I know nothing more than this right now, but the WMATA board just within the past minute voted unanimously to approve the settlement of the lawsuit brought against them by Monument Realty over the sale of the Southeastern Bus Garage at Half and M. The discussion was all held in executive session, and the audio feed of the vote contained no details of the settlement, but I imagine the media will be picking it up soon. More as I get it, so keep checking back. Read yesterday's preview entry for background on the story.

UPDATE, seconds later: With the darn WBJ RSS feed not working, I missed this from about 40 minutes ago: ""Monument Realty and Akridge will split a key Metro-owned property near Nationals Park under a proposed legal settlement. [...] Monument will pay $22.6 million for a parcel on Van Street SE, while Akridge will pay $46.5 million for the Metro bus garage on the site, said Candace Smith, a WMATA spokeswoman." The Van Street site is the parking lot (Nats lot "M") just south of the Domino's site already owned by Monument. This means that the Public Space Storage building would be the only parcel on the block bounded South Capitol, Van, M and N not owned by Monument. Akridge would not gain control of the entire west side of Half Street with its acquisition of the bus garage: Monument owns the southernmost portion, directly across N Street from the ballpark, up to the alley where the On the Fly vending cart sets up shop.

UPDATE II: Here's the Metro press release.

Another project for which I've posted a bunch of new photos in the past few days is the Velocity condo building at First and L streets. It's now topped out at 13 (gasp!) floors, and the exterior facings are starting to be hung on the western and southern sides of the building. When completed next year, it will have 200 units, along with some ground-floor retail. Eventually a twin 200-unit building will be built on the northern side of the block; the garage has already been dug, and is/will be covered with a plaza area until construction is ready to start. Phase 3 of the block, along Half Street, could be office or hotel space, depending on market conditions.

This block, which the Cohen Companies purchased in 2005 for $55 million, was home to a lot of small businesses, including the nightclubs Wet, Edge, and Club 55. At the bottom of my Velocity project page, past the photos of the sales center/model, you can see additional photos of how the block used to look, including some new ones from 2003 and 2004 that I've just added. And, if all of this isn't enough and you want to see still more images of Velocity's impact on the skyline, browse its Expanded Project Archive.

Back in February a judge granted an injunction to prevent WMATA from continuing with the planned $69.5 million sale of the garage to Akridge, saying that Monument "demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim that they were substantially prejudiced when WMATA considered Akridge's nonresponsive bid and participated in improper ex parte discussions with Akridge."

* The Post's Al Kamen reports on the accessibility problems at the US DOT HQ: "Agency officials say the building -- the first entirely designed and constructed for a federal agency since 9/11 -- was built with guidance from disability experts and help from the U.S. Access Board and the General Services Administration. But dozens of employees with disabilities began to have problems -- some caused by security precautions -- as soon as the 6,000 workers moved in last summer. There were several safety issues, such as fire alarms without blinking lights for the hearing-impaired, and there were doors that required too much strength to open. Employees were especially frustrated by cafeteria tray slides that are so high that employees who use wheelchairs cannot reach their food, a violation of standards and a constant annoyance." DOT issued some "guidelines" that didn't exactly soothe the ruffled feathers.

* Yesterday the Nationals Dream Foundation unveiled the renderings for their planned baseball academy at Fort Dupont Park in Ward 7. As described by MLB.com, "Slated as a 16,000 square foot facility with three fields on 10 acres, the academy will be a year-round youth development program committed to helping youth with the skills necessary to succeed in life, and to become responsible, productive citizens in their community." The Nationals have put up $3.5 million, and the city has committed $3 million, and so the foundation is looking for corporate sponsorships to fund the rest of the $10 million price tag for the project, which is looking to emulate the Harlem RBI academy in New York. I was interested to hear in the presentation that the academy would not only groom baseball players, but teach groundskeeping, broadcasting, scouting, coaching, and other parts of the whole baseball experience. On hand for yesterday's announcement were Nats Dimitri Young, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, and Willie Harris, who you can see in this embarrassingly poor-quality photo.

