying dividends to the neighborhood and city where it sits. [...] But the truth of the matter is, Nats Park has energized a section of the District that some would never have imagined driving through previously, let alone walking through. [...] New homes, shops, restaurants and vistas pop up on a daily basis. Old and run-down has been and continues to be replaced by young and vibrant." (One could quibble with the "shops and restaurants" portion of this, at this point, anyway.)
Then there's this section, which takes me back to the eye-rolling weeks of wading through media coverage early this year: "When the ballpark first opened this year, there were plenty of concerns -- many from a transportation perspective. Would Metro be able to handle the crowds that were going to games? Would there be enough parking for fans? Would the neighborhoods around the ballpark become swamped with unwanted visitors from out of the area? There were also concerns about the safety of fans headed to and from games. Would there be enough security, street lighting, and enforcement to keep the area a destination of interest? There is now deafening silence about those questions, as they have all been answered with resounding success."
He closes with: "As far as the team goes, the Nationals will get there at some point (you hope). But the home of the Nats is now helping transform a slice of the city into something truly special -- a second chance for an area that was far too often neglected."
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Aug 31, 2008 11:44 PM
It was too pretty of an afternoon to pass up a new batch of photos at Fourth and L, to document 10 days' worth of framing work on these first Capitol Quarter townhouses. (I'm sure the novelty of this construction will wear off soon. Hopefully before my camera gives out.)
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More posts: Capper, Capitol Quarter
 

Aug 30, 2008 10:23 AM
Not quite a month after sending out a request for expressions of interest, DDOT has now released the official Request for Qualifications for what is now being referred to as the 11th Street Corridor Design-Build Project, the heart of which is the reconstruction of the 11th Street Bridges. According to the press release:, DDOT will then create a short list of between two and five submitters, and will release the official Request for Proposals to just those entities. The procurement schedule says that the statements of qualifications are due by Sept. 29, with the shortlisters to be notified by October 10, and a final RFP then released by Dec. 1. The entire selection process, up to an including a contract, is targeted for completion by June 1, 2009. DDOT is shooting for completing the entire project by Dec. 31, 2013, with a budget of $260 million. (Mark your calendars--I have!) The new Anacostia Waterfront web site has more about the 11th Street Bridges project, and the other plans along the river from the Southwest Waterfront up to Kingman Island.
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Aug 29, 2008 9:25 AM
From today's WBJ print edition (subscribers only): "D.C.-based Akridge closed on Aug. 27 its $46.5 million purchase of the Metro bus garage site, which rival D.C.-based Monument Realty had intended to include in its opulent Half Street mixed-use development just north of Nationals Park." Akridge has hired HOK (designers of the ballpark and the Plaza on K), Esocoff & Associates (Onyx) and StreetSense Inc. to design what will be a 700,000-sq-ft mixed use development on the west side of Half Street. WBJ says that Akridge is hoping to break ground in 2010. (And, one small correction in the piece: the WMATA land that Monument gets the right to buy via the settlement of their lawsuit against Metro is not at the corner of South Capitol and M--which Monument already owns--but the parking lot just to the south, known as Nats lot M.)
 

Aug 28, 2008 11:52 AM
From Tommy Wells: "President Bush will be attending the Twilight Ceremony on Friday (8/29) at the Marine Corps Barracks on 8th St. @ I St. SE. Due to his visit; street closures will affect the normal route of the Nats Express. Beginning at 5:00PM, the 8th St. exit will be closed from the Southeast/Southwest Freeway. In addition, 8th St. will be closed from E St. to the Freeway Bridge. [...] Closures will take place until approximately 9:00PM."
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Aug 27, 2008 10:42 PM
A little over a year after entering into a purchase agreement, Ruben Companies and the St. Matthew's Baptist Church at 1105 New Jersey have terminated their contract, I have confirmed this evening. Can't tell you a single thing beyond that (no "why," or "what now," or anything else). Ruben continues to own properties at 1100 South Capitol and the former KFC at 1101 South Capitol SW.
 

Aug 27, 2008 9:15 AM
Saturday was the Youth River Sports Day at the Anacostia Community Boathouse, and there was a good turnout of parents and kids learning how to row or paddle or just getting acquainted with the Anacostia River. I took a batch of photos, all from dry land. (If the captions have any incorrect terminology, let me know.)
The ACBA is going to have to temporarily relocate from this spot during the five-year reconstruction of the 11th Street Bridges. They may be moving a couple hundred feet upriver to a site owned by Washington Gas (as laid out in the final Environmental Impact Statement for the project), or they may end up on the eastern side of the river closer to the Sousa Bridge. They are working with DDOT and are hopeful they can get the plans straightened out before too much longer.
 

Aug 26, 2008 2:52 PM
From the Nationals:
"The Washington Nationals will host Kids Day at Nationals Park on Sunday, August 31 when they face the Atlanta Braves at 1:35pm. The team will offer $1 tickets for children under the age of 12 with the purchase of any adult ticket valued at $33 or more. These tickets are available only at the Nationals Park Box Office and children must be present at the time of the transaction. There is a limit of two $1 tickets per adult ticket purchased.
"The fourth annual "Kids Run the Show" program, in partnership with The Washington Post, will also take place during Sunday's game. The Nationals have selected 22 children, ages 5-12 to "run the show" and work at various positions during that afternoon's game. Applications were posted in The Washington Post Sports, Weekend, Real Estate and KidsPost Sections, Tuesday, August 5 through Monday, August 18. Children were then selected to fill the following positions: grounds crew (1); Nat Pack member (1); in-stadium host (1); PA announcer (1); reporter (1); Starting 9; team photographer (1); line-up card presenter (1); ceremonial first pitch (1); and official "play ball" announcer (1). Two children each were selected as television and radio broadcasters through a Junior Broadcasters competition on Tuesday, August 19 at the ESPN Zone. Each "Kids Run the Show" participant will receive two complimentary tickets to that day's game.
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Aug 26, 2008 7:48 AM
With thanks to neighbor blogger SWill at Southwest ...The Little Quadrant That Could, news that Dunkin Donuts is looking for space in Near Southeast. Back on August 4 (and I *swore* I had posted this, but apparently I only Twittered it), the WBJ reported about DD expanding in the DC area, with five new stores in Southeast, but didn't say where any might be. Then, in a Nightly Business Report story the next day on entrepreneurs still thriving in tough economic times, there's this: "Iraq veteran Ray Omar is scouting out locations to open a Dunkin' Donuts franchise at the new Navy Yard development in Washington, DC." Of course, "at the new Navy Yard development" doesn't make a lot of sense--The Yards? Somewhere near the Navy Yard (like maybe that 900 M Street building that's going to be renovated? Some other space further west on M Street (farther away from the existing Dunkin Donuts at Eighth and Pennsylvania, SE)? We shall see.
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Aug 25, 2008 2:03 PM
The facings and brick continue to go up at 909 New Jersey (and there's even a window or two). I took a pretty complete set of the close-up photos, some of which you can see on the project page; for more, and to see the building from farther away (to get an idea of how prominent it is these days in the neighborhood's ever-changing skyline), check the Expanded Project Archive.
I also got updated shots of the northwestern part of Near Southeast from one of the more popular vantage points, up on the Southeast Freeway approaching South Capitol Street. The before-and-afters (especially the grainy one from September 2000) are a good reminder of how much has happened, and how fast. And with 1015 Half's crane now front and center, we know that this view will be changing (again!) within a few months. (And this is where I need to remind that I take these freeway photos from a passenger seat at 55 mph, not on foot or behind the wheel. Duh!)
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More posts: 909 New Jersey, jpi
 

Aug 24, 2008 8:36 PM
I took a lot of photos today, but let's start with the ones showing new construction phases underway. First off, we have the first framing at Capitol Quarter (top), where the wood outlines of the first four houses east of the Fourth and L intersection are now up. (At least the photos are more exciting than the ones a few weeks ago of the concrete block foundations.)
Then there's 1015 Half Street, the 410,000-sq-ft office building under construction on the old Nation nightclub site. The crane arrived within the past week or so, and I finally got to a spot where I could see down into the hole to confirm that the first pillars are underway. So, by Thanksgiving, there should be the beginnings of yet another new addition to the skyline.
More photos in the next few days.
 