* This passage from a New York Times piece on how the cost of fuel is changing the way America thinks about its "exurbs" is one that caught my eye: "Coors Field, the intimate, brick-fronted baseball stadium for the Colorado Rockies, has transformed the surrounding area from a desolate skid row into fashionable Lower Downtown, a neighborhood of restaurants and microbreweries in restored warehouses. Along the Platte River, new condos set on a park strip offer an arresting tableau of glass, steel, and futuristic geometry, attracting throngs of buyers at rising prices. 'This is a city where it's fun to be in the center,' said Tim Burleigh, 56, who sold his house in the suburbs and now walks to Rockies games from his downtown condo. To Denver's mayor, John W. Hickenlooper, $4 gasoline offers a useful incentive for such plans. 'It can be an accelerator,' he said[....] 'It's not going to be the dagger in the heart of suburban sprawl, but there's a certain inclination, a certain momentum back toward downtown.' "

Some items on upcoming ballpark festivities that might be of interest:

* With thanks to reader JM for catching word of this at last Saturday's game, I've found out from the Nationals that they will be showing baseball-themed movies on the HD scoreboard after Saturday night games. The first one wlll be Rookie of the Year, this Saturday (June 28) after the Nats play the Orioles. There will also be another one (title yet to be announced) after the July 12 game against the Astros. More details on this should be forthcoming from the Nationals in the next few days.

* If you ladies want to learn the ins and outs of baseball, this event on Saturday June 28 at 10 am is for you: "The Washington Nationals will host their second annual Baseball 101 Clinic, an exclusive opportunity for women to learn hitting, pitching and fielding with Nationals coaches and players. Following the on-field portion of the event, attendees will enjoy a buffet lunch and a question and answer session moderated by Nationals sideline reporter Debbi Taylor. Felipe Lopez, Nationals second baseman, and his wife, Nationals First Lady Jenn Lopez, will address the women about what life is like for a family in the Major Leagues. Nationals Massage Therapist Tatiana Tchamouroff will also speak to the group about her position with the team and what her job entails. The cost of attending the day's event is $85. In addition to the clinic and luncheon, participants will receive a Baseball 101 t-shirt and two Mezzanine Level tickets to that evening's game against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:10pm. Interested parties may register in advance via the Community Page at nationals.com Walk-up registration is available beginning at 9:00am on Saturday at the Center Field Gate and requires payment in full."

* Repeating an item buried in yesterday morning's update: If you can get your hands on a copy of the Southwester (the neighborhood newspaper of Southwest), there's a coupon for $3 off any $10 or higher ticket at the ballpark on "Neighborhood Nights" (i.e., every Friday night home game).

* And, while I was writing this entry, word arrived from the Nationals that they have "partnered with the Spanish Beisbol Network to launch Spanish radio broadcasts of all Nationals games. The broadcast will debut on WZHF 1390AM on Friday, June 27, when the Nationals face the Baltimore Orioles at 7:35pm." A Spanish language version of the official team web site, losnacionales.com, launched in April.

Are you stuck inside, maybe not even near a window (like me), on this gorgeous summer day? Then take a few minutes to run through this new batch of photos from up high at the Courtyard by Marriott at New Jersey and L, SE, showing views east across the Cappers and west across New Jersey Avenue (both down toward the ballpark and up toward the Capitol), displayed alongside the 2006 "befores" from the same angles. If somehow the differences between "old" and "new" Near Southeast haven't quite been apparent to you before now, this batch of photos should finally take care of it--remember, it's a mere 27 months between the oldest and newest shots.

And, if you've got some time, you should really look at the complete lineup of images from these locations, taken approximately every three months since early 2007, to watch the progression of old buildings disappearing and new ones popping up.

As a special added bonus, you can also see proof that the USDOT's vaunted green roof is indeed green.

* Outside the Boundaries II: The July Southwester (PDF, 7 MB) reports that the Marina Towers rehab is now going to result in apartments rather than condos. There's also blurbs on stadium parking and traffic issues as they impact Southwest, and other items of interest to folks on the west side of South Capitol.

* For those of you willing to hunt for the hard copies, there's also a coupon in the Southwester for $3 off any $10 or higher ticket at the ballpark on "Neighborhood Nights" (i.e., every Friday night home game). Then you can watch the fireworks from inside the ballpark for a change.

* Want to join the fun and run for a seat on ANC 6D? Petitions to get on the ballot can be picked up starting Aug. 6 at the DC Board of Elections.

* The Post's Grounds Crew blog has only now discovered that there's a Five Guys just around the corner from the Navy Yard subway station east entrance (on Second Street north of M, if you haven't discovered it yet, either).

* The PSA 105 mailing list announced yesterday that they are having a "Summer of Safety Ice Cream Social" at Capitol Hill Tower "to show unity with the citizens of Capitol Hill and the Metropolitan Police Department by sharing some nice and cool ice cream while sharing information." The message said that the social is from 2 to 5 pm on June 25. A Wednesday afternoon? I wrote asking for confirmation, but haven't heard back. Anyone out there with the {ahem} scoop?

* Washington City Paper and WBJ both note layoffs at MacFarlane Partners through the prism of how it might affect the drive to put a soccer stadium at Poplar Point; I see the news and wonder about the capital that MacFarlane is supposed to be investing in both The Yards and Monument Realty's Half Street.