Aug 24, 2008 5:11 PM
(Extremely Off-Topic) This is the first time in the nearly six years of this blog that I've done something like this, but desperation is an ugly beast. If anyone can contact me with ideas or leads for a rentable space in downtown DC, Northwest, or Bethesda/Chevy Chase for a high-school class reunion for 125-175 people on a Saturday night in early November (that allows for a DJ and food/bar either catered or available on-site), you'll save me from an otherwise certain nervous breakdown, which I think has already started. (And then who will bring you all the latest Near Southeast news, since it'll be impossible for me to type in a strait-jacket?)
We're hoping to not have this cost an absolute fortune (which probably excludes my dream of using one of the conference spaces at the ballpark), but we're also extremely under the gun in terms of a time frame to get it done. All assistance appreciated.
New neighborhood photos coming later this evening, to cleanse the palate from this.
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Aug 22, 2008 4:37 PM
I inadvertently speculated about this mere moments ago, and now City Paper confirms: Positive Nature, the group providing services for at-risk youth, has left its 1021 New Jersey Avenue home for a new location in the 3000 block of G Street, SE.
 

Aug 22, 2008 3:00 PM
Rumors started flying in a few places lately that Whole Foods is coming to New Jersey and K, SE. I usually shy away from writing about rumors, but this one is persistent enough that it probably needs some addressing. It's not listed on their Stores in Development page, and no one's leaping to tell me this is or isn't true (which isn't surprising), but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. There's been references here or there to "two grocery stores" coming to the neighborhood (with space for one set aside at the The Yards, coming in 2011 or later), and I've heard nonspecific Whole Foods/Near Southeast rumors a few times over the past year.
But I'm skeptical about it coming to the New Jersey/K intersection. There's only 6,000 square feet of retail in 909 New Jersey (not enough for a grocery store), and the plan for the trash transfer station has always been for it to be part of the Capper Hope VI project, with an apartment building that probably won't start before 2011. That leaves the southwest corner, where the Cohen family owns the small lots along K between New Jersey and First; there's also the Positive Nature lot at 1021 New Jersey and one to its south owned by Potomac Development Corp., who it should be noted picked up 51,000 square feet of transferred development rights earlier this year. (Can someone at CHT look out their window and confirm that the Positive Nature sign is still there?)
So maybe the "New Jersey" part is right, but not the "K"? My gaze (and my betting dollars) might head north a block or two, to 800 New Jersey (also sometimes known as 120 Canal), where for years William C. Smith has envisioned a grocery store as part of its planned 1.1-million-square-foot four-building development on the Square 737 block bounded by Second, H, New Jersey, and the eventually reconstituted I Street. No timeline for the start of this project has been announced, though. (In fact, there's so little information about the project that I haven't even felt compelled to build a project page for it.)
In other words, there aren't really any tea leaves to be read on this one, so if someone wants to spill the beans, I'm always listening.
 

Aug 22, 2008 9:19 AM
(Thanks to reader K. for the tip.) With the real estate market and general economy in their current states, it's not surprising that quite a few properties in the city are heading to tax sales, which is what happens when property taxes have gone unpaid. The 2008 DC Real Property Tax Sale is scheduled to begin on September 17, and there are some notable Near Southeast addresses:
* 801 Virginia Avenue, where "the Admiral" condo building was planned until the investors put the site up for sale last year. Its tax bill is listed at nearly $78,000.
* 1010 Seventh Street (the empty lot across from the Marine Barracks), where a small developer had been planning a 12-unit condo building and where the tax bill is just over $30,000. (UPDATED to correct address, though the three parcels that make up the lot are owned by the 1012 Seventh Street Southeast LLC.)
* 1026 Third Street, the brown multi-unit building on the corner of Third and L that's been boarded up and for sale since at least 2003, though the unpaid tax bill is only $417. (Maybe if we all look under our sofa cushions....)
But, as the notice states: "Purchasers must be aware that additional liabilities, which are not reflected in the total amount" may be due, including liens previously sold to a third party. So don't pull out your checkbook unless you know what you're doing.
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