* Is the report in the July Southwester that Monument Realty and the Corcoran Gallery have received zoning approval to delay to 2015 (from 2011) their planned redevelopment of the the Randall School site at Half and I SW something to wonder about, too?

* And, while I'm heading off the reservation with all of this wondering, did anyone else read this Post story on fuel prices causing problems for school districts' transportation budgets and ponder whether buses would have to drive farther to and from their daily routes from a parking lot at DC Village as compared to one at Second and M, SE?

While chowing down you can learn about the "resort-style swimming pool, rooftop deck, high-tech business center with private workstations and Internet access, executive conference center, movie theater with stadium seating, available bicycle storage and personal storage space, and 24-hour fitness center with cardio equipment, individual TVs, circuit training and free weights" as well as "a large pub room with plasma TVs, billiards, shuffleboard, foosball, darts, poker, Ipod docking station, and video gaming stations."

And all apartments are pre-wired for Verizon FIOS, easing the loading of all those resource-intensive JDLand photo pages, including my photos from a few weeks ago of the then-not-quite-finished interiors of Jefferson and Axiom next door.

* DDOT told me these were coming a long time ago, and a reader whose e-mail I've lost gave me a heads up a few weeks back, but now I've finally visited for myself to see that the ugly cyclone fences on the South Capitol and M overpass have been replaced with pretty gray-painted ironwork.

* You have to look kind of closely, but construction has indeed started at Capitol Quarter, with pretty new curbs being installed on the south side of L Street between Fourth and Fifth. You can see them if you squint at the photos on my Capitol Quarter Phase I page.

* The owner of the Third and K Market at, um, Third and K must be keeping track of what's going on nearby, because there's now a For Rent sign tucked in the door. (Alas, all the info sheets were gone when I got there.) If you've ever dreamed of running a corner market, here's your chance. The market's been closed since about 2006.

* The "Wachovia Coming Soon" sign is back in the window at 20 M, so my building permit reading was on the mark. (It's in the window on the far western edge of the building.)

UPDATE: Speaking of 20 M, GlobeSt.com is reporting (tucked in a piece on LEED Gold certification for 1100 New York Avenue) that several leasing deals are pending for 20 M. So perhaps that's why Wachovia has decided to start moving forward.

* I did a bit of needed housingcleaning to the home page map and project directory--adding in 88 K as a "featured project", demoting 1345 South Capitol to "star-only" status until the project starts moving forward again, and adding a few additional stars for projects like the coming retail renovation of 900 M Street.

I also did some updating of the tabs with the lists of projects--if you don't realize the tabs are even there (look just above the map for "Residential/Office/Retail/Hotel"), take some time during this lazy summer to click on them and be stunned and amazed by the easy access to project information....

Three weeks is way too long to go between updates when a building skeleton is on its way up, so seeing 909 New Jersey now starting its 11th story is a bit of a shock. The latest photos on the project page capture the building from all angles (and show that the facing work is already starting on the lower floors), and the Expanded Gallery includes photos from farther away showing the impact 909's rise is having on the Near Southeast skyline. This 237-unit rental building will have 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and is expected to be completed next year.

And, on the pages for both 909 NJ page and its siblings 70 and 100 I, I've now added a few more "old" photos of the lots before they were bought and cleared. I've been so focused on matching before-and-afters, which is simplest when done standing at intersections, that I've forgotten how many mid-block photos I used to take, especially waaaaaaaaay back during 2003 and 2004 (heh). As always, let the icon be your guide for the latest additions to the project pages, and use the icon wherever you see it to view all photos in the archive from a certain vantage point.

During two looooong photo treks today I found a new fence draping on First Street between I and K, advertising the three-building office-and-retail project on Square 696, now dubbed The Plaza on K. It indicates, as I was gleaning a few weeks ago, that DRI/Transwestern are indeed planning to move forward with 88 K, the first phase of the project, later this year, with delivery in mid-2010. There's now an official ThePlazaonK.com web site, for those of you looking to lease office or retail space.

Thankfully the nice sunny day allowed me to snag really good photos of the two renderings on the fence sign, which are shown above but which you can see in non-micro version on my Plaza on K page (scroll down a tad to see them--you have to be looking pretty close to realize they're not digital files). Both renderings show the planned 8,000-sq-ft public plaza on K Street just west of First Street. The project page also has lots of photos showing how much Square 696's "neighbors" have changed in the past few years.

Now we're just waiting to see when the old cab garage at First and K gets demolished....

(And--lots more photo updates coming over the next few days, so keep checking back.)